2012 Naish Mana Air Demo Review

[250SUP]

Had a chance to test both the 4" and 6" thick Naish Mana Air inflatables today at my local shop.

Being that I am in the process of building a complete Naish quiver, I was excited by the prospect of adding an inflatable that can be used on rivers and for travelling in a pinch.

Overall impression was a B- grading (Only moderately impressed, but still a little disappointed).

The BAD:

Having tried a few inflatables, I knew not to expect everything that a hard board can offer, but having 5 other Naish boards already, I was at least expecting the standard of quality that I had become accustomed to.  This leads to the primary reason for my disappointment.  Both boards were found to be defective due to air leaks.

The 4" had what appeared to be multiple pin sized holes on the bottom surface (no, not even at a welded seam).  It almost appeared that the coating on the exterior of the board was not completed properly resulting in a porous section that leaked profusely.

The 6" almost made it out of my demo with a clean bill of health until I noticed another pinhole at one of the welded seams on the rail.


Another confusing item was the inclusion of a D-ring on the bottom surface at the nose of the board.  I understood the one at the back of the board on the top surface (leash attachment), but the placement of one on the front bottom surface seemed to be poorly designed as it contacted the water on numerous occasions only leading me to think that it would cause some issues if you had to surf the board.  I suspect the intention was to use if for towing, but I'm thinking that would have been still achievable if placed on the top surface at the front.

The GOOD

With the bad out of the way, I must say the experience wasn't all bad.

The thruster set up using two fixed side fins and a removable centre fin seemed to track fairly well.  The inflation valve also seemed good.  The pump was okay....enough to get you up to the recommended 14psi needed to give a solid surface.  Weighing in at 180lbs, I found the 6" thickness to be the best thickness in terms of it feeling less like you were standing on a glorified air matress.  Pivot turns were super easy due to the length (10'), width (33"), and grippy deckpad.  The 6" did feel like it was pushing more water due to the thickness of the rails, but the increased rigidity was worth the incovenience.  We did 3' drops off a dock onto both boards, and the 6" barely moved on landing.  The 4" submerged a little more, but still supported you enough to stick the landing.  Didn't get a chance to see how it would surf, but I suspect it would be alright in small rollers.

In the end, I'll probably end up picking up one of the 6" versions for filling in that hole in my quiver.  Uli's are probably still better in terms of quality and function, but Canada's rep is back east, so I don't have easy access to their product.  The Naish's probably still beat the C4 iSUPs as long as you don't get a defective one like we did.   Fortunately Naish has a great warranty program, so we'll likely have little issue getting these replaced.  I'll try to get some of the photos we took and post them later.

[SkyeSup]

Thanks for the review. Naish love aside - considering the mixed feelings, just wondering what grounds you have for rating it over the C4 iSUP?
...cheers

[250SUP]

The C4's I've ridden felt very much like the 4" Naish in that they felt pretty spongy underfoot even fully inflated.  The lack of removable fins on the C4's I've ridden also is an issue for packing it up and generally results in the fins getting bent requiring some heating to straighten them out.  Construction of both are very similar.  The storage bag on the Naish is superior and less like a sleeping bag cover (ie. you actually have a chance of getting it back in there after you unpack, inflate, and then deflate.  The pump is dual action (inflates on up and down stroke) on the Naish and has a deflate port as well as an inflate meaning that you can deflate it entirely giving you a better chance of getting it back in the bag.  Naish has been really good at doing the little things.  They pay attention to details that are small, but improve the product dramatically (ie. the "ledge" carry handle is the only board handle on the market that actually is comfortable to use and is substantially better than most handles that only allow you to get barely up to your first knuckle in the handle).

I would say the 4" thick Mana Air is comparable to the C4 iSUPs on the market, making me indifferent, but I'd have to say that the 6" thick would be superior due to the improved rigidity.