Hi,

My Nalu LE was really super but now is history :(
I want to add something to my quiver to fill the gap for small or less perfect days but that still can handle juice.

The quiver:
JL Supertech 8'3 beautiful toy for all conditions. Super reliable construction and great shape.
Hokua LE 8'3 2015 my all time favorite board, needs good conditions.
Nidecker allwater race 12'6 A toy for the flat water cruising and tinny sea waves.


Variable to find: Something that brings that longboard feeling

Sunova Speeed 8'2 Everyone says wow, so it must be wow :)
Maybe it overlaps my current quiver and doesn't add that much to smaller days. Portable :)

Fanatic Stubby 8'2 The same as the speed. Not so many feedbacks available. Too wide 29' vs 27' of the speeed.

Fanatic Style Master 10' Beautiful board, too wide at 30'.

Laird Surfer 2016 9'0 Quite expensive, quite wide at 29'5. The rails look so nice!

Sunova Style 9'6 I had one in the past. Loved the board. Thinned out rails, narrow outline. The problem is that there's none available in europe in the coming months, I'd have to wait :(

Jimmy Lewis Black & Blue Machine Sure the quality of the board is top. Sure it will nose ride superb. Nevertheless, It seems a less versatile board (rails and nose concave). I guess it won't deal with choppy or big conditions.

HYBRID Clear LAIRD 2015 Suspicious about construction...

GONG SUP 9'0 ZERO 115 PRO XTR Looks progressive. Too wide @ 29'5 :(

I'd appreciate your opinions. Thanks

Aloha,

Talk to your local Sunova dealer.... he can probably sell you a board, without waiting for a container.
He can take your order and have it shipped direct from the factory.
Some US dealers do it all the time, so if there is a 9'6 Style in stock in Thailand, it can be delivered to your door, in as little as 4 days.

If they are out of stock.... it may take longer, but not months.

The Speeed has some longboard characteristics, but is very different from the Style.
I looked at the specs on your other boards and think you may consider the 8'5 Speeed if you go that direction, it will lengthen the rail line and hold down the width...
then you will have a different riding experience than your other 8'3's

The nose of the Speeed has a pronounced kick.
That kick is fun to "noseride"... but not at all won't feel like a traditional longboard.... it has a unique stall because of the kick.
The kick plows a bit, in a forced stall, so it stays in the sweet spot, and the nose keeps "climbing" up out of the stall to allow you to spend time up there.
I am not a "tip" rider, so I don't know what a really good surfer could do on the Speeed nose.... but I'd love to see it!

Of course... when you step toward the tail, the Speeed turns back into a carving machine.

if it's a full on longboard you want..... check into direct delivery on the 9'6 Style.

Fox just out of interest- how did the Nalu LE compare to the 9'6 Style?

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supthecreek said..
Talk to your local Sunova dealer.... he can probably sell you a board, without waiting for a container.
He can take your order and have it shipped direct from the factory.
Some US dealers do it all the time, so if there is a 9'6 Style in stock in Thailand, it can be delivered to your door, in as little as 4 days.

If they are out of stock.... it may take longer, but not months.

The Speeed has some longboard characteristics, but is very different from the Style.
I looked at the specs on your other boards and think you may consider the 8'5 Speeed if you go that direction, it will lengthen the rail line and hold down the width...
then you will have a different riding experience than your other 8'3's

The nose of the Speeed has a pronounced kick.
That kick is fun to "noseride"... but not at all won't feel like a traditional longboard.... it has a unique stall because of the kick.
The kick plows a bit, in a forced stall, so it stays in the sweet spot, and the nose keeps "climbing" up out of the stall to allow you to spend time up there.
I am not a "tip" rider, so I don't know what a really good surfer could do on the Speeed nose.... but I'd love to see it!

Of course... when you step toward the tail, the Speeed turns back into a carving machine.

if it's a full on longboard you want..... check into direct delivery on the 9'6 Style.

Hi Rick,

Thanks for the feedback. I messed a bit the things: I'm primarily looking for a longboard. Something that brings the fun factor is also to be considered. That's where the stubby and speeed come in :)

PS: Talking about fun, I've followed a lot of your posts and learnt that you're a die hard fan of the speeed. Saw yt clip of the speeed racing through minimal waves... that's amazing!

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JoffaDan said..
Fox just out of interest- how did the Nalu LE compare to the 9'6 Style?

The Style is such a beautiful noserider. Not that fast, not that loose (from the middle). But that's the way it's supposed to be. Better construction. Gave me unforgettable summer sunsets riding waist high waves :)

The Nalu LE is something... different. The outline is of a longboard but there are hybrid factors. Narrower nose, tons of rocker. Although it was bigger by 6" in lenght and 1.5" in width it was quite fast and nimble. Allows a wider range of surfing conditions.

Both very light, both having thin rails. Great shapes.

If you like JL - the Striker is a pretty nice board but you may think too wide.

Not sure if you get them in your part of the world but ECS make a 10' x 28" at 125l

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1fox said..

JoffaDan said..
Fox just out of interest- how did the Nalu LE compare to the 9'6 Style?

The Style is such a beautiful noserider. Not that fast, not that loose (from the middle). But that's the way it's supposed to be. Better construction. Gave me unforgettable summer sunsets riding waist high waves :)

The Nalu LE is something... different. The outline is of a longboard but there are hybrid factors. Narrower nose, tons of rocker. Although it was bigger by 6" in lenght and 1.5" in width it was quite fast and nimble. Allows a wider range of surfing conditions.

Both very light, both having thin rails. Great shapes.

Thanks Fox. Love my 9'6 Style but had contemplated the Nalu LE before I bought the Sunova. The construction issues put me off the Naish. Will be interested to see if the 2017 model holds up a bit better, I'd be keen if so.

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HGFish said..
If you like JL - the Striker is a pretty nice board but you may think too wide.

Not sure if you get them in your part of the world but ECS make a 10' x 28" at 125l

I couldn't even get a demo of an ECS board in Victoria so doubt they would be available in Portugal lol

Neither ECS nor Deep.

Hope this changes soon.

2017 Nalu LE? I've had 3 Nalu's over the years, sold them, traded on to other brands and shapes for last 2 years and went back to the Nalu LE this year, shouldn't have wasted time looking for a better option.

I always seem to go back to my 2014 10'6 GT too, it's such a great board. Will be interested to see how the LE holds up over the next few months for you Grenfell, sweet looking board.

what did you end up doing ?

i can get a 9 laird surfer, its not the current one maybe 2015/2016 -

Does anyone know which is the lighter board of the laird models - the bamboo top or the clear finish with yellow/red pigment

i thought the clear finish was lighter but i weighed two and bamboo deck was lighetr

I ended up asking a custom from Bert.
9'1 x 26 3/4 96lts looks like the board I've dreamed about :)
It will take a couple of months to arrive.

Since my original post, some new toys came out to the market. The Stylemaster 9'0 seems so nice...

(Never found enough feedback about the new Lairds).

Sounds awesome, would you mind posting a pic when it arrives fox?

Grenfell, how's the Nalu holding up?

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JoffaDan said..
Sounds awesome, would you mind posting a pic when it arrives fox?

Grenfell, how's the Nalu holding up?

I'll post pic of the custom sunova. These days I am like a kid waiting for a gift

Lately I've been following GONG closely. Today they've made available this toy.

www.gong-galaxy.com/magazine/pics/1-hour-4-boards/

Great specs for a fair price!

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JoffaDan said..
Sounds awesome, would you mind posting a pic when it arrives fox?

Here's the solution :

Looks epic! Any chance you can show a pic of the nose rocker?

Would be interested to hear your feedback after a few surfs. Cheers

Board looks sweet

Hi 1Fox

Some new toys did arrived in the market. This would be a great one to consider: the New Deal from Infinity, now available in Portugal through SUP Norte.





Specs:
9' X 27" LT 110
9' X 29" LT 115
9'6" X 31" LT 135
10' X 28" LT 125
10' X 30" LT 138

Construction: SUPspension Tech Carbon

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1fox said...
Hi,

My Nalu LE was really super but now is history :(
I want to add something to my quiver to fill the gap for small or less perfect days but that still can handle juice.

The quiver:
JL Supertech 8'3 beautiful toy for all conditions. Super reliable construction and great shape.
Hokua LE 8'3 2015 my all time favorite board, needs good conditions.
Nidecker allwater race 12'6 A toy for the flat water cruising and tinny sea waves.


Variable to find: Something that brings that longboard feeling

Sunova Speeed 8'2 Everyone says wow, so it must be wow :)
Maybe it overlaps my current quiver and doesn't add that much to smaller days. Portable :)

Fanatic Stubby 8'2 The same as the speed. Not so many feedbacks available. Too wide 29' vs 27' of the speeed.

Fanatic Style Master 10' Beautiful board, too wide at 30'.

Laird Surfer 2016 9'0 Quite expensive, quite wide at 29'5. The rails look so nice!

Sunova Style 9'6 I had one in the past. Loved the board. Thinned out rails, narrow outline. The problem is that there's none available in europe in the coming months, I'd have to wait :(

Jimmy Lewis Black & Blue Machine Sure the quality of the board is top. Sure it will nose ride superb. Nevertheless, It seems a less versatile board (rails and nose concave). I guess it won't deal with choppy or big conditions.

HYBRID Clear LAIRD 2015 Suspicious about construction...

GONG SUP 9'0 ZERO 115 PRO XTR Looks progressive. Too wide @ 29'5 :(

I'd appreciate your opinions. Thanks

Aloha,

ONE are doing this FUN 9ft x 29" 123LT Performance Longboard.
In Full Carbon pvc or PVC both amazing price points and top end quality.

In the Gong line, the SP models are versions with less width and volume.
For instance, compare the Zero 9' http://gongsupshop.com/epages/box1707.sf/en_GB/?ViewObjectPath=%2FShops%2Fbox1707%2FProducts%2FGON7SUPZERO90PS
to the Zero 9' SP: gongsupshop.com/epages/box1707.sf/en_GB/?ViewObjectPath=%2FShops%2Fbox1707%2FProducts%2FGON7SUPZEROSP90

The Zero is 29.5" wide, the Zero SP 26.75" wide.

Note that Gong LongSUP models have quite different personalities, well detailed on the web site (that now have an english version!). The "Introduction" section details the real character of the board, this is not just a marketing blurb, but the accurate description of the characteristics by the shaper himself. Very useful to compare different Gong models.

Basically:
- The Zero is an agressive performance board: noseriding on fast/big waves, and projecting the board forwards in turns. it must be driven hard
- The Freak is the "all around" performance model, in the spirit of the NFA, that can be turned by carving or by pivot/stalling, and correct mistakes. The Freak SP may be the closest in feeling to the Nalu.
- The Soul is a retro noserider for fast waves: pivot turns, lock in the curl and adapts its speed to the wave
- The Neverstick is a retro noserider for slow waves: pivot turns, lock in the curl and adapts its speed to the wave
- The Moblog is a new kind of LongSUP, with the tail of a Tomo board (tail + channel) for extra tail power on weak waves, and being able to lock the tail under the curl in noserides, even without an US Box. It must be turned as a shortboard, well on the tail.

PS: I have a Freak, and, although wide at 30.3", it means the volume could be distributed to have rails as thin as a longboard, and in mini hossegor tubes the thin rails bite quite make it for the width. It is in no way a run-of-the-mill beginner board. The NFA line is the one for beginner/intermediate riders, with more comfortable rails.

Note that the weights are accurate. For instance the Zero SP 9' is given for 7kg±5% means that your board really will weight between 6.65kg and 7.35kg (naked: add ~600g for the pad). Each board is weighted at the factory and the weight written on the cardboard, boards heavier than the specs are sold at a discount. This a full carbon, PVC sandwich board, quite strong, and with an insane precise drive on the water.

The New Deal from Infinity 10' X 28" LT 125 sounds perfect.
I'm not familiar with their construction, namely if it is resilient. I'm still recovering from my Nalu LE loss. So I want to be sure that the money spent is CAPEX, not OPEX.

The ONE, might address this issu€ but is not available in Europe as far as I know.

Some years ago I tried a Gong board and found it corky and "china made". Last summer holiday, I had the chance to see/touch their 2016 XTR construction and itwas nice. This season they have improved not only in the looks, weight, volume and width. It's being produced in Portugal :)
I guess that when the spring comes I'm going to invest in a Soul SP, a Never Stick pro or an Incredible TEN :)

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SUPbru said..
Looks epic! Any chance you can show a pic of the nose rocker?

Would be interested to hear your feedback after a few surfs. Cheers

Hi SUPbru,

Some additional pics (one refers to the single concave that runs through).

Very VERY nice - thanks for posting 1fox!

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1fox said..
Some years ago I tried a Gong board and found it corky and "china made".

Yes, the various factories in first years of China production took some time tweaking. But since 2014 and the first XTRs the quality is impressive. My 2014 8'4" 125l weights less than 6,4kg (7,0kg with pad) and is as new.

Note also that there are entry level boards that were sold at 450€ some years ago that are geared for beginners and intermediate, and that are thus "corky" by design. In the current noserider line, for instance, an advanced rider may find the NFAs have too much volume for him/her, and should look at the Pro Portuguese lines.

And if you have seen the Portuguese boards in the summer, they were the first ones of the Portuguese factory, and since then the weights are noticeably less, due to refinements in the production methods.

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<div>
<div>Finally I had the right conditions for the toy: 2.2m 16s swell.

<div>The previous times on water, I've used GLX stabilizers + 8 inch central. The board was somehow paddling out slow. (In the wave it was nice and snappy though). I could not find if it was because of the too big central fin or it's relative position to the side fins. I've noticed that the fin boxes are closer than what I'm used to. Usually I have the central fin up in the box. (When I paddled it as a single, it was fluid).

<div>Today I kept the stabilizers but replaced the central for the US 6.5 I have from my nalu LE. I also brought the central fin backwards. This setup worked great!

<div>
<div>
The board is amazing

<div>The sleek nose and generous rocker allow it to drop in later (than other longboards I've tried). (These features are also decisive to confident reentries:)).

<div>The quite thin and small pintail allows a clean effortless bottom turn. Parallel and thinned out rails make it fast and so responsive on the wall.

<div>
Bert did address all my wishes