HUKI S1-X Special
Newly released in September of 2006

With our new HUKI S1-X Special, I wanted to fill the needs of those elite paddlers who have requested more volume in the S1-X to attack extreme and challenging big waters.

I redesigned the crown of the foredeck to part and shed water much faster and raised the stem of the bow so it's more difficult for water to reach the deck or stay on it. I raised and beveled the gunwales so that the paddler's fist and blade will fit closer to the hull at the catch and carved out a bevel in the side of the deck combing just in front of the cockpit to narrow the entire catch zone, so you can now slice the blade in even closer than the original X to get a greater extension and longer pull. I left the sides of the seat low for easy remount and widened the rim of our standard seat to accept a wide range of hip sizes and made a longer cockpit to fit taller paddlers. I moved the whole cockpit forward just slightly to reduce slamming during upwind climbs and to goose the nose down early during the downwind run, this also reduced broaching to a level even less than the original X which was already famous for maneuverability and control. I designed a new footwell that allows the knees to drop lower without the calves bottoming out and we still have original full line of the footwells that include double well adjustable, fixed size single well and fixed size double wells. I moved the rudder position even farther forward to match the new cockpit position to insure grip when other surf skis loose rudder contact with water. I refined the hull shape in very slight ways to improve the planing surface and glide and to improve it's ability to carve. I designed three new rudders for the S1-X Special that run along new concepts in minimizing surface area, core thickness and drag while increasing response. I increased the volume and beam of the aft section from the back of the cockpit to the pin-tail transom without increasing the beam at the waterline or overall beam of the boat. I designed a single foot well with a totally new adjustable track system for Huki that is very similar to the common systems you have seen on the race course, and I designed a foam space filler for this new foot well to take up the unused space and keeping the bath tub effect lower than any other adjustable foot well out there.

The result is a bigger surf ski to keep bigger-taller paddlers happy and one that will surely stay above water when in extreme and challenging waters. You'll carve a diagonal even better than the original S1-X that set the new standard for maneuverability. Dropping into the trough is now even easier and requires less concentration of power, less water-reading skill and less boat control...way easier to drop-in. You connect waves easier too as the nose will not raise as easily when cresting. Holding a diagonal without broaching is a cinch and carving full range is now so improved that you'll wonder where we can go from here. Our new nine inch surfing rudder is so much smoother than our early line of surfing rudders and has far less drag, you'll bank into turns and still be able to knock out a switch-back at a moment's notice. Our new nine inch weedless rudder is half the size of our old one and is MORE responsive and even sheds the dreaded North Pacific eel grass like it was greased. Waves have far less leverage against foot pressure with the new 9" weedless than was experienced with the old 9" weedless. You're gonna have to have our new four inch weedless for flat water racing...It resembles the new K1 sprint rudders. The new rudders are narrower than our old ones and have less wetted surface area. We set the standard again with the S1-X Special and are hammering out the direction for the new era in modern offshore racing surf skis and kayaks.

Dimensions:
21' LOA, 17" BOA
20' 9 " LAW, 15.8" BAW @ 190 Lb. paddler, static
Weights include 4" rudder:
24.7 Lb (Vac'd Carb/Kev) "often 23 Lb"
26.2 Lb (Vac'd Carb/Carb)
27 Lb (Vac'd Carb/Glass) "Vac'd Carbon"
33 Lb (non-vac Carb/Glass) "Carbon"
35 Lb (Non-Vac'd Fiberglass) "Glass"
6" & 5" stow w/bag adds .75 Lb.... 4" adds .5 LB.
Printed Fabric inlays add between half a pound and three pounds, depending on size.
Adjustable foot well system adds 4 pounds.
Carbon inlays don't add weight.
Other options may add several ounces

Testimonies:

...We have had storm after storm pass through and on almost every windy day I have been out in the Special. Morris and I made a trip to the open water at Westport last weekend and I think it convinced him that the Special is special. Heather and Tracy put on a Women on Water (WOW) clinic today and had 60 women rsvp for the chance to try out a surfski. Heather said that the Special was the biggest hit with the ladies.
Thanks
Larry Goolsby

...I love my new S1-X Special! Dramatically better surfing - the rudder really sticks to the wave and the bow has much less tendency to dive. Dramatically drier ride going into weather also, even with beam chop. People stop, stare and ask questions all the time, even more so with the new boat's great gel coat job. Thanks!
Mike McNulty

...I received my ski yesterday and I must say that I am very impressed with your work. You can tell that you guys really care about what you are doing. After buying so many things that didn't meet my expectations, It's nice to have something like this arrive.
Greg Penn

...I've owned a number of different skis, but for the conditions we have in the Pacific NW, the Special is flat-out the fastest, most stable and most maneuverable ski I've come across. It surfs like a dream, and its ability to cut back and forth across waves is outstanding.
Simon Brownlie

This boat felt like the R in big water only it was way faster. Suddenly I was able to carve waves again and I was breaking speeds that were above any that I attained in either the R or the X. The Special had a secondary stability that was so solid that it gave me the confidence to paddle as hard as I wanted in any conditions. My big test came about 12 days ago when 3 of us went out to Westport on a really stormy weekend and paddled the open water. I was tempted to take the R but Joost frowned on that and I took the Special instead. I felt really solid amoung those large swells and high winds. For the first time in my short paddling career, I was able to be in really mixed up water and apply full power to my stroke. After, I have been out in the bay with winds up to 50 mph and loving it.
Larry Goolsby

Hey Jude, just want to thank you for the Special, it is awesome! We did a down winder yesterday in 25 kts with a small 3-4 ft swell which was quartering the whole way and the boat was so solid and tracked perfectly. I had a blast and am really impressed.
Mick Handley