Naish Mana 10' - 2014 worth it?

[oakfish]

Hey, all!  Purchased a 2013 Naish Mana 10' GS last fall for small wave surfing here in Charleston, SC.  Really like it, but the 2014 model looks pretty sweet.  Is it worth upgrading to the 2014?  I can probably sell my old board for a good amount since it is in near perfect condition.
I'm 185 lb, 6' and really like the stability of my current board.  Sounds like the 2014 model dumps a lot of volume, but makes up for it in width.
If I'm going to do it, I need to pull the trigger soon, so no time to demo.  Let me know what you think.  Particularly interested in any insight from those who have ridden both models.
Big thanks! 

[DavidJohn]

IMO it defiantly is worth upgrading to the new shape 2014 model 10' Mana.. It's a very different board.. and so much better.

[supthecreek]

Hi oaky

Glad you asked

I rode a 10' Mana last summer for a day... I was so Impressed that I bought a 9'5 (last generation) in December for a flat-water and small wave board. It was great.... fit my needs perfectly. I did get stuck riding it on a bigger day once, and was underwhelmed.... but it was great under 4'.

I have other boards that I ride in good surf.

My Mana had a warrantee issue and Naish sent a replacement 2013 to the shop where I bought it.
I told the owner to leave it in the box and I paid an "upgrade" price and bought the new 2014 9'5 Mana.

I am so stoked about it that I am working on a review... but it includes videos and pics... so it will  take a few days to finish.

A few thing... to help you now.
It is HEAVY ... I have the AST... it seems much heavier than my 2013. About 28 lbs....ugg.
But if it makes my Mana more durable than previous models... then I'm ok with it.

But bottom line

I frickin' LOVE this board. I rips. I have videos of me getting near vertical and laying down hard rail turns on it. The other one would not do that near as well.
If they made this board in carbon... it would be a flat out ripper for an easy rider.

ok... sneak peak at 2014 Mana performance upgrade... because I believe pictures help....

Here is a still of... tail pad only, in the lip... and yes... I made it. I would not even try that with my old Mana... couldn't bury the rail enough to get that vertical.... and that was in 4' slop. If this old man can do that on a 9'5 mana.... then it is a great upgrade to an already impressive board.

Stay tuned for my full review.... video at 11

[baddog]

Disappointed to hear about how heavy.  I wish Naish would get closer to their advertised weights.

[DavidJohn]

Disappointed to hear about how heavy.  I wish Naish would get closer to their advertised weights.

My 9'5" Mana (Alana GS) feels a good weight but they say 11kg (24lbs) on the Naish site.. I'd be surprised if mine was that heavy.. I would rather a bit heavy and strong rather than light flexy and fragile.. My long board friends say the best surfing long boards are the heavy ones.. I'm guessing for short board surfing it's different..

[oakfish]

SUPthecreek, thanks so much for the insight.  Exactly the kind of info I was looking for.  Only problem is that you've got me amped on the 2014 model, and my 2013 hasn't sold yet.  Might need to drop the price
While I have you, I've got some more specific questions if you have the time to answer:
1) I typically surf 2-3' slop, with occasional clean days that MAY pile up to 4'.  Do you think the streamlined redesign would be lost on these crappy South Carolina waves?  Is the 2013's higher volume and thicker rails better for small waves?
2) 10' vs 9.5':  The opportunity to demo boards down here is a bit lacking.  I ended up with the 10' mana as it felt more stable and I was able to paddle out though the white water more easily.  I've heard, though, that the 9.5' is really dialed in.  Thoughts on dropping form the 10' to the 9.5' in terms of stability?  I know the performance is much better on the 9.5', but I'm curios as to whether there will be a significant drop in stability.  If I get real serious, I can demo a board, but it costs about $40 to do so, and I don't want to pay the money unless I'm pretty confident.
Thanks so much.  Truly appreciate your insight.

[supthecreek]

Hey oaky

I am going to do a 9'5 Photo shoot today in flat-water, so I can add rocker pics to my review... so it ain't posted yet

I weigh 220lbs and am wearing a full wetsuit still... I am very comfortable on the 9'5

I think the wider 32" 9'5 will be a piece of cake for you at 185... maybe equal to your 10 x 31??

I have NOT weighed my mana on a an accurate digital scale... (soon!)    But I truly believe it is noticeably heavier than my 2013 model.

The only reason I bring that up is... more weight is noticeable in very small waves.

I was in Myrtle 2 weeks ago, so I am familiar with your waves. (see my "Big adventure)
I believe that you will benefit from the upgrade.... in a day or so, you will have a chance to see me surf the new 9'5 in some chest high slop on Cape Cod.... the board allowed me to do some things I never did on my previous 9'5

definitely spend $40 to demo... tell them that you want it credited towards the purchase price if you buy from them.

[oakfish]

Alright, finally demoed a 2014 Naish Mana 10'.  The rails are more rounded like a typical surfboard and not squared off at the bottom like last year's model.  This, in combination with the lower volume, made the board less stable, but definitely easier to turn/cut.  I did not notice much of a speed improvement; last year's Mana can definitely be a bit slow and often requires a couple paddles to keep up with the wave.  It also wasn't necessarily easier to drop in on waves with the 2014 either.
Besides the lower stability, there were two more big differences.  When turning to catch a wave, a half step back with one foot made turning the board really easy. Much easier than last year's model.  Second, the board maneuvered much more easily.  When cutting on the wave on the 2013 model, I walk all over the board including the edge to trim the board and turn.  That leads to disaster on the 2014 board.  All you need to do is lean and get some pressure on the edge, much like a surfboard. Once I figured it out, it was great.
Unfortunately, I can't demo a 9'6" at my local shop, but I think I might pull the trigger. I believe it will help me get to the next level with my surfing.  I'm also rethinking selling my 2013 Mana.  The two boards are vastly different.  I don't think it would be redundant to have both.
Ok, one more question for the forum, especially supthecreek.  Is the 2014 9'6" Mana a solid board for surfing?  It's gonna be tough to relearn some technique, but I'm ready to drop in size and get to a more surfboard-like shape.  Is this board a good option to carry me over the threshold?  Thanks for the thoughts!

[supthecreek]

Hey Oaky... you are on target with your assessment of the new 2014 Mana vs 2013.

I like your idea of keeping the 2013 10' and buying the 2014 9'5.
You would have 2 reasonably different boards, but you may end up selling the 10' after you get solid on the 9'5.

The 9'5 is a very capable surfing machine, I am very comfortable using it in waves that I would not have used the 2013 Mana..... I am very surprised by how much I like this board.....plus I just got back from a 5.5 mile flat-water paddle... it can do it all.

I did a full video review of my 2014 9'5 Mana here:
http://www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php/topic,23794.0.html

[oakfish]

Awesome!  Not sure how I missed your review.  Thanks for all the input.  If I end up with the 9.5, I'll post up some thoughts for others.

[JF808]

I'm also looking at getting the Mana 10' didn't want to drop too small and make taking off more difficult. anyone got video reviews of the mana 10? or footage of surfing it?

[supthecreek]

Don't know if you followed the link above, but there is video of the 2014 9'5 Mana. I have to imagine the 9'5 and the 10' share characteristics so performance should be comparable... just scaled to a larger size.
The video covers the easy glide into waves as well as performance
http://www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php/topic,23794.0.html

Sorry if redundant... 

[JF808]

no worries brah, i seen it. But sorry the 9'5 and 10' are not the same! thats why i asked. big help there 

Don't know if you followed the link above, but there is video of the 2014 9'5 Mana. I have to imagine the 9'5 and the 10' share characteristics so performance should be comparable... just scaled to a larger size.
The video covers the easy glide into waves as well as performance
http://www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php/topic,23794.0.html

Sorry if redundant... 

[JF808]

holy crap the 2014 Mana 10'0 is heavy!!! damn, why the heck did they make this thing so heavy? I think older versions are lighter