nice DJ there's something magic with a little more lenght, momentum and even nose rocker.
off topic, but lenght and glide and so much fun
Nice DJ, that board looks like it it deals with pearling quite well. Like I said before those white Naish's were some of the best looking boards IMO.
Is it true what they say about 17 footers being too big for short period bumps?
Select to expand quoteJustCruising said...
Is it true what they say about 17 footers being too big for short period bumps?
No. I had this same board (Naish 17) just out last week downwinding in the shortest period stuff you can imagine (5 secs or so) and it worked great. You just have to get forward enough...and then back far enough...and then forward again...and back...etc. A lot of fun. If conditions are reasonably lined up and you have a decent wind behind you this board goes like the clappers, and the nose rocker works really well. I reckon it must be the DWing bargain of the century right now, if you can find one secondhand and have the skills to handle long boards.
Select to expand quoteflowmaster said..
nice DJ there's something magic with a little more lenght, momentum and even nose rocker.
off topic, but lenght and glide and so much fun
Best vid I've seen in ages.. 
Select to expand quoteJustCruising said..
Nice DJ, that board looks like it it deals with pearling quite well. Like I said before those white Naish's were some of the best looking boards IMO.
Is it true what they say about 17 footers being too big for short period bumps?
I used to think so.. But after learning to use my 2015 14' Jav with its lower rocker and loving it I decided to dig out the old 17' Jav and give it a crack.. It was awesome.. Like A10 said you just need to move.. Not so much forward but moving back will raise the nose and slow things down alowing you to controle the possition on the runner.. I used to wish for more nose rocker on this board but now I think it's spot on.. The thing honks along like a steam train.. My only problem yesterday is that the rudder was not perfectly straight in its neutral possition and although only a fleas *ick out it was enough to make the board steer right.. Pretty annoying at times but not too bad.. I need to work out a system to lock it out perfectly straigh.. or put a fin box in.. or learn to use the steering while surfing bumps.. I'm soooo glad I didn't decide to sell this board.. It's awesome.. 
Stick a fin box in it, DJ. It will be the best money you ever spent.
I put one in just ahead of the rudder so I can put the rudder back anytime I want. Works great.
Very pleasant board in flat water, and brilliant upwind and across chop.
Bow rocker and fine nose works really well lifting over head on seas without stopping the board.
And if you are looking for N+1, I may know where to get my hands on one.......
Select to expand quoteArea10 said..
Stick a fin box in it, DJ. It will be the best money you ever spent.
I put one in just ahead of the rudder so I can put the rudder back anytime I want. Works great.
+1 for fin box.
Select to expand quoteHelmy said..
"N+1", everybody...
(Where N = the number of boards you already have)
I always thought the magic number was N-1. Where N is the number of boards that would warrant your wife divorcing you.
dj what i do when i get the steering set up which takes some time and wires are always loosening is mark the back of the rudder on to the board so you know where its right if you have to adjust
Select to expand quoteflowmaster said...
nice DJ there's something magic with a little more lenght, momentum and even nose rocker.
off topic, but lenght and glide and so much fun
Jesus that's the best thing I've watched in ages.
3 minut wave you guys were freaking flying!!!
[b] Area10 said
[/b]Stick a fin box in it, DJ. It will be the best money you ever spent. I put one in just ahead of the rudder so I can put the rudder back anytime I want. Works great.
My older 17 has had a fin box put in behind the rudder.
No expert, but that seems wrong centre of lateral resistance wise.
Box ahead of the rudder would put the fin more or less where the rudder was.
I have never paddled this board with a back fin fitted, only the rudder. I think it would be a big danger to put too much fin on a board that does not need it.
This board also has a forward fin box fitted, which I have tried 9", 6", and vestigial fins in, of which the tiny vestigial one was most successful, but better off with nothing. Any forward fin made the board way too responsive to the steering, and I ended up fighting the steering with the paddle.
Far from an expert paddler, but I would stick with the rudder the designers intended the board to have.
I would like to think Naish / SIC R & D departments are smarter than me.
I paddle a ruddered board nearly every day, and rarely use the steering, but it is there when needed.
With the tiller fitted, if the rudder is a bit the wrong way I just give it a kick in the direction it needs to go, and it holds there.
If you need to hold the bow up paddling cross chop / upwind, or turn upwind from downwind, or the other way around, or quickly turn between waves it is really good.
Maybe more skilled paddlers than me can do without, but I find it really helpful.
I also think it is interesting, these big boards have relatively tiny fins, maybe relying on long hard rails and good board design, rather than trying to fix a dodgy design with a big fin.
The 17'4" Bullet has what appears to be an almost identical rudder profile to the Naish, and a similar size.
Ignore the camera mount behind the rudder - separate project.
My newer maybe 2102 17' Naish has a Curtis rudder fitted - not sure if this was standard, but I purchased the board from Windgenuity (Naish Australia) without it having a previous owner, albeit 2 years after it was released, so it may have been tampered with.
It's still a pretty small fin.
12'6" SIC Bullet has a fixed fin of visually similar profile to the rudders.
Brilliant board to paddle.
Not sure what any of this means, know nothing about fins.
But I would stick with what the original designer intended, or if fitting a fin rather than a rudder, go small / similar size to the original rudder.
I have 2 fixed fin boxes in mine, a tail and a ventral. The tail finbox is long (12") which gives me a few position options.
This is the configuration I use for flat water and distance cruising - nice for stability and tracking in smooth water and light chop, and I find the ventral helps a lot with pointing upwind (ventral fin is about 3 1/2 " high and 7 1/2" long):
With the rudder system out I can stand well forward on the board, stick the nose down and use almost all of the board's waterline.
That said, having the ventral in sucks going downwind. I have tried one of these as a single:
then these two:
the one on the right had the board too stiff, the one on the left (11" True Ames Heritage) placed full-forward in the box is seem to work nicely,
