Hypr Nalu Hawaii 12'6" gun - something a little special

[supnsurf]

Very nice, concaves are deep almost Bonzerish.

[Area 10]

Very nice, concaves are deep almost Bonzerish.

Yes. But it’s actually even more extreme than a bonzer because the deep concaves and rail chines run pretty much the entire length of the board. Here’s a video of the 10-6 version of my gun. On my 12-6 the bottom contours seem even more pronounced. It really works well, though. You can really pump the board for speed, and it adds a lot of paddling stability through a kind of catamaran effect.

[supnsurf]

A 10, what size fins are you using ?  8 or 9 center ?

[robon]

Wow. One of the nicest looking boards I have ever seen without question. Really versatile too by sounds of it. Enjoy.

[Noo Noo]

They are really stunning looking boards.

Just wish there was more information in the ways of opinion and reviews available for them.

[Area 10]

They are really stunning looking boards.

Just wish there was more information in the ways of opinion and reviews available for them.

Yes, I agree entirely. I had to take a leap of faith in buying one, in that respect. But I’m glad I did. I was pretty cautious - I already own so many SUPs that really the last thing I need is another one. So I approached this purchase with great caution: What I did first was look into the background of the guy who runs this company. It’s Ian Foo, who is this guy:



He has a lot of paddling experience. And just about the most incredible abdominals I’ve ever seen on a guy in his mid-50s

That gave me confidence that this company wasn’t likely to be some fly-by-night operation, and that the people involved in designing and making the boards would know their stuff. So, second, I contacted Ian Foo himself, through the distributor, and asked a bunch of questions about construction methods and materials. If I hadn’t got a response or had just got a load of marketing BS then I was going to walk away. But he did answer personally, and although after that interaction I was still not 100% sure I should be buying yet another board, he had done enough to convince me to take a look st the boards in the flesh. So I met up with the UK distributor and spent quite a long time with him checking the board over and asking questions. By the end of that inspection I was in no doubt I should buy the board, even if I didn’t know anyone - or had even read about anyone - else (outside the company) who had one. On this occasion, that decision definitely turned out to be the right one. My expectations were high, but it has exceeded them all. They are definitely onto something with this unique design approach (and construction method). Put simply, these boards make the typical fragile Cobra-built blobs of foam look quite primitive, both in construction and design aspiration.

I’ll try and get some video of the board in action, next time there is a decent swell. Maybe even do a video review, ukgm-style

And just to say again, I paid full price for this board and I have no connection to the company.

[Noo Noo]

Good shout Area10. I'll look forward to your review. No pressure 

The problem I find is actually identifying which board is best suited to me needs. This isn't a Hyper Nalu issue, for me its an industry wide one.

I can look at any number of brands and come away with a short list of what to try / buy. I can look again the next day and that list will have changed.

My inexperience / lack of knowledge causes a lot of this problem some real world would be a huge help, especially showing a really varied and everyday conditions.

[Area 10]

Wow. One of the nicest looking boards I have ever seen without question. Really versatile too by sounds of it. Enjoy.

Cheers! I’m enjoying just sitting looking at it right now, drinking a cold one

[Area 10]

A 10, what size fins are you using ?  8 or 9 center ?

Hi there supnsurf, yes, good question. The board comes with a 9” centre. And also with 4.5” sidebites. I can see the logic of this entirely: those who want to cruise around on this board will ditch the sidebites so you want the centre fin to be a decent size for tracking. And also if the owner does take the board into rhino-chaser do-or-die conditions then they are gonna need plenty of hold. But the waves I’ll be using this for won’t be much more than a couple of feet OH. So I’ll probably swap out the centre fin for a 7” dolphin and see how that goes. I have a PSH 12ft gun of similar volume and that came with a 2+1 with a 7” centre and it’s plenty. I also have a Gong 12-6 that is 210L and run it with a 2+1 using a 7” Fluid Foils dolphin and that doesn’t even spin out at head high+ with that setup. So I reckon that I might be able to go smaller than 9” for the Hypr 12-6 gun. We’ll see...

[supnsurf]

With a 7 " fin are you running a little bigger sidebite or using a smaller one ?   

[Area 10]

With a 7 " fin are you running a little bigger sidebite or using a smaller one ?   

I’ll keep the same sidebites. This has the effect of, in effect, bringing the focus of the turning point forward a little, since the front fins will have relatively greater influence over the rear one than when using a bigger rear fin. This will be useful for a gun in “normal” size conditions since gun finboxes tend to be sited quite far back relative to other boards (since hold is normally more important than turn in a rhino-chaser). I might even experiment with slightly larger sidebites and a 6” centre for small conditions, but I’ll see how just changing out the centre to a 7” works first.

[Noo Noo]

I have an 11' 6" to go and collect at some point.

Just need to sort my life out and actually go and get it. It's waiting for me.

I'll post up my thoughts when I collect and manage to get out on it. I'm really inexperienced and also suffer with conditions that most people wouldn't even bother with so it might give a slightly different perspective on them.

[Area 10]

I have an 11' 6" to go and collect at some point.

Just need to sort my life out and actually go and get it. It's waiting for me.

I'll post up my thoughts when I collect and manage to get out on it. I'm really inexperienced and also suffer with conditions that most people wouldn't even bother with so it might give a slightly different perspective on them.

I’ve now got a 11-6 as well. I’m enormously impressed with it. It makes crappy small conditions fun: it will catch anything, and is surprisingly fast on the wave. It’s also a really good flat water paddler, for an 11-6 surf shape. The other day I went for a couple of miles in the sea on a fairly calm day and averaged 4.8 mph on it, without any particular effort, which is very good for a crappy paddler like me on a surf SUP.

The foot in length less than the 12-6, and half an inch narrower, makes the 11-6 perhaps a more usual scale for average-sized people than the 12-6. It fits under the arm well and is usefully lighter than the 12-6 to carry. But it’s the speed and manoeuvrability on a wave that is its main feature. It really is remarkable for a board that size. And it is extraordinarily stable for 28.5” wide too. It’s a really good small wave groveller. The fairly flat rocker (which gives it its paddling speed) does mean that you need decent footwork when surfing it or you’ll pearl it. But it’s not an issue really, and the extra paddle speed over a more heavily rockered board is definitely worth it. The speed of the board means you can run bigger fins on it that you might otherwise, which can help even further with stability and control.

You are going to love it - although I wouldn't class it as a beginner board, for sure. It’s got some pretty serious mojo going on. Which veneer or finish did you get?

[Noo Noo]

Well I do need to thank you for the advice given on my other thread.

I did contact Hypr in he UK, and had some good correspondence with Richard and he advised the 11'6" (as you had done, you're not the same person are you)?

Anyway, I  ummed and aahed about it for while as while I certainly understand the quality here, I had to really think about budget. Then from out of no where I found a second hand one that was a couple of hours away from home. It's in Applewood.

The logistics of collecting it is still a bit of a mare thanks to work and other upcoming commitments but I'll just have to pull my finger out somehow and then get it on the water, rain, shine whatever.

Now at 28.5" wide I'd have never have gone for this without some input from here and discussions with Hypr themselves.

[Area 10]

Haha! I tried to buy that Applewood 11-6 but you’d already put a deposit down on it!

And no, I’m not Richard. I’m not connected to the company in any way.

Well, if you don’t like your applewood, at least you now know who you could sell it on to! I bought the 11-6 I mentioned for my son, because I liked the 12-6 so much. But I found that I liked the 11-6 so much I want one myself also.... that applewood would have been a good solution for me, although the logistics would have been extremely difficult for me too.

Ian Foo might make me a custom, perhaps. The shipping and taxes would make it crazy expensive though. Otherwise I’ll now have to wait until the next shipment in the autumn.