Rider: 83 kg intermediate / maybe better , experienced
Style: Freeriding, Surf
Weather: 9 -15 knots Darwin thin air
Kite : North rebel 14m and 16m Dyno
Board : North Nugget 5'x21x2/38
Build Quality: 9/ 10
Satisfaction: 9/10

Just spent the weekend on my new North Nugget with some comparison to the Airush sector 52 which I also use

The Sector is a great fun board in light to medium conditions and I have had a great time on it .
My surf background still left me still wanting to use the Sector in our light variable ,slushy and shallow wave conditions (when I could not stay upwind on the surboard ) . The sector's long fins and straight tracking doesnt allow a full wavey feel although still good fun - believe it or not
My windsurfing background has left me with a preference for directionals - I just enjoy the freeness of moving around the board

The Nugget struck me as a board to fill this gap .

Although short at 5' the board has good thickness 2 3/8 and width at 21 inches . It does not have a lot of rocker and a very strong wide outline . Squarish tail but rounded and twin concave . Very light - in fact I wondered if it was in the box when i picked it up . Build quality seems good - comfortable straps - could be a bit more padding on the deck when it is loaded up .

Saturday using the Dyno in very marginal conditions - 9 -11 kts. Kite just flying . I was able to generate enough board speed to stay upwind easily . Comfortable ride and remarkably easy to pop over waves - the width seems to protect from rail catch in cross shore kiting - no feeling of nose burying itself either .

Today - 12-15kts used the Rebel 14m and had a ball . Moved straps to better position and more wind .
Blasted upwind while others struggled . Made adjustment to style as it was a bit choppy at first as the board was bouncing around a bit .
It is able to operate in almost the same conditions ( maybe 1-2 kts ) as 52 Sector but a lot more manouverable and easy to turn .

On waves it surprised me with its ability to slot in and not get caught up - small waves which lends itself to rail catch . (It's Darwin) .
The light weight of the board means it is so easy to muscle around .

It also maintained a plane on waves - rather than bogging down - which was a new sensation in our light and small conditions at this time of the year.
On turning the board really loads up and is very stable and predictable in transition.
You could more easily jump this board as well as it short and light to control - not enough wind today but it felt great .

Summary : this board will be a lot of fun .

It will suit the kiter who needs a board to cover light wind wave conditions . I reckon it would handle most wave sizes (we are not talking extremes ) due to its shortness and light weight . It tracks well , smoothly and is highly manouverable .

It will also will be well suited the kiter who is learning on directionals . Again , stable and light .

A note that 2 other riders gave it a go - 90-95 kg - he was very impressed - has a surf background - the other person is a bit bigger ! ( Puetz ) - and he stayed up wind and seemed also happy with performance although had a big difference in ride position ( 17m ? core )

I did not give it a 10 because nothing is perfect - the deck padding could be better - when loaded it became a bit hard - but it just shows how well the board works .

I am really looking forward to getting to know the Nugget better .

It left me with a big smile on the dial which is what counts

Yeh a mate of mine just got the nuggets been trying to learn in winter on another board I won't mention the brand. No luck. Got the nugget within two sessions is staying upwind. I had a crack ( also have a sector 54) and loved it. When the dust settles on new gear already got, definitely on the cards. Yeh I'd say 1 to 2 knots less than the 54, more on the 2 side, but bloody good considering it is really snappy and light. Great machine.

... I had a run on the board too and its an amazing piece of gear.

My impression of it was its stable, fast over choppy conditions, gybes easily and goes upwind really nicely. I think it can handle a bit of power too so will be fun when the wind comes up. Some boards don't go too well with big kites but this one did easily.

I rode it out of the straps so technically speaking I rode it strapless and if anyone whose thinking of getting into surfboards but don't want the downsides then this is a good board to look at, even for the larger gentlemen like me!

Cheers for now,

Robbie

I think the Nugget would be a great light wind board and a good board to learn strapless. If its purely to learn strapless I reckon you would be better served with a North Whip as you would progress further.
I havent ridden one and if i can get a demo this summer I will.
I do have a surfing background to base my opinion: The Nugget is pretty wide and has a flat rocker so it will get going real early. It will also be very stable and with the quad setup will be quite fast. (general rule quads are faster than thrusters, bad fin setup can alter this)
The board will ride flat like a Fish and you wont be able to transition rail to rail easily, so the turns will be flat and will tend to slide out the more powered up you are.
It was interesting to read the comment 'its ability to slot in and not get caught up' That is unusual for a board that flat and wide usually the rail will catch when the waves start to get steeper, but maybe the short length of the board assists here (will have to demo)

The Whip is a little more angled towards a surfboard, it is still short and wide compared to a normal surfboard one would ride, so it will plane early (obviously not as early as the Nugget) It is wide enough to be semi stable to assist learning strapless. It will let you progress further and allow you to do more traditional turns as well as snap and slide turns.

Obviously everything is a compromise. The Nugget would be easier to learn on. The Nugget would be good in light wind but I feel someone who wants to progress further with strapless riding, then a Whip or something similar would be a better option. You might out grow the Nugget faster than you think.

Yeh ya right it does slide out a bit, but that is fun on smaller mush.

Thanks Flying High

All makes sense to me hearing a surfers perspective .

Will see what its like in steeper , bigger waves - but the feel at the moment is that it will be easy to correct due to the shortness and lightness of the board .

Your comment about the quad fins is spot on and maybe that might be the difference in the feeling in the way the board handles on the face of a wave which I am not accustomed to . It feels fast and responsive on the face - might be a problem when I want to slow down and the turning must be either smooth and longish(traditional ) or a quick turn which breaks out the fins a little .

I didnt mention I have a Wam 5'10 as well - so the nugget will fill the lightwind gap although the wam feels too large for me when conditions are heavier .

Good review. Isn't it amazing how good our light wind equipment is getting. I didn't think it the sort of board people would want to ride strapped?
Col

Have ridden it in 25 knots, choppy, medium sized conditions, still fun! You really have to focus on hard turns but with some (back foot) power you'll still be able to turn nicely.

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I didnt mention I have a Wam 5'10 as well - so the nugget will fill the lightwind gap although the wam feels too large for me when conditions are heavier .

Okay sweet, that will be a good addition then.
The WAM should be fine for your weight.
Have you tried it strapless?
When I first transferred to a directional I thought it would be easy with straps but the straps dont necessarily allow your weight to be in the right position: When starting or at low speed they tend to be too far back, so the board tends to stall and be slow to turn (the position is fine once on the wave or powered)
Use a lot of weight on your front foot to get up and planing, once the board has speed you can use your back foot more and it should turn nicely.
Remember it isnt a small twin tip, so unless you break the fins out of the water for a snap turn it will tend to do a nice carving turn on its rail.

The beauty of the Nugget is its large surface area, so weight distribution isnt as critical. If you can learn to ride the Nugget strapless then try it on the WAM and I am sure you will enjoy it much more and it wont feel too big. The WAM will be better in slightly larger waves, so bay chop/waves may not be quite suited to it.

Yep understood .

From my windsurfing wave background I actually ride sb mostly with backfoot out and move it about for turning . The front is just in contact with the strap - I dont ride fully strapped in and dont really like the feeling .
Due to old knees I do like the option of the front strap as it keeps me connected with the board when going out through waves .

had a session on the nugget today without straps and enjoyed it - will see how it goes . Thanks for the feedback

This gives an indication of the low end of the board. Finally got it out for a decent low wind test. Could barely keep my kite in the air in the light wind. Kite is a 10m North Rebel.

Dude that was light man. How much ya weigh. My bro uses a 11m rebel ( my old kite) and is looking at this board.

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eppo said...

Dude that was light man. How much ya weigh. My bro uses a 11m rebel ( my old kite) and is looking at this board.

80kg's

At that point, the wind was so light I couldn't even relaunch the kite when it dropped into the water and you can see it fall back from 12 in this video which is why I had to try steer it down to recover it.

Looks like they have not changed much for 2013, North must have got it right the first time.

I,d be keen for a demo, when they come out.