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TJR said..

LucBenac said..
Probably not the first time that brochure, web site and guy on the video do not agree for a new SUP....

I think the only carbon is the strip along the bottom and in the name. if there was more in it then i am sure they would promote it on their page showing the construction. Being all glass now, you think the price would come down. A full carbon OC1 doesn't cost much more and the main body is lighter.

Yes with this type of construction, I would expect a price in the range of the Riviera boards (post carbon) at the $2K range not $3.5K range.
Not saying that a glass/carbon stringer is not a good construction for a downwind or choppy board, just that it would not seem to warrant the ticket price if it is indeed the case. Brands cannot have it both way, claiming higher price because of the quantity of carbon in the board (i.e. Starboard) , but also claiming higher price when this is not the case with a potential argument that the construction does not matter as long as it works for its intended purpose (specially if team riders paddle customs).

Regarding the previous comments from the Naish dealer in the thread:
"This said, all our Naish team riders are still remaining at the pointy end of the races if not winning them, this includes our domestic team meaning that the weight is not inhibiting their ability to accelerate or top end speed. "
It would be good to know that Naish riders are in fact paddling glass production boards of such weight and be so effective with them. If true, I think that it is a great argument for boards with less costly construction to be attractive to the public as long as they are priced accordingly. So far the only brand I have heard stating clearly and publicly that their riders are paddling production boards is NSP. I am sure that while true, Travis still picks and choose the lightest production board coming out of the chain and not a random "lemon" if any.

Now I would love to see 2018 Maliko available in Western Canada at Riviera prices for similar construction. At 27 lbs I would most certainly buy a 14x26 to replace my 27 lbs Bark Vapor Pro-Elite and gain a little bit of performance with the Caspar factor :-)

Aside from the weight, I have to say it paddles really nicely, definitely more stable when at the back of the board. Got it on some waist high waves and it surfs well. it also paddles out easily as the nose penetrates better than before, it also sheds water more effectively than the nose on the 2017

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TJR said..
Aside from the weight, I have to say it paddles really nicely, definitely more stable when at the back of the board. Got it on some waist high waves and it surfs well. it also paddles out easily as the nose penetrates better than before, it also sheds water more effectively than the nose on the 2017

Thx for the short review, which size do you have?

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Carvers said..

TJR said..
Aside from the weight, I have to say it paddles really nicely, definitely more stable when at the back of the board. Got it on some waist high waves and it surfs well. it also paddles out easily as the nose penetrates better than before, it also sheds water more effectively than the nose on the 2017

Thx for the short review, which size do you have?

14 x 24

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TJR said..

Carvers said..

TJR said..
Aside from the weight, I have to say it paddles really nicely, definitely more stable when at the back of the board. Got it on some waist high waves and it surfs well. it also paddles out easily as the nose penetrates better than before, it also sheds water more effectively than the nose on the 2017

Thx for the short review, which size do you have?

14 x 24

Thx, got a message, mine will arrive week 8 2018, can't wait...

So it's not a carbon wrap board, but just has a carbon strip down the middle then!!!

looks like it "Special one" but we need to now to focus our attention to the board on how it perform.

I think that some glass in a downwind board could be a good think. I am just basing this remark by comparing the Bark Vapor Pro-Elite (glass on top and carbon bottom) and Ghost Carbon (carbon top and bottom). There is a saving of less than two pounds between the two boards I have handled. I have found the Pro-Elite to give a smoother more comfortable ride in chop while the Ghost was feeling more like a traditional race board with a slightly better acceleration. I had only one paddle on the Ghost so it would take more to really say but it was my first impression. I was thinking that I could almost have both :-)
So glass for an element board is just fine but some carbon and a price adjusted to reflect that would be a nice balance.

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JEG said..
looks like it "Special one" but we need to now to focus our attention to the board on how it perform.

Me thinks it's a get out of jail card ?? carbon strip indeed. Yes would like to see how it performs up against the full carbon 2017 maliko or even an all star in carbon or hybrid carbon ?? construction with its UD Carbon rail bands. Claws back in now

The extra weight isn't going to make any significant performance difference unless you are a light elite paddler. But the vastly improved durability from having a full PVC wrap is going to make it better for everyone. I think that Naish have done the right thing swapping carbon for PVC, even if it has added a little weight.

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Area10 said..
The extra weight isn't going to make any significant performance difference unless you are a light elite paddler. But the vastly improved durability from having a full PVC wrap is going to make it better for everyone. I think that Naish have done the right thing swapping carbon for PVC, even if it has added a little weight.

Do not disagree with you there, but they should correct the product specifications regarding the advertised weight 10 kg to reflect the real weight 12 kg. Especially when the 2017 version was in a full carbon construction so there is the same expectation for the 2018 model to match the published weight. This brings the construction closer to Jimmy Lewis which is a good thing in terms of durability for a versatile board.
Just a touch of false advertisement. I guess that they were afraid to turn customers away if showing the weight at 12 kg and still a somewhat premium price but they had addressed the durability issue that was of concern on the previous model.

You can feel the difference in the first few stokes getting it moving over the 2016, which is a lot lighter (i tried them back to back) I had no problems with the durability of the 17. the 16 was a little more fragile. We shall have to see how the 18 holds up. As a comparison i hit the side of my OC1 quite a bit with the paddle when sprinting on a DW and haven't damaged it yet. I think it might be the grade and thickness of carbon they use that is weak (but charge a premium price)

I used to have a lot to do with surf kayaks and they are built in various lay ups with the light carbon ones coming in well under 10kg and around ?1600. That is hand built in the UK not China

I would be curious to see some good comparison with the Bark Vapor now that they weight the same. The 2018 Maliko is purposed to be faster but not sure if it still holds true at this weight compared to pro racer boards.

the 2018 has lots of glass with a bottom carbon stringer. I'm hopping to test both the 2017 & 2018 (14x26) back to back soon. Back when I tested the 2017 it weight approx 12kg+/- same size with the weight almost the same, was very stable, up wind & side wind was no issue and going back home on a mini downwind was so much fun. Last year it had double concave to flat tail and I think this year its completely flat all the way with sharp rail from mid point to tail (I'm 80kg 5'6").

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LucBenac said..
I would be curious to see some good comparison with the Bark Vapor now that they weight the same. The 2018 Maliko is purposed to be faster but not sure if it still holds true at this weight compared to pro racer boards.

I used to have a Vapour (not the ghost but there is one here I could try) and i would say the Maliko is a faster board

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TJR said..

LucBenac said..
I would be curious to see some good comparison with the Bark Vapor now that they weight the same. The 2018 Maliko is purposed to be faster but not sure if it still holds true at this weight compared to pro racer boards.

I used to have a Vapour (not the ghost but there is one here I could try) and i would say the Maliko is a faster board

Thanks, that is what I would have expected from real world use.

Just to confirm you have the 14x24 244L and weight a little bit under 12.5 kg without fin (12.7 kg with fin)
It is faster than the Bark Vapor Pro-Elite 14x26 271L and weight between 12.5 kg (mine) and 13 kg (Area10)

I am curious to know what the 2018 Maliko 14x26 264L real weight is. According to published weight it would be 1.3 lbs or 0.6 kg more than the 24". So it would put the actual weight at 13.1 kg in line with the heaviest of the Vapor.

I was considering a 2018 Maliko 26" to replace my Vapor for the potential additional speed on flat/choppy but the price and the need to get it from the USA instead of Canada just has me wondering if it worthwhile.

There is a 2018 26" in the shop over here. I will see if i can go and weigh it for you at the weekend.

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TJR said..
There is a 2018 26" in the shop over here. I will see if i can go and weigh it for you at the weekend.

Thank you. I have also asked the closest shop in the USA that carries the board and also has a used one to give me an actual weight but I am not holding my breath as usually they will simply quote the published weight.

Impressed by this shop.
They sent me a picture of the scale with the 14 x 26 board tipping the scale at 28 pounds or 12.7 kg so almost the exact same weight as the two 24" in this thread.

Now if we consider that the construction is similar to Jimmy Lewis non-carbon sandwich board, the price in the USA is $1,000 higher for a Maliko than for a Rail or a Sidewinder. And only $200 more than the full carbon JL Rail.
That is my only grippe with the board. I am curious to see what the used market will be in the next two years as the board should be pretty robust.

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LucBenac said..
Impressed by this shop.
They sent me a picture of the scale with the 14 x 26 board tipping the scale at 28 pounds or 12.7 kg so almost the exact same weight as the two 24" in this thread.

Now if we consider that the construction is similar to Jimmy Lewis non-carbon sandwich board, the price in the USA is $1,000 higher for a Maliko than for a Rail or a Sidewinder. And only $200 more than the full carbon JL Rail.
That is my only grippe with the board. I am curious to see what the used market will be in the next two years as the board should be pretty robust.

Was that with or without the fin?

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TJR said..

LucBenac said..
Impressed by this shop.
They sent me a picture of the scale with the 14 x 26 board tipping the scale at 28 pounds or 12.7 kg so almost the exact same weight as the two 24" in this thread.

Now if we consider that the construction is similar to Jimmy Lewis non-carbon sandwich board, the price in the USA is $1,000 higher for a Maliko than for a Rail or a Sidewinder. And only $200 more than the full carbon JL Rail.
That is my only grippe with the board. I am curious to see what the used market will be in the next two years as the board should be pretty robust.

Was that with or without the fin?

Without.
Fins weight are different depending if you use traditional fiberglass or carbon molded.

After a week with the Maliko 14 x24, i've got mix feelings. First of all this board is really flexy, sometimes it feels like an inflatable... I don't weather this good or bad, but is a fact comparing other boards i have. Everytime i paddle it in whatever conditions - did allready some little waves, flat, choppy and gentle dw - you feel the extra weight when u go rail to rail or when you need a speed kick to get into a bump (it takes longer and heavier). The smooth glide is great though.. the nose seems to be more forgiving and easier to correct in dw. the displacement of the board is amazing, and it looks like the gravity center is towards the front, and it goes, and goes, and goes.... To get to little waves, deck pad should be further back, got to get some extra deck... when carrying it around, more than the weight itself its really annoying the misplace handle, with the bord permanent balancing to the back. Thinking about placing a handle in it, with any screw sistem to try to resolve it... Any ideas???
It's a pity... Board behavior its great. Placed handle and less 1,5 kg and i would keep it for life. Hope i have life enough to wait for the next season one, hoping they feel what i feel and get it right in an amazing board... Then is for life!!!

Maybe the perfect balance for weight and stiffness would be to have PVC carbon on the bottom and PVC glass on the top instead of full glass. At the selling price it would certainly justify having more carbon in the board to keep the weight around 25-26 lbs max.

One thing i have noticed is the deck pad. there is a section in the middle that isn't diamond grip and it is slippy, I stood back onto it to turn today and my foot slipped off (boots on). the same thing happened when I was surfing last week (bare feet).

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SatanSup said..
After a week with the Maliko 14 x24, i've got mix feelings. First of all this board is really flexy, sometimes it feels like an inflatable... I don't weather this good or bad, but is a fact comparing other boards i have. Everytime i paddle it in whatever conditions - did allready some little waves, flat, choppy and gentle dw - you feel the extra weight when u go rail to rail or when you need a speed kick to get into a bump (it takes longer and heavier). The smooth glide is great though.. the nose seems to be more forgiving and easier to correct in dw. the displacement of the board is amazing, and it looks like the gravity center is towards the front, and it goes, and goes, and goes.... To get to little waves, deck pad should be further back, got to get some extra deck... when carrying it around, more than the weight itself its really annoying the misplace handle, with the bord permanent balancing to the back. Thinking about placing a handle in it, with any screw sistem to try to resolve it... Any ideas???
It's a pity... Board behavior its great. Placed handle and less 1,5 kg and i would keep it for life. Hope i have life enough to wait for the next season one, hoping they feel what i feel and get it right in an amazing board... Then is for life!!!

Paddled mine a couple of times now (cant get out in the week due to it being dark after work) I have no problem with the handle position even with the fin in, its balanced front to rear ok. I haven't noticed it being flexi and I have surfed it in some small stuff and paddled in some bumps and messy water. As to the extra weight, I raced in very small local race today and in the heat of the race I didn't feel any disadvantge with the weight, I actually got off to a good start.

Apparently this 2018 model is heavier then many people expected. Some riders I know complain about that too.
Is this a full carbon board or not? It is kind of absurd that a product costs over 3000 Euros and we as customers do not know exactly if it is full carbon or not?

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viatormundi said..
Apparently this 2018 model is heavier then many people expected. Some riders I know complain about that too.
Is this a full carbon board or not? It is kind of absurd that a product costs over 3000 Euros and we as customers do not know exactly if it is full carbon or not?

Maybe that was the point......it is for sure a great design based on separate feedback but if the published weight was 12.5~13kg, it might put a serious damper on the order book. Maybe 2019 will keep the PVC sandwich (hopefully) but bring the weight down or the price in proportion.....

There sorted I knew it was there. Picked up board on weekend and have mixed feelings on it. Didn't feel any flex, sprinting and pickup speed was ok Compared to an all out starboard sprint. I know they stopped making the javaline don't know why. Build was a lot more solid than last years board. Weight felt good to me didn't weigh it and no issue with handle position. Need more time

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Special one said..


There sorted I knew it was there. Picked up board on weekend and have mixed feelings on it. Didn't feel any flex, sprinting and pickup speed was ok Compared to an all out starboard sprint. I know they stopped making the javaline don't know why. Build was a lot more solid than last years board. Weight felt good to me didn't weigh it and no issue with handle position. Need more time

To put this in perspective, a 4" wide strip of 6 oz uni carbon (top & bottom 28') costs about $31 retail U.S. for the fabric. A large manufacturer buying wholesale by the pallet would pay less than half of retail.
With the modulous of elasticity being 3.5 to 4% for e-glass and less than 1% for carbon... the carbon will reach failure in tension before the main laminate of e-glass. Divide and conquer.

This might be impressive from a marketing stand point but reality says it's an inexpensive way to justify the use of carbon in the name of a product. Also a board made this way could feel stiffer when new but as the small carbon strip is loaded up and fails over time, the board will for all practical purposes default to an e-glass laminate.

One thing lost in these threads concerning weight and price is the lack of acknowledgement concerning the value of the "design". While there is a great disparancy in price , are songs or movies valued by the cost of the plastic in the CD?