Rider: Mike
Gender: Male
Height: 5’11″
Weight: 165 lbs
Skill Level: Expert windsurfer, Expert kiteboarder

What a smooth board! It jumped on a plane, held its speed through the lulls and quick tacked easily. For jibes, I could take long, smooth turns in smooth water or turn it quickly inside short chop. Easy pivot jibes, too. This board is built for no-hassle, pure fun sailing in all but extreme conditions. Want H2O fun? This is the one!

Rider: Mike
Gender: Male
Height: 5’11″
Weight: 165 lbs
Skill Level: Expert windsurfer, Expert kiteboarder

I got fast acceleration and instant planing. I had a lot of power from the 7.3 and got it really moving upwind. This was the fastest board I’ve sailed in awhile. It didn’t make the sharpest turns so for jibing I compensated by keeping my speed up and widening the radius. I dialed into a couple drag races and moved away easily. Huge speed, big fun!

Rider: Joe
Gender: Male
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 185 lbs
Skill Level: Expert windsurfer

No problem getting onto a plane. The key is to move back into the straps as soon as you begin to accelerate. It glides through the lulls allowing you to go chase that next puff. I was able to flow over the chop smoothly. The excellent pads and straps contribute to a plush ride. It was surprisingly fast for a wave oriented board. For jibing, it stays on a plane easily allowing you to control the radius of the jibe as necessary. Also, it holds a rail solidly and would be a pleasure to bottom turn on true, down the line waves. Naish hit the mark with this board as an incredibly versatile wave/bump board. The Global Wave would be a great first wave board for advancing intermediate windsurfers.

Board Tested: 2009 Naish Global Wave 70
Sails Used: 2009 Neil Pryde Zone
Location: Columbia River Gorge: Hatchery
Conditions: 18-20 mph

Rider: Daryl
Gender: Female
Height: 5’2″
Weight: 120 lbs
Skill Level: Expert windsurfer

Quick to plane, easy to jibe, fun on the small swells, I highly recommend the Global Wave to light weight wave sailors using 3.2 to 5.2 sails. This is the nicest board I have ever sailed. It’s so smooth, totally comfortable, not bouncy yet still fast. It’s an excellent gorge board. I want to buy one for my 13-year-old. Loved it!

Rider: Joe
Gender: Male
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 185 lbs
Skill Level: Expert windsurfer

This board popped onto a plane quickly which made an otherwise marginal day into a memorable session. It glided through the lulls easily, rarely dropping off a plane before the next puff came through. And even in the extreme chop it felt fast and lively. From slashy jibes onto the swell to drawn out, planning jibes the Kode 86 felt solid and stable, inspiring me to push it harder and harder. Whether slamming into a pivot jibe at speed or hitting race car like slalom jibes, the board just never faltered or failed in its mission to put a big grin on my face. This is a truly inspiring board for those learning to master jibes of any style. This board flowed over the voodoo chop of the day, no problem. The comfortable pads and straps give it a stable, secure feeling. The fin generated enough power to plane easily while providing a snappy feel when I applied rail pressure.

The Kode 86 rocks! It works as an excellent Gorge high wind board for heavier sailors or as a light wind board for everyone else.

Board Tested: 2009 Starboard Kode 95
Sails Used: 2009 Naish Sails Session
Location: Columbia River Gorge: Event Site
Conditions: 17-24 mph

Rider: Mike
Gender: Male
Height: 5’11″
Weight: 165 lbs
Skill Level: Expert windsurfer, Expert kiteboarder

Wow, the Kode was quick to plane and made snappy, controlled jibes. The rails had a lot of grip allowing for lots of confidence when laying into the turns. This board will work great for aggressive wave riders. Five stars for this board!

Rider: Steve
Gender: Male
Height: 5’10″
Weight: 150 lbs
Skill Level: Expert windsurfer

The All Terrain is the quintessential bump and jump board, quick, lively, smooth and effortless to jibe, with emphasis on effortless. This board / sail combination was like pairing a Chateau Lafite Rothschild with filet mignon. The Force 5.0 is a solid bump and jump sail providing plenty of horsepower when needed. The All Terrain lived up to its name, performing well whether in smooth water or cranking it down the line. This combo would work well for any intermediate sailor looking to get into the more advanced Gorge conditions.

Location: Columbia River Gorge: Hatchery
Conditions: Windy 4.2 conditions, flat water, some swell

Rider: Steve
Gender: Male
Height: 5’10″
Weight: 150 lbs
Skill Level: Expert windsurfer

This board is designed to live in good swell or waves. It doesn’t quite have the tracking grip of a single fin board but it has incredible looseness in terms of change of direction. It was slower to plane than the single fin but plenty fast running off the wind and was really fun board for ripping turns. For jumping, it took off when going right at the ramp instead turning into one.

New drake straps are the most comfortable straps ever; very cushy and responsive. The finish detail of the board is spectacular, with beautiful graphics.

Rider: Daryl
Gender: Female
Height: 5’2″
Weight: 120 lbs
Skill Level: Expert windsurfer

Board Tested: 2008 Naish Pro Wave 65L
Sails Used: 2008 Naish Session 3.4 – 4.7
Dates: Winter 2008 and Spring 2008
Location: Kanaha, Maui, Hawaii and the Columbia River Gorge
Conditions: High-wind wave and swell riding

A great board for smaller riders who love shredding waves.

Daryl sails the 2008 Naish Pro Wave 65 in 2.8 – 4.7 conditions, and she recommends it as great board for smaller riders, 125 lbs and lighter. The board is incredibly maneuverable, zips right around, and will turn on a dime. It offers numerous footstrap placements, so you can easily configure the Pro Wave with a narrower stance that works perfectly for women or other smaller sailors. The board also has plenty of footstrap options for setting a wider stance too, so larger riders can feel right at home.

Daryl tried the Pro Wave in the waves at Kanaha on Maui and finds it to be a perfect board for high-wind sailing. The board is incredibly lightweight, the footstraps and footpads are comfortable, and all the stock components are plush. Daryl loved the stock fin included with the Pro Wave, and she’s very picky when it comes to choosing a fin. The Pro Wave 65 is Daryl’s board of choice this year for swell riding in the Gorge.

An incredibly lightweight and versatile wave sail that depowers easily.

The 2008 Naish Session is a lightweight sail that is easy to handle, has a great wind range, and depowers effortlessly in gusts. Daryl describes it as a sail that’s great for everyone, from her friend George to her two school-aged boys. George is 56 years old, and is an incredibly solid sailor who loves to ride powered-up. Daryl loves the Sessions and finds them easy to ride, but as evidence to their incredible range of use, even George is riding a quiver of Sessions this season!

Related Posts:
Read Jodie’s review of the Naish Session
Read Steve’s review of the Naish Global Wave 78

Board Tested: 2008 Naish Global Wave 78
Sails Used: 2008 Naish Force 4.2 – 4.7
Dates: Fall 2007, Spring 2008
Location: Columbia River Gorge
Conditions: “Fully powered-up to light and funky.”

Rider: Steve
Gender: Male
Height: 5’10″
Weight: 150 lbs
Skill Level: Expert windsurfer

Steve is a lighter guy than Joe, and he wants to take a moment to share his own experience riding the Naish Global Wave 78. Since he’s a smaller guy he doesn’t quite have the weight to yard a board around, so he requires a board that responds to a light touch. Steve found the Global Wave to be effortless and ultra-smooth when initiating turns, and says it executes any type of turn with ease, from long-radius to short-radius.

The board planes up easy, and is super smooth running in a straight line. It totally comes into its own when playing in the swell or going for a jibe. Consistent with Joe’s “slashy” impressions, Steve says that the Global Wave feels like it was designed for turning at all levels.

The Global Wave would make a great board for mid-weight intermediate to expert sailors, who are looking for a highly maneuverable board for riding in the swell.

Related Posts:
Read Joe’s review of the Naish Global Wave 78

Board Tested: 2008 Naish Global Wave 78
Sail Used: 2008 Naish All Terrain 4.0
Date: May 6, 2008
Location: Rowena, Columbia River Gorge
Conditions: 26-39 mph winds, swell riding

Rider: Joe
Gender: Male
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 185 lbs
Skill Level: Expert windsurfer

Joe tested the 2008 Naish Global Wave 78 the other day, and I was able to corner him and learn what he thought about the experience. Here’s Joe’s review!

Bottom Line: Naish hit the mark with the Global Wave, designing an incredibly versatile wave and bump-and-jump board. It is well-balanced, quick to plane, and incredibly slashy. This board will be a pleasure to ride for experienced windsurfers, and is best suited for aggressive advanced and expert riders.

If you look up “slashy” in the dictionary, don’t be surprised if the definition is a picture of this board. The Global Wave redirects so well that even the smallest bit of swell is easy to catch for a ride. When jibing, the Global Wave has excellent performance in short to medium radius turns, and it will rip through turns as hard as you want.

Joe found that the Global Wave was respectably fast, especially for a wave-oriented board, and that it planes up with minimal effort. Joe discovered a trick that works particularly well with this board, where he would give the sail one or two pumps and then move back into the footstraps earlier than usual.

The Global Wave is smooth and controllable when jumping. It feels extremely light on the feet, which makes it effortless to execute “tweaked” maneuvers. Joe tested the Global Wave on an extremely rough day, and it flowed right over the chop like a Cadillac.

The board comes with excellent straps and pads, which contribute to its plush ride, and a great fin. If you’re not an expert sailor, you might want to consider moving up a size on the fin.

Related Posts:
Read Steve’s review of the Naish Global Wave 78
Read Joe’s review of the Naish All Terrain 95 board

Board Tested: 2008 Naish 10’6″ Stand Up
Paddle Used: 80″ Werner Spanker
Dates: May, 2008
Location: Event Site, Columbia River Gorge
Paddling Conditions: glassy flatwater, and 10-15 mph wind chop
Windsurfing Conditions: swell riding in 10-30 mph winds, 4.7 meter sail

Rider: David
Gender: Male
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 170 lbs
Skill Level: Expert stand up paddler, expert windsurfer, expert kiteboarder

David has recently been spending a ton of time on the smaller of the Naish stand up boards, and he was kind enough to write up his thoughts on the matter.

Here’s David, in his own words:

Over the last few days I’ve spent a lot of time on the 10’6″ Naish Stand Up board. My first couple sessions were in glassy wakeboarding weather, and I had a blast. I was surprised at how well the board paddled on a straight line. The glide was impressive for being such a small board, due in part to its narrower width and long rail line. The board literally turns on a dime when you step back on the tail.

The 10’6″ is definitely more tippy than the Naish 11’6″, but it continues to feel more comfortable after each session. The three-piece Naish traction pad helps stabilize the board, and the ramps on the side of the pad help your feet learn the correct placement.

My next session was in windier conditions, 10-15 mph, and I had a fun time paddling in the wind chop. The board felt very efficient and was powerful when paddling upwind. Even in the breeze it offered a stable paddling platform, though it is certainly not as stable as some of the wider boards out there. Riding downwind was amazingly fun and fast on the swell.

Windsurfing

Later that afternoon I put up my 4.7 sail in gusty 10-30 mph conditions, and had the best “sailing on an SUP” session of my life! The board was easy going upwind with a very tight line into the wind. I wasn’t planing, but chugging along nicely.

I made it up to the White Salmon Bridge from the Event Site on a single reach, got onto a nice plane, and made my first turn in clean rolling swell with very little wind. The board rolled through the turn effortlessly and did an awesome job maintaining its speed through the whole turn, despite being in a big wind hole on the Washington side.

I ended up playing in the swell for a couple hours, having a really fun time getting truly dialed in. When I sailed back downwind to the Event Site, I was blessed with a pretty good-sized gust, 25+ mph, which got the board going screaming fast! It was fast, fun, and still controllable riding strapless.

The Bottom Line

The Naish 10’6″ Stand Up is definitely near the top of my list for fun boards in the Gorge, and I am really excited to head out to the Oregon Coast and try it in the surf!

Related Posts:
Read Dane’s review of the Naish 11’6″ Stand Up

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.

Rider: Daryl
Gender: Female
Height: 5’2″
Weight: 120 lbs
Skill Level: Expert windsurfer, intermediate paddler

Rider: Andy
Gender: Male
Weight: 85 lbs
Age: 12
Skill Level: Intermediate windsurfer (working on his jibes), beginner paddler

Daryl is one of our most knowledgeable experts here at Big Winds, having been windsurfing for over twenty years. Lately she’s been doing a lot of stand up paddling, and has amassed quite a range of experience with the gear we carry. The two of us had a chance to chat, and these are her thoughts on the stand up gear she’s tested so far.

The Aquaglide Amundson: Durable and User-Friendly

Daryl was so stoked on the Aquaglide Amundson that she went ahead and purchased two, both of them the 11’3″ Duratec soft deck model, to use between herself, her sons, and her (and their) friends. She describes it as a super easy-to-use board that glides and tracks well, and is very stable and extremely durable.

The Amundson is great for kids and adults alike, and it’s a great board for her 12-year-old son Andy, who finds it very easy to paddle. Daryl is particularly fond of the rails of the board, which are wrapped in the same EVA material as the soft deck of the board. The wrapped rails help protect paddles, but they also protect the board when her sons use their paddles as weapons and try to attack each other.

Smaller Guys or Bigger Dudes: The Naish Stand Up Boards

Daryl also tested the shorter 10’6″ Naish Stand Up board, which she says would make good board for lightweight riders. It’s shorter and narrower than the Naish 11’6″ board and as result is easy to turn, but is also more tippy. At 85 lbs, Andy loves the 10’6″ and he does all sorts freestyle tricks on it. Daryl says the 10’6″ would be a fun board for surf, but with larger riders in flatwater conditions you’d probably want to go with a larger board.

The 11’6″ Naish Stand Up board is very nice, but Daryl found it to be more board than she needed. It tracks well in flat water and has some serious thickness that keeps you up and out of the water, and average-sized guys will likely be stoked with it.

Even with the board’s large size, Andy had no problem staying with the group when paddling on the Naish 11’6″, though he found that it was not as fun and maneuverable as he likes. He was able to hold a line and speed right along, but pivot turns and maneuvers just weren’t going to happen. That’s a lot of volume for a 12-year-old to try and throw around!

Paddles: Aluminum or Carbon?

The Naish Stand Up Paddle features an aluminum shaft and handle and a plastic blade, and it is one of the most durable paddles in our lineup. Daryl got the Naish paddle for her boys to share, and it’s held up incredibly well to their abuse. That said, the Naish is quite heavy when compared to the more expensive carbon paddles, and after Andy took a session using his mom’s paddle he told her, “Mom, I need to save up so I can get a carbon.”

Daryl bought a Werner Spanker carbon paddle for herself, and she absolutely loves it. She says it’s incredibly lightweight and comfortable, and with the ergonomically curved handle it’s easy to keep a solid grip and maintain a strong stroke. The Werner is significantly lighter than an aluminum paddle, and thus requires far less paddling effort from the rider.

Carbon paddles aren’t as durable as aluminum paddles, however, and Daryl will only let her most trusted friends and family members try her Werner. The boys have to sign a waiver promising never to use the Werner in an attack.

Related Posts:
Read David’s Review of the Aquaglide Amundson 11’3″
Read Dane’s Review of the Naish 11’6″

Tons of people braved warm weather and blazing sunshine to join us last Saturday for our Naish Stand Up Paddling Demo, and we want to extend a hearty thank you to everyone who showed up! We also want to shout out a huge thanks to the guys at Naish for putting together this fun-filled afternoon, offering up their boards and paddles, and for keeping things running smoothly all day. We took tons of pictures, and it looks like everyone had a great time!

If you missed this event, don’t worry! Once Memorial Day rolls around we’ll be running stand up demos over the entire summer, with tons of rental gear available at a modest price. Feel free to call us if you need any details, and we hope to see you in Hood River this summer!

It’s no secret that baggage handlers can be rather unforgiving when it comes to the proper care and feeding of your precious windsurf board. International travel can be an especially trying endeavor, and it’s wise to do everything in your power to give your gear the upper hand in any mistreatment scenario. Sailing a remote location on your own personal gear is an incredible experience that will make all your hard work and preparation worthwhile!

To that end, one of our customers just returned to Denver after a week-long trip to the Mexican Riviera. He devised a particularly clever packing scheme that left both his windsurf board and his board bag virtually unscathed at the conclusion of his journey! Here is his experience, in his own words:

Hello Big Winds!

We just returned from our trip to the Mexican Riveria, where I was able to sail five consecutive days during our seven-day vacation. I wanted to share these pictures of my new Dakine sailboard bag along with the additional 1/2 inch padding that I added from Tharco. These pictures were taken upon our return to Denver. It looks like it was hand carried through baggage handling at Frontier Airlines – not a mark or scuff! Amazing!

I purchased the 4×8 sheet of 1/2 inch foam from Tharco, laid the sailboard onto the sheet and cut the shape with a serrated knife, for insertion into the padded bag. I then doubled the 1/2 inch foam layers with my hot glue gun for added protection on the rails. It worked so well, you can throw the board bag around without causing any damage to the board!

I thought it might be cool for you to point people to Tharco as a source for the additional padding. Their 4×8 sheets of 1/2 inch foam are the way to go.

Even wrapping my Fiberspar boom in cardboard worked nicely. I walked through the airports with this hanging on my shoulder strap… WIDE load, coming through!

Thanks for all your help and a great board bag!

Jordan

Thanks, Jordan!

Yikes, that’s a lot of options! How does one even begin to go about finding the right board? At Big Winds we love chatting with our customers, either in our store or on the phone or via email, and getting a really good feel for what sort of gear they really need. In addition to our own personal experience with the gear, our expert staff make their recommendations based on all sorts of variables like rider height and weight, skill level, favorite conditions and preferred riding style.

To help you with your purchasing decision, we’ve put together a handy series of comparison charts that will let you quickly browse and sort through products that share similar traits. Whether you’re looking for a 90 liter board, a 5.2 meter sail or a 400 cm mast, these new tools will make it far easier for you to zero in on your options.

Check it out! On our usual category page, we now have a sidebar that offers some common product comparisons:

If you click on an option it takes you to a list of all the products that match those criteria. In this case, we see all windsurf boards between 90 and 100 liters, sorted by volume:

Here’s the gravy, though. If you click on any of the column headings, it will instantly resort the list based on the items in that column. If you want to reverse the order that a column is sorted by, simply click on the column heading again. In this case, we’ve resorted the list based on price, descending:

Cool, eh? Our comparison tool is currently available on the following products:

• Windsurf Boards by Volume
• Windsurf Sails by Size
• Masts by Length and by Carbon Content
• Kites by Size
• Kiteboards by Length
• Stand Up Boards by Length

We hope you like it!

Board Tested: 2008 Aquaglide Amundson 11’3″ Stand Up
Paddle Used: 80″ Werner Spanker
Dates: Winter/Spring 2008
Location: Baja California Sur, Sea of Cortez
Conditions: Surf, small wind chop, and lightwind windsurfing

Rider: David
Gender: Male
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 170 lbs
Skill Level: Expert stand up paddler, expert windsurfer, expert kiteboarder

In small on-shore wind chop, the Aquaglide Amundson 11’3″ is a very stable stand up paddle board. It is easy to paddle into the wind thanks to its fairly straight center rockerline. When you’re moving around on the board it feels less floaty than the Mistral Pacifico, but it pivot turns with less effort. Riding wind chop is incredibly fun because the Amundson has so much planing surface, and with the straight, efficient rockerline it gets gliding quickly and maintains speed well.

In small surf, the Amundson takes off on a wave immediately. With its straight rockerline you definitely need to step back a couple steps to keep the nose from pearling, especially on days with bigger surf. The board rides very fast and stable on the wave, and you can milk even the smallest waves all the way into the beach. It is so stable while surfing waves that it is perfect for walking around while riding, and even going for headstands! With its ASA bottom, full-wrap EVA deck and paddle guard, this board is completely bomb proof.

Windsurfing on the Amundson 11’3″ is also a blast. It feels very stable, yet turns incredibly well on swell. It pinches upwind with ease, especially if you put one foot up in front of the mast track. Trimmed like this the board is quite slow, but you can go almost directly into the wind! Riding downwind is also effortless and fun.

For an all-around board, the Aquaglide Amundson 11’3″ Stand Up is an awesome choice for riders of all levels up to 195 lbs, or for heavier riders who have a bit more experience.

Join us on Saturday April 26th, 2008 to try out the entire stand up paddling lineup from Naish. Naish and Big Winds will be running free demos all afternoon from 1:00 to 4:00, sending people out on the Mighty Columbia River to try out some of this awesome gear.

The river is frigid this time of year, so we recommend you bring a thick wetsuit and some coldwater booties. We will have some free rental wetsuits available on a first-come, first-served basis.

This event takes place at The Event Site right here in Hood River, Oregon. It runs all afternoon, Saturday April 26th, and did we mention it’s free?

We hope to see you there! Any questions? Need directions? Give us a call at 1-888-509-4210.

Visit this event at Upcoming »

Rider: Dane
Gender: Male
Height: 5’5″”
Weight: 135 lbs
Skill Level: Beginner paddler, Advanced kiteboarder

Along with the Naish SUP 11’6″ that I reviewed, yesterday I also had a chance to paddle the 2008 Mistral Pacifico Wave. This was my first stand up paddling session, and while the 11’1″ Pacifico Wave is fairly short for a stand up board, it has plenty of width (29 inches, in fact) for a ton of stability. I’m a small guy and I immediately fell in love with this board! Thanks to its short length and incredible light weight, the Pacifico Wave hardly takes any effort to get up and going, and it has an amazing glide to it.

The 3/4 length EVA pad is comfy, and the entire board is done up in a beautiful wood grain pattern, making it one of the most attractive boards on the market. If your a smaller guy or gal and you want a great board for all conditions, or if you’re a larger guy looking for a high-end board for the surf that will also work well for your spouse, the Pacifico Wave might be the ticket. The board definitely has some high-performance characteristics to it, but since I’ve only just begun paddling I’ll leave those thoughts to our expert reviewers!

Rider: Dane
Gender: Male
Height: 5’5″”
Weight: 135 lbs
Skill Level: Beginner paddler, Advanced kiteboarder

Yesterday evening I had a chance to get out on the 2008 Naish Stand Up 11’6″ EVA board, and having never done stand up paddling before I didn’t really know what to expect. What a fun time! The water was completely flat and there was nary a breath of wind, so we launched from The Event Site and paddled up and around Wells Island. With kiteboarding out of the question on such a calm and warm spring evening, it was great nevertheless to get on the water, no matter the sport.

The Naish 11’6″ is a large board that is incredible stable, thanks to its wide 30″ of width. This was my first time stand up paddling, but I had no problem just hopping on this board and taking off. The board tracks really well, and with my background in canoeing I initially tried to keep a straight line with a series of J-strokes. I soon figured out that while J-strokes work well they can be a bit fatiguing in stand up, and a far more efficient way to track is to use your weight and bury the rail of the board. Shifting your weight to the side that you’re paddling on is a guaranteed way to flip a canoe, but the Naish hardly flinches!

As it is a large board, the Naish 11’6″ takes some effort to get moving, but once it’s going it carries a lot of momentum and feels nigh unstoppable. Despite its size it has a very narrow tail, which makes it easy to handle and surprisingly maneuverable.

Since my first review, I have taken out the Mistral Pacifico stand up boarding in flat water. It performs incredibly well in glassy snorkeling weather conditions. The board is very “tracky” and efficient in a straight line, while still feeling very maneuverable as soon as you step your back foot back. I have taken the Pacifico up the White Salmon River, and up the Hood River. It is a fun challenge pivot-turning it in current.

In addition, I have had some first timers on the Pacifico, and they have been super stoked with the stability of the board, how easy it is to move around on the board, and how easy and fun stand up paddling is.

Also, this past week I took it out windsurfing in some pretty windy conditions and had a blast! The Pacifico planes immediately when powered. Waterstarting is a trip because the tail does not sink at all… you climb on up, and hang on because the board is already on a plane!

I have been sailing with the stock fin and only the back foot strap in place (I don’t have the front straps installed because they interfere with stand up surfing) and it feels free on the board when windsurfing that way. The board is insanely fast feeling, points very high into the wind, and rides smooth through very large chop, charging over the top of most of the bumps while staying in complete control. Blasting downwind is fast, and carving jibes are super fun because the momentum carried through the turn is huge.

Swell riding, and jibing on the swell is tight as expected. Remember to step back! The extra-large volume (207L) is nice when you sail into a hole. I think for an on-off 4.0 day at the Hatchery the Pacifico could be the ticket! You don’t need to size down to compensate for the large volume and planing surface.

I was sailing comfortably in 8-28 mph winds on a 4.7 sail. On another day, one of our customers (175 lbs) was sailing his Pacifico and planing consistently with a 6.5 sail in 10-15 mph winds.