Hi everyone I'm about to buy my first board .I'm going for the 11.6 Nula ..just wonder..if the GT is worth the extra cash .as I am going to buy a 75 %8.5 paddle as well .so a bit strapped for cash .
shall I save abit more or just get the GS now and hit the water
any help would be good.
Rob.

I'd get the cheaper board and the more expensive paddle..

Welcome..

75% 8.5 paddle wouldn't happen to be the Makani would it?
If so I'd advise against, I've snapped 2 in the last 6 months from just paddling on to waves.
Having said that, Naish support is great as they just keep giving me new ones...

Yes the paddle is the makani...
i will look into another paddle maybe go the next price up .
thanks for the advise ...GS could be the go.

When I called the shop that I bought my Makani from, I started to say "I broke my paddle it's a..." and the guy in the shop finished my sentence "...makani?". So I'm guessing there are some major manufacturing problems with it. After I broke the second one last week I asked if I could just pay the extra cash for the Kaholo fixed length (the next model up), which they agreed to. Hopefully it's not as brittle as the Makani.

I'm guessing the fixed paddles would be stronger due to no hinge and pin ..gotta get the right size ..I'm 5.11 ....I have no idea .
the hinge and pin still sounds like a good choice if I go the. 100% carbon paddle .
good info thanks .anyone else had problems . With the makani

I have a GT Nalu 11 4 ......looks the business but far more importantly it is noticeably lighter when it comes to carrying to the water......makes a difference to me. Just easier moving it around out of the water, loading etc and all that stuff. If I had a short trek to the beach I would buy the cheaper one probably.

I only have 20 metres to carry my board .I'm thinking what David said ,spend the extra on the paddle and get the 100% carbon Kaholo.paddle.
i will get a wave board later when I get more experienced . just stepping out of outriggers .better view standing up.and you don't have to bail.

Wavein you'll love the Nalu, it's a great all round board. I'm 5'11 80kg, I went for the 10'6.
How heavy are you?

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JoffaDan said..
Wavein you'll love the Nalu, it's a great all round board. I'm 5'11 80kg, I went for the 10'6. How heavy are you?

the 11'6 is an awfully big board....unless you are a "really big boy" ....but ideal if you want to chuck kids or dogs on too

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GizzieNZ said..

JoffaDan said..
Wavein you'll love the Nalu, it's a great all round board. I'm 5'11 80kg, I went for the 10'6. How heavy are you?

the 11'6 is an awfully big board....unless you are a "really big boy" ....but ideal if you want to chuck kids or dogs on too

Agreed......the 114 isn't exactly small.....so the 116 will be a tank! The 114 is incredibly stable so the even bigger one will be aircraft carrier territory. Need LOTS of weight to turn that big baby.

I'm heavy 98 kg .mainly need it for cruising and ocean .remember I'm new at the sport .if its like a surfboard .just walk up the back and slam the tail in .it will turn I think if I get too small a board I won't progress as quick .i think I will stick with it .and get a smaller one later .i was just recommended this board for a first board .maybe in summer I can carry a esky .

Yep agree with the others, that 11'6 will be a tank. The 10'10 could be a better option. The Naish website list the 10'10 maximum rider weight as 109kg compared with the 11'6 @ 113kg.
Also another thing to look at is width, the 11'6 is only 29 3/4" wide, where as the 10'10 is 32" wide, and width plays a big part in stability.
You will progress a lot faster than you think so don't stress about that.

I've had both 11'6 & 11'4. I'm 100kg and I found the 11'4 to be more stable. It's a full inch thinner and a quarter inch narrower. That means its sits lower in the water and rolls less from rail to rail when paddling. Had the 11'4 on both GT & GS. GT is better in every way.

They say the 10.10 is hard to turn due to the channels .but great litre volume .at 201 .looks great .I May consider the 11.4 too now .might be better in the swell. .i haven't handed the money over yet so not too late to change .but yeah 10.10 might be the go .thanks

I'd be sticking with the big 11'6" Nalu if you are thinking about paddling with an esky on board.. I'm about your weight and paddled them all heaps.. The new big 11' Mana is another good option worth considering.

The 11'6 is an absolute barge. Unless you're very low in confidence for balance I would be looking at the two smaller options in 11'4 or 10'10. Lay the two down next to each other in the shop, you'll immediately see the difference in height particularly. Better yet, demo one of them.

My buddy's 6ft 5", 100kg with the 11'6 and after a few surfs is already thinking hmmm.....it's a pretty big board...

Re GS vs GT - the GT is prettier. If you don't mind the white and don't mind a single fin setup (most seem to prefer anyway) then the GS is fine.

Read this too. www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Stand-Up-Paddle/Review/Naish-Nalu-recommendation/

Having said all that, you're gonna be on the water with the sun on your back regardless soon enough, so don't lose too much time agonising over a couple of inches. That's what puberty's for.

I am a little over 90 kgs and the 114 is the most stable board I have paddled....and I have had a 12 footer that was an inch and a half wider and I can honestly say there is very little in it. I would be confident of taking my six year old on it no bother.

I get that you are a total newbie so I understand where you are coming from but reckon you will be after a smaller sup after a few months if you go for the tank. I have paddled this board in good chop and it handles it very well.

I use it with a single fin 10 inch ....and due to being 30 wide it paddles quite nicely. The wider boards are slower on the flats.


Afraid it is a case of demo if you can.