I just got my hands on the new Wave Performance Naishboard 2014. There arent many reviews of this board yet and usually the Naishboards are very special shapes that are far from ordinary standards and tests are rare.
I am stoked with this board, and thats why I want to bring some light into whats going on with a Naish wave shape, which for some people looks like are we are back in the 80ies ...!
When I unpacked the board and first saw the nose, it was clear this board wears its nose higher than any other board in the market. You may think, well we all went through this before but , there might be a few benefits of having a higher nose that we have forgotten about. Like simply crossing water much easier or avoiding sticking a flat nose into the seabed after a radical cut back and as a result doing funny underwaterloops on a steep wave.
The rails are super thin all the way through, and they look like they are made to bite into the water like a surfboard.
Most of the volume sits around the mast track and for an 80l board I was expecting more visibility of the volume. On the other hand with a width of 56.3 it is not super narrow and a bit of extra board length is where the 80l are obviously hidden - for sure it looks really radical even with 80l.
The tail ends in a wing pin tail. These wings are usually added to the tail of the surfboard to help surfers to maintain control at high speeds, especially when making turns in DTL conditions.
The supplied thruster fins are modern design and are super turny, fast and come with 16.5 cm custom centre fin and smaller 10cm custom side fins. The side fins are set up with a slight toe-in angle and should help turning better on a wave. The side fins also sit closer to the rail which makes the board livelier.
The bottom tail has a V, usually for smoother rides and control but I can already say, this board is very sensitive and delivers a response that is extremely fast and makes you think that this is rather a custom than a production board.
The boards weight makes a difference too! Here I was very impressed when I put it on the scales...6.3kg is really light for a multifinboard these days (and Naish board), especially with 3xUS boxes which I think are still the best when sailing around shallow reefs (especially if you dont have a fin sponsor) or when setting up the board to the conditions and personal style.
On the water, if not planing you think where is the volume, but then with some extra length and higher nose you cross the white water easily and its well balanced. Once the first gust hits you, the acceleration is great and the board gets into planing mode fast. Once you hook in, the board is unbelievably loose and feels super fast and direct. I didnt notice any draggy feeling and it delivers the speed of a single fin board. Before I caught my first wave, I did a slam jibe and the board turned 180 degrees on the smallest radius - I was so surprised how quick it turned! When you catch the first wave, the board feels so agile, that you think you should better a bit cautious and as a result your bottom turn will be way too long and slow. Second time on the wave you remember, thin rails, thruster setup, wing pin tail, this is more than enough to commit to the turn 100% and to go full speed on the rail in the bottom turn for a good smack! The rails and side fins bite and you are under control all the way through then, cutback & immediate release on the critical section if you want. It really works and the redirection back into the next bottom turn is fantastic, when you hit the lip!
The lower weight is a big benefit for jumps too and allows you to release the board and rotate faster forwards/backwards rotation are lots of fun (even the compact chopper works great with the board)!
Be warned, if you come from a standard shape at the beginning you may think its too sensitive, too turny or even radical, but once you get used to it - you will be hooked to a surfboard-style windsurfer.
