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. These boats have an enduring feel to them. Is it the custom design and colors that make them so enduring? It runs much deeper than that. Carving down a wave with utter confidence thinking “my gosh is this FUN or what” is often what I am thinking when paddling my Special. The best part of this equation is that you don’t have to be from South Africa, Australia or California to enjoy paddling these skis. You can be born in the deepest part of the South, Mississippi, and live the past thirty years in Newport, Rhode Island and still enjoy the benefits of a well designed ski even in the waters of New England.

My history with Huki dates back to 2004 when I got my first orange, all carbon, Huki S1X with a fix leg length. Remember those days of fix length skis? That was my second surf ski ever and now I am on my 6th Huki surf ski with the lastest, a 24lb second generation S1X Special that I have owned for a few months now. Having reviewed the S1XL a few months ago, these boats surf like a dream even if your surfing skills need some work like mine. After going to the 2013 US Surfski Championships demo day and paddling a Huki S1R for that race, I knew then, it would only be a matter time before I bought another Huki.

Oh what a feeling unwrapping my new Huki S1X Special!

Downwind Run, Wesley Echols, SurfskiRacing.com (Enhanced) from Wesley Echols on Vimeo.

1st Huki(orange), Huki S1R, my 1st Mohican on left(blue), My 1st V10sport

Demo at 2013US Surfski champs, S1X Special

Huki S1X Special, Vacuumed Glass with Carbon Cockpit

Purchasing new boats during racing season always creates a dilemma for me: Paddle the boat I just bought or paddle the boat I will race in the upcoming race. Sometimes these are the same boat, but sometimes not. I bought the S1X Special to be 1) my rough water ski 2) my endurance race ski (think Blackburn) to replace one of my other all purpose skis wanting a better fit. While I have not time trialed the Special as much as my other skis to date, I have had some of my most memorable paddles in my new Special. My Fastest 4 miles ever averaging 8.6 mph on a downwind day from the North End of Jamestown to the Newport Bridge was BiG FUN as Aretha Franklin says in one of her songs, and as you know, I got it on video. https://surfskiracing.org/2014/05/fastest-4-miles-ever/ .This paddle in all its glory could have ended up with me in the swirling waters just before the Newport Bridge. However, with a few tap braces here and there, I was no worse for the wear. This paddle demonstrated for me the great qualities in the Huki S1X Special, surfs like a dream and is very stable for a High Performance Ski(HPS).What made it fun was the S1X Special handled these conditions like the new 2015 VW GTI handles a slalom course. Perhaps you have seen the VW GTI ads while watching the World Cup.You just let the ski do it’s job, a light touch on the pedals this way, a light touch that way and you are flying across the wave with confidence building stability.

Below are two of my Garmin Tracks on my short 1.64 mile time trial courses. Anytime I can average around the 8-8:30 minutes per mile on a regular bases, the ski qualifies as a High Performance Ski which the Special obviously does. This ski weighs in at 24.5 pounds and I use either the 7 inch Huki rudder or like the paddle below, I used the Van Dusen Mohican rudder that is 7.5 inches in length but slimmer. At the time of this review I have a 5.5 inch rudder that Chris modified from an 8 inch Huki rudder that I have not tried yet. I also have the tiny 4 inch rudder that I have used on one occasion as evidenced by the second GPS track. Typically though I use the 7 inch Huki Rudder for the majority of my paddles.

When doing a surfski review, I like to have raced the ski I am reviewing provided the race course is suitable and I can be competitive in that race. This provides another point of reference beside my time trial data. So the Ride the Bull Race matched up perfectly. In fact, this is the reason I bought it, to race in a number of local races; Ride The Bull, Blackburn, Doublebeaver, and possible L2L. All these races are open water, two to three hours in duration, and have the potential to have big water. The Ride the Bull Race has washing machine waters for 75% of it, so it was a great test. I came in 6th overall and had BIG FUN doing it. My GPS data is below.

Ride the Bull Race

Wesley Leading out of the Gate at Ride the Bull.

Nice Ergonomic Cockpit even in rough conditions at Ride the Bull

Nice Ergonomic Cockpit, Notice lower gunwales at VVV(Vaikobi)

Cockpit for Fit

The Huki S1X Special has a universal cockpit that can fit many size paddlers. For summer paddling, I have added some padding in the hips and at the calves. During the winter months when I am wearing a base layer, drysuit, boots, pogies, and hat, I will take out the summer padding. Nothing worse than being too tight in a cockpit that leads to instability and tenative paddling in 30 degree air and water temperatures.

The seat height is slightly higher than some of the other brands with good height separation between seat and heels. The hump is dramatically lower than the pre 2012 models so leg drive is unimpeded even for the short guys like me. The cockpit to foot well is tapered nicely allowing your legs to have the appropriate contact with the cockpit sides for stability and leg drive. The narrow catch catch is very pleasing as well. So the Huki’s have a very comfortable and ergonomic cockpit that most paddlers should enjoy. The buckets on all the Huki’s are very different from the older versions in case you were wondering. I found the draining to be excellent with two venturi’s well placed, so no need for a bailer. The other nice feature of the cockpit is that the sides are lowered for easy remounting.

Huki S1X Special without my padding

The Huki’s have the most customizable options of any brand by far, and this one included hand slots within the cockpit for easy lifting and carrying, perfectly balanced for one arm lifting, Nice! Huki’s have always used cable rudder lines. I have found that skis with cable lines to be more responsive and no slippage that you can sometimes get with spectra rudder lines.The Huki set up is quick and easy with no centering of the rudder needed like on many skis. Once the yoke is attached, the rudder is screwed tight by hand(no tools), then you adjust the rudder cable by pulling it through the holes in the toe pedals to adjust the angle. The spacing on the beaded cable is spaced at 1 inch intervals. While super easy, the angles are limited with 1 inch spacing. If you need more adjustment, you can get the bead set at 1/2 inch as an option.

Huki S1X Special Pedals

The footplate track uses the same system used on other popular skis, mounted flush in the footwell as opposed to a top mounted track system found on some other brands. The Hukis have a bungee that runs through the toe pedals to the footplate to create more tension. I wanted even more tension so I added another bungie. The system works super and only takes 30 seconds to adjust to different size paddlers. For years I have wasted more time adjusting/tying/retying, centering rudders on spectra line boats. The foot plate itself is rock solid mounted by 6 beefy screws with no flexing or rubbing. The foot strap is a nice quality, wider and better quality than other foot straps and is placed slightly higher on the footplate allowing for easier remounts without worrying about a slouching foot strap. I mentioned the no tools system for the rudders. Unlike other skis,there is no rudder compartment. The rudders go through the hull and attached on the deck by simple locking washing and nut. My only addition to my Special that I want is a built in leash attachement. While attaching my paddle leash to the foot strap is doable, having a dedicated leash attachment is preferable. Huki’s are built in Sacramento, California, which makes them accessible for West Coast paddlers.

I encourage you to visit the Huki website and read about the design changes that were made on the new Specials.

With our newly redesigned HUKI S1-X Special, I wanted to fill the needs of those elite paddlers who have requested more volume in the S1-X to attack extreme and challenging big waters…

HUKI S1-X Special – Newly released in April of 2012 . As most of you reading this are aware, Huki offers many different layups to suit you racing needs and price points. I have owned some of the various layups that Huki offers: Carbon/Kevlar, Kevlar, Carbon, Vacuum Glass w/Carbon Cockpit. I recently paddled Chris’s new carbon S1XL that is stiff, light and feels substantial at 23 pounds and is gorgeous.

As you have gathered, the Huki S1X Special is one of my favorite skis that I have owned. It does everything well, but excels in downwind conditions. It is stable enough that you don’t feel like you have to be in it all the time to maintain your balance while paddling in bigger conditions. It is hard not to be overly enthusiastic about my Special. While I have sold many boats in my garage over the years, their are a few that have tenure or will have long term tenure including the Special.