Latest News
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 [...]
On Downwinding: Reading Lines
The line appears before the decision to take it is fully formed. A shift in the water texture, maybe forty meters ahead, something about the way a long roller is organizing at an angle to the dominant swell, and the bow is already moving in that direction. A few strokes in [...]
On Training: Chain of Fools
The stroke catches and the boat runs. There is a feeling to it, a brief firmness in the water that holds long enough for the body to push through, and the boat moves with more economy than it did on the stroke before. Paddlers sometimes describe a boat as "running" on [...]
Nationals: Meet the (Blackburn) Challenge
Every local racing community has a structure. You know who the fast paddlers are, roughly how you stack up against them, and what a good day on the water looks like for you. That knowledge shapes your training, your expectations, and your sense of progress over a season. It also has [...]
Surfski Reviews
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Huki S1XL Surfski Review by Wesley Echols
History with Huki My history with Huki dates back to 2004 when I got my first Huki S1X(orange in pic below) with a fix leg length. That was my second surf ski after a 3 month stint with my first surf ski, a Mako XT. As I have told the [...]
Nelo 550 Surfski Review
My Search of the "Perfect" Surfski My search since 2003 for the "Perfect" surfski has gotten easier with so many surfskis brought to the market since then, most notably in the last two years. Before 2003, I paddled and raced sea kayaks since 1993. My surfski experience started off with [...]
Fenn Elite Tandem: A “Very Cool” First Paddle with Cliff – by Susan Williams
Cliff Roach and I set out to paddle Mark Ceconi’s brand new Fenn Elite tandem surfski for the purposes of writing a review for surfskiracing.com. Clearly, Mark has been hanging out with his eternally optimistic elementary school students for too long, the poor trusting soul had no idea what we [...]
Think Legend Review – by Wesley Echols
What sets the Legend apart from the other High Performance Skis(HPS) is its drastically different planing hull design with its hard chines and very flat bottom. I was very curious to how it compared to the other HPS in speed and stability. What struck me immediately was the cockpit fit [...]
NEW 2016 Stellar SEL Surfski
Dave Thomas, Co Designer with Ed Hofmeister and owner Stellar Kayaks and Surfskis, is paddling the NEW 2016 SEL Excel in our new color scheme. With the addition of the SEL, SR, SES, all 2nd generation editions, we have launched 3 new models in 2015. Couple this with our NEW [...]