Huki S1-X Fit

Just seeking some advice on how an S1-X should fit. I'm 6'2" and about 195lbs. The boat is full carbon, light and fast. When I'm in the seat (fixed double footwells) my knees are up a bit higher than I expected them to be.

What is acceptable in terms of leg extension in a surfski? I can fit my fist (pinky down, thumb up) between my knee and the top of the deck, which I heard is acceptable, but my legs keep falling asleep from the knee down to my toes.

Any ideas or thoughts on how to gain a bit more leg room?

Thanks,
Mark

Sounds like the ski is fixed length ? If so and this is your first ski you would be well advised to try some others for comparison. Adjustable footplates are IMHO the way to go. you can tweak length to adj. for your own stroke development and or conditions. If you are going numb right off the bat......again try as many different skis as possible , the fit is as critical as fit for ski boots !

Didn't totally answer your question , the fist is a loosely accepted measure , what is the key is to have room to alternately extend legs (leg drive) to facilitate pelvic rotation which allows maximum torso rotation in fwd. stroke. If you are coming from touring kayak background you will likely be used to being more "snug" in your boat , great for bracing , rolling and edging , NOT for fwd. stroke.

The old fist under the knee measurement goes back to spec ski days, I don't believe it applies properly to new ocean racing skis as the humps are different heights on different skis these times.

As Sandy has suggested, best bet it to try jump on an adjustable ski and play with the leg length and find what suits you. You don't want your catch and rotation inhibited because your leg length is too short.

Thanks for the input...I think I'm going to have to make some modifications to the boat I picked up. My thighs are probably at about a 20 degree incline from my seat, up roughly 6 inches below my chest. From what everyone has said I'm not sure that I will be able to extend my legs, gain rotation, or work on my forward stroke with my legs that far up. I'm sure I could adapt, but it's sounding like it is not the ideal cockpit size for me.

Thanks again, and any additional ideas or input would be greatly appreciated!

Is the 'fist' estimate based on the top of the deck, or the top of the forward hump in the seat? I would agree that it is a somewhat primitive way to determine fit, but at least it's a start! Thanks again!

DUDE ! that just don't sound right ! With feet on pedals seated in bucket fist between back of knees and "hump" , AGAIN rough estimate only. The position you describe would readily contribute to not only compromised fwd. stroke but WAY ! tippy as well. You are looking at a major "remodel" to modify your fixed length ski to accomadate your leg length. (who sold you that thing anyway ?) AGAIN , find access to comparison and it will be instantly obvious.You might consult the Mfg. regarding modification. I hope for you that I am missing something here but sounds like you have the wrong size. Good luck and don't let this stop you from pursuing surfski .

I got a chance to paddle another S1-X this weekend...HUGE difference in fit and performance. It was actually designed for a 6'4" paddler, so it was a bit big for me, but made me quickly realize that I need to re-assess the fit of my Huki. Living in Northern Michigan, I have about 6 months that I will not be paddling, SO I think I will be attempting the remodel this winter. We are going to make molds of the footwell of the larger Huki and transfer that to my boat, cut out the existing footwell intact and use some West System epoxy to remold the footwell. It may sound crazy, but the boat is incredible and living where I live it will be pretty difficult to find a comparable boat within a reasonable range. Thanks again for the advice, and if you have any insight, feel free to share!

Mark

I tended to agree with everybody that being able to fit your fist under your knee on a modern ski is way too short in the legs.

That was until today.
When sitting in my ski with my torso facing forward, with my feet level with each other, guess what? I could indeed fit my fist under my knee.

When I rotate during the stroke, my calf on the paddle side leg sits nicely onto the hump, so I could not really have my position any longer than this without the boat interfering with my leg motion.

Just goes to show that any rule of thumb will work for some, yet be hopelessly out for others.