Over my years of racing, my goal has been to try to optimize my boat choice for a particular race based on the conditions of that race and my skill level at that point in time. As we all know, our skill level changes over time if you paddle regularly (2-5 days per week for me) and you are trying to improve your technique and balancing skills. The design of skis has changed over time with more available to choose from for all skill levels. Now in 2012-2013 many surf ski builders have revamped their lines giving us the best variety of skis to choose from. Within each class of skis, novice, intermediate, high performance, the speed/stability has drawn very close between manufacturers unlike a few years ago with the distinctions were more pronounced. Now what separates the surf skis within a class is often fit, accessibility, and brand loyalty. For instance trying to distinguish the speed/stability between the Stellar SEI, Evo 2, and Huki S1R is difficult since they are so evenly matched. In the high performance class the distinction has closed, however, the stability between HPS can be quite different at the upper end. What has changed dramatically over the past years is that some skis posess intermediate stability with excellent speed like the SEL, V10, S1X special, and S1XL.
Over my years of paddling so many surf skis, I do have my favorites. What I find interesting is that most paddlers when they contact me about skis, rarely ever ask me what my favorites skis are. They tend to ask me the differences in the various skis they seek to purchase. I try to match the ski to the individuals need based on a series of questions that I listed at the end of this article. Often they take my advice, but often their ego wins out and they buy the wrong ski for their skill set. Paddle and learn through experience is often the best teacher. So below are my past favorites, current favorites, and what I think will be my future favorites.
Past Favorites
Older Huki S1R
My third ski that I ever owned was a fixed length 2006 Huki S1R that weighed about 26lbs. I had to pad out this S1R some for the length to fit, but nevertheless, I really enjoyed that ski. Once I got some bucket time under me, I could paddled that ski anywhere and in any conditions. Subsequently, I bought 3 other S1Rs since that first one. The last one(lime green) I sold to Greg Lesher a few years ago and Greg and his partner Mary Beth have paddled the heck of that boat with great results even to this day. I broke the three hour mark in this ski at the Blackburn a few years ago which is very hard to do in an intermediate boat much less one that weighs 31lbs.
Greg Lesher with my old S1R. His go to boat for years.
Carbon Legend
My other all time favorite ski was my Carbon 22 pound Think Legend. That Legend fit me perfectly and I could paddled it in any conditions. The hard chine and flat bottom never bothered me. I clocked a 2.53:00 Blackburn paddling virtually solo for entire race with only my heart rate monitor around. That ski was the best tracking ski I ever owned and was a rocket downwind. I also paddled one of my Legends in the Mayors Cup which was the year they cancelled it due to huge conditions. The reason I sold my Legends was that they were a little slower in the flats compared to other boats I was racing at the time.
My carbon Legend and one of my Kevlar Legends
Original Evo
The Evo’s were also my favorite skis having owned six of them in various lay ups. I owned a beautiful carbon one at 21lbs. I paddled my first Evo the day after I bought it for 38 miles around Aquidneck Island. That day was monumental since that stretch on Ocean Drive was extremely rough. I was never so glad to turn into Narragansett Bay at mile 11 by the Castle Hill Lighthouse as I was that day to get some relief from the chaotic seas in Rhode Island Sound. My forearm was aching it was so tight from the death grip. Tim(in my S1R) and I continued another 27 miles to end on McCorrie Beach where we started eight hours earlier. The Evo fit me perfectly. I often said for years even during my Stellar days, that if I had to pick one ski and was not racing so much, the Evo would be my choice based on the great fit and that it does everything reasonably well.
My Carbon Evo and my Refurbished Evo.
Stellar SEL Ultra(Black/Orange)
My Stellar SEL Ultra(22lbs) was one of my favorite skis. It was fast, light, tracked well, and a beautiful ski that fit reasonably well. Though not as fast as my SES’s, it was more stable and in the longer races I oftened raced it over my SES’s. It was one of the first skis on the market to combine excellent high performance speed with intermediate stability and was easy to remount. I was competitive in any race from flat water to rough conditions. I just changed out the rudder based on conditions and off I went. It was my” go to” boat that I turned in some excellent times including a few Blackburns, L2L(excel version), Double Beaver, and even in the Coyota Point race in San Francisco before the U.S. Surfski Championship Race.
SEL Ultra Blackburn 2013
Yellow SES Excel(27lbs)
I have paddled the SES’s, the most of any ski to date. My 2010 yellow SES Excel remains one of my favorite skis. I had one of my best races ever in the 2011 Double Beaver Race where I placed 2nd in very challengeing conditions.I have also clocked my fastest Blackburn ever in my one of my SES’s in 2:49. It has perhaps the best combination of secondary stability with top end speed of any ski on the market for the small to medium paddler. My SES ultra at 21lbs was my boat of choice at the 2010 Essex River Race where I tied for first with Tim in his V12(my old V12).
Yellow SES, Doublebeaver 2013
Mohican
Lastly, my pure flat water surf ski, the Ted Van Dusen Mohican also gets the nod as one of my favorite all time skis albeit a speciality ski. Excellent seating ergonomics, narrow catch, and a pure joy to paddle. A few paddlers in the Northeast have Mohicans including Chris(web master) so when we race, we know it its not the boat. It was the first ski to have a bailer installed in it, glides even in suck water and my lastest Mohican has pedals and not a tiller bar that makes it even more pleasurable to paddle due to better steering. It also holds my Island Park/Sakonnet River flat water time trial record of all my surf skis to date. This is my 3rd Mohican.
Chris and I in our Mohicans at Holyoke 2012 Race in October
New Favorites
Evo 2
After the Sakonnet River Race this year, I tried the Timmy Shield ‘s Evo 2 for about five minutes. The fit that I enjoyed in all my Evo’s suddenly came back to me. However, with my new SEI in the garage, I did not need another intermediate ski. A few months passes and Timmy Shield tries my SEI and liked the SEI better than his Evo 2. I tried his Evo 2 again and we made the swap. While the SEI is more stable and feels slightly faster, the universal bucket is designed to fit large paddlers and with padding med size paddlers like myself. So in this instance I like the fit better over slight improvement in performance. In the Kettle Island Race, I place 4th on the 15 mile ocean race. On October 22, I clocked a 8:22 average pace on my 1.65 mile time trial course. Anytime I can paddle an intermediate boat in the 8:15 to 8:30 pace, then it has excellent speed for an intermediate ski! My review is forthcoming but you have already gotten the main points, fits me great, stable, and plenty fast!
Wesley and Evo 2 at Kettle Island Race, 4th Place
V14 Ultra
I already have several time trials accumulated in my V14 and have a very good sense of where it fits on the speed/stabilty chart. Review coming so don’t want to spoil it. I will be able to paddle it more now since it had the Big Boy foot plate on it when I bought it. I switched it out to the standard plate along with new rudder lines. Epic uses the gray, braided line that use to be on all the Stellars as well. Stellar upgraded to a better line now. I also switched out all those lines on all my Stellars this summer that improves steering from less slippage. I also bought all three rudders to experiment with each. Now I still have the huge elliptical while I get used to the stability. Performance: In two words “it flies”!
My V14 waiting to take off!
Potential Favorite
Huki S1X Special
Well, I don’t actually own a Huki special. Yet! I paddled one at Demo Day at the Surfski Championships and decided then that I needed either the special or the S1XL. Why? My second ski ever was a 23lbs S1X that is still being paddled today by a local paddler Chris Sherwood. Later I bought an S1X special, but I could never get used to the high hump with such short legs so I sold it. With the redesign in 2012, it fits me now, steers like a dream like all Huki’s do, and offers the combination of excellent speed/stability,surfing capabilities and I can get any color I want. I have paddled Chris Chappell’s S1XL and that confirmed for me that needed another Huki. So I recently sold my SEL Ultra in hopes that this will be my new “go to boat” and in particular for the longer races like the Blackburn, L2L, Double Beaver Races. So stay tuned. I hope to have it in a few months.
Wesley at 2013 Demo Day US Surfski Championship
Think Uno Max?
I told Chris Chappell recently, I am not sure where my Uno Max is going to fit in my race schedule. I enjoy the fit, excellent leg drive, and the speed. My question I am struggling with is will I be faster in it than some of my other skis in the flat to moderate condition races. I have done a fair amount of time trials in it and three 2 hour paddles in it with intervals against some of my training partners. So I need some more time in it to figure this out.
Looking wiped out after 2 hour paddle ending with 1.5 mile sprint preceded by another 1 mile sprint.
Hope you enjoyed my favorites. I am sure these are some of your favorites and many have other favorites that work for you. The great thing is that now unlike in 20o4 when I started paddling surfskis, there are many choices of great skis beside the ones I mentioned here. So just get out there and find your favorite by paddling as many as you can and buying as many as you can so you can determine what ski is best for you.
I get questions weekly from paddlers wanting more info on skis. Here is what I asked them. This may help you in your choices of skis too.
1. What is your goal in paddling? Fitness, Racing, Social.
2.How frequent do you paddled?
3.Where do you primarly paddle? Flat water, Rivers, lakes or Bays, Oceans, rough water.
4. How old are you? Balance is not what it used to be in our 30’s.
5. What is you current skill level and what are you paddling now?
6.Have you paddled more than one brand of ski for comparison particular as it is related to fit?
7. How much do you want to spend?
8. What brands do you have access to?
9. Is boat weight a concern for you?
10. How much do you weigh? What your inseam, How large are your hips?
11. Will this be your only ski? One ski for everything?
All these have a bearing on the ski you buy to varying degrees.
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