fenn mako 6 or huki s1-r??

hi there
i paddle for a long time on all kind of boats in whitewater as well as on open sea (seakayak) and now
wants to buy a ski.
since i live in middle of europe there are not many retailers to test-paddle different skis.
after checking loads of threads in this forum and looking at websites of manufacturers and distributors
i have selected huki s1-r and fenn mako 6 to be the ski i will buy (just one, not both!!)

any advice you can give on both? experiences?

thanks a lot and cheers,
seb ???

These are entirely different boats.

The Mako 6 is a 17 inch wide boat. The Huki S1-R is a 19 inch wide boat. The S1-R will be much more stable but not as fast. The Mako 6 is better compared to the 17 inch wide Huki S1-X (or S1-XS).

Do you have experience in K1s? That is to say, are you concerned about the boat being too tippy? Also, what kind of water are you paddling on? Are you doing racing or just having fun? Are you getting a new boat shipped to Europe or have you happened to find a Mako6 and Huki S1-R that are locally available?

hi there thomas

thanks for your advice. thats what i thought when i saw the width of both boats.
i normaly paddle on lakes and rivers with no waves but wakes from motorized boats
and consider myself as a quite experienced paddler eventhough i never had a surfski
and intend to experience some races next year on open ocean.

with no possibility to test it is very difficult to judge the tippiness of skis.
of course will i prefer a more stable ski than a very tippy. but regarding the performance
i go for the faster if the tippiness is not too bad.
regarding the availability it would be much easier to choose a fenn since they have a distribution in europe. shipping from overseas would be much more complicated and expensiv!

again thanks and cheers,
seb

Hi Weiche,

Outriggercanoe in Germany has a Think Evo surfski available to test paddle.
www.outriggercanoe.de
Frank Eller should be able to help you out.

I'd consider the Huki S1-X Special as a more level comparison to the Mako 6. The S1-R will feel more like a trainer ICF K-1. The Special is a bit more stable than the Mako 6, but is extremely responsive and very fast. I regularly look for the biggest powerboat wakes I can find just to play, as I also live inland.
An advantage is that the Hukis can be customized with a wide variety of layups and options factory installed. Since I regularly paddle smaller rivers with the chance of hitting logs/bottom/or even a rock, Jude built my special with a 'loghopper bottom' (extra layer of kevlar), and a kickup rudder mount. And Jude takes great care of his customers.
One disadvantage to any of the 21foot boats is that the standard shipping container is 20 feet long. From that perspective, it may be significantly less expensive to ship either from SA, or the US.

Jeff mentions the Think Evo, which is also getting good press, and may be a much more available boat for you.

Happy paddling in any case!

hi there thomas

thanks for your advice. thats what i thought when i saw the width of both boats.
i normaly paddle on lakes and rivers with no waves but wakes from motorized boats
and consider myself as a quite experienced paddler eventhough i never had a surfski
and intend to experience some races next year on open ocean.

with no possibility to test it is very difficult to judge the tippiness of skis.
of course will i prefer a more stable ski than a very tippy. but regarding the performance
i go for the faster if the tippiness is not too bad.
regarding the availability it would be much easier to choose a fenn since they have a distribution in europe. shipping from overseas would be much more complicated and expensiv!

again thanks and cheers,
seb

If you are comfortable in one of the more stable K1s, you will be VERY comfortable in the Mako 6. It might feel a bit twitchy at first (similar to one of the more stable K1s) but there is vastly more secondary stability. The downside of the 25 lb Mako 6 is that an overstern rudder is not available (unless you do it yourself) and it is a very fragile boat in terms of hitting rocks/sticks. A typical <20 lb marathon-layup K1 is much better at taking hits.

Also, if an Epic V10 is locally available, that is also very nice. However, if money is no object, the Huki really is an awesome boat--a bit more stable than the Epic V10, which is a bit more stable than the Mako6.

Since this is your first ski, and you aren't entirely sure what you want, I would recommend spending less money and getting the Mako 6.