Naish X32 LE 8'8"

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.

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.

Nice rack