A few weeks ago, I drove six hours round trip in torrential down pours to pick up the SEI along with my other Stellars. Few things excite me more than new surf skis! This one had the potential to fill in the gap in the Stellar line for an all purpose ski that would combine speed, stability, and universal fit for most paddlers.  Many months ago I gave my input on what thought the SEI should include so I was very excited to see it in person. It has only been four years since the first Stellar surf ski hit the market. Now the newly designed SEI is here!

My Custom SEI

My Custom SEI

A few more pics of SEI.

https://plus.google.com/photos/111670948231605580163/albums/5894703363206132945

Ride the Bull Race Pics.

https://plus.google.com/photos/111670948231605580163/albums/5892460380454839425

Over these four years many new skis have come to the market which can make the choice even more difficult for some paddlers.  However, ultimately, with enough information and hopefully a test run or two, paddlers are now rewarded with a choice of skis that meets their needs at their particular point in their paddling career. On the other hand, with so many choices, many paddlers own several skis based on  how a particular boat meets their diverse paddling needs. Now we have different categories of boats from novice, intermediate, high performance skis and some that blur the lines between the classes like the SEL, Hawx, V10, Huki S1-XL, and now the SEI. The market demand and competition among manufacturers to design skis for every type of paddlers ultimately gets more paddlers into the market,drives innovation, and rewards paddlers with more stable yet efficient and better fitting skis. Competition never stands still among paddlers or manufacturers. If you are standing still then you are not moving forward as a paddler or manufacturer.

 

Saddling up for the Ride the Bull Race, putting it through the paces!

Saddling up for the Ride the Bull Race, putting SEI through the paces! Nice Profile! Click to enlarge.

 

Wesley in New SEI Excel

SEI Ride the Bull Race. click to enlarge

 

SEI at start of Ride the Bull

SEI at start of Ride the Bull. click to enlarge

 

SEI w/8inch rudder

SEI w/8inch rudder. click to enlarge

The SEI was designed to fit in between the SR and SEL in terms of speed and stability while adding a different(rounded) shaped cockpit and tapered footwell. So the SEI is 18 inches wide and 20ft long and fills this gap nicely in the Stellar lineup. It is called the intermediate but my experience is that it certainly has intermediate stability but its speed exceeded my expectations. If you categorize the SEI in the  intermediate class then it would rank as one of the fastest. If you rank it in the HPS(high performance ski) it would be on the low end of this category. You can see how the lines are blurring between skis.

SEI Bow

Excellent Construction in Excel Layup(24lbs)

 

SEI and SES

SEI(left) and SES(right)

 

SEI side by side to SES

SEI side by side to SES

Speed 

Like most Stellars, the SEI retains the combination of excellent stability coupled with pleasing speed, and superb build quality. For example the SES is the fastest, slimmest beam of any true ocean ski with exemplary stability for the small to mid size paddler. My SEL Ultra has wonderful top end speed with outstanding stability. I think most paddlers will be surprised at the SEI’s speed. I put four GPS tracks on this review so you can get a sense of the speed. If you have been following my reviews over the years, you have proof of my speeds generated via races with my long time competitors/training partners, along with my GPS training runs for most of the skis I have reviewed.  I also have a huge GPS data base of practically every paddle I have ever done in virtually every ski I have owned since 2003.

If you go by the name Intermediate,the SEI should prove to be one of the fastest boats in this class based on my time trials and the Ride The Bull Race. Most recently, I sold my last two Evo’s(1st generation). I had six Evo’s including a stunning 21 lb all carbon version. I recently paddled an Evo 2 that I enjoyed paddling along with a new V10. Looking back on my massive GPS data base, I had some excellent times in my Evo’s. Any time I am averaging in the 8:15-8:45 pace, minutes/per mile on my  time trial courses, that is an excellent pace for me in an intermediate boat. By comparison if I was in the high performance skis my average times would be 7:37- 8:30 range.  For instance in the most recent Sakonnet River Race which is the same course or part of the course that I use for all my time trials, I averaged 7.52 pace (7.65 mph) for five miles after paddling up wind/current for 6 miles at race pace in my SES Ultra. Below are four Garmin tracks, three are mine in the SEI and one is Chris’s when he paddled the SEI for 11 miles on this same course. One of the tracks is my Ride the Bull course where there were some small bumps to catch if you could generate enough power to do so. I was able to generate some excellent speed with the SEI and by comparison with my racing counterparts.  So by design the SEI is much faster than the SR but not as fast as the SEL.  Be sure when comparing skis to use comparable layups(weights) and rudders. If you have read any car reviews, they don’t review the base model. They review the top of the line model. Likewise I try  to review the lightest ski. In the Stellar line the Ultra are 22lbs while the Excel layups are 24lbs.

1.The is my first time in the SEI with the 4 inch rudder in some big 6 foot swells generated from a previous storm.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/324847720

 

2. Ride The Bull Race in mixed conditions with some small downwind.

3. SEI with 8 inch rudder on Training Paddle including some 2 minute intervals/rest with Tim, against current/wind. One mile interval.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/326592140

 

4. Chris SEI on Sakonnet River, Time Trial Course, his splits every 1/2 mile.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/325466456

Stability

Years ago I would refer to my abilities as in the mid packer class, but now my rough water skills are very good in  just about all skis. So I am reminded of that in what I thought was unstable for me a few years ago is now stable. Having said that the SEI is very stable, no surprise here. Secondary is better than the SEL for those having paddled the SEL’s. Like all the Stellars the stability is very predictable and kicks in early so the learning curve is minimized for most paddlers. My first paddle in the SEI was in six foot swells that we rarely get with the 4 inch rudder. I don’t advocate going out with this small of a rudder in these conditions, however, I was surprised how stable I was. I did put on the 8 inch rudder for the Ride the Bull Race which was more than adequate for that day of mixed conditions of refractory, slop and chop, and some tiny bumps inside Mackerel Cove.  Again the stability falls in between the quite stable SR and the most stable high performance ski, the SEL.

Fit

The bucket and foot well were designed differently than the other Stellars. The bucket width is approximately the size of the SR for the wide hipped paddler but  is tapered nicely for a more ergonomic paddling position with your knees closer together and supported by the sides of the boat. The bucket is also deeper than other Stellars with higher gunwales while your butt is planted in the back of the seat pan affording no sliding. There is less volume in the footwell so practically and visually this is an improvement.

On my second paddle I did take five minutes and taped some pads in the hip area and in the calf area. Remember there are only two skis that I require no padding in: Swordfish and Vintage. My point here that the SEI has a universal seat to fits the wide hipped and heavier paddlers. The track will accommodate  a 35 inch inseam. If you need more length, you could move the track forward almost an  inch.  The track  was fine for me at a short 29.5 inches with plenty to spare for the short paddlers. If you are very short, you can move the track toward the bucket by an inch.  For the smaller/mid size paddlers, the bucket shape is such that padding the bucket is easy while you still are able to enjoy the overall design of the newer bucket. The bucket to foot  well height ratio is about the same as the other Stellars. With padding, I loved the fit. It maybe the best fitting Stellar boat I have.  I recently paddled an Evo 2 and V10 both padded out for guys similar to me in size. Having said that, like any ski, you need to try it to make sure it fits you comfortably. The catch is similar to the SEL.

SEI Cockpit

SEI Cockpit

 

Cam Locks make adjusting footplate super easy!

Cam Locks make adjusting footplate super easy.

Summary

Pros:

  1. Speed to stability ratio is excellent.
  2. Intermediate stability with superb speed of a boat with these specifications.
  3. Newer shaped for Stellar,(tapered), and univeral seat to accomodate most paddlers.
  4. Less volume in footwell compared to other Stellars. 
  5. Stellar build quality you can depend on.
  6. Lightweight at 24/25 lbs in the excel layup.Most manufacturers have increased their boat weights for durability. Stellar has some of the lightest, stiffest, durable boats on the market.
  7. Three point locking footplate with cam locks on the side rails for ease of use and super quick and incremental adjustments.
  8. One of the most secure leash attachment points.
  9. Three nicely shaped rudders, 4 inch, 8 inch, and 9 inch what fit on all Stellar models with the exception of the S2E.
  10. Worldwide distribution.

Cons:

  1. Stellar slow draining. I was hoping for quicker draining.

 

SEI Specifications

SEI Specifications, Click to Enlarge

 

Making it Happen!!

Making it Happen at SurfskiRacing.com