New Toy! 2011 Naish 5'8" Custom Fish
Thu, 03/24/2011 - 16:07
Picked up my new toy yesterday. Got myself a new 2011 Naish 5'8" Custom Fish. Hoping to use it both on lightwind days and very soon in the waves as well.
Initial impressions... Mixed
Right out of the bag it looks awesome... looks like its gonna be a really fun board. Half tempted to pull the straps off and try and paddle surf it if I dont get any wind soon. The board looks awesome and feels really tough, and the fins are nice aswell. Comes with a bag, its nothing special, not top of the line by any means but will get the job done. Would have been nice to see one side of the bag be refective tarp on the outside (like most surfbags) to reflect the sun but atleast one side is white, also the inside is fully tarp lined so if one were to wax it you should have no problems.
As for set up... that took a while. Took me about an hour to set up the board. The 3-4 beers may or may not have helped that but... The holes cut in the pads don't line up well with the strap mounts on the board, and the strap mounts dont appear to be metal inserts but just taped holes in the board... but its hard to tell. Straps are very stiff right now as well which made mounting them to the board a bit of a challange. And don't pull the straps apart either, they are a pain to put back together. Although they do feel like once they are broken in a little bit they will be very comfortable. Seems to be plenty of options of where to put the straps as well.
Overall pretty happy with it... and cant wait to get some wind and try her out. Here are a few shots, just click the thumbnails.
Just because it snowed the day I picked it up
Fri, 03/25/2011 - 16:21
#1
awesome board
Dude I picked up the 2010 version of this, 5'8, late last fall ! -only got a couple sessions in on it but absolutely loved the board. One day I got a chance to swap boards with a guy riding a Ben Wilson Slingshot 6' which was instructive - I hated that board and loved the Naish fish even more. Still waiting for a clean wave sesh to really check it out surf style.
Fri, 03/25/2011 - 18:15
#3
Awesome! Glad to see more
Awesome! Glad to see more people getting into surfboards!
Most new boards have a pvc block in the center of it with clean holes pre-drilled in it. The screws are more like wood screws and self-tap into the board. This method is way more reliable and easier than traditional inserts in the long run.
Take those flat water - knee high days and ride it without the straps. Learning to jibe is much easier without them and there's really no need if the surf is that small. Just my .02 cents. Congrats on the fish!
Fri, 03/25/2011 - 18:46
#4
Nice report on the board and
Nice report on the board and your first impressions of riding a surfboard.
I had no luck with jibes until someone told me to move my front foot part way back before I jibe. Then I started getting my first wobbly clumsy ones. They're still wobbly but I know they're doable now.
Fri, 03/25/2011 - 19:16
#5
It was definitely
It was definitely interesting... but kiting with a surfboard is a whole new world... and I am stoked... Praying for wind. Thanks for the advice everyone, keep it coming open to it all.
One question, is it possibile or even remotely easy to make your way out through the surf toeside or is it just too awkward of a stance and hard to make it out with out burrying the nose?
I'll keep updating the more I ride... but so far very happy with it. Brian thanks for clarifiying the strap mounting, that makes alot of sense and makes me feel much better about it...
Oh on that note the straps are actually pretty comfortable... I originally had them tight such as on my TT but this made toeside really taxing so I went in and loosened them up a little bit (the rear more then the front) and it made a huge difference. And the trick of taking your rear foot out of the strap and putting it infront of it helped alot too.
Sun, 03/27/2011 - 23:02
#6
After riding a surfboard a
After riding a surfboard a while, you become almost as proficient and agile toes side as heel side.
Wed, 04/06/2011 - 22:29
#7
Just a quick update...
Just a quick update...
Got out today for a short session this evening. Put the 7m up again and was pretty powered at the begining and then it dropped off toward the end. Liking the board alot... although I definitely still need practice. Seems to handle the chop pretty well. And there were a few random set waves that came through and were deep enough to actually play on them. This thing catchs waves like a dream... I was practicly surfing rollers with minimal help from the kite.
Still need to work on staying up wind on it... was trying the pull your back foot out trick today but was getting bounced around in the chop a bunch. Also need to learn to gybe as our most consistent good wind direction SW puts me riding toeside out from the beach... which I have started toe side, but if conditions are intresting it is pretty tough. Conditions were pretty onshore today which didnt help... a bit more side shore would have been nice. Also my forearms have been killing me... which is odd because i was doing fine on my TT, out all day with short breaks here and there no problem, but on the surfboard something must be different about how I am flying the kite.
Surfing on the wave with it was definitely fun though. Riding on a TT in waves is fun for powered moves... but I really like the more surf feel. Hopefully this weekend will shape up and Ill be able to get out again and get some real waves on her. Ill keep you guys updated...
Devon
Wed, 04/06/2011 - 23:14
#8
Devon- It's nice to compare
Devon- It's nice to compare notes about learning to ride a surfboard.
I've been riding my surfboard for a little almost every session lately and I find it a lot more tiring than a twin tip. The advice I hear is that once I'm really used to it, it's no more tiring, but I'll have to wait and see.
Jibing- After I mentioned the tip about moving the front foot part way back before doing jibe, then moving it the rest of the way after the jibe, I went back out on the surfboard and couldn't get any jibes. Later, Jay-Airsupport reminded me about the other good tip- after jibing put the kite high, near 12 oclock before moving the feet the rest of the way. He said try hopping to switch, but for me it doesn't matter just getting the kite high really helps. So with those 2 tips, (1- move feet part way before turning, 2- after turning put kite high to move feet rest of way), I was getting most of my jibes again. I hope this helps.
My strapless waterstarts are working so I took the straps off for my next session.
Thu, 04/07/2011 - 00:53
#9
Thanks for the tips! Nice to
Thanks for the tips! Nice to know I am not the only one giving surfboards a shot right now. Let me know how riding strapless goes... I am definitely thinking about giving it a shot now that I have a little bit of time on the board.
The only question I have with strapless is... leash? I know it is very very very taboo... and before anyone backlashes at me I know the consequences and am not thinking about doing it right now...but all the videos I see of people riding strapless in waves are with leashes... I know the outcomes that can occur and that is why I hessitate greatly... it would only be in waves... but at the same time with straps there is much less chance of loosing the board which makes me want to keep them...
For the most part I plan on riding straped... but down the road who knows... Ill have to give strapless a try on a flat water day.
Thu, 04/07/2011 - 07:07
#10
I know some guys that ride
I know some guys that ride strapless but I don't know anyone that uses a leash. They say that if you fall in the waves the waves push the board back to you.
Thu, 04/07/2011 - 14:18
#11
No leash!
Most guys you
No leash!
Most guys you see riding with leashes are most likely riding over reef or near rocks. A lost board almost certainly results in a LOSt board 
Thu, 04/07/2011 - 10:32
#12
Even sans leash, I have
Even sans leash, I have gotten clocked by the surfboard a few times, it is so buoyant.
Thu, 04/14/2011 - 00:52
#13
Hey Devon, board looks
Hey Devon, board looks awesome. After seeing how much fun you were having on it last week I've been heavily considering getting a surf board. Kiteboarding/com has the 2010 5'4" fish on sale that I've been thinking about but I'm not sure if it's gonna be too small. The other option is the litewave 5'8". Let me know if you have any advice. Also, this weekend's looking good. I'm thinking Georges on sat if it doesn't rain.
-Rick
Thu, 04/14/2011 - 01:27
#14
I have heard good things
I have heard good things about both of them. But dont have any experience with either. The surfboard is great... I still need to get a decent wave session on it though. The 5'4" isnt that much smaller and would definitely be nicer on the more powered days, and might be nice to have a little less to swing around and maneuver... but in reality the 5'8" doesnt feel all that big when your riding it. The 5'8" will probably have a bit better lower end... but the Lightwave is a bit more of a performance shape (so narrower and more rocker) which will require a bit more power to get going... so it would probably be similar to the 5'4". But again I only have experience with my board.
Search around... there are a ton of options. Kiteforum has some decent threads about surfboards and I beleive there is a good one here under the product/innovations.
Yea I am hoping for this weekend... but well see with the rain... I want to check matunuck if there is a possibility of some decent mid sized waves... but well see. I had a pretty fun fog session on Monday with Brent from EG. Was out on my TT finless working on backrolls.
Devon
Sat, 04/16/2011 - 16:11
#15
Update on the Fish:
Update on the Fish:
Awesome! Got out today in some messy onshore waves rangin from knee-chest+ high and this board is awesome. Once on the wave it is really fun to play around with. I was able to cruise into waves with minimal kite power and then just park the kite and almost forget about it. I found it very easy to cruise out and choose a wave and then just crank a turn and pull right into it. Overall it made for a really fun session.
Wed, 06/01/2011 - 13:32
#16
Figured I would give you guys
Figured I would give you guys an update with a few choice action shots.
Wed, 09/21/2011 - 22:11
#17
Been a while since I have
Been a while since I have posted on here but figured I would update you... especially since these boards will probably be going on closeout soon...
Still loving the board. All conditions, all winds,... its awesome. Recently decided it was time to take the straps off and give it a try strapless.. and what a whole new world...
Strapless is tough i will give you that. i am spending alot more time in the water... but so much fun at the same time. its so free, you can move anywhere on the board position yourself just where you need to be... just as if you were surfing. has its downfalls though, if your lit it sucks, your better off underpowered, but at the same time you can use a much smaller kite. the last two times i was out riding strapless on my 7m (mind you working the kite quite a bit) holding my ground, while those on TTs were on 14m kites... yea twice the size.
the board is pretty durable as well... had it since march and it has been through its fair share of hell... hell it bounced off a rock jetty on sunday and barely a scrath. the only annoying things is that its epoxy based (as most kitesurf boards are for durability) is repairing it. the epoxy suncure works great and quickly... but its white so on the yellow sections not so nice... the clear stuff takes 3+ hours to cure...
overall absolutely loving the board... thinking now though that I want to get another surfboard to keep as a dedicated strapless board... thinking about putting the straps back on this board and saving it as a dedicated strapped board and then picking up an epoxy surfboard in the 6'-6'2"x 18-19" range as a dedicated strapless board... that way when im at a nice sandy beach on a clean day i can ride strapless, and when i get to a sketchy rocky beach or on a big blown out day i can ride straps.
Just my 2 cents... take or leave it. but wanted to keep you guys all informed
Thu, 09/22/2011 - 08:29
#18
Good to hear about your
Good to hear about your update.
I rode mine strapless for a while, then put the straps back on so I could jump. But now I'm used to having my feet a little forward of the strap position so most of the time I'm riding with my feet out of the straps, right in front of them, just put them in for jumping or to get thru a wave or if overpowered.
I know some guys that are jumping strapless. They say it isn't hard at all but I haven't had luck with it yet. I'm toying with the idea of taking the straps back off to force me to learn to jump strapless. Hard to decide cause it's fun to stick my feet in the straps, hit a wave, and send the kite to jump that bad boy.
I have a new light wind surfboard I'm experimenting with. It's a cut down windsurfing race board, kinda stupid but fun. Picture here- http://waterloggedbyscooper.blogspot.com/2011/09/frankenstein-board.html
Thu, 09/22/2011 - 15:43
#19
Thanks for the update, as
Thanks for the update, as I've written before I have the same board - I too just tried strapless, in very flat water, it's a whole different game. I agree with Scooper about getting comfortable with shifting foot position forward of where the straps were, and there's no substitute for boosting big when strapped in. But I'm determined to get my tacking under control and work on ollies and strapless chop/wave jumps.
Got lucky and the wind shifted so I was able to get out for a session in the flat choppy water and start getting used to her. Overall pretty stoked. Got to the beach and put up the 11m and was just getting beat up holding her down. On a TT I prob would have needed the 11m and been nicely powered... but on the surfboard I put up the 7m and my session got much better. The speed of the 7m nicely matches the abitlity to throw tight carves on the board. Powered heelside to toeside transitions are sooooo much fun... as well as powered toeside to heelside turns. My 7m is going to become my go to kite hopefully now.
Didnt have a chance to really ride it in the waves, although I was able to catch one little knee high wave and surf it without the power of the kite. Cant wait to get it out in a nice waist to chest day. Gonna need a bit more practice though... Can't jibe yet (although thinking about getting the NSI T Strap to help with Jibes http://www.northshoreinc.com/store/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=12&idproduct=279 ) . Toe side riding is pretty easy on it though, and I actually found I could hold a more aggressive upwind tack toeside verses heelside. Might be a bit interesting trying to get out through waves toeside though... well have to see. Jumping with it was nice too. Tried a few jumps... wrecked myself on a couple just because of my kite path, but also got a few clean ones and landing and powering up was awesome on this compared to the twin tip... although I still think I will save my jumps for the TT days.
The only real issues I had were when riding toeside and I tacked too far upwind and lost speed and sank it got a little interesting as there is so much board sticking up out of the water. The other issues I had was I am not nearly as good with my right foot forward as I am with my left foot forward... even though I can ride my TT either way no problem... I think its just my muscle memory from surfing for the last few years with my left foot forward.
Gonna need a few more sessions to get comfortable, but Ill keep you guys updated. Any tips are appreciated as well.
__________________
RI depending on wind and my schedule
What I Ride-
7m + 11m Yellow Eclipse Nano's - 5'8" Naish Custom Fish
What sits in the truck-
14m Black/Orange/Blue Epic Screamer - 135x40 Crazyfly Allround