After much reading these forums and some great input from people on this forum, I am about to purchase a Nalu 10'6 GS. I would buy the GT but the budget is not stretching that far.
I am just wondering what the max wave size it would be able to handle on the single fin? I'll be hitting South Coast NSW for waves. There are a few great spots that I have surfed where I have seen suppers out when it's double overhead. I have seen enough footage of DJ and that Beau (Naish sponsored guy) dude riding smaller waist to knee high to know that the board will work perfectly in that. I have also seen some footage of Robbie Naish riding head high waves.
What about waves shoulder to double overhead? What wave types? I assume anything fat it will work. What about hollow? I assume freight train waves will be avoided but I am just wondering its versatility.
Select to expand quoteterenceingram said..
After much reading these forums and some great input from people on this forum, I am about to purchase a Nalu 10'6 GS. I would buy the GT but the budget is not stretching that far.
I am just wondering what the max wave size it would be able to handle on the single fin? I'll be hitting South Coast NSW for waves. There are a few great spots that I have surfed where I have seen suppers out when it's double overhead. I have seen enough footage of DJ and that Beau (Naish sponsored guy) dude riding smaller waist to knee high to know that the board will work perfectly in that. I have also seen some footage of Robbie Naish riding head high waves.
What about waves shoulder to double overhead? What wave types? I assume anything fat it will work. What about hollow? I assume freight train waves will be avoided but I am just wondering its versatility.
IMO the bigger the wave the better the single fin works..
You may need to buy a slightly bigger fin than the one that comes with the board.
The main issue is avoid breaking these "longboard" shapes in half. Long + area at the tips + not so thick means that if you find yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time, you will get a 2-piece board.
I have with my own eyes seen a 10'6" Nalu fold in 3 (2 folds) on 1' hollow (tight-size) but Mediterranean (6s period) waves. The rider was a beginner, so he wasnt aware that he had to avoid falling lips, even 1' high. (board was repaired and is still ridden with no more mishap).
So personally, If I was planing to go into double overhead waves, I would try to get a reinforced board (or reinforce one with carbon strips and/or carbon rails), and would avoid too much area at tip & tail and keep the length to a minimum (9' ?) in order to minimize the wave leverage... but it is a personal opinion.
As for the single fin, the issue with a single fin is losing grip at an angle. So if you do not carve hard you should not have issues. Otherwise you can use raked back fins or Cheyne Horan starfins. Personally I also do not like single fins at speed due to their foil effect, so I like better the thin tips ("finger" ones like the Greenough 4A) to minimize it.
i found the single fin 11'4 lost traction in a bottom turn in 4' at The Alley last July 
This is was not a hollow wave like Colas is describing, personally it don't think the Nalu was meant for barrels.......unless your name is Robbie Naish 
I've had my 10'6" in double overhead as a thruster. F'N top fun, like letting the handbrake off in a big rig on a big hill. Not sure i'd try it with a single under 10" unless you're good enough to slide it in real sideways like. The 2015 is a heaps more solid board than my 2014. GT that is. 
Hey Terence... I picked up a 10'6 Alana (girly version of the Nalu) ... love it.... GS construction.... single fin.
I liked it so much I took it out during a Hurricane swell that was 1.5 overhead.... nice point wave that was pretty mellow,with some juicy sections. The Alana was a blast... very solid. I always run it with a 10.5" monster fin... turns great.... I have never felt it slip or get squirrelly.
I made a video of some sessions as a sort of review/ reminder for the US crew... we don't seem to have a lot of Nalus from what I can see.
You Aussies all seem to have one in the quiver, so I wasn't going to post it here.
BUT... it has a bit of footage on overhead waves, so I figured it might answer your question. I have a pretty solid bottom turn and I am super stoked on how confident I am with this board in all conditions. Vids long by OZ standards... so be warned.
Early stuff shows performance in small stuff....The OH footage starts at 4:30. The head cam shots give a pretty good perspective on how solid it is... the Hurricane footage is at the end.... as always, crotch shot flatten the waves.
I'll throw in 2 stills from last week on a fun day as well... not big, but shows how it handles a turn.
Select to expand quotesupthecreek said..
Hey Terence... I picked up a 10'6 Alana (girly version of the Nalu) ... love it.... GS construction.... single fin.
I liked it so much I took it out during a Hurricane swell that was 1.5 overhead.... nice point wave that was pretty mellow,with some juicy sections. The Alana was a blast... very solid. I always run it with a 10.5" monster fin... turns great.... I have never felt it slip or get squirrelly.
I made a video of some sessions as a sort of review/ reminder for the US crew... we don't seem to have a lot of Nalus from what I can see.
You Aussies all seem to have one in the quiver, so I wasn't going to post it here.
BUT... it has a bit of footage on overhead waves, so I figured it might answer your question. I have a pretty solid bottom turn and I am super stoked on how confident I am with this board in all conditions. Vids long by OZ standards... so be warned.
Early stuff shows performance in small stuff....The OH footage starts at 4:30. The head cam shots give a pretty good perspective on how solid it is... the Hurricane footage is at the end.... as always, crotch shot flatten the waves.
I'll throw in 2 stills from last week on a fun day as well... not big, but shows how it handles a turn.
Great vid thanks. It answers all my questions. It will definitely work with a single fin on the conditions I want to surf. Just got to work out the paddle now. Might get an adjustable for my first paddle as I can then use it on both the flat water and waves. Also my family should be able to use it as well.
Thanks guys... glad it helped you terence 
@ slab.... I found a great deal on the Laird the week after I bought the Alana, so I grabbed it and surfed them both for a month... loser to be sold.
The Alana won on the overall. I was surprised by that, because looking at them and feeling them, I was partial to the Laird.
If I were rich, I would have kept them both... but the Alana really had an edge for me in everything but noseriding. The Alana comes off the top nicely... I could never get the fins right on the Laird, so it was noticeably more sluggish.
The clincher for me is a bit weird:
I always felt the Laird was going to hurt me.
It was great on the nose... but when it blew out... it was always sort of "instant"....I got hit by that board a lot and the thin nose concentrated the impact.
While the Alana lacks the "tip riding" qualities of the Laird, it is ok on the nose and the fails were more predictable.
The Laird is a very sweet board, and great looking under foot, paddling out was a breeze, it went through waves like butter. I sold it to a good friend, so I'm ok with that
Select to expand quotesupthecreek said..
Thanks guys... glad it helped you terence
@ slab.... I found a great deal on the Laird the week after I bought the Alana, so I grabbed it and surfed them both for a month... loser to be sold.
The Alana won on the overall. I was surprised by that, because looking at them and feeling them, I was partial to the Laird.
If I were rich, I would have kept them both... but the Alana really had an edge for me in everything but noseriding. The Alana comes off the top nicely... I could never get the fins right on the Laird, so it was noticeably more sluggish.
The clincher for me is a bit weird:
I always felt the Laird was going to hurt me.
It was great on the nose... but when it blew out... it was always sort of "instant"....I got hit by that board a lot and the thin nose concentrated the impact.
While the Alana lacks the "tip riding" qualities of the Laird, it is ok on the nose and the fails were more predictable.
The Laird is a very sweet board, and great looking under foot, paddling out was a breeze, it went through waves like butter. I sold it to a good friend, so I'm ok with that
Thanks.....see where you coming from....and your waves can be pretty treacherous too. I'm looking forward to your review of one of the new Tom Carroll boards.....you know you want one for Xmas
You're right slab... I would love a shot at the 10'4 Long Grain.... that looks like a very interesting board, but in a high performance vein... not filling the same space as the Nalu.... and it will be interesting to see if the construction of the Long Grain's super thin nose holds up.
Ride my 10'6 Nalu in 4-6 ft Alley and a sucky left bowls wave at the Spit as well as a mean beachy which many had issues getting out in ,in a SUPJAM this last year.
personally wouldn't ride them as a single at all. Great fun as a thruster and surfed like one too, on the tail with dug in paddles on your turns to get the beast around. Got a 6.5 inch cutaway with G6 side fins and love it.
issue can be trying to turn in the pocket on steepre waves.
She's whole lotta board you got there.
super fun though and love the alley on these things.
