After 5 years I gave up on Naish. Not slamming the company but I'm over them. Had several of their boards that ride great, are indestructible and still have a couple. Might surf one occasionally. Definitely for Flatwater boards. I bought the heavily promoted 8'8 X32 and had to give it away after six months. I tried to get the local shop I bought it from to trade this $2400 board for $1200 credit on a left over Mana. No way. It really did not work for me in Florida waves. After one offer of $700 on Craig's List, I had a popular local shaper make me a very similar board that works in our conditions. Side by side they look very close. It is mostly the bottom I believe. I got to demo the same size and shape in overhead glass before buying one. I didn't change a thing. The rides were like night and day. I traded the six month old X32, a very new fish and a little cash. I figure this board cost me $3300 over the last 6 months. I hope it's worth it. Maybe it is just me but I was the target market. Good luck on the East Coast.
Love my 7'3 X 28" Naish Hokua for punchy Newport surf. It's a lot of work though, to stand on and to catch waves, but worth it when you are on one.
I rode a friend's 8'8 X32 a few weeks ago and liked it. It reminded me of my 8'!0 AllWave. They are wide and stable and not super high performance. Respectable performance, but not high performance.
It's sort of a "Have your cake and eat it too" kind of thing. If you want wide and stable, you are going to sacrifice performance. If you want performance you are going to have to sacrifice some stability.
Too much rocker?
Quote from: Zooport on January 28, 2015, 08:29:35 AM
Love my 7'3 X 28" Naish Hokua for punchy Newport surf. It's a lot of work though, to stand on and to catch waves, but worth it when you are on one.
7'3 x 28" that sounds like a handful. Do you have to always keep moving on it?
I'd re word the title to
"Over Boards That Are Wrong For The Conditions"
Quote from: supsurf-tw on January 28, 2015, 03:50:15 PM
I'd re word the title to
"Over Boards That Are Wrong For The Conditions"
+1
Quote from: Newps on January 28, 2015, 02:38:37 PM
Quote from: Zooport on January 28, 2015, 08:29:35 AM
Love my 7'3 X 28" Naish Hokua for punchy Newport surf. It's a lot of work though, to stand on and to catch waves, but worth it when you are on one.
7'3 x 28" that sounds like a handful. Do you have to always keep moving on it?
Yeah, it's a handful. I spend a lot of time with my face uh... getting to know the water better (ahem). If it's pretty glassy, I can stay still on it, but if there is chop or backwash, I have to keep moving. If it weren't so freaking fun on a wave, I would use one of my larger boards.
I would totally agree, "For Conditions". Obviously the board works in the right conditions, too many videos to argue that. Like I said, I was the target market, at 58 and almost 50 years of surfing, for this heavily promoted board. I wanted to stay with Naish and spent a lot and waited a long time to do so. I've never had much brand loyalty and checked out local shapers before I bought my first SUP over 5 years ago and every subsequent board. They were built too much like surfboards (that are about a disposable commodity today) so I went and stayed with Naish. Carbon fiber, PVC, light as a feather, but when it hit a mushy section it stops and on the east coast there is hardly a wave without a mushy section. Today the locals have technology like CoreVac that can make a light strong board for what Naish cost 5 years ago.
Roundhouse what did you end up with? I am just curious because I was looking at the x32 also and decided I could get what I want and colors what I want and sized what I want for less and In the Corevac process and shaped by a local shaper who gets the east coast.
Agree on the 8'8" X32. What a waste of epoxy. Worst board I have ever ridden. I am looking to trade mine as well after 2 underwhelming sessions.
Anyone want to buy it?. 😜
a lot of the Naish boards seem to have a huge amount of V. That might account for the sudden slowing.
Quote from: Roundhouse on January 29, 2015, 05:35:33 AM
I would totally agree, "For Conditions". Obviously the board works in the right conditions, too many videos to argue that. Like I said, I was the target market, at 58 and almost 50 years of surfing, for this heavily promoted board. I wanted to stay with Naish and spent a lot and waited a long time to do so. I've never had much brand loyalty and checked out local shapers before I bought my first SUP over 5 years ago and every subsequent board. They were built too much like surfboards (that are about a disposable commodity today) so I went and stayed with Naish. Carbon fiber, PVC, light as a feather, but when it hit a mushy section it stops and on the east coast there is hardly a wave without a mushy section. Today the locals have technology like CoreVac that can make a light strong board for what Naish cost 5 years ago.
Totally get your vibe. It all makes sense. Because sometimes, it's hard to demo everything you are interested in, you want to be able to trust the opinions, endorsements, claims and advertisements of a credible, capable, surfer, shaper, waterman; combine that with superior construction. It's an intoxicating mix. I was soo ready to jump on a x32 LE last year; almost too easy to do in this day and age (literally age). Watch the add, do a little research, point and click. It's at your house. I don't know if I'm "over" anything, but I am going with an Ed Angulo custom (he's in FL now). First boards will dial in what I'm going for, then I'll go for carbon/core-vac final copy. We'll see how this works. By the way, aren't you going to rush out and get a Raptor, I think somebody "loves it". But then you might be buying a dinosaur.....
Quote from: Caribsurf on January 29, 2015, 06:48:32 AM
Agree on the 8'8" X32. What a waste of epoxy. Worst board I have ever ridden. I am looking to trade mine as well after 2 underwhelming sessions.
Anyone want to buy it?. 😜
great ad Don :o
apparently you have not inherited your brothers advertising genius ;) ;D ;D
Quote from: PonoBill on January 29, 2015, 07:11:39 AM
a lot of the Naish boards seem to have a huge amount of V. That might account for the sudden slowing.
Yeah, I think they are trying to overcome the width with a lot of rocker and V. Isn't there an issue with such a wide board trying to pivot off of the wide point rather than the tail and fins?
I was able to make the 8'8 X32 that I tried go pretty good by working it rail to rail. I really didn't mind the board. It was pretty similar to riding my 8'10 AllWave. Wouldn't buy one though. These are not the boards for people who are attempting to surf aggressively.
Quote from: Zooport on January 29, 2015, 10:26:08 AM
Yeah, I think they are trying to overcome the width with a lot of rocker and V.
I agree.
Now if they had shaped it for 200-300 lb surfers only, they wouldn't need to even think about throwing extra rocker and V in it. Because a true big boy, could make a flatter, faster, board rip with ease.
Where it goes in the crapper, is trying to make it work for everyone. You little guys need to stop buying 32 wide boards and grow a pair! Let them shape these 32 wide boards for true big boys. (I personally know several small guys pussing out on 32 wide boards. If you want easy, go sit down in a kayak ;D).
Hmm. As a small old guy with a 32" wide board in my quiver I refuse to take responsibility for Robbie's Porsche addiction.
Why would anyone want a 32" wide board that is almost five inches thick at the stringer? And according to the sea breeze brothers SUCKS THE HAIRY WAZOO!
It's gotta be the millions of little guys. NOT!
Quote from: DW on January 29, 2015, 11:00:52 AM
Quote from: Zooport on January 29, 2015, 10:26:08 AM
Yeah, I think they are trying to overcome the width with a lot of rocker and V.
You little guys need to stop buying 32 wide boards and grow a pair! Let them shape these 32 wide boards for true big boys. (I personally know several small guys pussing out on 32 wide boards. If you want easy, go sit down in a kayak ;D).
Yeah! DW........ Bam!....... Squat to pee?
I gotta say, it worked well for this 190+, South Florida intermediate straight out of the box.
Quote from: supthecreek on January 29, 2015, 08:34:17 AM
Quote from: Caribsurf on January 29, 2015, 06:48:32 AM
Agree on the 8'8" X32. What a waste of epoxy. Worst board I have ever ridden. I am looking to trade mine as well after 2 underwhelming sessions.
Anyone want to buy it?. 😜
great ad Don :o
apparently you have not inherited your brothers advertising genius ;) ;D ;D
Creek that was tongue in cheek..I'll try and sell it to some port sap who isn't on the 'Zone thankfully it didn't cost me much thanks to Liquid Dreams and a trade of a few clunkers.
Quote from: DW on January 29, 2015, 11:00:52 AM
Quote from: Zooport on January 29, 2015, 10:26:08 AM
Yeah, I think they are trying to overcome the width with a lot of rocker and V.
I agree.
Now if they had shaped it for 200-300 lb surfers only, they wouldn't need to even think about throwing extra rocker and V in it. Because a true big boy, could make a flatter, faster, board rip with ease.
Where it goes in the crapper, is trying to make it work for everyone. You little guys need to stop buying 32 wide boards and grow a pair! Let them shape these 32 wide boards for true big boys. (I personally know several small guys pussing out on 32 wide boards. If you want easy, go sit down in a kayak ;D).
Quote from: DW on January 29, 2015, 11:00:52 AM
Quote from: Zooport on January 29, 2015, 10:26:08 AM
Yeah, I think they are trying to overcome the width with a lot of rocker and V.
I agree.
Now if they had shaped it for 200-300 lb surfers only, they wouldn't need to even think about throwing extra rocker and V in it. Because a true big boy, could make a flatter, faster, board rip with ease.
Where it goes in the crapper, is trying to make it work for everyone. You little guys need to stop buying 32 wide boards and grow a pair! Let them shape these 32 wide boards for true big boys. (I personally know several small guys pussing out on 32 wide boards. If you want easy, go sit down in a kayak ;D).
Come on, don't be shy. What do you really think?
What am I missing? I have the 8'8" X32 LE and love it. The first few sessions were tough, but now I am very happy with it. But maybe I just don't get it and there is a much better board out there for me. I am 90 kg (200 lb and 6'3") and have been SUPing for a year (frequently) and surfing many more. I am in Australia (Westerport/Flinders) so maybe it is due to different conditions (but it is often windy so the width is helpful). I bought it so I would have much more maneuverability on the wave. My other main board is a 9'5" SB widepoint - that feels very heavy now (in and out of the water).
I think for me it just wasn't high performance enough at 32" wide. My other board is a Hobie Raw 8'11" x 29" with a surfier shape. One thing I couldn't believe was how slow it surfed compared to my Hobie and now my 8'7" Jimmy Lewis Kwad That Naish was a slug for me, I couldn't keep up with the sections
maybe it was just me, but I have surfed many SUPs and that Naish Hokua X32 was one of the worst I ever tried.
I am not a star surfer (I have surfed 9' mals for quite a few years), so I may not know what I am missing - but I like the idea of more speed etc. Can I ask what you weigh - could that be a difference?
I'm not surprised that you weren't happy with the X32 after being used to a 29" wide board. Even one inch makes a difference, three would make a huge difference.
My old 11'6 Nalu is 29" wide and a lot of rocker but almost no V. Aside from being too thick in the tail, that board surfs amazingly good. Quick rail to rail like a shorter board. I tried the new version of the same board. It has a lot of V and is 32" wide. It's a dog, and surfed like crap. Being 6'7 and 240# I can through around big boards pretty good. It's all relative, I can stand on a 110 liter board and sink in to my knees.
Transitioning from my 9'5" to the 8'8" was a bit of a challenge, and now the 9'5" feels like a dog. In fact, I often fall off the first couple of turns because it just doesn't go where I expect it. So I imagine going from 29" to 32" would be similar. Right now I think I would struggle on 8'8" x 29" - but I would like to try (in good conditions).
Bummer on the X32.
I surf in central Florida and my Bill Foote custom is 8'6 x 32 fish type shape. I had him model it after a JP wide surf 8.8 model which have a lot of good reviews for various conditions on the south of the equator forum. He put a slight double concave in the middle and slight V in the tail with a double concave. To me at 190-195lbs and 5'10, this thing is a blast still after a year and a half. To me it is fast and turns as hard as I want it to.
My reasoning for this board here. I moved away from prone surfing the regular narrower type surf boards and went to wide fish boards here years ago and have not looked back. Just had more fun on these type boards. I love my Hynson Black night quads and Von Sol shadows so I wanted a SU surfboard similar. I can hang out with the longboarders and get much longer rides.
I was actually interested in the 7'10 version of the Hokua X32, but couldn't find a demo and was afraid of the width. I'm actually having a custom board shaped with a similar idea in mind. 7'4 X 30" Similar in idea, but not the extreme wideness. Lots of rocker and V. Width, rocker and V will make it kind of slow, but that can hopefully be overcome by pumping it on a wave. The same idea as prone short boards; they don't go unless you pump them. I hope my idea works similar. My shaper thinks he can make it work.
Ralph tried to find me a board with those dimensions, but there doesn't seem to be anything that is not a wide tail. I don't want another wide tail board. They are great, but not for me.
One mans food is another mans poison. We all need to remember that this is all very personal. I can't count how many times I've had folks tell me what a dog a board was or how amazing and I felt the exact opposite when I tried it. Some things just don't seem to make sense. Even though size can lead you in a direction it's not just size that matters,....somehow, sometimes, a board just fits. I swapped my 8-4 x 34 Vec, a board I find easy to make work with a guy who is a pretty good surfer (better than me anyway) but smaller by about 50lbs, still a big guy by most standards. He was on a 10-3 x 29 Starboard Pro and said he didn't like it. Said he had to work it too hard to get anything out of it and it was unstable. He got on my board and amazingly enough struggled...couldn't get used to turning it. Missed a bunch of waves (somewhat expected) and wiped out a bunch...looked kind of kooky even. I expected to have a hard time with his Starboard, stood up caught the 1st wave I paddled for and had a blast. I was surprised to find it fairly stable despite its lower volume and 29". I fell a few times but I always fall. I had to work to stay upright between sets, but on a wave it felt great. We swapped back and he asked how the heck I could surf the Vec and if I wanted to buy the Starboard since I surfed it so well. If I hadn't recently bought the Vec I might have.
It even happens with downwind boards. When brother Bill did the downwind showcase in 2009 I tried admins 14' Foote (very cool documentation of the build here on the zone BTW) and I can't think of many boards that I've felt so comfortable on. Admin despite his eating habits is about 2/3 my weight and far better balance so you wouldn't think a board for him would be a board I'd like.
Bottom line as my Dad always said " There's an ass for every toilet seat"
I guess part of the challenge is to find the board that is right for you.
I keep reading that you should demo boards before you buy, but it probably took 5 sessions (or more) to get used to the X32 - the conditions varied, and I had to get used to it. So unless you have time to get used to a board it is hard to say that it is right for you. And then there is the ongoing discussion about which fins to use (quad or thruster and the size/quality of the fins). So, I personally don't think it is a Naish issue or an X32 issue - but I would love to know, with some degree of confidence, whether moving to a different board would make the ride even better.
Quote from: cantSUPenough on January 30, 2015, 05:26:56 PM
I guess part of the challenge is to find the board that is right for you.
whether moving to a different board would make the ride even better.
This is the mystery of surfboards and what keeps us all intrigued. 45 years of "what if" has been a cornerstone of my life.
Quote from: supsurf-tw on January 30, 2015, 05:42:17 PM
Quote from: cantSUPenough on January 30, 2015, 05:26:56 PM
I guess part of the challenge is to find the board that is right for you.
whether moving to a different board would make the ride even better.
This is the mystery of surfboards and what keeps us all intrigued. 45 years of "what if" has been a cornerstone of my life.
I think a lot of people have Board ADD and don't spend enough time learning how to figure out what they have. Everyone is looking for the next big thing. But then again, variety is the spice of life.
Quote from: ninja tuna on January 30, 2015, 03:53:10 PM
Bummer on the X32.
I surf in central Florida and my Bill Foote custom is 8'6 x 32 fish type shape. I had him model it after a JP wide surf 8.8 model which have a lot of good reviews for various conditions on the south of the equator forum. He put a slight double concave in the middle and slight V in the tail with a double concave. To me at 190-195lbs and 5'10, this thing is a blast still after a year and a half. To me it is fast and turns as hard as I want it to.
I've looked at a number of Bills boards that have V in front of the fins and they all seem to transition to flat before the tail. I'm not sure what this is for, but it seems to work really well. I do know the only board I ever hated was one that had a lot of V all the way through the tail. Well, I wasn't really that fond of the first Laird boards either I guess. Especially after I dragged one from Plymouth to Provincetown.
You might wonder why I don't just ask Bill since I see him almost every day that there's good surf. I'm reasonably certain that I'd get a better answer if I asked him how to make a Bouillabaisse, and I don't think he cooks.
Talldude, I still have one of the 11'6" Nalus, theoretically it's Dianes board, and it's a fine surfboard for a lot of conditions. Harold knew what he was up to.
Quote from: jd on January 30, 2015, 06:02:45 PM
I think a lot of people have Board ADD and don't spend enough time learning how to figure out what they have. Everyone is looking for the next big thing. But then again, variety is the spice of life.
In the past year and a half that I've lived in CA, I've bought (and sold) 23 boards. That sounds pretty insane when I type it and then read it back. I guess technically 24 since I have a custom on order from Infinity right now. I think I'm guilty of looking for the next big thing, or at least something that "clicked". To my credit, the last board I had, I owned for about 8 months which is a record for me. Only sold it to put down a deposit on my new board. Owning that many different boards of all shapes and sizes has led me to what I think I will really, really like in a board and something that will work in a wide range of conditions.
Quote from: kayadogg on January 30, 2015, 07:14:32 PM
Quote from: jd on January 30, 2015, 06:02:45 PM
I think a lot of people have Board ADD and don't spend enough time learning how to figure out what they have. Everyone is looking for the next big thing. But then again, variety is the spice of life.
In the past year and a half that I've lived in CA, I've bought (and sold) 23 boards.
And I thought I was spending too much time SUPing... ;) The first step to recovery is admitting that you have a problem ;) I clearly need to start looking for another board.
Quote from: cantSUPenough on January 30, 2015, 07:23:27 PM
Quote from: kayadogg on January 30, 2015, 07:14:32 PM
Quote from: jd on January 30, 2015, 06:02:45 PM
I think a lot of people have Board ADD and don't spend enough time learning how to figure out what they have. Everyone is looking for the next big thing. But then again, variety is the spice of life.
In the past year and a half that I've lived in CA, I've bought (and sold) 23 boards.
And I thought I was spending too much time SUPing... ;) The first step to recovery is admitting that you have a problem ;) I clearly need to start looking for another board.
I should clarify, my better half is also into stand up paddling so I always need to keep an eye open for anything that may suit her too. She's no longer surprised when I come home with a new board. She can come home with as many pairs of shoes as she wants, it's sort of an unspoken agreement. ;)
kaya... you don't need a board that works in a wide range of conditions.... you already have a different board for every conceivable condition ;D
I chalk this A.D.D'ness to the rapid evolution in SUPdom today. We are reliving the "Shortboard Revolution" and every shipment we are like little kids at Christmas: we LOVE our new toy.... till the next present is handed to us and we throw the 1st over our shoulder and embrace the next one. In the late 60's's we were buying new boards every few weeks, as our current one became yesterdays news.
All too soon, the SUP benchmarks will be set, and the next two generations will ride the same boards for decades.... like a well worn longboard.
I for one, am super stoked at the wide range of directions that SUP can take.... we will not be getting stale anytime soon ;D ;D ;D ;D
Yup, Johnny... perfect... whenever I played golf, I would give my wife matching funds to spend... she was like "when are you playing golf again?" ;D
Exactly, Rick. I was talking to Dave Boehne when I ordered my board about the evolution in boards and he drew very similar parallels to what you said. On top of that, you have every company watching what everyone else is doing. They're trying the same things or taking a design and tweaking it, giving it their own spin. It's pretty fun to watch and even more fun to be in the middle of where it's happening.
Part of my insanity is due to living here. In New England a couple years ago, you almost knew every board that popped up on Craigslist and who owned it. The used board market is just insane out here. It's so easy to find crazy prototypes or cheap deals. I stopped into Infinity tonight on my way home and I literally almost bought a used Blurr just because it was almost too cheap not too. I couldn't justify it, however, if it's still there on Monday it's coming home with me.
Quote from: kayadogg on January 30, 2015, 07:14:32 PM
In the past year and a half that I've lived in CA, I've bought (and sold) 23 boards. That sounds pretty insane when I type it and then read it back. I guess technically 24 since I have a custom on order from Infinity right now. I think I'm guilty of looking for the next big thing, or at least something that "clicked".
A year and half that is like 540 days. Given that there are only 1/4 of the days when the waves are actually decent/worth it to surf. That is 135 ish days of surfing days and you've had 24 surf boards. So you've rode each of them for average of 6 days, even if you say that a 1/3 of the time was good enough to go out and surf, that is 178 days, 8 days per board.
How many girlfriends did you go through during your high school year?
Kdogg, Q. How many boards are enough? A. Just one more.
Quote from: Zooport on January 30, 2015, 09:08:59 PM
Kdogg, Q. How many boards are enough? A. Just one more.
In other words
How's your beer?Ahhhh....tastes like another.
Quote from: jumpfrom13k link=topic=26278.msg270343#msg270343 date= 1422680781
A year and half that is like 540 days. Given that there are only 1/4 of the days when the waves are actually decent/worth it to surf. That is 135 ish days of surfing days and you've had 24 surf boards. So you've rode each of them for average of 6 days, even if you say that a 1/3 of the time was good enough to go out and surf, that is 178 days, 8 days per board.
How many girlfriends did you go through during your high school year?
[/quote
That's a lot of math! Sounds even crazier when you break it down like that. I should have further clarified that there are race boards in that number, quite a few actually.
And I had 4 high school years, not one, so my number is probably 4 times greater than you'd expect.
I ended up trading boards for a 9' x 32 cannibal assassin. Local Shaper, CoreVac Strong. We had a very good day out of the last New England storm and the new SUP rode great. I thought the whole idea for getting the X32 was to glide across the mush and be able to work the sections. Not being able to sell the boards on Craig's List limited my options but it worked out. I need this to work in whatever conditions inspire me to go out. I disagree that you can't tell how a board is going to ride after the first (good) day. I gave up quickly that the X32 would work in our typical dribble and went back to my Mana, but when it didn't work for me in the best surf we get, I was ready to bail. That's just my personal experience. It's still in the shop, without a scratch, if you want one for half the price of new. They are real proud of them.