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NSP 9'8" Elements Review

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Ichabod Spoonbill:
So I finally picked up my NSP 9'8" Element Surf. For a low-end board, it's very pretty, as you can see. The concept behind this board was to have an all-around board that was a better surfer than flatwater board. This was to be the board I bring on vacation, where I mostly surf, but often do some distance.

I picked up the board at A-Team Paddleboarding in Rockaway, NY. I was hoping to buy local instead of going mail order. Local here was almost a two hour drive, but rather do that and see the board then have to go through all the problems of drop shipping.

I was originally going to surf the board after i bought it, but I was told the surf was lousy today, so I decided to head home and maybe give the board a shakedown cruise on the Hudson. Frankly, I was glad to get out of the city. It's funny, I grew up in Brooklyn, but driving around any urban area gets me jittery.

I pulled into my usual spot and set the board up as if I would be surfing it. No shoes. No KeNalu paddle — it's a little too long to wear with our shoes. No coiled leash. Left on the thrusters. The conditions looked a little windy, and there was a pretty high tide but what the hell, right?

First thing I noticed was that the board is very stable. It's 31" wide, which makes it really easy to stand on. It paddled fairly quickly, and even though I was going into the wind and against the tide initially, I was getting speed around 3 mph. The curved nose was also interesting in the oncoming chop. When the board went directly into the wind, the nose would slam into the wave, but if I took it on an angle, the curved nose would slice into the wave very nicely. That made the chop paddling a lot more fun.

The board felt a lot more like a flatware board than I expected. It held a straight line well, but turned very easily. I want to get it on a wave soon so I can test this better. Not that I'm super experienced at this, but at least I want to see something slicker than my 11 footer.

The fun began at three miles. I was riding a tide upriver, but I hadn't realized it was a spring tide. When I made that turn on the map from heading northwest to southeast, I had the spring tide and something between 10–15 mph wind in my face. Holy crap! At times the wind and current were so strong I WAS NOT MOVING. This has never happened to me before. Usually I can make some sort of progress against the elements, but now, nothing. I'm not blaming the board here. Actually it behaved itself pretty well. I was finally able to tack against the wind (using that carve!) and made some progress. I was going so slowly a jet ski came up to me. I waved him off and continued my creeping upwind. And it was creeping. There were dudes working on the train tracks right near me who were were doing that “getting' ready to quit walk” faster than me.

So I can say that this board is, for its size, a pretty good flatwater board. It's definitely a great puddle-paddler, and it's got plenty of volume. Tomorrow I'll put it on the rack and take some pictures. There are already a few paddle strikes on the sides, so I'm going to get some rail savers too. Next week, I'll get the thing into the surf.

stoneaxe:
Nice looking board. It looks a lot like the Starboard Element....also 9-8 that we have, fun shape. You'll have fun in the waves on that. What's the volume on it. The SB element is 30" and looks about as thick.

Ichabod Spoonbill:
Stoney, the website says it's 167 liters, which seems about right. I had a Starboard Go 165 Windsurfer back in the day, and this feels about the same size.

I put the board on the rack for better pictures. You get a good sense of the rocker here, and how this the nose is compared to an all-around board.

What I like about this board is that it's a good low-end surfer for a guy like me. I don't surf very often, but when I do I'd like something where I can improve my skills. This seems about the trick.

The NSP leashes have improved a little. They used to have only one swivel, now there are two. The leash attachment is still a little cheap. It doesn't have that extra tab that folds over the longer velcro straps. Still, I don't know how much difference that would make at my level.

I think I got a free leash out of the dealer. When I bought the board I inquired about a leash and he was surprised that there was none, so he gave me one off the rack. When I was checking the website later, I think this model doesn't come with one.

dingfix:
Hi, I'm using the 9'8 cocomat version for surfing, I think it's the same shape.

The board is exactly what I wanted, good shape, good price and incredibly light.

It surfs really well, I've replaced the centre fin with a 6" and that further loosened up the board.  It's very stable, especially in chop. Nose rides well.  Step onto the tail and it really turns.  Does everything I want of a surf sup.

With the light weight and Y handle, long walks at low tide are no big deal. Good choice.

Ichabod Spoonbill:
Hey ding, what kind of maneuvers are you able to do with your 9'8"? I'm basically an advanced beginner on the waves. You got any pictures of your board?

I was going to get the CocoMat, but my wife (ahem) kind of balked at the price. All arguments about how tough the school year had been and how I very much deserved something nice just didn't stick. On the other hand, I think the green color on the Element is gorgeous.

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