Naish Hokua 9'0" X 28.75

[nalu-sup]

Hi all. We are off in a couple of days to Costa Rica for a ten day surf trip. One of the boards that I have the option of reserving is a Naish Hokua 9'0" X 28.75 @ 125 liters (I don't know the year, but I know that it has a concave deck).
My current favorite boards are an 8'10"X 29" Speeed @ 130 liters, and an 8'7" X 30" Flow @ 121 liters. Any feedback on how the Naish might compare, and whether it might be a good board for me to reserve for this trip? They do have some other options that are more similar to the Flow in terms of specs, but from an unknown South American brand. I am 163 lbs (74 kilos) and a moderately advanced rider, but 66 years old with bad hips and back which makes climbing back on a board a clumsy and very painful experience.
Thanks in advance for any help.

[Night Wing]

If your own boards are 29" and 30" wide, which of those two boards is the "most" comfortable for you with your bad back and hips and make your decision based on the width of your two boards.

I've got a cranky lower back and when it acts up, it lets me know it. If it was me, if they don't have any Sunovas' you normally ride, I'd go with a 30" wide board from another manufacturer. Your bad back and hips just might thank you for it.

[SUPJorge]

My Hokua is an X32 so I can't really contribute much of an opinion. I'm just writing to share the stoke of your trip. Where will you be surfing and who's renting you the board?

[nalu-sup]

We are going to be surfing all around the Tamarindo area, and will be traveling and renting with Marco Salazar of Costa Rica Stand Up Paddle Adventures. He actually has a very large and varied selection of boards from many different brands from beginner to high performance, but the two I am looking at seemed like they would fit me best. From our email conversations with Marco, he seems like a great guy who is very motivated to help his guests have the best possible experience.

[joelcr]

Okay, so I've been riding that same Hokua for years. It works great. Plenty stable, and surfs really well. Would be great on Pacific side of CR. I used it a lot in and around Nosara. I liked it with a quad set-up best and a little nubster. Also works good as a thruster. Bring your own fins if you can, FCS, and a longboard box in the middle.

Have fun. Tell em all pure vida

[nalu-sup]

Thanks for the good input Night Wing. The insights that I was looking for are the ones that are a little trickier than width. For example I read that the 9' Hokua has a  hollowed out deck, which I have found in the past can add quite a bit of stability to some boards. Also I read that some of the Hokua's in other sizes have a lot of V in the bottom which can make them tippy, but the 9' may not. It is these tricky little details that I am hoping to gain some insights into.

joelcr- Yes, I usually take my own fins so that I can fine tune a board. I had just noticed the longboard center box on the Hokua, so thanks for the heads up about including some of those fins in my quiver. I will need them for my favorite current set up which is large twin fin type thrusters (5') with a really small trailing fin (3.5 to 3.75"). It would have been hard to find a small fin like that to fit the longboard box, but I do have a couple that I will pack with me.