Latest News
On Training: Physical Integration
The race was two-thirds over and the aerobic system was still running cleanly. Breathing had stayed in control, the stroke hadn't collapsed, and the pace was within the range that should have been sustainable. But something had shifted in the last thirty minutes. A shoulder carrying something separate from the general [...]
The difference between flatwater paddling and downwinding isn't subtle. Grinding a flat stretch is the opposite: all work and no rest, every foot of distance earned stroke by stroke with nothing free about it. Catching a wave takes a handful of hard strokes, sometimes just one, and then the boat rides [...]
On Training: Efficiency and Friction
During any long session or race, most of each stroke converts cleanly into forward motion. A small fraction gets diverted into correction, stabilization, and adjustment. Some of that cost comes from outside: the ocean pushes, the boat responds, and effort goes toward holding a line and keeping the hull settled underneath [...]
On Racing: Finishing Strong
Finishing well has little to do with who is most tired. Everyone is tired. What separates paddlers at the end of a race is not how much they have left, but how clearly they can still act with what remains. The finish is rarely a single effort. It is a sequence [...]
Stability in the Boat-Do you need more?
By Wesley Echols I have paddled a wide range of skis over the years from advanced to beginner in all types of conditions. Below are some helpful hints on becoming more stable in your ski. Boat Choice: think about the conditions that you will be paddling in the 75% of the [...]
On Racing: Expecting the Unexpected
The forecast you checked the night before is completely different when you wake up. The wind has increased, the swell period has changed, and there's a conversation happening near the water's edge about which direction the gusts are going to come from and when. Of course, nobody really knows, at least [...]
Awesome fun boatwake surf / Nelo 550 surfski / 03.08.2026
Surfski Reviews
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Think Six Surfski Review
I first heard about the newest model in the Think line up about a year ago and knew little about it before I talked to Chris Laughlin, US Distributor, in May 2020, who had just come back from his initial paddle in the New SIX. He put it through the [...]
New Stellar SR
Last Sunday Tim, Bob and myself launched from Bay Voyage Inn, Jamestown, Rhode Island. We are suited up in our Kokatat Goretex Paddling Suits with a light weight base layer, mukluks, pogies, spare hat, gloves, gels, water, gps w/heart rate, phone, video camera,camera and leashes. Air temps were almost 50 [...]
2015 Redesigned Stellar SR Review
Since 2003 when I began paddling surfskis, I have reviewed more surfskis than anyone else in the world making those reviews public via this website. Like most things in life, I did not intentionally set out to buy so many surfskis. I simply started out trying to find the perfect [...]
Huki S1X Special Surfski Review, Big FUN!
If you have paddled the second generation Huki's that came out in April 2012, no doubt, they have left an impression on you. Just a few days ago, another Huki paddler told me the Huki's paddled so well in downwind conditions that they have "Soul". That phrase resonated with me. [...]
Think Evo 3 Ultimate Surfski Review
Think about it! I did my first review of the original Evo review in 2009, my review of the Think Evo 2 back in June, 2014 which you can see at the end of this review. 2009 Evo Review In 2017 the Think Evo 3, (Length: 20′ 6″ (625 cm), [...]