After a recent stroke clinic, my interest is piqued in racing/training skis, the Huki S1-X in particular. Anyone out there own one? Impressions vs. some of the others in terms of stability, seaworthiness in the rough, speed?
mark 1
did you try the mark 1 there? That would be a good ski for you or the MAko xt. Both are fast and a great transistion from the QCC 700 . check out oceanpaddlesports.com, they sell both or Bruce Gipson’s Venturesport down in Florida. Good to see you at the clinic, it was a great group.
S1X and Mark1
I have a Mark 1- it is a fabulous boat, and you should definitely consider it. Very close to the speed potential of the Mako (considered the fastest), but really phenomenal stability for a boat of this type. I haven’t paddled the S1X, but I had a Findeisen UX, which didn’t fit me especially well, and which I found too tippy. Really the issue was a total lack of secondary stability, which the Mark 1 has- I can edge it way over, with the edge of the cockpit in the water, and still feel just fine. Perhaps Greg Barton would be faster in the UX than the Mark 1, but I am way, way faster in the Mark 1. The S1X is reportedly a lot closer stability-wise to the Mako and the UX than it is touted as being. I have this from an expert paddler who has owned all of them (and used the Mark 1 for Molokai, BTW).
I am just as pleased as could be with the Mark 1, and recommend it highly to someone looking for a definite step up from a Futura 2 or a Mako XT (or a fast kayak).
Andrew
Interesting comment on S1-X stability
I assume that the S1-X’s asserted stability advantage is from being a little flatter from the midsection aft, but it’s hard to tell from pictures on the website, and there’s still only going to be so much you can do with a 17" beam. I wish Jude had gotten a boat or two out here for Molokai. They’re apparently selling well on the mainland, but if he’s serious about competing with skis from SA and Aus. he’s going to need to show some racing success outside the continental U.S.
maybe a bit of wishful thinking
not to take anything away from the huki, which is supposed to be a great ski, and which i have no personal experience with, but i think there may be some wishful thinking associated with it. it’s still an expert level ski- maybe a tad more stable than a fenn, but still pretty damn tippy.
the difference is perhaps in expectations- you read a lot of people saying " i bought my first ski and it was 3 weeks before i could stay upright for a 100 meters". so in contrast, the huki does seem to allow reasonably naive paddlers to stay upright in mellow conditions the first time out. but if you throw in a few waves, you’ve got a pretty high end ski.
i compare this to the mark 1, where i was able to do over 10 miles the first day, with an over 7mph average and sprints over 9mph. i’ve now done about 70 miles, with about 3 slap braces and no tumbles, mostly in lake chop (yeah, i know, it isn’t the ocean!!) maybe i’m losing 0.1-2 mph in speed in the long run, but i might never get there anyway.
andrew
I’m jealous
I haven’t had nearly that much success with the Mako yet. OTOH, the learning curve is coming along quite a bit like it did on my old ski once I stopped swimming all the time (I’ve only come off the Mako a couple of times so far), so I’m optimistic that I’ll make it back to a similar comfort level in another couple of months. That’s still a lot of slapping and swearing, but after spending a year and a half or so getting solid on my first ski, I’ve still got stubbornness to spare!
(Lest my ineptitude scare anyone else away from skis, I should add that (1) I’m a pretty mediocre athlete, (2) I bought my first ski after less than a year of paddling in a Cobra Expedition SOT, so I was still learning basic paddling skills, and (3) a reasonable comfort level around here sometimes means paddling in fairly sloppy water.)
Hey, I am jealous 
I would love to be paddling where you are!
Regards,
Iceman
Come on down!
Plane tickets were looking a little pricy last time I checked, but it should get better again in the fall. And if you can’t come now, it may get even better in a couple of years. There’s supposed to be a new inter-island ferry service coming on-line in 2006, which will make it a whole lot easier to take kayaks to the neighbor islands.
you’d never come back
and your family would miss you.
just say no to paradise!
andrew
(whose week in kaua’i made him realize why it was probably good he didn’t go there at age 21…)
Wanting to go to Hawaii
next year for the Molokai. But I ran some numbers for me, my wife and kid to go, and it ended up around 8K. Not to mention the fact that if I go, will I make it across? It now seems much further away, is there a cheaper way?
D.Lon if you are having a long learning curve on the Mako, try out the Mark 1 or the xt, being more comfortable in a boat, you will progress faster, and have a lot more fun!
I’m having fun
I like the boat and I don’t mind taking some time to get dialed in. I might have liked the Mark 1 just as well, but this is what I got, and it’s not nearly so difficult that I’d think about giving up and trading it in. It’s comfortable enough now to be enjoyable, just not quite ready to go run it in the big stuff yet.
Paradise!
I would love to go right away, but school is taking me not only a lot of money but also a great deal of time. Anyway, I am hoping to be able to travel in about 18 months to two years.
By the way, I have been looking at “Canoe camp Hawai’i” as an option to speed up the transition to your ocean condition. For now, I have to train hard to reach the fitness level required.
As seawave, I would like to combine a family vacation with surfski training because I don’t want to be missed by my family
(I no longer have 21. I wish)
Regards,
Iceman