Glide 12'0" first ride and impressions

[RainWaves]

 After much reading here, watching videos, etc. I finally got my first batch of boards ( I just got set up as a BIC and Naish dealer for S.E. Alaska), including a Glide 12 footer.  Much thanks go out to David John, for his reviews and info regarding this board! Granted, I have not been paddling too long, and have only ridden 5 different boards so far (3 in Maui this Winter: 11' NSP, 10.5" ?, 11'-something Zarata(??)), then mainly on my 74 lb old windsurfer barge here at home, and a plastic Suptech Sunset.
 
This thing flat out smokes everything else with ease! It is stable, responsive, tracks great, and wants to get up and boogie. First ride was on calm water with light rippes, then yesterday into 5-8 knot headwind and back down. Made great time upwind, and was wishing for more tailwind. Can't wait to get it out on a breezy day, and do a downwind.  I weigh 195 without wetsuit, and pretty much had dry feet the whole time.

I don't see why some folks on here say that it really isn't a good board for flat water, but that may be my lack of experience with lots of other boards. We get lots of windy days here with close, short chop, and having a board with good nose rocker rated highly in my book. Maybe if one was to paddle only on glassy calm days, then a displacement type board would be better, but I'm not into my nose pearling all the time either. Most of the other boards I rode in Hawaii all had issues with this.

Anyway, if you're considering on of these for all conditions, don't write it off so quickly!

[PT Woody]

I think the 12' Glide will certainly compare well with the 10' and 11' boards you have mentioned whereas it cannot keep up with most 12'6" race boards that I've seen and paddled, and the reason is quite simple. With the rocker on the Glide, it ends up with around 10' - 11' of water line, whereas your average 12'6" displacement hull race board uses almost all of the waterline. Hence, it gets smoked by a race board. But in open ocean conditions, all that rocker comes in handy. It's a pretty good board as long as you don't expect to win races on it.