Huki S1-Xl

Hi All,

I am wondering if there are any reviews on the relatively new Huki S1-XL. I currently have a Stellar SEL which has been great. No need for another boat, but I think you all can relate to thinking about the NEXT boat. I am 5'10" and around 150lbs. Would love any feedback on the Huki, especially comparing it to the SEL. Thanks.

Cheers,

Ken

OK , 6'1 , 185 lbs. , 51yo . Paddled a Think Legend for 4 years prior to the HUKI S1-XL . MIne is a hybrid construction with carbon cockpit and I spec'd 5.7 oz cloth on the hull instead of the standard 3.7 oz. My ski came out at 25.2 pounds.VERY nice finish , the steering hardware from the pedals to the adjustable response yoke , great. Very solid carbon footboard which adjusts smoothly (as does the steering cables. I have the 8" weedless rudder. Have never paddled a stellar and as such can't make that specific comparison. The huki cockpit has a nice paddling position (butt high) very similar to the legend , mine is the standard width and fits my 34 inch waist and whatever the measurement for my hips and butt is. Moderate hump height. Got the boat from Jude in January and not 1 single drop of water in it , AT ALL ! I paddle mostly on the Ocean out of Newport Harbour . We don't have raging downwinders here very often (if at all) but have been blessed this past winter and spring with a number of good spells of wind and swell lining up (10-15 kts of wind on top of 4-5 ft ground swell) not radical by any means but good conditions for runs. I have been swimming a little more than I had been as I adjust to the twitchier primary of the S!-XL compared to the Legend. The Legend had that hard chine and flattish bottom and you could just hang out on it , the secondary stability however is quite solid. The Huki turns like nobodies business , really a marked improvement over not only the Legend but the Evo I paddled before it. Rudder is placed forward on comparison to not only the think skis but also Fenns and epics that my paddling friends have.Twin ventures with bullets work great. The ski picks up on a run easily steering control on a bump is awesome , way beyond the legend.(legend had a comprable sized rudder in terms of surface area but a little more blunt and not as thin. I rarely (if ever anymore) race and so don't have a bunch of speed comparisons for you. My times for standard routes don't seem significantly different and as I paddle outside the harbour are totally subject to conditions of wind , waves , near shore current etc. I can say the huki accelerates onto a bump faster. I will also say that I am learning a lot more about paddling in lump as the huki is responsive and rewards the "good moves" . SO.... on having also paddled a few other skis (in my quest for this one) some very general observations , less stable than a swordfish , but feels faster . more stable than an S1-xspecial but feels just as fast. Faster and less stable than the S1-R (By design) . So maybe falls into the advanced intermediate category ? Jude was great to deal with , nice to have the Mfg. "local" i.e. in CA , and I feel very comfortable with the value , while not exactly cheap I do have a custom boat with very nice hybrid laminate construction (pre-pegged) that weighs in around a lot of the others mfgs. full carbon boats for $1000 (or thereabouts) less.As always , "TRY BEFORE YOU BUY " , the Huki S1-XL was and is the choice for me.
PS- now is it true , as soon as we buy a ski we have to start saving for the next one ???
guessing with this one I will have plenty of time

Sandy,

Thanks for the reply. I wonder if this ski is suited for a ligher paddler like myself. From your description it sounds like a great boat. I do love supporting "local" craftsman when possible.

Cheers,

Ken

Hey Kennneee, looking at your weight of 68kg, I have a Stellar SEL and when I got it I was 83kg and I really loved it, now I'm 72kg I find it too corky for me, too much volume and I'll only use it on some bigger downwinds, or I might just sell it soon as they are few and far between and I have another couple of skis I can use.
But it goes really well on the bigger downwind runs, faster than anything else I've paddled to date, so it will still be hard to part with.

Ken , you may actually find the S1-X works for you (the lowest volume of the "X" series) , you should call Jude and find out his schedule for demos , he seems to go to all the races with demo boats and may have some demos stashed about various Cali locations (he used to have 2 or 3 in Dana Point but I think he may have sold them). Try em out and get your order in , last I heard it's minimum 8-weeks (and maybe more) from deposit down to delivery , kinda of a process BUT totally worth it , start with DEMO !

Hi Ken,

I have a new version of the S1X Special and it is my 4th Huki. I weigh 167 lbs and paddle lakes, rivers and the Great Lakes for bigger downwinds. The new versions of Jude's S1X, S1X Special and XL have all been updated and are incredible. New cockpit locations for easy catching of runs, new buckets to handle more body shapes, narrower catches, lower humps, new hull design that is very fast, stable and surfs awesome. The SEL is a great boat and felt similar in stability and speed to my Huki. However, the bucket and footwells were too big for me without Kayaker Greg's custom padding, and the Huki feels more lively and catches runs more easily. The S1X is low volume and may be good for you as was mentioned. The "Special" has more volume and probably fine. Call Jude and discuss. He's the best to deal with and nothing like talking directly with the builder for this information. In my opinion this ski is a perfect HP boat if you want just bit more stability.

Thanks for all of the input. I really like the SEL and have become pretty comfortable in it. I have found, however, that I can make some of my higher performance kayaks go almost as fast. I am sure that has to do with my total comfort in those boats (stability) and slightly less comfort in the SEL. I had to do a lot of padding in the SEL to feel snug enough, but it was not a big deal. I know it is a very stable ski for the level of performance it returns. I think if I were to buy another ski, I would want something that was a bit MORE stable for bumpy conditions. I'm pretty sure I would be faster with more stability.
I am drawn to the Huki because of the great reputation, Jude's great service and commitment to the sport ,etc. That said, if there is another ski out there that better fits my needs, I would like to check it out. The S1-XL sounds pretty great but I may be to light weight for it. Any other feedback or suggestions greatly appreciated.

Cheers,

Ken

Try the Swordfish, thats the way I went for a bit more stability when it gets bumpier and a bit less volume than the SEL.

Hi Ken,
I'm 5'9" at 220 lbs. Paddle old ageing V10 mostly, Evo on big gale force down coasters and torture my poor old XT in the surfline.
Paddled an SE 9 miles downwind in Hawaii. Great fast stable boat but a bit of a barge. Big bucket and wide catch. Been looking at XL and paddled one for about 1.5 hours in calm conditions in and out of harbor with buddy on brand new S1-X special. Been talking to Jude and planning on ordering one when funds available.
The XL is stable and fast. Had no problem keeping up with S1-XS. I plan on replacing V-10 and EVO with XL.
According to Jude the XL is more stable and faster than V10 and almost as stable as EVO and much faster. He also thinks the XL catches waves and surfs better. I think he's right.
After paddling V10 and Fenn Elite I'm a bit spoiled with a narrow catch. Makes the EVO feel a bit like a barge. I believe I'll be able to comfortably paddle the XL in big downwinders, use as my primary boat and be competitive in the occasional race. Going to go for the super duty fiberglass version that Jude says will give me the best service for the rough conditions I typically paddle in.
It's less expensive and only about 30 lbs. The XL is a large volume boat and may be something to consider for your size/weight. I found the XT to be way to small for me in serious downwind conditions, actually scary. EVO works great!
Good luck with your search. As always "Try before you buy"
Fath2o

I just received a S1-XL from Jude and though I have only had it out a couple of times, I really like the feel and fit of it. I am 6'2" x 185lbs with 35" inseam and have the wide seat option on it. I feel I could probably have gotten away with the narrower standard seat, but I can always pad this one. The catch is narrower than my old SEL and though I don't find as solid of a primary stability on the Huki, I feel like the secondary is comparable.

I got it with some options that you won't get on most other skis though: I got a 5" and 6" hatch with internal bag and opted to also get the Huki-designed Gull Wing that lets me go out in anything I please.

I am not a strong paddler but still hit 8mph on the flats with it at the end of a long (to me anyway) paddle. A good paddler would go much faster than me!!

Now it turns out I am diagnosed with DJD (Degenerative Joint Disease) in my elbow so am not sure how much more I can paddle. Life is full of irony..

As I said before Cyber, that's a gosh darn damn pretty boat.

Cyberski - love the colors you picked. looks great!

Beautiful boat cyber, reminds me of sister "Batrill". Anyway, sorry to here about DJD. If it makes you feel any better, I'm pretty sure I have DBD - Degenerative body disease. Just waiting for the full body transplant!

Hey Cyber, beautiful ski bro !!
I'm selling my S1-X Special to get the XL. I've had my Special a few years now and want to take advantage of Jude's new features and design.

Have a few bites on my current ski, but noting concrete yet, need to sell this one before I can order the new one. Just out of curiosity, how long is it taking now for Jude to get a ski out, and which option did you use for shipping.

My last ski, I had it shipped vie freight in a sonotube.
Enjoy your ski!
-Rich

Rich, how did things work out with the Sonotube? I plan on getting an Xl and wing for next season and was going to use that as my shipping option.

The SonoTube option was great, those things are just about bomb-proof, I had no damage at all. Using that option, Jude will deliver it via freight, which is much faster than waiting for the truck that travels across country with a trailer. I live in Virginia Beach, Virginia, so I don't have the option of stopping at Jude's factory to pick it up.

My first ski was via the cross-country truck and it took a while, especially bad if you have to sell your ski to get a new one, so you are out of a ski for quite some time. My last ski was sonotube & freight, much faster.

I'm hoping that Jude still has that option available, I know it was a little more than the cross country truck, but it was worth it getting the ski quicker. I'll have the shipping discussion with him once I get my ski sold.

Hope this helps,
-Rich

Rich thanks,

I have had three boats shipped to me via the pick-up truck with a trailer on back, "kayak specific transporter" option. Personally, if I could avoid it I would prefer to not go that route again. I'm on the East Coast also.

As of last season, Huki was still using the tube and freight option. When I called inquiring about a boat at that time, the kayak specific transporter had been scheduled for a pick up but was already a few weeks late, with no definite pick up date available.

I ended up getting a V10 Sport from a local dealer because Jude was backed up and I would have had the boat arriving too late to use for the season.

As far as transport goes, I don't really like the idea of my boats being driven around for up to a month on a trailer, exposed to the elements, until they end up delivered in my general area at 10pm at night.

I know there are many, many people that are fond of the service. But for me it's the last option.

I really want the Huki, so I am glad to hear you had success.

The info was a great help. Thanks!

You guys will love this new S1-Xl! Jude's new hull design catches runners so easily its like cheating.

This has been good information for me. The S1-Xl sounds like a great boat, but I am getting the impression my 150lbs won't sink it enough to get the most out of the intended design. I don't know that I would be seeing enough of a gain over the SEL to make the expense worthwhile. I will talk to Jude and get his take. Perhaps a Swordfish or ???? would be the way to go to have another ski in the quiver for bumpier conditions.

Ken

Agreed and sorry that my enthusiasm for the Huki got us off topic. Yes, the Swordfish, EVO II, Huki S1-R, V10 Sport and others would give you another option to choose from for more stability.