Author Topic: New inflatable sup's?  (Read 165433 times)

SupPat

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New inflatable sup's?
« on: January 20, 2012, 06:08:38 AM »
Hi,
I'm considering the new Naish mana air and the starboard astro whopper as my first sup. does anyone have any first hand knowledge or experience with these boards? Anyone have any pics? I will be using the board primarily on east coast us(small surf) and some lake paddling. I weight 190-195lbs. I appreciate all the input in helping me make an educated choice!

corlot

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Re: New inflatable sup's?
« Reply #1 on: January 20, 2012, 06:56:44 AM »
I bought the Starboard Astro and love it. I am about your weight as well. I have also owned the C4 10,6 and like this way more. The C4 was tippy in surf and would banana at my weight. It may have been the pump. I have posted a review if you search the post.

Overview-true rocker, camber in the middle to reduce the banana effect, great pad and decent pump. I will try to post pics this weekend.

blueplanetsurf

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Re: New inflatable sup's?
« Reply #2 on: January 20, 2012, 09:14:22 AM »
Just a note on the cambered boards (negative rocker in the middle), before you rush out to buy one:  I have tried some boards with the camber (Starboards and Boardworks SHUBU) and found that it works well for cruising and flatwater paddling as it reduces the banana rocker that is created by the weight of the paddler standing in the middle of the board.  The camber flattens out when standing in the middle and creates a flatter, faster rocker.
The big disadvantage of the camber is that in the surf, it is very difficult to lift the nose out of the water, even if you stand all the way on the tail, as the nose tends to keep flapping down unless you put so much weight on the back foot that you basically sink the tail.  This makes the cambered boards harder to control and slower when on a wave.  So, in my experience: in flat water: camber=good, in waves: camber=bad.  Has anyone else had this experience?

Robert Stehlik
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corlot

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Re: New inflatable sup's?
« Reply #3 on: January 20, 2012, 10:47:59 AM »
Hmm... I have not had this issue with my Astro. The waves I am catching are small though. My board has very pronounced nose rocker. I will post pics, it is almost exaggerated because of the thickness.

It will be interesting to test in larger waves and see if I have the same issues. Right now, I love it. It catches (small) waves like crazy.

SupPat

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Re: New inflatable sup's?
« Reply #4 on: January 20, 2012, 11:12:39 AM »
Hmm... I have not had this issue with my Astro. The waves I am catching are small though. My board has very pronounced nose rocker. I will post pics, it is almost exaggerated because of the thickness.

It will be interesting to test in larger waves and see if I have the same issues. Right now, I love it. It catches (small) waves like crazy.

Just curious what other inflatables you considered? Why the astro? The Naish mana air looks real nice too, not much info out there on it yet though. I'm hoping someone from the forum can give the the scoop on the Mana Air?

Ocean Rodeo Erik

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Re: New inflatable sup's?
« Reply #5 on: January 20, 2012, 01:30:59 PM »
I believe that there is a 4in and a 6in Mana Air. The 6in is supposedly substantially better (as heard from a Naish rep). The 4 inch is supposed to be a bit wobbly. I can't speak from personal experience with the Mana, but I have tried several other inflatable boards and the sloppy ones are not very awesome. If you were looking to get the Mana, I would check out the 6in one. It looks pretty sweet.

Good luck.

corlot

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Re: New inflatable sup's?
« Reply #6 on: January 20, 2012, 01:31:40 PM »
SupPat, I considered all others including the Naish and Uli. The uli looked great but would have been mail order. The Naish is nice but I would have wanted the 6 inch model. Very high price though.

SwellSUP

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Re: New inflatable sup's?
« Reply #7 on: January 20, 2012, 01:42:39 PM »
SupPat,

I just bought a demo mana 6" at surf expo last week.  While i have had a little trouble getting up to even 12psi (i think board should be at 20) I have paddled it for the last two days and i have been impressed.  Yes it is bouncy but that is strictly because it is not inflated properly.  Actually i took it out at 10 psi the first day and is tracked straight and felt stable. (though when shifting foot positions, i could feel the flex).  Today i took it out at 12psi and it felt much better.  (when going into the chop, it was a little wobbly)  Such a huge improvement with just 2 psi difference, i imagine at 20 it is going to be awesome. 

Disclaimer:  I have not tried any other inflatables.  I went with the Mana because it had the highest volume and would allow my clients who have children with special needs, to get on the board with their kids.  I don't think the 4 inch or any of the typical inflatables would handle that very well. 

NickFL

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Re: New inflatable sup's?
« Reply #8 on: January 20, 2012, 01:49:45 PM »
From my experience Uli was the best but I haven't tried the starboard one you mention.  There is one Uli used for sale here.  Not the one I am selling as mine is a 14' Uli for touring. 

250SUP

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Re: New inflatable sup's?
« Reply #9 on: January 20, 2012, 01:54:58 PM »
I demoed both the 6inch and 4 inch Naish Mana Air with mixed opinions on both.

I'm an avid Naish SUPster (5 Naish boards in the quiver) and was intriqued about adding an inflatable for traveling.

Both thicknesses are good and stable, but my biggest issue with the 6inch was it was almost too thick.  I took it on a river with others that were on C4's (4inch) and despite the banana effect of the C4s, I was constantly battling to catch up as the thickness of the rails provided a lot of resistance.  Can't say how well it would surf as I didn't use it in the ocean.  The 4inch was prone to similar banana-ing of C4s, so it almost seemed like 5 inch would have been a happy medium for my weight (180ish).

A couple other things I didn't like about the Naish's were the D-ring they put on the bottom side of the nose...wasn't sure what it was for (tying to a boat maybe) and the fact that both models came brand new with leaks (one seam leak and one where the mesh on the surface by the fin looked like it didn't get enough epoxy paint).

That being said, I didn't get the Naish and am now considering the Rogue inflatable that comes in a 5inch thickness.

Tom English

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Re: New inflatable sup's?
« Reply #10 on: January 20, 2012, 02:06:38 PM »
You can "try before you buy" the complete line of  Uli's at Aloha Stand Up Paddle in Leucadia, CA.
The Uli's use a carbon fiber stringer that none of the other's use.
www.AlohaStandUpPaddle.com
Aloha,
Tom English

SupPat

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Re: New inflatable sup's?
« Reply #11 on: January 21, 2012, 05:10:58 AM »
SupPat,

I just bought a demo mana 6" at surf expo last week.  While i have had a little trouble getting up to even 12psi (i think board should be at 20) I have paddled it for the last two days and i have been impressed.  Yes it is bouncy but that is strictly because it is not inflated properly.  Actually i took it out at 10 psi the first day and is tracked straight and felt stable. (though when shifting foot positions, i could feel the flex).  Today i took it out at 12psi and it felt much better.  (when going into the chop, it was a little wobbly)  Such a huge improvement with just 2 psi difference, i imagine at 20 it is going to be awesome. 

Disclaimer:  I have not tried any other inflatables.  I went with the Mana because it had the highest volume and would allow my clients who have children with special needs, to get on the board with their kids.  I don't think the 4 inch or any of the typical inflatables would handle that very well. 
If you get it up to a higher psi like 15-20, let me know how it performs. someone mentioned that due to the 6'' thickness that it kind of plowed in the flat water. i'm thinking this would be better if it were super rigid at a higher psi. this is a concern for me as i will be using it both in the surf and on a lake. thanks for all the info!

NickFL

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Re: New inflatable sup's?
« Reply #12 on: January 21, 2012, 07:15:28 AM »
I am 220lbs and I notice a big difference between 15 and 17psi on my 14' Uli.  17 is the sweet spot for me.  It is as firm as a normal board but does have a bit of a vibration in chop.  Although it seems to soak up side chop better than a normal board and my feet feel great after long paddles.

The extra pumps from 15 psi to 17 psi is just as much effort as getting to 15.

SwellSUP

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Re: New inflatable sup's?
« Reply #13 on: January 21, 2012, 07:10:08 PM »
I have been reading up a bit on this and apparently there is an incredible pump for these inflatables made by www.k-pump.com called the K-20.  I am ordering one this monday for testing but have heard that it will get boards up over 20 very easy.  There is even a disclaimer about going to far.  I am starting to pick up some inflatables for our shop and after having to inflate some of these with the pump supplied, it might be a deal breaker for some clients who want the ease but don't want the trouble of having to get it up to the correct psi.  I know some use electric pumps, but that almost defeats the purpose.

Will let everyone know soon.

SupPat

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Re: New inflatable sup's?
« Reply #14 on: January 22, 2012, 05:18:59 AM »
Just out of curiosity, are the supplied pumps even capable of getting the board to the proper psi? With a little muscle put into it?

 


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