HYPR NALU 11’6 GUN REVIEW
HYPR NALU 11’6 GUN REVIEW
The 11’6 Gun is the fourth Hypr Hawaii board we’ve tested and we never cease to get a warm-fuzzy when we draw one of their spears from its sheath. This Gun is nothing less than an aspirational, beautiful piece of high-performing surf equipment that you’d be proud to own for life. You might not be planing to charge massive Guetheray this year but when you’re cruising mellow local reefs, paddling up sleepy rivers and hacking out across a windy, moody bay, it’s nice to know you’ve got the kit for the job, just in case.
Overview:
This beautiful offering from Hyper Hawaii comes in the walnut veneer and is similar in template to its taller 12’6 brother save for the slightly fuller back end owing to it’s 11’6 waterline. Otherwise, it’s an unrepentant modern big-wave board with forward loaded volume tapering back to an aggressively pinned-out tail. Underneath it’s trimaran effect of the deep twin concaves that gets the pulse raising. The deck grip doesn’t distract the eye and the foredeck is finished with a clear deck grip so there’s no need to spoil it with wax.
Brand Claim:
The 11’6 Gun will catch any size wave, and is the quintessential high-performance all-round board for an intermediate to advanced paddler, or even light beginners. It probably paddles faster and catches waves easier than any other 11’6 on the market.
Hypr Hawaii guns have a special super-fast rocker. Combine this with the unique double concave that creates extraordinary levels of lift, these boards are probably the fastest surf-style boards you’ll ever paddle, in any conditions.
Performance:
Hypr Nalu are currently unique in the production board market when it comes to building dedicated Gun surf shapes; add to that the boards are so beautiful and creatively designed, it’s fair to say the SUP world would be a less exciting place without their input. We just love how the presence of the 11’6 Gun stretches your ideas of what is possible on a SUP – Oyster Falls, third reef Cribbar, Zorba’s Reef? Why not. This board has the glide to get you out there through hell rips and the speed to get you in and down the face of those wild Atlantic lumps. But owning the Hyper Hawaii 11’6 Gun is like owning a mil-spec Landrover which you don’t have to drive across the Registan Desert to appreciate – just knowing you have such an esoteric, world-class wave slaying piece of kit under your command is a huge part of the appeal. And in normal life the 11’6 paddles just great; it feels slick, chop-piercing and keen to go further or just merrily trundle around in the most ordinary waves. Unless you must have a dedicated surf shape, might it be time to consider really going for it and replacing your generic all-rounder with Hypr Hawaii’s Gun and develop a truly special relationship with it and the ocean and seeing where it takes you? One life, no fear. I know what I’d choose.
Vital stats:
Price: £1699
Length: 11’6″
Width: 28.5″
Thickness: 4 7/32″
Volume: 165L
Max Rider Weight: 100kg
Fins: US Centre plus two FCS