Honcho reviews

I'm looking for some input on Honcho ski's. Opinions on build quality,performance, maybe a comparison between Honcho and other brands? The reviews sound good on the Oceans Pro and the Guevara. Input on the Rookie would be appreciated very much also.

There's also a new ski called the Honcho Guru which is supposed to be the most stable thing on the planet - hoping to have a look at it over the holidays.

A boat like the Guru could be "the missing link" type of boat that bridges the gap from traditional kayaks to ski's.

Having had some positive feedback from the Honcho boys I'm happy the issues I've previously mentioned have been sorted.

I'd consider a Chinese built ski like a Think EVO for very good build quality and exceptional customer support.

RobertMcG, that is terrible news. Hopefully the supplier or manufacturer will look after you.

superted, I do agree with your comments re the EVO. I am an EVO owner and the customer support from Quantum Kayaks (the Australian distributor) has been nothing short of outstanding.

Guys - I recently posted the review below under the Oceans Pro review page. I understand Dean had spoken to the Honcho crew about refining some build issues which should be addressed with the next batch of boats.

Here are some initial thoughts on the Honcho Rookie which I have been paddling for about a week.

Some background - I have been paddling for a few years now, but have got into it more seriously over the last two. My training consists of usually 3 sessions a week, two on harbour water (generally flat with wind and boat wash here and there) and one off Sydney's northern beaches in the bump. I am 6'1" and about 83kgs. The biggest issue I have had with boat choice is stability in the bump, particularly confused bump from reflected swells close to headlands. I have owned various skis including (in this order) Fenn Millenium, Fenn Tarpon, Epic v10 Perf, Red 7 Surf 70, Epic V10L Ultra, Epic V10 sport Ultra and have tried various others including Fenn Mako 6, Fenn Mako Elite. In summary, in the harbour the stability has not been an issue on any of the skis, however the real difference occurs when in open ocean. For me there is a huge correlation between the amount of power I can get down in each stroke and the stability of the ski. I have found my best results (in the top third of the field this year on average) in the ocean racing series have been on the more stable skis. Im currently on the v10 sport ultra which is a fantastic stable ski, very light (mine is 11kg) and allows me to continue paddling in side chop, reflected waves etc when I would likely be bracing or restabilising in say a v10.

I have however been looking for a ski with the length of the v10/Mako but that is a little more forgiving in the stability department. Over the last week I have been demoing a Honcho Rookie. The dimensions of the Rookie are interesting. It is a 21 foot ski but for me the real difference is in the extra stability from its 47cm width. My v10 sport is 20" long and 48.3cm wide. Most of the elite skis are 21" long and between 43 and 44 cm wide. I have been paddling the glass version of the Honcho which weighs in at about 21.5kgs (yes, very heavy on the walk to the car and wait for the lift onto the roof racks after a big session). Unfortunately, no carbon demos of the rookie were available. Im told they should weigh in around 12kgs.

Here are some initial thoughts on the Rookie:

- Feel - the seating position is high compared to most other skis I have tried - feet below your bum. Similar to the height you get from having a seat pad in on another ski. I found it really comfortable and allowed for a powerful stroke. The nose of the ski is narrower than that of the Sport allowing a more vertical blade entry.

- Stability - easily more stable than the v10/Mako's. Slightly less stable than the v10 sport in confused bump. The seat height in the rookie contributes to it being slightly less stable so a pro (as noted above) and a con. In the Sport, the seat height is lower and allows you to keep your balance when being pushed around by angled swells. In my sport I need to use hip pads so I dont float around the cockpit. The rookie fits me perfectly. The seat rails on the rookie appear about twice as thick as those on the sport.

- Speed - I have had a few sessions with usual training group this week. On both flat and in the bump I think for me this ski is at least as fast as my sport ultra, and most probably faster. The extra length comes into play in the runs where I think it holds the run longer than the sport and does not require as much effort to stay on the run. Into the wind the ski was probably similar to where I would be on the sport in the training group.

I have now ordered a carbon version of the rookie which should be here in a few months time and I will give an update when it arrives. I think its hard to compare glass and carbon skis of the same model. I have paddled both the v10 performance and ultra models and I think there is a huge difference in feel between the two boats - the ultra feeling much corkier than the performance in the bump. I have heard from some that the black v10 elite actually feels more stable than the ultra version of the same ski which is counter intuitive. I am hoping the carbon Rookie has all the good features I spoke about above and its 12kg vs 21.5kg weight does not markedly reduce the stability I am looking for.

I am told there are a few changes from the glass version I have been using including a new cable steering system (which is good as the metal clamps on the stainless wire tend to slip under pressure on the pedals), better seam finishing and new venturi system.

Hi Rob. Have you had a chance to review the Guru yet? Would be great to hear what you have to say.

I've paddled it once so far - it seems MUCH better than the original version that had a seat that was way too wide & flat.

Put a couple of rookies onto it too and they found it very stable.

We're getting a couple of other entry-level boats together with a view to doing a comparison. Should be done within the next ten days.

Cheers
Rob

Been wondering how the "citi golf" review was progressing......


top work Rob!

Regards


Kirby

I am new to the surf ski world, but have some experience paddling my double SOT C-Kayak. My balance leaves a lot to be desired, so I was very excited when honcho introduced the Guru (was looking at a Fenn XT). I decided to make a trip to CT (I live in Gangsters Paradise GP) and take both for a spin at Dawid Mocke?s Surf ski school. Being new to the sport it was difficult to make an educated judgment on both ski?s as they both looked very similar ? however I did feel a bit more comfortable and stable in the Guru. I was a bit concerned as Fenn seems to be a lot more popular than Honcho, but after speaking to Dawid he said that between the 2 manufacturers it comes down to personal preference as they are both good.

So here is a bit of a crit.

When I took Dawids Guru for a spin I had 3 problems.

I am tall 6.2ft and had difficulty adjusting the pedals back as it was a very tight fit
I questioned the duck tape over the drain hole and the comment was that the rubber plug supplied sucked
After 15min in the water the Guru had turned into a sub as it had filled with a large amount of water

All the above were very fixable problems ? so I went ahead and ordered my Guru

I had the following 4 problems with my Guru

Again I had to strip the peddle assembly to adjust it for my length/height as it was an extremely tight fit and then force the reassembly
I dumped the rubber plug and installed a proper screw drain plug as can be found on other ski?s
I took my ski for its first spin and within 15min I had a sub. So started investigating and where the scuppers (I think that is what you call the drain holes in the cockpit) had been drilled/cleaned out, raw fibre glass could be seen where no resin had penetrated. I solved the problem with a tube of silicon and now have a water tight ski.
After reading reviews on Honcho?s and checking out your site, I was under the impression that the RTS technology on the rudder was standard ? I was impressed by this simple design and was one of the features that swayed me to buy a GURU. Unfortunately on receiving my Guru I was informed that this was not standard.


On a whole I love my Guru and although do not get a lot of time to paddle it ? work commitments, it is my baby and can?t wait for my holiday in Dec in CT (just not the same on a dam as the sea).