Ok , short story...went out today with my old, old Naish Hokua 9'1x32" 150 liters for fun and to get her a sea blessing ...one of my first board long time ago... didnt use it for a long time since then i went to 110 liters , 120 ish liters boards from sunova , infinity,starboard,F-one,fanatic etc...Didnt use this board for years...and i mean years...I simply hated it today ...not because of the shape (i think its in essence a good shape) or the brand (i have another naish that i love...) but 5" thickness ......how on earth can you dig this rail ? i mean its not a tug its a boat....It made me realize that i hated bulky rails ....4.5" for me is already too much IMHO...I would prefer today a 10' with sliiim rails than a 8' shortboard with 4.5" or 5" rails....its not surfing , its skating...Dont know what you think about that, interested to hear other opinions...

how much do you weigh? I briefly tried one of the old hokuas in small gutless surf but I think it was a 9'6 or more so probably thinner than what you describe. Even as a lightweight I thought it was pretty fun for longboard style rides just cruising down the line, I could catch the smallest bump so early. It worked way better than the big learner board I had at the time which was 8'10.

In general though I agree I like to get the rails in there especially in waves with some push I hate not being able to feel the wave or carve to get some control and tighten my turn. I think going longer is a good way to spread the volume and keep a reasonable rail, but it looks like this years trend is more volume for a given outline.

I agree that going back to thick rails is a non starter.
My buddy had an old 9'2 that I used to love, so we swapped in the line-up for a few waves.
So corky, I could hardly even stand on it.... when I tried to throw a turn, it felt like a barge.

BUT.... thickness and volume don't have to equal thick rails.

My GenRation Wedge is 9'2 x 32' at 167 liters------ 5 5/8" thick
But by using "S" rails, there is plenty of volume in the deck, but the rails are low performance rails (pic)
I get lots of comfortable volume in a board that will lay down a harder and crisper turn than I could ever throw.
It's more about design than mere numbers.

These boards were designed to win on the world tour, by guys who want to float at their ankles... while all the competition is sunk to their waist.

It's the board I used on the biggest day in my recent "5 Days" video.
Totally awesome..... and thick

But it should be ridden at the smallest you can manage, or it will be corky.
My 9'5 was too much volume for me.
The 9'2 is fine for me, but I could go smaller.

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supthecreek said..
I agree that going back to thick rails is a non starter.
My buddy had an old 9'2 that I used to love, so we swapped in the line-up for a few waves.
So corky, I could hardly even stand on it.... when I tried to throw a turn, it felt like a barge.

BUT.... thickness and volume don't have to equal thick rails.

My GenRation Wedge is 9'2 x 32' at 167 liters------ 5 5/8" thick
But by using "S" rails, there is plenty of volume in the deck, but the rails are low performance rails (pic)
I get lots of comfortable volume in a board that will lay down a harder and crisper turn than I could ever throw.
It's more about design than mere numbers.

These boards were designed to win on the world tour, by guys who want to float at their ankles... while all the competition is sunk to their waist.

It's the board I used on the biggest day in my recent "5 Days" video.
Totally awesome..... and thick

But it should be ridden at the smallest you can manage, or it will be corky.
My 9'5 was too much volume for me.
The 9'2 is fine for me, but I could go smaller.

Yep Rick..i think stepped rails is a way ...i can see the wedge has some like the infinity blurr v2, other option is beveled rails..both have their issues and bring something different...

since I've had the new flow ...the rails make it feel way smaller on a wave ,it feels as small as my 120 litre 8,7 flow which was too small for me .

I don't think I could go back to thick rails again ...its like going back in time ..

Thick rails can be super fun... for small waves (less than chest high). But you need the proper fin setup.

Basically, rails with volume prevents the board from sinking too much in slow waves, and thus allow to crank full carving rail turns with minimal drag. But you need big front fins (twin fins size or keels) to anchor the rail on its trajectory, otherwise any drift will generate too much drag and kill the speed.

The feeling is exhilarating, you feel like zipping on a rollercoaster with no drag. I had a session where a good teenager was struggling with his performance thin SUP, where I was carving all around the place on my 6'10" 120l with high volume rails. I also enjoy my 7'3" 105l with thin rails in small surf, but you need to surf if differently, more like a shortboard by pumping it in turns rather than swooping carves.

And it needs a short board: A longer rail makes it harder to properly use the rail in turns in slow waves, as they tend to have wider natural turn radiuses.

Note that of course high volume rails must be well shaped to perform well. Just basic round rails wont work. See how the rails are "pinched" on my thick 6'10":
(I have Al Merrick twins in front and Tom Carroll rears, the smallest in the FCS line)

Love watching Colas surf!

Move your backfoot to turn.

Great speed and turning for those little waves. Back foot and trim looks perfect to me.

Just for fun...
My buddy Kenyon sinking an "S" rail on my 5.6" thick board

Hi, 6 months now into sup surfing. Only ridden 3 boards, 2020 Stylemaster 10'x28.5 130l way to much work to balance out back.
Purchased (sup the creeks fault!??all those Sunova videos) Sunova Revolution 10'x30.5" 138 litres. Honestly can't see me riding anything else. Had out in shoulder and head high last week first time. Surfed just like my now unused 9'1" longboards.
Point is, I tried my friends (3rd ever board ridden) Fanatic Allwave can't exactly remember size but something like 9'8" x33 near 200l ?? Prob 8-10 years old.
Ooooh my goodness (polite here!) I now understand CORKY! Surf! If you can call it that!! The only way I can describe it was like standing on a huge body board!! Soooo unresponsive. I think it must be somewhere near 6" thick. With rails more akin to an inflatable in how rounded they were right through to the tail.
Thankfully most board design seems to have moved on regarding sup surf shape.
My 1st board the Stylemaster surfed beautifully too. But with my lack of expertise/height & weight =balance issues.
Keeping for my daughters.
Both my two longboard sups are very similar in overall shape to my Graham Bunt performance longboards. Thin sharp rails at tail. All a pleasure to ride.

A few months ago I picked up an older used 8.8 x 32 140L Naish Hokua. Not sure of the thickness but the rails are pretty thick. I am coming from a 9'4" x 33 fanatic allwave at 173L that has been a good all around board for me as I have been learning. I wanted to try something smaller that I could hopefully move around on the wave better. I am curious to see how I like it. Only had it out once so it is hard to tell since I am adjusting to lower volume and shorter length. Waves are generally pretty small here. I was wondering how those thick rails would be, they seem even thicker than my allwave. I searched around for reviews on that size Hokua but couldn't find much. The price was good though so it will be worth it to try, and from my 1 session it seems like it should be fun. It is interesting to read what you all more experienced folks have to say about the thick rails and board designs.

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SurfnCJ8 said..
A few months ago I picked up an older used 8.8 x 32 140L Naish Hokua. Not sure of the thickness but the rails are pretty thick. I am coming from a 9'4" x 33 fanatic allwave at 173L that has been a good all around board for me as I have been learning. I wanted to try something smaller that I could hopefully move around on the wave better. I am curious to see how I like it. Only had it out once so it is hard to tell since I am adjusting to lower volume and shorter length. Waves are generally pretty small here. I was wondering how those thick rails would be, they seem even thicker than my allwave. I searched around for reviews on that size Hokua but couldn't find much. The price was good though so it will be worth it to try, and from my 1 session it seems like it should be fun. It is interesting to read what you all more experienced folks have to say about the thick rails and board designs.

I've had an 8.8x32 Hokua for a few years now & can't really fault it. Have it set up as a quad & I have heaps of fun on small to mid-size waves. The rocker allows you in on steeper waves better. Can be a bit sketchy on larger waves (overhead) with a bit of an offshore wind due to the width of board as it wants to fly off the back. By using feet, body & paddle you can set a rail OK. You should enjoy the ride!

After reading up some more I switched the Hokua to a quad set up and was out with it again earlier this week. Only 2 days with marginal surf and the tide was pretty high, but I think I like it better as a quad. Seemed faster down the line. I'm looking forward to getting out with it again. Of course I managed to hit the nose on something so there is a ding I need to fix now before I can take it back out. I had also picked up a used 10' Sunova Style XL a few months back and I am trying to figure it out as well. Very different than the Hokua for sure. It's gonna be a fun summer and hopefully will learn a lot. If nothing else my balance should definitely improve.

I have just acquired a Sunova 9' 8" Casey Flow. It is very thick. 5.25incehes I think. The rails are slimmed down so hoping that will help counter the bulk but will be interesting to see what happens with the thickness and width. Bought it from a well known SB'er who assured me it is all good.

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ARVY said..

SurfnCJ8 said..
A few months ago I picked up an older used 8.8 x 32 140L Naish Hokua. Not sure of the thickness but the rails are pretty thick. I am coming from a 9'4" x 33 fanatic allwave at 173L that has been a good all around board for me as I have been learning. I wanted to try something smaller that I could hopefully move around on the wave better. I am curious to see how I like it. Only had it out once so it is hard to tell since I am adjusting to lower volume and shorter length. Waves are generally pretty small here. I was wondering how those thick rails would be, they seem even thicker than my allwave. I searched around for reviews on that size Hokua but couldn't find much. The price was good though so it will be worth it to try, and from my 1 session it seems like it should be fun. It is interesting to read what you all more experienced folks have to say about the thick rails and board designs.

I've had an 8.8x32 Hokua for a few years now & can't really fault it. Have it set up as a quad & I have heaps of fun on small to mid-size waves. The rocker allows you in on steeper waves better. Can be a bit sketchy on larger waves (overhead) with a bit of an offshore wind due to the width of board as it wants to fly off the back. By using feet, body & paddle you can set a rail OK. You should enjoy the ride!

Yes the 8'8" is definitely the pick of the X32 Hokua's. I has the 9'1" first and it felt massive!! Rode the 8'8" and 8'3" back to back and the 8'8" felt as though the outline with that length was perfect! I'd happily buy one again. Oh amd quad is the only way to ride these