BY Wesley Echols

Let me begin by saying I have owned three S1R’s over the years in different layups. As the chart indicates it is in the stable class of surfskis. It has excellent initial stability. I have seen experienced sea kayakers demo my S1R’s and feel relative comfortable just sitting in this ski and paddling it around in flat conditions without capsizing. They feel almost immediately that they would be able to paddle this ski without too much of a learning curve, which a good thing.

Secondary stability is excellent as well. It performs exceedingly well in big conditions. Paddling it in downwind conditions is so much fun, due to its pinpoint steering on the waves. The R absorbs most of all the bumps which allows you to concentrate on your technique while applying full power to your stroke. It instills confidence in these conditions. If you do capsize, the R is one of the easiest boats to remount in all conditions.

I found the speed to be comparable to the other boats in this class. By offering interchangeable rudders from 4 inches, 7, 8 to 9 inches, Huki allows you to pick and choose rudders for different conditions. For instance, if you get very comfortable in your R, you can choose the 4inch rudder for all flat water races and even moderate (2-3 foot) seas.

My experience is that using the 4inch rudder noticeably increases the speed of the R. The trade off is that it moves around more in the bigger conditions and the 4 inch rudder can get overwhelmed particularly downwind. My best time to date in the Blackburn Challenge was in my Kevlar R with the 4in rudder where I broke 3 hours over the 20 mile course. Just carry your rudders to the races and make the appropriate choice of rudder for the conditions of the day.

As in any ski, you want to make sure you are not too large for the cockpits. I have had both the wide seat and standard seats R’s and prefer the wide seat which is only slightly larger than the standard seat. I have a 34 inch waist. The wide seat allows me good rotation with no impingement.

Upwind the R does tend to bow slap some. I have recommended the R to many novice surfskiers and to experienced surfskiers who don’t live near the ocean but want a ski that is competitive in the ocean races but is super stable and fun in all conditions including the big stuff.