I'll start out my review of the Huki S1-X with my perspective of the recent past regarding surfskis here in Northern California.  I think this will provide some good background info for the popularity of the S1-X here on the mainland US.

There were quite a few models and manufactures of surfskis used by both the top and middle of the pack racers Northern California racers back in the mid 1990's.  It was a mixture of Australian skis (Haydens and Burons), Hawaiian skis (Twogoods, Robellos, C-Skis), and California skis (Futuras and Valhallas).  The sit inside Necky Phantom was also popular in ocean and San Francisco Bay races.

Then, in 1999 I think, the Twogood Mako started showing up.  This long and slender ski was unlike all of the others.  It soon became the consensus that amongst many paddlers that this ski was faster upwind, downwind and in the flats than all the other skis.  For a year or two everyone was buying a Twogood Mako.  A year or two later, the similar Fenn Mako Millennium imported from South Africa became readily available, and everyone was buying one of those.  [Editor's note: the "Twogood Mako" was a copy of the Fenn Mako built with Keith Fenn's permission by Bob Twogood in Hawaii.]

The Makos (both the Twogood Mako and the Fenn Mako Millennium) worked well for the top paddlers with good balance, but not so well for everyone else...especially in rough conditions.  The Makos had the potential to go fast, but many couldn't utilize this potential speed and they struggled to paddle effectively and stay upright.  If one did tip over, the Makos, with less beam and a tall deck, were much more difficult to remount than the other skis.

At that time a paddler had to choose between fast and tippy, or less fast and stable.  I figured this would always be the case...that this was just an extension of the laws of physics.  I figured that whatever a surfski designer could do to make a ski more stable would also make it slower.  And that whatever a surfski designer could do to make a ski faster would also make it more tippy.

Then, in the fall of 2003, the Huki S1-X came out and it quickly became a very popular ski here in Northern California.   It wasn't any faster than the crop of other 21 foot by 17 inch skis at that time, but it was way more stable.  Many new ski paddlers (as well as some veterans) needed that increased stability.  Even for those that didn't need the extra stability, why not take it if you can get it without giving up any speed?

About Huki

Jude Turczynski started Huki in Sacramento, California in 1997.  Huki's initial product was an OC6 ama (the outrigger on a six person outrigger canoe).  A year later, Huki came out with its first one-man outrigger canoe (OC1).  Then came a second model of OC1, then an OC2, and on and on.  Huki's initial surf ski was the S1-A, which was designed by John Dixon (co-designer of the Epic V10).  All other Huki designs were developed by Jerry Montgomery and Jude.  Jerry has a long history in design/building/racing sailboats and various types of canoes.  In recent years, Jerry has been using computers to help design the hull shapes, starting with the S1-X and continuing with all ski and outrigger canoe designs since then.

Basic Dimensions and Other Info

With a paddler in it, most all of the S1-X's 21 foot overall length is in the water.  Viewed from above, there's a continuous taper from the bow to the widest spot (17 inches) at the back of the seat.  It's only 14 inches wide at the pedals.  The hull cross sections have a smooth continuous curve without any hard chines, but the bottom is not nearly as round as the Millennium.

The Huki S1-X

For a larger version of this image, click here. 

The deck has smooth rounded lines without any hard changes in angles.  The exception would be the deck to hull transition area just above seam and from the foot paddles on back.  The drain plug and vent tube is at the high spot of the deck just in front of the pedals.  There's two footwells with a venturi drain for each.  The S1-X can be ordered with rudder cables that attached to the inside edge of the pedals and go down into the footwell divider, or it can be ordered with cables that attach the outside edge of the pedals and route into the hull near the edge of the boat.

The Huki S1-X cockpit

Most S1-X's are fixed leg length skis, but there's also an option for an adjustable length footboard/pedal assembly.  The left and right side adjust independently.  The movable pieces are made from aluminum and attach and lock in position by tightening two threaded knobs per side.  I've found that you need to screw down the locking knobs real tight to keep the footboards and pedals from slipping.  The cables have a series of stops on them that slide into an engaging slot on the pedal and then are held in pace with shock cord.  As is, I don't find the shape of adjustable footboard/pedal very comfortable in bare feet.  For this reason, I'll be wearing some lightweight paddling shoes when I race an adjustable pedal S1-X in the Molokai solo race next weekend.  Also, like other skis with adjustable pedals, there's extra empty volume in the footwells that is prone to filling up with water and making the ski feel heavy.

Adjustable rudder pedals

The build quality on Huki products is top notch.  Regardless of the layup type, the hulls are stiff without any squishy spots.  Many Hukis look like a work of art, as most buyers seem to take advantage of the multi-color options.