Standup Zone Forum
Stand Up Paddle => Gear Talk => SUP Gear Reviews / Newly Acquired / On Order => Topic started by: Area 10 on October 19, 2019, 02:10:22 PM
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I absolutely love the Hypr Nalu Hawaii gun SUPs: I have versions in 10-6, 11-6 and 12-6. They are so incredibly stable for their width, and are exceptionally fast to paddle and surf. The build quality is also second to none and they are tough (with no paint to chip), and they also look very special indeed. These boards have a fairly flat rocker (for a surf shape), are low volume with thin rails, and have a patented set of concaves on the underside that really work. It is a unique set of characteristics that you won't find in any other board on the market, and overall, these are boards for connoisseurs. Amazingly however, they are comparable for price (or maybe even less) with other premium brands - despite being made with much better materials and methods (e.g. thick tropical hardwood veneers, wood stringers, quality foam, nose and tail wood blocks etc). I don't know why everyone doesn't have one :)
So, after having tried the 12-6 for downwinding and been amazed at how well it had picked up even small bumps, and delivered a "maximum surfability" experience, it was obvious to me that something longer and narrower would be an unreal performer. So I chatted with the owner of Hypr Nalu Hawaii, Ian Foo, and the European distributor, Richard Webb, and hey presto, a few weeks later they contacted me to say that 14ft Hypr gun was born.
And a couple of days ago I got these pictures of it being made. I'm getting mine in double-carbon full PVC sandwich construction. But tropical hardwood versions that look absolutely incredible are also going to be available (see the Hypr Nalu Hawaii website for examples of the finishes/constructions they offer).
14ft x 26" x 4.5"
If you are in the market for a surf/ocean board like the Sunova Search, or a downwind 14 like the Jimmy Lewis Rail, but you want some real HYPR performance - or even just a board that can cope with any kinds of winds or chop, then take a look at these pics.
I don't think I need to say any more.
Want one...?
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Cool looking board. However, I didn't know that a set of conceives could be pattented.
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Cool looking board. However, I didn't know that a set of conceives could be pattented.
No, I didn't either, so queried it. And apparently Ian Foo does have a patent for this design.
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I don't think I need to say any more. Want one...?
Say no more, I want one. hmm, in fact I ordered one ;D
When are you getting yours?
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I don't think I need to say any more. Want one...?
Say no more, I want one. hmm, in fact I ordered one ;D
When are you getting yours?
I'm hoping to get two, actually :)
I think the new shipment will be arriving in November. Might be a good Christmas holiday :)
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Yummy. My banker is smiling.....who knows maybe.....
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I'm hoping to get two, actually :)
Stop hogging the pipeline, other people waiting for their holiday gifts as well ;D
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I'm hoping to get two, actually :)
Stop hogging the pipeline, other people waiting for their holiday gifts as well ;D
Yeah, I know, I do feel a bit guilty. But the second one is for family, and family comes first...
I think that Hypr are testing the water a bit with this one. So numbers worldwide are likely to be limited, at least for a while. So, if you want one, I’d suggest contacting Ian or Richard soon and letting them know. The orders that will be shipped soon were made quite some time ago. But maybe if you were quick they could slip a couple of extra boards into the order before it is shipped. I know that this board is exactly the kind of thing that many of us have been looking for for a long time.
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very nice Area 10 and you do realize this is a public forum and some people are thinking of ordering them, board :D
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very nice Area 10 and you do realize this is a public forum and some people are thinking of ordering them, board :D
:) Well, I know at least one other person here who has been looking into these boards... but I got my order in before anyone else, so if anyone except me gets them they'll be hell to pay :) I'm already dreaming of surfing a Hypr gun 14 on an offshore sandbank break near me... and then the next day downwinding it...or doing a beach race... maybe even just touring flat water.
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Very interesting. So, is the 14 x 26 a general size that you wanted or do they do custom widths upon requests? I like the idea of a lower rocker and thinner board that is versatile like this.
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Very interesting. So, is the 14 x 26 a general size that you wanted or do they do custom widths upon requests? I like the idea of a lower rocker and thinner board that is versatile like this.
This is a new model, and 26” wide is probably the most popular width for high performance ocean 14s these days. So it’s a good place to start. The extra stability of the concaves means it will probably feel like most 14x27 boards, which is comfortable for many.
If you speak to Ian Foo, the owner, he might be able to do you other widths and sizes. I know that at least one guy here is looking into a wider, thicker, higher volume version of mine. And at least one other person on another forum is also looking into it. But based on my experiences of the 10-6x27, 11-6x28 and 12-6x29 (the new version is going to be 12-6x27 I think), 14x26 should be stable enough for a wobbly old geezer like me. These low volume boards sit low in the water and don’t get pushed around by wind and waves, which helps a lot with stability as well as surfability. You can go narrower than you normally dare to.
Ian is a very experienced paddler, is very passionate about his sport, and takes great pride in his work. He’s a very busy guy as you might imagine, but if you contact him you can have a discussion for sure and he’ll help you out. He’s very approachable like that. It’s a family business.
Hypr have kinda carved out a niche for themselves in the marketplace that is like no other. The designs are different, the constructions are different, and this is a high-quality artisan/semi-custom type operation. I guess that if the business grew much bigger then it might not be possible to run such a personalised service, but luckily for the moment you can contact the boss man directly and he will listen to you. So drop him a line and see what is possible. I’m hoping he’ll make a 16x26 next :)
The only problem you’ll face if you get one is that suddenly all your other boards look a bit cheap and uninteresting :)
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26” wide :o :-\ :o ;D :) ;) :D :)
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26” wide :o :-\ :o ;D :) ;) :D :)
Yeah, well, we’ll see. It may be too skilled up for me. But the bottom contours of the Hyprs add a lot of stability so you can go narrower than you think. They feel like they are boards that are about an inch or 1.5” wider than they are, If you think about the surface area that the deep concaves add, it is after all probably about an inch or more than an equivalent width flat bottom.
But as I say, we will see. Hypr might end up offering this design in a more comfortable wider design, perhaps. But for the moment this is intended as a high-performance model, rather than another board like the Venom or Sunova Search. The Jimmy Lewis Rail comes in a 26.5” width, but you stand a lot higher above the water, the nose and tail are more pulled in, and it has a relatively flat bottom. So I’d expect this Hypr gun to feel more stable in use than the 26.5” wide Rail.
I do have a 24.5” wide 16ft low volume DW board, and I can say that that is uncomfortably narrow for me in big chop after about 45 mins. So I am very aware of my limits. The narrower boards are definitely nicer upwind and in the flats though, when wide downwind boards can feel very sluggish. This gun will probably not be much slower than an equivalent width 14ft raceboard in flat water. Maybe only e.g. 2-3% slower, which is a lot if you are racing seriously, but good enough for everyday use if you are paddling just for fun. Trialling the 11-6 gun in ocean “flat” water with a buddy I was amazed to find that we were only 5% faster on a SIC RS 14x26: these designs paddle faster than you’d expect standard surf shapes to, as long as you aren’t a heavy unit. Hypr do however have some wider all-round type shapes in generous widths that would suit the bigger paddler.
I guess that maybe this board’s niche might be more similar to the (Mark Raaphorst design? Starboard?) kenalu (?) board that Pono Bill used to paddle in races, perhaps? In other words, a narrower longer surf-type shape that derives a lot of stability from keeping you close to the water and not presenting an excess of rail above the waterline that catches wind and waves. So if you aren’t getting bounced or pushed around, you can go narrower. I seem to remember that Pony Bill was very fond of that board.
But if this one is too narrow for me, I’ll just order a 28” wide version, if I can persuade Ian to make one :) Once you’ve started buying Hyprs it is hard to stop. They are addictive.
What width would you order?
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If you are comfortable on your RS at 26", I'm convinced you'll be just as comfortable on the Hyper at 26.
After riding so many board designs in different conditions, and riding the same design on different size I'm pretty sure you're more confident than you let on. This board looks very promising, in fact, I just sent Ian at Hyper my current specs to make me one as well. Just finalizing details.
Please share your experience as soon as you get it.
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If you are comfortable on your RS at 26", I'm convinced you'll be just as comfortable on the Hyper at 26.
After riding so many board designs in different conditions, and riding the same design on different size I'm pretty sure you're more confident than you let on. This board looks very promising, in fact, I just sent Ian at Hyper my current specs to make me one as well. Just finalizing details.
Please share your experience as soon as you get it.
Yeah, that’s my guess. I do have the 10-6 gun which is I think 27 7/8ths wide, and the 11-6 which is 28.5” wide. Both are FAR more stable than you’d expect. The 11-6 really is extraordinary stable for its width, and could even be used by a beginner if they are under about 75kgs. I tend to think that for a given design, every additional 1ft in length adds about the same in stability as an additional 3/4” in width. So that would mean that a 14ft version of the 11-6 Gun (which is pretty much what the 14 gun is) would feel approximately as stable as the 11-6 I have. Which would be fine. I’m around 80kg. If you are heavier and do long paddles in crazy messed-up conditions you might want an extra inch or two I guess. But it’s so much easier to get a technically good stroke with a 26” wide board than a 28” wide one, for most average-sized people.
But I’ll give you an honest assessment when it arrives. I’ve got mo connection to Hypr Nalu Hawaii, I’m just an ordinary customer like anyone else. And although I’m not a complete idiot on an ocean board, I’m nothing special at all in my abilities. I would classify myself as entirely average for a middle-aged amateur enthusiast who has a sedentary job.
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Old tandem windsurfer a friend gave me to do some work on. 4.8mX50cm.
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Interesting. But although there might seem a resemblance from that shot, I’d bet that from other angles the two boards look very different.
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Yes it's nearly 16ft long and just under 20 inches wide. Must have had some epic wipeouts.
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Holy crap, that’s something special for sure...
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I think it was made by Fanatic.
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Look around 0.55
Hope Dragons are optional even during Chinese New Year....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDWzB7zduOE (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDWzB7zduOE)
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There are no dragons on my double-carbon 14 or 11-6 guns. Just ask for them without. Some people love the dragons, but I prefer just to see the beautiful materials and craftsmanship.
I’ll post a full review of the Hypr 14 gun when I’ve finished testing it: I’ve been ill for a while which has restricted time on water. But here is one of the wood versions being surfed recently at a local spot here is the UK.
https://fbwat.ch/1OxG1UFws3nUUg01
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Did I miss the usual full testing report on the Hypr Gun 14' ???? ;) :)
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Did I miss the usual full testing report on the Hypr Gun 14' ???? ;) :)
:) It will come when CV19 is over. I tried to take it to the beach a few days ago and a big Police van immediately drew up and told me that SUP was not "essential exercise". You could ride a bike, or run, or walk, but not paddle a SUP, according to them. The government restreictions in the UK do not actually say you can't SUP, so this is the police interpretation of the guidelines. But I was with my son so although I argued with them a bit, I didn't want to cause a big scene: I was already drawing a crowd as it was. The police sort of admitted that the only argument that they had was that "if people see you enjoying yourself then everyone else will want to do it" - which is not about me but about the actions of others - so maybe if I do it away from other people in inaccesiible places, and do it safely, then they might leave me alone.
And before you all get on my case: the UK government restrictions currently allow you to go outside and execise (with a guide of one hour a day), as long as you (a) are only with members of your household; (b) stay at least 6 feet away from anyone else, and (c) are doing it locally. There is NO law against any particular form of exercise, no matter what the police might argue. When the police stopped me, I was with my son, who I live with, I was far more than 6ft from anyone else, in a deserted area, and was just going to paddle about a bit to get my heart rate up, not engage in any dangerous actibity: cycling would probbaly be significantly more dangerous!
Anyhow, you'll get your review when I can paddle some more and hopefully get some footage. We had very high winds and driving rain for weeks here in the UK over the winter - it was crazy - and it wasn't good for filming.
But I can tell you that I just keep enjoying the board more and more (when I am allowed to).
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AT least you did not get arrested like in California.....
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True. There are two valid arguments here for stopping people going in the water (I am dismissing the danger one as nonsense since the statistics clearly show that surfing, swimming etc are not more dangerous than cycling, yet cycling is actively being encouraged). The first argument is that allowing people to go in the water attracts people to the local area and brings CV19 into these - often small - local communities. This is a good argument. Second, the coastguard and lifeboat crews argue that they are put at risk from catching covid in a rescue situation.
Well, the first problem could be solved by having a “locals-only” rule for water use. People not currently resident within a fairly small local circumference found using the water could be subject to stiff prosecution. The second problem could be dealt with by treating the population like adults and saying that there is no lifeboat/lifeguard cover, so you enter the water at your own risk. Let people decide for themselves what level of risk they will tolerate.
This covid situation might go on for a year or two. In fact it probably will. So unless the UK government wants to completely paralyse local coastal communities which often depend heavily upon sea use for their fitness as well as their livelihoods, I think there is going to have to be a more sophisticated discussion than merely describing all water activities by any person as “not essential” and thereby liable to fine. That solution smacks of having been made by a government official living in a metropolitan area who cycles to work but only visits the sea once a year.
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So.....
Found a place where you were allowed to sneak onto the water yet? Burchas, got yours yet?
Looks sweet. I'm curious how it glides for flat water paddling.
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So.....
Found a place where you were allowed to sneak onto the water yet? Burchas, got yours yet?
Looks sweet. I'm curious how it glides for flat water paddling.
Since shipping was an issue I could not get mine :'( I am working with HYPR on a more downwind specific 15 footer.
In the meantime I designed my self one with similar bottom the fits specific conditions I get from time to time:
https://youtu.be/p7ccFCArVUQ
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Turned out really clean. Nice job. 8) A lot of work too.
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Turned out really clean. Nice job. 8) A lot of work too.
Thanks! Worth the effort. Really sweet ride. Still waiting to see Area 10 ride in action.
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Turned out really clean. Nice job. 8) A lot of work too.
Thanks! Worth the effort. Really sweet ride. Still waiting to see Area 10 ride in action.
Post COVID paddle.....