Joe’s Review: Naish All Terrain 95 Board
Board Tested: 2008 Naish All Terrain 95
Sail Used: 2008 Naish All Terrain 5.0
Fin Used: Stock Naish All Terrain 28 cm fin
Date: May 5, 2008
Location: Rowena, Columbia River Gorge
Conditions: 8-21 mph winds, swell riding (marginal conditions)
Rider: Joe
Gender: Male
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 185 lbs
Skill Level: Expert windsurfer
Joe is our shipping manager here at Big Winds, and he is one of the most experienced windsurfing experts in our shop. He started windsurfing in Spain 24 years ago, and he moved to Hood River solely to pursue his passion for windsurfing. He just told me about his session with the 2008 Naish All Terrain 95 last night at Rowena, and while the conditions were marginal the board still left an impression.
Joe found the Naish All Terrain 95 to be an extremely versatile and comfortable board that is very easy to sail. It has a similar feel to the equivalent freestyle wave boards offered by JP Australia, Starboard and Mistral, and Joe will be using the All Terrain 95 as his light-air Gorge board this season.
The All Terrain board is quick to plane, glides through the lulls well, and is easy to keep on a plane. It isn’t a rocket ship, nor was it designed to be, but it is respectably fast for such a versatile board. When jumping, the All Terrain is smooth, predictable and controllable in the air. The pads and straps included with the board are all very comfortable, and the stock fin worked well on all points of sail.
When jibing the All Terrain rolls into the turn easily with a solid, inspiring feel. It performs best in medium- to long-radius turns, though with a more wave-oriented fin it would perform better in short-radius turns. This board should be a great confidence-builder for sailors who are working to perfect their jibes.
The board can’t really be described as “slashy” for riding waves, but it is still quite turny for a board of its size. If one were to outfit it with a more wave-oriented fin, the All Terrain could definitely deliver a slashier turn.
