Hi gang.

I know this board has been reviewed several times already, and is talked about on several threads that are still current, however, I only recently rode one and I got say I'm bloody stoked!!

When they first arrived last year, my local retailer immediately got a 9'1" in store, knowing full well that the moment I walked in the door my jaw would drop to the floor whilst I simultaneously reached for my wallet. And that is exactly what happened. On advice from the boys at Naish, I ditched the stock three fin set and opted for a set of Shapers Jackson Close quads.
The moment I paddled out I was already starting to doubt it. Sure it was as stable as the footpath, surfed well, but it just felt massive and heavy. And as each surf came and went my feeling that it was too much board, even at 9'1", just grew and grew. Every now and then i'd get one wave that felt really good but overall I wasn't convinced. I sold it and moved on to something else feeling confident that the X32 wasn't for me.
A couple of months ago I started looking at them again. Watched the little vid of Robby Naish riding one over and over. I went to a demo day at Balmoral on fathers day and the full range was there. In flat water the 7'10', 8'3" and 8'8" all felt pretty good for my 100kgs but you never really know until you get out in the surf. AA from Balmoral Paddle told me that he had an 8'3" and an 8'8" in his demo trailer and that I was welcome to take them both for a back to back comparison. So thats what I did.
The 8'3" was manageable but I didn't really like its shorter length for both paddling in to a wave and for surfing a wave. Just me. I got on the 8'8" and was instantly impressed! It definitely paddled like it was a longer board. I'm assuming its due to the high volume?? In any case, I never had a problem catching a wave. Once on, the board just felt perfect. It was 2-3ft, a bit of wobble and bump due to a strong cross off shore, but I didn't fall once. The wave at South Bondi was a quick pitch and take off, then into a big hole where the wave would fatten and flatten out. Start bouncing and pumping to keep it going until the wave reached the inside bank, all the while fading back to the left. Once the wave walled up again, set the rail and shoot straight across heading right at what felt like 100mph. One or two small pumps to beat the section then stomp on the tail, bury the rail and gouge a big cutback, spraying all the pesky short boarders paddling out with several litres of water. Set up for the next section and put together a couple of bottom turns and top turns and finishing with a lip smacking floater as the wave closed out.....BIG FAT GRIN ........ I repeated this cycle for a couple of hours and then walked home feeling truly satisfied.
Naish say this board is for slower, smaller and less powerful waves. And maybe it is. God its fast though!! I know a few guys say these things kind of flap/bounce around due to the 32" width but I never had that problem.

For me, walking home through the crowded Bondi streets after a long surf dodging all the Hipsters, Backpackers and Japanese tourists is another test of a boards likeability. The handle is nice, the weight is a little high after two hours of fun but still perfectly fine. I walked in the door with my big goofy smile and said to the wife, "this thing's awesome!! I want one!!" She just rolled her eyes and motioned to the other 4 boards on the wall and muttered something that I chose to ignore. But after me ranting over dinner, coffee the next morning and then during a drive to Coles she said "ok, you can have one" I love my wife.
Shire SUP, I'm sure you have a very witty comment to insert here. Go for your life mate! Do your worst.

So in summary, the five less inches this board has from my previously mentioned 9'1" makes an incredible difference. If you're around 6'2" and 100kegs and are looking for a beach break quad style board for smallish days, you gotta try this thing.

Thanks for the review. Coming off 9'2 x 30 and 95kg I was tossing up between 8'3 and 8'8. I guess nailing the size is critical. Might try and demo these two boards side by side. Sounds like the GO! Any surfing pics?

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Bambadan said..
Thanks for the review. Coming off 9'2 x 30 and 95kg I was tossing up between 8'3 and 8'8. I guess nailing the size is critical. Might try and demo these two boards side by side. Sounds like the GO! Any surfing pics?

Bambadan, thats exactly right. Before I tried them my head(ego) was telling me that I wanted the 8'3" but when I rode it I wasn't keen on it at all. I was able to catch waves on it and surf just fine. But I basically didn't like it. The 8'8" really "felt" good. I'm glad I was able to ride them on the same day in the same conditions to get an accurate I idea of how different they actually felt. No pics I'm afraid but once I pick my one up I will organise some.

That's funny. A good read. Just bought a 9'1" x32 (having only been sup surfing for 18 months, going from 11'4" to 10'10" to 10'6" to 9'10" to 9'1") am loving how lively it is. Also running a quad set up, FCS GL-1s, which are awesome with this board. I'm about the same dimensions as you, and already seeing an 8'8" in my future. I was out on sunday in 15 knots with a few nice peaks, which rose to 25 knot hectic sloppy ****e over the space of about 20 minutes. Only being my 4th sesh on the 9'1" i thought i was about to spend a lot of time swimming, but the stability is great. As soon as the wifey gets over this latest board (i think she's nearly given up) I'll be sniffing around for an 8'8"!

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Brenno said..
That's funny. A good read. Just bought a 9'1" x32 (having only been sup surfing for 18 months, going from 11'4" to 10'10" to 10'6" to 9'10" to 9'1") am loving how lively it is. Also running a quad set up, FCS GL-1s, which are awesome with this board. I'm about the same dimensions as you, and already seeing an 8'8" in my future. I was out on sunday in 15 knots with a few nice peaks, which rose to 25 knot hectic sloppy ****e over the space of about 20 minutes. Only being my 4th sesh on the 9'1" i thought i was about to spend a lot of time swimming, but the stability is great. As soon as the wifey gets over this latest board (i think she's nearly given up) I'll be sniffing around for an 8'8"!

Haha... The wife of a SUP surfer is a very patient woman..... Quietly biding her time...... Then one day BAM!!!! "Remember that board you bought and I said I was fine with you spending that 2 grand, well theres this couch/dress/weekend with the girls in the Hunter Valley that i've been looking at &......."

Brenno, If you already find the 9'1" stable in 25 knots, then the 8'8" is probably closer than you think.

I have had the 8"8 for a little while now and absolutely love it. Rode it as a standard thruster for a while but then changed to the jackson close quad setup and the board is a lot more lively. Happy days indeed! :)

I am 90KG and have the 8'3 this board is amazing-fast like 9'0 and explosive in the pocket. I am going to surf the 7'10 this weekend and will report the differences.

Better than the 9'2 jp surf pro?

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Goita said..
Better than the 9'2 jp surf pro?

Its different to the 9'2" JP. It is a board that is better as a quad. The JP doesn't even have a quad option. The JP is for pretty much any size surf, whereas the X32 is for smallish surf. I wouldn't compare the two with each other. The boards I'd put in the same category would be JP Widebody, Starby Widepoint, Starby Airborne, Jimmy Lewis Kwad, Fanatic Allwave.

If you name over head high faces small, then yes, but its the best surfing sup I owned so far

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flowmaster said...
If you name over head high faces small, then yes, but its the best surfing sup I owned so far

I'm just referring to what Naish say that this board is for "Small to medium waves with not a lot of power to them. Beach breaks and close together waves"

Ok so I picked up my very own 2015 8'8" X32 LE from Balmoral Paddle. Had my second surf on it today in clean 2ft rights. A heap of fun this board is!! Gets in kinda early for a sub 9' board, is very predictable and will do pretty much anything that is asked of it.
Like AA mentioned in another thread about these, you need to be standing in a semi surf stance to minimise the yawing effect that is created by the combo of short length accompanied with 32" width. Once you've figured it out though, you can get in 5-6 strokes per side before needing to change sides. & that is key during the takeoff. This morning I was really testing its ability to get in early by intentionally sitting a bit further out than normal, then paddling like a maniac to catch the wave. Didn't miss one! I'm very impressed with how it paddles in. After taking the drop, the little walls at manly were lining up beautifully giving me every opportunity to try out all manner of turns, cut ties and pumping down the line to beat the small closeouts. As I said before, a heap of fun this fat little board is.
I'm using the Shapers Jackson Close Flare Quads in it. I think they are the perfect match for this board. I'm going to try it with a nubster during the week, just because I can!
The 2015 graphics look great and I love that you can see the carbon honeycomb through the deck and the Tahitian Tikki design underneath looks cool too.

Oh and it looks awesome in my rack too

Well done mr Naish and crew. Well done indeed!

Nice rack

Hey Zeusman.

Can you give me any comparisons between the 8'8" and the 9'10" hokua you used to have.

I used to have a 9'10" and contemplating an x32.

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Mahanumah said..
Hey Zeusman.

Can you give me any comparisons between the 8'8" and the 9'10" hokua you used to have.

I used to have a 9'10" and contemplating an x32.

Mate, they are chalk and cheese. Two completely different animals. With more than a foot difference in length, different outlines, rockers, tail shapes, thicknesses etc etc.... I love them both, but would surf them in different types of conditions. Ideally, 8'8" in anything from 1-4ft beach breaks & 9'10" in 3-6ft with more room to move on the faces like on a nice point break. Longer drawn out turns for the 9'10".

If Naish decided to bring the 9'10" out in the normal Hokua LE construction and dropped the weight to about 7.5 to 8 kg max, I'd definitely grab one. However that is highly unlikely!

Thanks mate

Appreciate the information. Looks like I'll have to demo a few boards and see what happens...

It's a tough job...

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Zeusman said..
Ok so I picked up my very own 2015 8'8" X32 LE from Balmoral Paddle. Had my second surf on it today in clean 2ft rights. A heap of fun this board is!! Gets in kinda early for a sub 9' board, is very predictable and will do pretty much anything that is asked of it.
Like AA mentioned in another thread about these, you need to be standing in a semi surf stance to minimise the yawing effect that is created by the combo of short length accompanied with 32" width. Once you've figured it out though, you can get in 5-6 strokes per side before needing to change sides. & that is key during the takeoff. This morning I was really testing its ability to get in early by intentionally sitting a bit further out than normal, then paddling like a maniac to catch the wave. Didn't miss one! I'm very impressed with how it paddles in. After taking the drop, the little walls at manly were lining up beautifully giving me every opportunity to try out all manner of turns, cut ties and pumping down the line to beat the small closeouts. As I said before, a heap of fun this fat little board is.
I'm using the Shapers Jackson Close Flare Quads in it. I think they are the perfect match for this board. I'm going to try it with a nubster during the week, just because I can!
The 2015 graphics look great and I love that you can see the carbon honeycomb through the deck and the Tahitian Tikki design underneath looks cool too.
Oh and it looks awesome in my rack too
Well done mr Naish and crew. Well done indeed! www.seabreeze.com.au/img/photos/stand_up_paddle/8943553.jpghttps://www.seabreeze.com.au/img/photos/stand_up_paddle/8943555.jpghttps://www.seabreeze.com.au/img/photos/stand_up_paddle/8943557.jpg' />

Hey Zeusman, traded my 9'1" x32 GT for the 8'3" LE last week. Have only had it in piddly surf, busting to try it in something decent. So much lighter and looser than the 9'1". Stoked! What size starboard you got on the lower rack? I'm looking at getting one for those bigger days to fill the hole left by my 9'10" hokua.... I'm a bit skeptical about the 9'0" x 29" holding up 95kgs at only 118 litres. Having said that I was pleasantly suprised that the 8'3" x32 didn't sink like a stone when I got on it - width over volume!

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Brenno said..

Zeusman said..
Ok so I picked up my very own 2015 8'8" X32 LE from Balmoral Paddle. Had my second surf on it today in clean 2ft rights. A heap of fun this board is!! Gets in kinda early for a sub 9' board, is very predictable and will do pretty much anything that is asked of it.
Like AA mentioned in another thread about these, you need to be standing in a semi surf stance to minimise the yawing effect that is created by the combo of short length accompanied with 32" width. Once you've figured it out though, you can get in 5-6 strokes per side before needing to change sides. & that is key during the takeoff. This morning I was really testing its ability to get in early by intentionally sitting a bit further out than normal, then paddling like a maniac to catch the wave. Didn't miss one! I'm very impressed with how it paddles in. After taking the drop, the little walls at manly were lining up beautifully giving me every opportunity to try out all manner of turns, cut ties and pumping down the line to beat the small closeouts. As I said before, a heap of fun this fat little board is.
I'm using the Shapers Jackson Close Flare Quads in it. I think they are the perfect match for this board. I'm going to try it with a nubster during the week, just because I can!
The 2015 graphics look great and I love that you can see the carbon honeycomb through the deck and the Tahitian Tikki design underneath looks cool too.
Oh and it looks awesome in my rack too
Well done mr Naish and crew. Well done indeed!www.seabreeze.com.au/img/photos/stand_up_paddle/8943555.jpghttps://www.seabreeze.com.au/img/photos/stand_up_paddle/8943557.jpg' />'> <a href= www.seabreeze.com.au/img/photos/stand_up_paddle/8943555.jpghttps://www.seabreeze.com.au/img/photos/stand_up_paddle/8943557.jpg' />' class='forumPostTextImage' />

Hey Zeusman, traded my 9'1" x32 GT for the 8'3" LE last week. Have only had it in piddly surf, busting to try it in something decent. So much lighter and looser than the 9'1". Stoked! What size starboard you got on the lower rack? I'm looking at getting one for those bigger days to fill the hole left by my 9'10" hokua.... I'm a bit skeptical about the 9'0" x 29" holding up 95kgs at only 118 litres. Having said that I was pleasantly suprised that the 8'3" x32 didn't sink like a stone when I got on it - width over volume!

Brenno, its a 9'0" Pro. It will float you fine. I'm 100 kg and it floats me fine.

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Zeusman said..

Brenno said..

Zeusman said..
Ok so I picked up my very own 2015 8'8" X32 LE from Balmoral Paddle. Had my second surf on it today in clean 2ft rights. A heap of fun this board is!! Gets in kinda early for a sub 9' board, is very predictable and will do pretty much anything that is asked of it.
Like AA mentioned in another thread about these, you need to be standing in a semi surf stance to minimise the yawing effect that is created by the combo of short length accompanied with 32" width. Once you've figured it out though, you can get in 5-6 strokes per side before needing to change sides. & that is key during the takeoff. This morning I was really testing its ability to get in early by intentionally sitting a bit further out than normal, then paddling like a maniac to catch the wave. Didn't miss one! I'm very impressed with how it paddles in. After taking the drop, the little walls at manly were lining up beautifully giving me every opportunity to try out all manner of turns, cut ties and pumping down the line to beat the small closeouts. As I said before, a heap of fun this fat little board is.
I'm using the Shapers Jackson Close Flare Quads in it. I think they are the perfect match for this board. I'm going to try it with a nubster during the week, just because I can!
The 2015 graphics look great and I love that you can see the carbon honeycomb through the deck and the Tahitian Tikki design underneath looks cool too.
Oh and it looks awesome in my rack too
Well done mr Naish and crew. Well done indeed!www.seabreeze.com.au/img/photos/stand_up_paddle/8943557.jpg'>www.seabreeze.com.au/img/photos/stand_up_paddle/8943551.jpg' />'> <a href= www.seabreeze.com.au/img/photos/stand_up_paddle/8943557.jpg'>www.seabreeze.com.au/img/photos/stand_up_paddle/8943551.jpg' />' class='forumPostTextImage' /><a href= www.seabreeze.com.au/img/photos/stand_up_paddle/8943557.jpg' />'> <a href= www.seabreeze.com.au/img/photos/stand_up_paddle/8943557.jpg' />' class='forumPostTextImage' />' class='forumPostTextImage' />

Hey Zeusman, traded my 9'1" x32 GT for the 8'3" LE last week. Have only had it in piddly surf, busting to try it in something decent. So much lighter and looser than the 9'1". Stoked! What size starboard you got on the lower rack? I'm looking at getting one for those bigger days to fill the hole left by my 9'10" hokua.... I'm a bit skeptical about the 9'0" x 29" holding up 95kgs at only 118 litres. Having said that I was pleasantly suprised that the 8'3" x32 didn't sink like a stone when I got on it - width over volume!

Brenno, its a 9'0" Pro. It will float you fine. I'm 100 kg and it floats me fine.

Good to surf the larger stuff? I regret trading my Hokua 9'10" sometimes, screamed down some faces on that thing. Had to though, or the wifey might have screamed down my face! Money, money, money, room, room, room....

Hey mate, great review. I too have an understanding exceptional wife. I am seriously looking at the 8'3 thanks to my weight 82 kegs really loving the 2015 graphics etc, my SUP quiver goes like this: 9'0 LE, 9'3 pro wave and 10'6 Nalu ( see you have the same on rack) enough can't be said about the 10'6, however back to the 8'3 you've answered all of my questions without having to trial one out, CHEERs big ups mate.

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Greystoke said...
Hey mate, great review. I too have an understanding exceptional wife. I am seriously looking at the 8'3 thanks to my weight 82 kegs really loving the 2015 graphics etc, my SUP quiver goes like this: 9'0 LE, 9'3 pro wave and 10'6 Nalu ( see you have the same on rack) enough can't be said about the 10'6, however back to the 8'3 you've answered all of my questions without having to trial one out, CHEERs big ups mate.

Cheers Greystoke. My Nalu is actually an 11'4" though. Like my longboards big! Might sell it and buy a new Laird 11' Surfer though. Decisions decisions?!?!