Hey everyone, has anyone seen/heard about/rode this board? Seems like a classic below radar board, my friend Google only reveals ads for this board but no feedback whatsover. Closest indicators I guess would be Mad Dog reviews. I'm 82kgs and currently ride a Hypernut 7'2 in 1 - 4 ft beachies. I love the nut, its so fast, mobile, and chuckable but I'm starting to want a more vertical bottom turn and to be able to bury the rail, as well as have a little more glide to get out through the impact zone when its bigger. So a more traditional performance shape. Thing is, I've become addicted to the low/no swing weight of the stubbie so want to keep length to 8' or less. Looking at sticks like SB Pro 7'7 or new Starlite 8' x 28, Sunny Flow 7'10, Jimmy STech 7'10, Deeps and so on (wish Infinity was available here) ad then this Naish pops out of the woodwork. So any experience or comments and how is the new construction working out for Naish? Have to say the PVC wrap speaks to me and gives comfort. Cheers

Anybody? JB, Seafreaks?

t457118 Thanks for the call out, Sorry about the delayed response. By the sound of it
"I'm starting to want a more vertical bottom turn and to be able to bury the rail, as well as have a little more glide to get out through the impact zone when its bigger"
Both the BLine and Hokua would be the best option for you. I have personally not ridden a sub 8' Hokua but have ridden both the 8'3" Hokua and the 8'2" Bline. In all honesty it is hard to separate the two. They are both the best "performance" style boards I have ridden. The Hokua is still my personal favorite as I cant get past the Naish rail shapes. When it comes to driving through and off the rail no other boards do it better. The Bline is very close in its rail performance but has slightly less rocker. I think you will achieve those vertical turns a little easier with the Hokua. I am a heavy backfoot surfer and rely predominantly on the rear quarter of my boards, this is what makes the Hokua work for me along with the "workable" deck space on the Naish range. The construction on this years Naish is second to none. Although it is still a carbon board the addition of the PVC has given it a much nicer feel when it comes to feedback through the deck on those less desirable days. The construction is bullet proof and a far cry from the "standard" Carbon boards out there.
Once again, this is my personal opinion... By the sound of it, I think the Hokua would be the better board for you based on what you are primarily looking for. They are both great boards that demonstrate just how far this sport has come and will both do the intended job, I just think the Hokua will do it for you better than the BLine (sorry Raws hahah)

Cheers SFreaks, the 7'8 I'm looking at has quite a different width compared to the other Hokuas, which are generally narrow for their length, so something interesting going on with that one board. Personally I think the dims are spot on and in line with the other boards I mentioned. The rail shape you mention, however, should be the same for the 7'8 you would think so all good there. Again just my opinion but I look for PVC wrap (top, bottom and around rails ideally) before carbon in a board. Thanks again for your detailed response, really appreciate it.

Select to expand quote

seaFreaks said..
t457118 Thanks for the call out, Sorry about the delayed response. By the sound of it
"I'm starting to want a more vertical bottom turn and to be able to bury the rail, as well as have a little more glide to get out through the impact zone when its bigger"
Both the BLine and Hokua would be the best option for you. I have personally not ridden a sub 8' Hokua but have ridden both the 8'3" Hokua and the 8'2" Bline. In all honesty it is hard to separate the two. They are both the best "performance" style boards I have ridden. The Hokua is still my personal favorite as I cant get past the Naish rail shapes. When it comes to driving through and off the rail no other boards do it better. The Bline is very close in its rail performance but has slightly less rocker. I think you will achieve those vertical turns a little easier with the Hokua. I am a heavy backfoot surfer and rely predominantly on the rear quarter of my boards, this is what makes the Hokua work for me along with the "workable" deck space on the Naish range. The construction on this years Naish is second to none. Although it is still a carbon board the addition of the PVC has given it a much nicer feel when it comes to feedback through the deck on those less desirable days. The construction is bullet proof and a far cry from the "standard" Carbon boards out there.
Once again, this is my personal opinion... By the sound of it, I think the Hokua would be the better board for you based on what you are primarily looking for. They are both great boards that demonstrate just how far this sport has come and will both do the intended job, I just think the Hokua will do it for you better than the BLine (sorry Raws hahah)

You'll be next level one day Trav hahaha

Select to expand quote

I had the hokua LE 7'8 and 8'3 which remained unchanged through 2015-2016 (shape wise).
The measures of the 2017 carbon seem generally identical, with a different tail.

Maybe those LE are closer to carbon pro than the mad dog


My hokua le 8'3 is the most hp shape
I ever rode. The size is a perfect blend between maneuverability and big stuff handling.

The 7'8 which is a little wider, a bit more unstable, had a squashed tail (8'3 is pin) which was great for summer conditions( smaller waves), specially beachies.

I'm also around 82 kg dry. In winter, with thicker suit, booties and hood, the 7'8 was not that compatible with choppy conditions.

Eventually I sold my 7'8 and just kept the 8'3.
For smaller conditions I also use the squashed tail JL supertech 8'3 carbon.
(I rode/tried a 7'10 but the effort didn't compensate) .

The LE construction was pretty light but not that resilient (foot depression) at least when compared to JL which is rock solid. I suspect the carbon pro is a good upgrade.

I'm not sure if the 7'8 glides much better than your hypernut 7'2, but it will surely let you go vertical and "sharper".

Select to expand quote

t457118 said..
Cheers SFreaks, the 7'8 I'm looking at has quite a different width compared to the other Hokuas, which are generally narrow for their length, so something interesting going on with that one board. Personally I think the dims are spot on and in line with the other boards I mentioned. The rail shape you mention, however, should be the same for the 7'8 you would think so all good there. Again just my opinion but I look for PVC wrap (top, bottom and around rails ideally) before carbon in a board. Thanks again for your detailed response, really appreciate it.

No dramas... The Hokua range regardless of dimensions traditionally carry the same rail refinements and characteristics. The width and length may change but generally the overall profile remains very similar. When you get the rail shape right on a board like that you typically don't muck around with it hahaha. Let us know how you go!!! Look forward to some pics

Select to expand quote

Rawz said..

seaFreaks said..
t457118 Thanks for the call out, Sorry about the delayed response. By the sound of it
"I'm starting to want a more vertical bottom turn and to be able to bury the rail, as well as have a little more glide to get out through the impact zone when its bigger"
Both the BLine and Hokua would be the best option for you. I have personally not ridden a sub 8' Hokua but have ridden both the 8'3" Hokua and the 8'2" Bline. In all honesty it is hard to separate the two. They are both the best "performance" style boards I have ridden. The Hokua is still my personal favorite as I cant get past the Naish rail shapes. When it comes to driving through and off the rail no other boards do it better. The Bline is very close in its rail performance but has slightly less rocker. I think you will achieve those vertical turns a little easier with the Hokua. I am a heavy backfoot surfer and rely predominantly on the rear quarter of my boards, this is what makes the Hokua work for me along with the "workable" deck space on the Naish range. The construction on this years Naish is second to none. Although it is still a carbon board the addition of the PVC has given it a much nicer feel when it comes to feedback through the deck on those less desirable days. The construction is bullet proof and a far cry from the "standard" Carbon boards out there.
Once again, this is my personal opinion... By the sound of it, I think the Hokua would be the better board for you based on what you are primarily looking for. They are both great boards that demonstrate just how far this sport has come and will both do the intended job, I just think the Hokua will do it for you better than the BLine (sorry Raws hahah)

You'll be next level one day Trav hahaha

Don't push ya luck

Select to expand quote

1fox said..

I had the hokua LE 7'8 and 8'3 which remained unchanged through 2015-2016 (shape wise).
The measures of the 2017 carbon seem generally identical, with a different tail.

Maybe those LE are closer to carbon pro than the mad dog


My hokua le 8'3 is the most hp shape
I ever rode. The size is a perfect blend between maneuverability and big stuff handling.

The 7'8 which is a little wider, a bit more unstable, had a squashed tail (8'3 is pin) which was great for summer conditions( smaller waves), specially beachies.

I'm also around 82 kg dry. In winter, with thicker suit, booties and hood, the 7'8 was not that compatible with choppy conditions.

Eventually I sold my 7'8 and just kept the 8'3.
For smaller conditions I also use the squashed tail JL supertech 8'3 carbon.
(I rode/tried a 7'10 but the effort didn't compensate) .

The LE construction was pretty light but not that resilient (foot depression) at least when compared to JL which is rock solid. I suspect the carbon pro is a good upgrade.

I'm not sure if the 7'8 glides much better than your hypernut 7'2, but it will surely let you go vertical and "sharper".

That's gold 1fox, nothing like same weight on similar boards and use cases to come up with the insights. Yes dims are similar 2016 to 2017 but I do note how the nose and tail on the 16 appear to be more pulled in. So I wonder if the 17 might be a little more stable than previous year. I'd be quite curious about rocker differences. Suspect you're right on glide though. But nut is a bit of a dragger and the blunt nose is not the best when it hits whitewater. Lots of food for thought there, it might be like the nut experience where for the first 3 months it sat in my garage mostly and only got pulled out for the glassy days, but you tune in to the nuances of the board over time and your technique is constantly improving too (thank you paddlewoo!) so that 18 months later it's the only board I use, even when it's strong onshore. It's still a massive work out though, compared to my nsp dc 8'2. Understand your "sharper" comment, the hokua would carve cleaner more square lines compared to the skatey nut. Thanks again for the feedback, love the breeze for the community and the dare I say it brotherhood. chur

Select to expand quote

t457118 said..
But nut is a bit of a dragger and the blunt nose is not the best when it hits whitewater.

Note that from what I saw (didnt rode one, just had a look at them on the beach), the problem with the first hypernuts (I read they corrected it a bit lately) was the huge volume of the boxy rails in the front. This means the board will somewhat blocks when the nose hits water, be it punching through whitewater, or digging a rail in turns, or paddling with the nose down.

Wide nosed boards can alleviate this problem with proper front rails: thin and profiled for entering water (nearly 50/50), a bit like good noseriders.

On the "skate" feeling on the nut, you may want to try big front fins, like MR (Mark Richards) Twins, and decreasing a bit the rears to compensate. I found out that in boards with high volume rails, big fronts seem to help the rail carve more cleanly, perhaps by preventing a slight slip during the turn, and small rear let the rail follow its natural carve in the water and keep the board lively. Again, I have never ridden the hypernut, but similar wide-tailed boards.

Cheers cola, some typically thoughtful feed back there. The rails are chunky but I don't really have a digging in problem on turns, if I do stick the nose out of the top turn it's generally because I haven't stomped the tail far enough back. I'm not aware of SB changing the front rails later but I would say the 7'2 could lose 5 litres and be better for it, as it tends to get knocked by chop even though when I look down the rails are semi submerged. Having said all that I might play with those fronts and whack in some shapers s9s in the front that I have, just to feel what happens in the turns.