Naish Skater 2014 in bigger waves (weaker wind)?

[WaveRider001]

Hi,
does anybody know how the Naish Skater (5´9) 2014 behave in bigger (!) waves?
I´m looking for a 2nd surfboard in addition to my Naish Custom LE 5´10. It´s a great board, but it´s hard to go upwind in weaker wind (because of its rocker/tail kick).
A wider board with more volume and less rocker should work better in "lighter" wind... (I don´t need a board for light wind, but I like to use a smaller kite (6m, 8m) to have less kite pull in the waves....)
I did also some research about other boards/brands and have the following in my mind, too:
- Cabrinha Proto 5´10 or Phenom 5´8
- Firewire Hellfire 5´8

Any suggestions??? I still have a 2012 Naish Skater 5´4 for onshore conditions in Europe, but it´s definitely too slow for bigger waves (and has no "drive"...).

[PAFF]

Love it..

https://vimeo.com/94847786

[tautologies]

It works...but I think it depends on what you mean by bigger..and type of waves....and how weak wind..I'm just trying to qualify.

Obviously if you ride in big in shore waves and the wind is super light it doesn't make any difference....since big waves are fast

But my buddy took his out in triple overhead and got away with it. It was fairly bumpy and still light wind. I'd say the ones I saw down the line looked a bit too fast for that board...and especially since he was riding strapless. He also did get caught by a few walls...it was just too light to do anything...kind of funny since you could pretty much see long time before the wave hit him that he had no way out.

Anyways...the board isn't ideal for those big waves...but he did make it work.
Would you consider the global? In terms of drive that board is nuts.

[WaveRider001]

It works...but I think it depends on what you mean by bigger..and type of waves....and how weak wind..I'm just trying to qualify.

Hey Taut,
I mean a "good size" of a hawaiian wave It should work in tripple overhead! I will be on Maui in a couple of days again... "Weaker wind" is a bit confusing when talking about Maui, but I mean it compared to the kite size. When I ride my Custom LE, I can´t ride it in underpowered situations, because it´s a pain to go upwind... So, I like a board which works with a smaller kite, goes easily upwind and has enough drive to ride bigger waves... 98% Strapless, 2% is maybe related to huge waves...

Would you consider the global? In terms of drive that board is nuts.

Not really... I had a Global before the Custom and it feels not so great for strapless/surfstyle. It needs a lot of speed and feels more like riding a windsurfboard... I hope you understand, what I mean... And, I like to do (prctice) my strapless tricks... The Global is definitly too narrow...
I know, it´s always a compromise... Do you know the knew Cabrinha boards? They look nice, too...

[Bushflyr]

The thing is, nothing will "work" in light, side on, winds and big waves. The geometry just doesn't play out. You pick up the wave, say at 18kts or whatever, depending on your board and weight, and in 13kt winds you'll just run down the kite as it drifts. You can rectify it by downlooping to move the kite back, but that's a bit of a hack.

FWIW I definitely wouldn't take my VG in 3x OH waves. Not the right tool. The Global would definitely be the weapon of choice there. But I also wouldn't be trying waves that big in an underpowered situation either. Recipe for disaster there.

[tautologies]

The thing is, nothing will "work" in light, side on, winds and big waves. The geometry just doesn't play out. You pick up the wave, say at 18kts or whatever, depending on your board and weight, and in 13kt winds you'll just run down the kite as it drifts. You can rectify it by downlooping to move the kite back, but that's a bit of a hack.

FWIW I definitely wouldn't take my VG in 3x OH waves. Not the right tool. The Global would definitely be the weapon of choice there. But I also wouldn't be trying waves that big in an underpowered situation either. Recipe for disaster there.

I don't think he is talking about the VG styled skater.
I don't think that last years skater is the best weapon either..but how often are you really out in those kinds of waves 3x compared to say overhead (in which the skater is great). In the same condition I went on my 6'0'' global and a kite that was 1m bigger...for me the extra power really made a difference.

I get what OP is saying on going in light wind. It is a very delicate balance. Sometimes you'll end up prioritizing keeping some tension on your lines and go straight. I think the worst conditions are straight onshore with onshore wave conditions....but it all depends on the spot / size / wind / skill / etc

[dimip]

Felix seems to manage on his vg

[AirBunny]

I've been following this exchange, really cool. Question: wouldn't a bigger kite make more sense in light wind, especially since you are riding in front of the wave where you lose even more wind. In this video he is flying the kite pretty high up the wind window, so a bigger one can handle that. And what's wrong with a bigger TT? Skate over the wave, do a trick or two? The unidirectionals are such a pain in the lilly-white... Just curious, bc I like waves but hate unidirectionals

[WaveRider001]

I`m talking about last year´s model... 2014... Not the actual one which is similiar to the VG...
And I´m not (!!!) talking about light wind, I mean compared to kite size... As I said, my Custom LE is great down-the-line, but due to its rocker line and tail kick, it is very hard to go upwind if you are not powered enough!!! I´m looking for a surfboard which is a fair compromise between riding upwind (less rocker) and riding down-the-line a good size of a wave (more rocker). But, as I ride mostly strapless it should be wider (about 19´) than the Global for example...

[AirBunny]

Then stretch your board a little! But then it might kick you even harder... It's what these rabid surfboards do, they kick.

Sorry, dude, no offense. If you think the board will solve your problem, get it custom made. Good luck! And thanks for posting a good question about waveriding!!! XXX