Well had the 9.6 Hokua for a while now ..great rocker .comparing to the 10' mana ,it is super loose ,and the nose getting caught in chop ..that problem has gone ,which the mana use to do .Its a lot more harder to paddle ,even though it is only 20 litres less than the mana .but the nose rides up clear of the water ..it's cool .had it in 6-7 foot solid waves today .I had to move the fin back to stop the tail from lifting out on the bottom hand turn .but the surf was pretty big ,one of my surfing mates had to go in ,...because his 5.10 was to small for the surf ... the Gt Hokua has great foot pads ,very grippy ,and I'm very happy with it .being on the heavy side at 96 kgs .its the right board for me ,I was thinking of going for the 9.1 but kinda glad I didn't .it loves it when you have the foot up the rear and can handle any steep drop you throw at it .
sorry about the extra photos ..wi fi ..in and out .

Sounds like you picked the right board mate. Stoked for you!
Laz

Awesome board.. If I ever sell my 9'1'' I'd seriously consider buying one..

Big swell this weekend ...will try it as a quad ...Im guessing you just put the same size fins in the rear ???
another thing I forgot to mention was 3-4 paddles on one side then change ..it's that loose .
so not a board for flat water paddling ..but that s a wave board for you ...great board....heaps of performance .
don't let 170 litre scare you it feels a lot less.
it shreds 3-4 foot waves .
I'm in love again . You'd love this board DJ.......thanks Laz. fully stoked .

Hey Tardy, nice board.
Just FYI, I believe you should have smaller fins at the back when you go quad.

That's the limit of my technical knowledge, but if you do a search you'll find there's a couple of threads with good info, including this one....
www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Stand-Up-Paddle/Review/Naish-Hokua-LE-X32/?page=-2

Thanks .wavelength......I got to get some 3's for the rear ..come to think of it I did struggle getting around some white water .when it was big.....4 fins should give me extra speed ..I hope ....so....3 fins for small waves 4 for big .?......I 'll give it a try...good thread that one ..

LOVE THAT BOARD....What was the litres on that 170??

Im looking at the 8'8 or the 8'2 x32 I ride a starboard wide point 8'10 140 L at the moment im 95kg 5'11 supping for 8 months but long time snowboarder and surfer. Just wondering why you have chosen a 170L board,. being new to the sport I thought that it was better to ride boards about 30 litres more than your body weight. and go bit shorter? good to hear it went well I just tested a JP 8'8 widebody got some epic waves on it and really enjoyed it but I love the shape of these things.
Would a shorter one like the 8'3 be harder to paddle with so much rocker??

Yes 170 litres .but feels alot less.
complex question ...why the extra litre s....I've only been supping for 2 years I have surfed since a grommet .since 1980 my surfboards where 5.11 and 6.4 ''s ..yep I remember when Simon Anderson brought the thruster Out...and was doing lay backs at narrabeen .
this board is as loose as them ,handles massive drops ,I done a bottom turn today and it spun out ...with the foot pressure I put on it ..but regathered ,the rocker is massive .yeah they are harder to paddle small boards ..but the rewards of a short board are unreal .Im probably not the right person to ask about how short to go ..but the 8.8 will be a great board , if you are already riding that size .(140 litres) or 8'3...the wave I ride It starts off fat then gets steep ,the 170 litre is a massive bonus to me because there are rocks at the take off zone so getting on the wave quick is good.Do I feel this board is to big for me ..No..Its perfect .it can turn real quick .i will have to put more fin on it on big days .but hitting the lip, 180 cut backs ...no problem ..It's a sick stick.
the 2015 Hokua GT this year are ...sick ...get one ...just ask anyone who owns one ..mine is the biggest one ,but it rips ..I was going to go for the 9.5 mana but then I saw the words ,performance wave board under the Hokua .this is the one . It a 9.6 .most of the board sticks out of the water paddling it anyway ...due to the rocker. Well the nose ... demo the 8.8 or 8.3 if you can ....its a new shape ..x32 ..Hokua ..........thumbs up from me .....I did try a 130 litre board ..caught a few waves... but to small ..for me ...only the paddling part ..it was a pain in the arse .sinking..it was like someone pulling the plug ....Im .5.10 ,and 96 kgs .

Cheers tardy that's a great answer I'm trying to find one to demo that's local to me and putting a few bucks away to get one as there are a few for sale here on seabreeze. Great review too cheers

Too much banana shape (rocker) for North Sea conditions

Nooooway, it's the best surfing sup I have ever had, like it much much better than the low rockered boards, this rocker line rocks even in short, steep and fast waves.

My X32 Hokua seems to go very well in small mushy waves even with the extra rocker..

Loved the shape of these for a long time. But only price held me back from a purchase. The rocker does come handy, especially if you are like me. NOT GETTING ON THE BACK PAD SOON ENOUGH!!!!! Great for getting over that uneven chop you sometimes can run into just below the wave face.
I have recently found out how much slower a high rocker board paddles. But with a higher volume I think would increase paddle speed somewhat. So if it is enough speed to get onto a wave then all good as you have found.
As for performance I have seen these boards shred!
Great to know that you are very happy with it. Sounds like the best choice at your weight & expected stability comfort. Good on you & have fun!

Cheers sea juice .they are a price ...but having windsurfed alot ..I was use to the price .
i have paid $1000 for a surfboard and that's with no fins no deck pads ,and it only lasted one season .
the shape of the Hokua works well in all conditions.good thing about having the 170 litres I can catch small waves easy too.we had some big wave last week ,and shifting the fin right to the back stiffened the board up alot .up the front .you can do tail slides ,snappy turns ect ,360 coming soon .i think I brought one at the right time ...this new shape is great.
shread till ya red