Maliko Javelin and the Kite Republic fun paddle.

Yesterday I checked out the Maliko Jav.. and joined 65 others for the Kite Republic fun paddle.

The music is off the new Dave Gilmore cd..

Did you paddle the strike ?
Not your kind of board I imagine..

My wife and I also test rode the Maliko. We are still novices but the Maliko was an instant hit. Prior to this I ride the new Falcon in quite choppy conditions. Ended up on my knees as I didn't want to fall in. Same conditions and we both stayed upright. The rails are really stiff and quite upright. This gives it the full benefit of all its 26". Bit like DJ I wish there was a 28" version.

I will be keen to try what Starboard has to offer on their Demo day in a couple of weeks and compare those to the Naish.

Won't be long till I join the DW brigade.

Wooz is a genius. I wish him all the best success with this new shop.

Not sure if its the weight - probably my lack of confidence and skill. It was just an interesting comparison of both these new boards from a novices perspective.
Btw - 93 kegs and a bit out of balance with the roof over the tool shed.

I'm 92kg and took out our 14' x 26" Maliko demo board in some pretty testing conditions in Sydney Harbour over the weekend and was pretty impressed with its stability for a 26" board. It held its line nicely going into the wind and was very stable with 12 knots on my back coming down wind in a very short period swell with bumps attacking me from all angles. This board is really comfortable in messy, choppy water.
You will need real motor under the bonnet to make this board fast in flat water but in bumpy open water this board is very impressive. Now to try it in some real wind

Look like the demo went well! What an awesome location!!

Its great to have such a selection of opinions on the Jav Maliko. We seem to have quite a difference of opinion here amongst the various contributors about the stability of the Jav Maliko.

Hard experience has taught me that when this happens, I find myself agreeing more with the "tippy" brigade than the "rock solid" one.

Also, it sounds like you guys are mostly paddling in enclosed waters rather than actual open ocean. Has any "average" person yet tried the Maliko in the conditions I'd have thought it was designed for, i.e, 20+ knots and knee-high+ bumps in open ocean? Or maybe it isn't really designed for that?

How does this board go upwind in 15-20 knots?

Come on Naish - let's have a 28" wide version. I reckon you'd sell more of those worldwide than the 24" wide one. Not everyone who downwinds is a sponsored rider, or wants to be. To create the kind of board that would appeal to people who paddle very choppy and windy conditions but then not supply it in a width that most people would be more comfortable with in those conditions doesn't make much sense to me.

Maybe the 2015 Javelin 14x28" didn't sell well, so Naish have lost faith in 28" wide boards for the premium construction ranges. But if that's true it will probably be because the 2015 14x28" Jav had too much volume all round for the 65-85kg range paddler, rather than that it was too wide. Just because a board is 28" wide doesn't mean it has to built like an oil rig.

But I'm looking forward to trying the Jav Maliko now, to see which opinion here I agree with more. I paddle distance boards that range from 24" wide to 32" wide, depending on conditions and use. If I had to pick one width as the most adaptable for most people in most conditions it would be 28". Which, probably not co-incidentally, is slap bang in the middle of that width range.

Well, LL, that is certainly one way of looking at it: If the customer doesn't want what the manufacturer is selling then the customer is an idiot. Or in this case, a feeble-legged novice who needs to man up, which seems to be your viewpoint. But another way of looking at it is that we as customers are entitled to ask for what we want. And there is no need to criticise those who aren't perhaps at the pinnacle of athletic achievement as you clearly are. Different people want different things from their paddling, and some value stability over other aspects of a board's performance. That is their choice, and IMO it would be as good idea for Naish to cater for those people as it is for them to cater for those people like you who want a 24" wide board and are willing to expend a lot more time and energy in order to use it.

If you are over in the UK sometime, then I'd be very glad to host you on one of our bigger DW runs in winter when there is ice on the ground and a windchill of -20. Falling in isn't so great in those conditions. The run covers an area that is famous as a shipping hazard because of how confused the water is. There are several wrecks along the route, and they are there for good reason. Maybe you'll be as happy on a 24" wide board as you are wake-riding in a creek back home. Maybe you won't. But even if you are, it would perhaps be good to have a little more understanding for others who have different skill sets, experience, and/or bodily characteristics from you. I want SUP downwinding to grow as a sport, and that is unlikely to happen if the only DW boards that are available suit only a few people in a few conditions.

Well LL, this just shows how narrow a range of activities you do, and conditions you paddle in. A 30" or wider board is perfectly natural in whitewater. I tandem SUP on a 32" wide board. And the course record for one of the most well-known DW courses in the world was held recently on a board that is 30" wide. My point was that many people (including me) want to match the board to the circumstances and your particular desires for what you want to get out of your paddling experience. Not everyone wants every session to be about flogging themselves 100% - some people (including me) principally paddle for the pleasure of doing it rather than to be faster than someone else. Some of us are lucky enough to have a quiver of boards so we can pick width and length etc according to how we feel on the day: thrash yourself on a challenging board when you want to, but on other occasions just take in the scenery and snooze-cruise with friends. Or paddle millpond conditions one day, and the next day DW 40 knots and head-high bumps in water less than 20 feet deep.

Most people however cannot afford a quiver, so they have to buy a board that fulfills all these various moods and conditions. For many people, a DW-type board of around 28" wide fulfils that brief: Quick enough for "recreational" ocean racing, but still a capable all-waters tourer; stable enough to take on hell DW conditions, but relaxing enough in still waters for even the sleepiest of snooze-cruisers. When people ask me for advice on distance SUPs, this is what they most often want.

I'm afraid that in this particular post you are coming across to me as a board snob. Elitest without being elite. I know from other posts of yours over the years that you are much more open-minded than that. So I'm sure if we were having this discussion face-to-face we'd find many more points of agreement than disagreement. But that's just how it seems here today, in the written word, I'm afraid. Please try not to look down on people who paddle wider boards than you. There may be many reasons for their choice, whereas there may only be one or two for yours.

I miss your videos Peter, those cape town conditions are awesome. Any chance of one with your new toys

Farking whinging poms

Naish must love you blokes buying these boards every year.

if you're a Naish sponsored rider well good,it cost you nothing.

for the others, save your $$$,

for example the Hokua a paint job a tweak in shape

same board different sticker different price ,sure others will argue.
but thats why Naish haven't got my cash the last two years.

nothing new in here.