NAISH 10 NALU LE TEST REVIEW
NAISH 10 NALU LE TEST REVIEW
Verdict:
The most extreme longboard shape SUP we’ve seen to date: super thin rails, fast rocker line and easy to get into just about any size wave. A really great performance longboard which will redefine your views on riding a longer SUP. Don’t show your longboard surfing mates, they’ll be wanting to surf it!
Overview:
Take the handle out and scale it down a little and you’ve got an awesomely light stiff performance longboard. The rails look like a surfboard, it feels very similar to a surfboard – it’s a classy product. The board is stiff and light has a very subtle concave nose and a touch of vee in the tail but very little else. The deck has a ¾ textured deck pad with kick pad and single leash point and comes as a tri fin but also has quad boxes too. It’s got the thinnest rails I’ve ever seen on a SUP board.
Brand Claim:
The Nalu 10’0” LE is a high-performance, longboard-style SUP. Designed for riders seeking optimum responsiveness, direct feel and enhanced nose-riding ability, the refined foiling allows for maximum drive with minimal effort. The narrow outline, combined with the option to ride as a thruster or quad, grants the freedom and flexibility to enjoy this design in waves from knee-high to double overhead.
Performance:
Jumping on this 130 litre SUP it feels a little sinky but pretty stable for a 28” wide board. The rails are under the water which gives a secure feeling to the board at standstill. Paddling it feels glidey and well rockered. Naish have basically made a performance longboard that you can stand on with the 10’ LE, it’s nothing like the rest of the Nalu range. The thickness fn this board at the one foot mark is around 4cm compared with 7cm with the Starboard Nut. Paddling into a wave it glides in effortlessly with its fairly wide nose and long outline; if you’re used to surfing a short SUP you’ll catch loads more waves on this no doubt. We used this board with the tri fins with which we found it quicker and more predictable. Quadding it up just made you want to push it, it was sooo throw-aboutable for such a long board. It surfs nothing like your standard 10’5 type board; it’s on performance enhancing drugs, it’s bonkers for a long SUP. Having a performance longboard like this in your quiver will be a real asset and get you out on those choppier days. Hardcore longboarders will be amazed at the sight of this board, it simply doesn’t look like a SUP board.
So who’s this board for? Well not for everyone at its premium price. If you’re after a hardcore full-on longboard style SUP this is as good as it gets, it’s light, has super thin rails , silky smooth turning and it’s faster than you dare to dream.