Looking at this one second hand seems in good nick can anyone give me a review or a link to one
Hi Allan
I am not sure but i think the swallow-tail means this is a 2010 model (there's a similar 2009 model for sale here in qld on seabreeze at a good price). You can find a few comments about it on the standupzone forum if you google "naish hokua 9'6 2010 review". A wider search is also interesting (i saw a good review from 2008 Casso who is red hot and has posted some great vids on here over the years): www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php?topic=1951.0 ) ... But that's the catch... the comments relate to that time, so a rave review of an older model might not be so relevant when that board has evolved a fair bit since then. I wouldn't presume to speak for the guys whose comments come up, but i am sure they and their taste in boards has evolved with time along with board technology. I owned last' years Hokua for a while (and wish i still did) - by then Naish had changed it to a rounded square tail with a sharp flyer. I am an okay SUPer and a very experienced surfer and it took me some time to get the hang of it, stability wise, in anything other than glassy waves. so you might find the one you looking at a bit of a challenge in anything except ideal conditions unless you have lots of experience. It think the older versions like the one you are looking at are less stable but good on the wave. I think (but don't know) that the more recent shape is considerably better (a bit more width where it helps with stability. and I vastly prefer the tail as it is. It's a very manoeverable, fast and functional board.) You will find lots of positive comments on the newer ones on this forum. Also - at 95 kg - the new Hokua 9'10 is worth a look. it is supposed to be sensational.
Hey I could be wrong about all this (except that search on google will turn up some useful comments) - but in my limited experience in SUP surfing, there is a BIG difference between the right board and the almost-right bargain board. It's worth spending more for the right one. This is all just my opinion but i didn't want to leave you hanging. Cheers!
Thats the same as my board which is a 2011 model. Very nice board. I have demo'd quite a few boards thinking about going smaller but I cant find anything that I enjoy riding more than this at the moment. It surfs well but still gives you enough surface area to still be comfortable when it gets a bit choppy. I did demo the same board 2012 model (may have been 9'5?) which seemed to be weighted more to the back which i found more maneuverable on the wave.
At 95 kgs you are gunna find it very very wobbly for a coupla weeks but they are an excellent board and were "the" board to own when they first came out - I reckon at one stage they were the best selling performance sup in aus'.
As long as you are prepared to tough it out for a few weeks you cant go wrong with the hokua 9.6 IMO.
