Hi I hope this is helpful to the forum, it is not aimed at anyone in the forum, but might be helpful to someone looking to buy any of these boards, I have not owned the Hakua 9.6GTW for long but I have tested it in a multitude of conditions to make a reasonably good starting observation, the Hakua 9.5GT I have owned a few of them and still own one, and ridden them in absolutely ALL conditions from 1ft to 8ft Atlantic surf, from glassy to stormy ocean, the Hakua X32 Carbon as well but 1ft to 6ft surf. The Manna 9.5 as well. They all great boards and they all have a purpose, but perhaps for slightly different conditions and or skill bases, the trick is to find what best suits your style, and conditions you prefer go out in. I like to go out in ALL types of conditions, and I like a board that allows me to stay standing as opposed to these tiny tiny boards where you gotta paddle to the back lying on your tummy. I don’t profess to know everything, I am just a dude who passionately loves SUP riding. I come from a short board style surfing background.
Overview (heavier rider +-110kg)(tri-fin configuration)(advanced rider “but we all learning”)(Prefer ride in 365days of year conditions, ie ALL conditions Winter and Summer)
The 9.6 Hakua GTW is a good ('excellent') board for small to medium sized surf, it is easy to paddle, gives immediate feedback and can generate quick efficient kinetic energy from low power surf giving immediate surfer feedback!, OR bigger surf but where the power is not substantive. (It CAN handle big surf but i don't want to focus on that here as it a different conversation on its own, i am referring to the relativity of the 3x boards and generalizing contextually).
The GTW board (ridden correctly) feels at all times active and alive, and you can quickly create your own power. Jerry Lopez is a legend in his own right so don't doubt for one moment his hard work on this shape.
In complex ocean, or in large Atlantic swell with cross onshore winds, 45 degree chop, and rips, it not an easy board (understatement) to keep stable, it A LOT harder than the GT even with 5litres more in its girth! Even the 8.3 X32 much easier to balance on although worse to paddle on. Just treading water and trying to push it through the big powerful foam requires more commitment. If you are an advanced rider in these conditions you will have no problem, i am just warning the intermediate rider, as it can be "intense" in wind and chop and sizable ocean, where the chop coming sideways to the boards position. The advanced rider is always conditioned to "intense" as part of his vocabulary (LOL), but intense is not fun for everyone tee hee. However this board in normal conditions rocks!!
Ie....because more volume has been removed from the nose, it requires pushing nose through the wave and not trying to paddle 'over' the wave in bigger surf, when paddling out. It paddles easily onto and into the wave and very fast on the wave actually overtaking the wave sometimes, and bouncing. The bouncing DOESN'T reduce stability on the bottom turn, it turns beautifully and with precision..... it more an observation of experience.
The rails are round but less round and more "square" feeling, than others thus giving you dynamite vs stability. Especially lateral stability. But because less volume in nose and pointy nose....the stability also plays that way to.
They seem to have squeezed the boards volume into the mid by making mid deck slightly thicker i think.
It thus very complex to control when not on the wave, but in storm ocean.
I have thus also gone back to the stock fin (main fin) which is entirely correct for the board irrespective of swell size or power.
On the other hand the GT is the perfect 365 days of the year board for the intermediate to advanced rider but NOT beginner. And same for the advanced rider but with main fin 1x size down. Because of the squash tail, the smaller fin makes the board just a tweak fast in order to make the section in big surf, and a little more alive, whilst not in any way making it less stable. My observation is that beginner and intermediate stay with the stock fin, especially if they have just upgraded from the Manna and making the transition. For the advanced rider, the slightly smaller fin is a nice tweak worth doing. Also on all the boards keeping the mid fin close forwards as u can manage, and not at the back of the fin box, at a guess, maybe roughly 20mm from the front of the box, but it best to experiment and explore.
I would still recommend a 9.5 Manna over the new 9.6 Hakua should a BEGINNER be looking for a more intermediate board. Ie. If the GT not available the jump to GTW is now a wider jump. If the GT is available, maybe jump to the GT 9.5 or the GT9.10, I have not ridden the 9.10 but it would be a good animal, easier than the 9.5. I love the 9.5.
(Just to make things complicated, If you moving from a 9,5Manna, to a more advance board, then move to the Hakua's before jumping to the Manna 9.0. The Manna 9.0 is a absolutely wonderful board, but the jump in volume and stability from the 9.5 Manna to the 9.0 Manna there is a big jump, in my opinion bigger than the jump to a 9.5GT , 9.10GT , 8.3 X32, and 9.6GTW.)
If the person considering jumping from GT Hakua to GTW, dont be put off by the extra 5litres thinking it a step too easy. You cannot feel the 5litres and it definitely NOT part of the conversation. If anything you actually need it!, but again i say.....it plays no relevance, it actually 'feels' lower in volume and mass to the GT. Seriously. The GTW is more "alive" than the GT. The GTW has a faster top end speed than the GT. The GT is more stable.
In a nutshell (heavier rider):
The Manna 9.5 is the ideal 365 days of the year board for ANY beginner & intermediate rider, but can still be enjoyed by an advanced rider particularly in rough ocean conditions. "Back foot" style surfing. Will handle any surf from 1ft to 8ft, to storm surf! Handles anything. (And i know first hand. It also a fun board. It also very kind to the rider. Requires less skill to do advanced things, Tee hee. often kept as a fun "2nd board for wife or kids to play on, on flat days as well, as a bonus to its wave riding fun)
The 9.5 GT Hakua is the ideal 365 day of the year higher wave performance board for any intermediate to advanced rider. And can be ridden with the smallest back fin. It can be ridden in every condition from 1ft to hectic 8ft stormy ocean. "Back foot" style surfing.
It incredibly responsive to technical moves and subtle neuro-pathway movements you give it. It will speed up, it will slow down, you can turn it deep into a bottom turn on a difficult wave, and it will do exactly what you ask it to do. It will do off the lips and you can then tell it to ride out of wave at 30 degrees and it will do exactly what you tell it!. Ie. It is technical BUT it is not trying to race ahead of yr commands. In that respect it is neutral.
But it DOES mean your skill needs to improve beyond the Manna to get the best from this instrument.
This is my preferred 365 days of the year instrument.
The 8.3 X32 is the ideal board to ride in 1 to 5ft both slow or very fast moving waves!, it an absolute rush!, particularly on a reef or a tight fast moving shore break. But not where you have large distances to move to a continuously changing moving peak. It likes to be ridden "like u stole it!" lol. Ie typical slashing, short board style surfing. Ride it hard. Stand far forward. "Front foot" style surfing. You need to ride it in a committed and active manner.
Then it going to be a rush, like a double Red Bull for the Soul.
If you ride it incorrectly you are going to get nothing but a very low wave count be warned! It not for everyone or every conditions.Or you will just look good but that's not why u surfing. Tee hee. It a pretty board and bound to gain someones attention. It easy to balance on. It a remarkably alive board ridden well.
The 9.6 GTW Hakua sits somewhere between the 2x boards above. Ie. its finds some of its character in the "X32" camps, "front foot" style surfing' explosive with lotsa kinetic energy. However it is a good paddler as well, where the "X32" is a poor paddler. The Achilles heal here being the stability of the GTW is forfeited as a trade off to gain these exciting qualitys. The "X32" is a lot easier to balance on considering its only a 8.3.
The GTW will however increase your wave count and allow you to move with the moving wave peaks without the same level of commitment required on the "X32". A big outside sets comes through on the "X32" and you are f@#ed. On the GTW you put your foot on the gas and head out to sea!. Get caught on the inside of a big set and the GTW has no advantage over the "X32", to the contrary but only by small small, margin.
However this board when ridden with the same enthusiasm as the "X32" is a highly rewarding experience, just put the bouncing of the front behind you, as it not affecting the performance. In small surf where the wave not particularly powerful, this board will eat the GT as it can just generate that active front foot speed and kinetic energy so quickly and hold it. But the moment the ocean becomes complex or difficult or powerful or big (ggg!) then pray you got your GT in the boot. The GTW board CAN handle big surf no problem, but it very difficult to manage in stormy ocean. Ie the time when you not on the wave surfing. The transition time. I always say, “ any good surfer can SUP well in waves, the part that requires commitment & practice & all the stuff that is going on out there, …….is when you are NOT on the wave, bouncing around in chop, wind, cross onshore swell, or rips, or whatever nature is throwing at you, ……this is where it is really nice to know you chose the right instrument. And not with your ego. Excuse me if i got any parts incorrect. please feel free to tell me. I wrote this in a rush. However i love all the boards but for very different reasons.
Naish knows how to make good performance wave boards, and they have mastered the rocker, in all models, they are all good boards.
I hope they keep the GT in the range moving forward, as it a very different animal to the one that Gerry Lopez as brought into the quiver with the GTW. ie they compliment each other, but are NOT an upgrade from one to the other.
They different and not an evolution.
They are very different. There is no commonality other than they "Naish" and Naish makes good wave boards, you can trust will do what they supposed to do on waves. Perform.
Naish would be making a big mistake dropping the GT given that it a classic high performance technical board, that can be ridden 365 days of the year and with the same fin, and no one has got that shape and style at such an advanced stage of development, why then drop it. Riders like me would then be forced to look for another manufacturer which would then be kinda sad. (ie a classic squash tail well executed means not having to have different fins for different conditions, you just rider it with the smallest, The Naish tail and its thickness and its rocker are 100% executed, the single into double concave is unique and perfectly executed, and unique to Naish, ie Starboard Pro, Fanatic Pro and Corban PRO all go in a different way, thus Naish has no competition in this arena, whereas the others have huge competition as they compete directly. The Naish Hakua GT is a perfectly executed "neutral" board. Is easy to ride for a "committed" intermediate, and extremely reliable, and technical board in the hands of an advanced rider.
Naish must not remove the GT from the range going forwards.
I ride all 3x boards and love all of them.
Happy surfin,
Gary
Seayeti
> 9 months ago, 13 May 2016
with .the Hokua x32 .the rocker is very pronounced on these boards 's,and will handle any steep drop you throw at them, and extremely good in small steep waves ..
