First, I have been reading and learning for two years and you have been a wealth of info. Thanks.

I am trying choose a new Naish Nalu for rough water paddling on a big lake (80% of the time) and learning how to sup surf. All the recommendations I have seen have been for heavier riders and I am looking for a light weight person. The surf will be knee to waist high, nothing big. Paddle distance can be one to four miles. We have two race boards for flat water and a Nalu 11'4 GS. This new board is mostly for my wife. She is 5'9 & 127 lbs. She is a cautious paddler that doesn't like to fall and I'd place her as an advanced beginner. She likes paddling our 11'4 GS in choppy water and sticks to it like glue. The newer 11' nalu sounds like it is more stable and responsive, but slower. I am worried that the 11' will be too slow in choppy water paddling, but might be easier in the surf. I expect for a heavier person, like me at 190lbs, the 11' will be slower than the 11'4. For a light person will the 11' paddle slower than 11'4? Will the 11' turn that much easier than the 11'4? I expect both will need some cross stepping. Should we buy a 11'4 gtw or 11' gtw?

I know she can ride a shorter and wider board and we have done it on vacation. But, paddling four miles is not fun on a slow board. I also have access to low prices on the Nalu's.

Thanks
Kevin

I'm 80kg (176lbs) and currently have a 10'6" x 29" Nalu and a 11'4" x 30" Nalu on loan to learn to SUP surf and after a few months I can ride both in small surf (at first I could barely stand on the 10'6" in swell) - however I am also trying to learn to paddle correctly and move into surf stance which I still find challenging at 30" on all but 1-2 ft waves. On length I think I prefer the 10'6" but realistically as a beginner in surf I actually going to buy a wider, shorter board. But that's just me; if you can keep good form paddling on the 11'4" and accelerate in a hybrid stance you're all set for the surf. No other board needed for small surf.

My sense of it is that after trying a few different boards at demo days is that what you want doesn't really exist. To paddle any distance in comfort in chop I'd want to go straight to a Glide touring board just maybe not at race length. At a pinch you could look at either the 10'10" Nalu or the 11'2" Quest with the channels for straight line tracking and volume for stability, but they're going to probably feel heavier than the 11'4" and be worse in the surf, but at least your wife wouldn't have to keep changing sides so they would be fit for that purpose and be usable in surf.

gidday.surftahoe.
I've owned 10,6 11 and 11 .4 the ...11'4 is my 13 year old daughters ..
i like the 10,6 to surf most of all then the 11'..., The 11 is the easiest to surf due to the 31 width
but has its limits in size .4 foot max in my opinion ..to be comfy .SO SMALL WAVES ..VERY GOOD .
I have the 10'8 Quest ,this paddles faster than the 11 and 10,6 because less rocker ,i feel its a mini 11'4
I'M 95 kgs...... you will get use to what ever board to choose ......they all paddle long distance quite well....
the 11'4 is probably the fastest followed by the 10'8 quest ......

I think you would be happy with the 11 .the NALU a great all round longboards ..

Thanks for the advice. Sounds like the 11 is markedly better in the surf than the 11'4. I am guessing not much slower for a light person.

Can't talk for the 11 but the 11,4 was very good to surf....very nice board .

Hi surftahoe .
top one 11 bottom one 11'4 .11'4 faster But ...surfing .i didn't nose dive as much on the 11' or have to run up the rear as much .11' was more stable .31 vs 30 .basically it's more wave orientated .
both a great small wave surfers .

You mention it is for your 55kg wife, and she's already a reasonably competent surfer?

The 11 footer will be an absolute barge for her and harder to turn due the 31" width. I'd absolutley be going for the narrower 11'4".

why not the 10'6"....at 55kg well under weight, great on the flat, great on the waves...even the LE would work i am not sure of what the weight limit is of the 10' LE though

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damo666 said..
You mention it is for your 55kg wife, and she's already a reasonably competent surfer?

The 11 footer will be an absolute barge for her and harder to turn due the 31" width. I'd absolutley be going for the narrower 11'4".

i just red your post again ..and if your paddling up to 4 miles the extra glide in the 11,4 would be appreciated .
hey and it still surfs .
i know a few ladies that size they have the 10'6 GTW ..i love the flat deck and rail lips ...classy ..

Sorry, just read your post again.....at her weight I would not look at the 11 or 11,4.... go the 10,6.

She is waaaay too light for the 11fters......

and get the wood version......a bit lighter.

The reason that I was not looking at the 10'6 was the glide and stability. When we're paddling in sloppy chop and a double up knocks her off, she hates it. If it was only surfing I'd put her on a 10'. At 55kg, will the 10'6 have stability and glide?

Ironically, she is a competent beginner prone longboarder on a 9' board. But, she plans on falling, where as the sup she plans on staying upright.

I should have thanked Tardy for the picture. The 11 looks like it'll pearl less. Thx

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surftahoe said..
The reason that I was not looking at the 10'6 was the glide and stability. When we're paddling in sloppy chop and a double up knocks her off, she hates it. If it was only surfing I'd put her on a 10'. At 55kg, will the 10'6 have stability and glide?

Ironically, she is a competent beginner prone longboarder on a 9' board. But, she plans on falling, where as the sup she plans on staying upright.

It has been a while since I owned a Nalu, but I do have 3 other longboard shaped SUPs and a wife that is a tad lighter than yours. My wife is more than comfortable on my 9'6x30x123L longboard style SUP but it really comes down to the individual paddler. If I were buying a Nalu for my wife, I would buy the 10'0 but that would take more adjustment (and possibly initial dunks) given the boards your wife has been using. 10'6 tends to be a good all around size and balance for maneuverability and glide and at 10'6x30x160L on paper should be more than enough volume and width to offer stability for someone at 55kgs or even heavier. Any chance you can get her a demo?

here's a couple more ,comparing the 10'8 to the 11'
this is me standing on the 10'8 quest ,I'm 95 kgs .so plenty float.
the 10'8 is faster than the 10'6 and 11 ,it has 3-4 more litres by memory ..than the 10'6 ??

I SOLD my 11' and kept this one ,still have the 11'4.in the family collection ..
the 10'8 is a little speed machine ..and i have had it in 5 foot swell ...no problems there either ...
only downer it only comes in a single fin ...but thats ok ...i like surfing the 11'4 as a single .
i just use a smaller fin sometimes on the 10'8 ..

awesome , thanks for going to the effort to show this...would love someone to provide details on the 17-18 Nalu 10'

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Lenn said..
awesome , thanks for going to the effort to show this...would love someone to provide details on the 17-18 Nalu 10'

Here is a video... looks like an amazing board though I am now partial to my Laird Surfers:

yep seen that, not enough footage, too much talking and frothing over the board :)

Thanks for all of you for the info. The long distance paddle has pushed me to the 11'4. When we are only focused on SUS, I'll look at getting a 10.