hey hawaii.
Naish have moved away from marketing the Haze as the "budget model". The three basic models in the line all have the same construction but progress in stiffness and pop through the range from Haze (relatively soft, good for cruising through chop and carving turns) through the sol(medium flex and pop) to the Thorn (stiffest but most lively pop). Then there is always the Thorn Full Carbon, both the deck and base have a full carbon layer upping both stiffness and pop again.
the only other major differences come from the outlines, the Haze basically has a rounded square outline giving a good locked in trim without too many edges to catch. by rounding off the tips of the sol they have given it what they term "infinite ride" allowing it to be ridden at any trim which makes this a very versatile board. The Thorn finally has the most aggressive outline locking it into trim and track.
as you said above its a matter of what works for you and where your at. I ride the Haze XL 135 and love its mellow flex and cruisey platform. But try a few and work out what feels best for you.
a

I say go Cardboard,
Choose your style and size
Get the graphics you like
Excellent Made boards
Good price

I'm a big fan of Naish boards (love the Thorn), but can't stand their pads and straps. None of the stores will sell them bare, so i'm forced to go for another brand instead.

Come on Naish... the pads & straps are the weakest link; fix it!

schmik said...

I am more interested in the maths of it all.... how do you get 5 seasons out of 2005 board. If it is 2010 already can someone let me know. ;)

mike

Exactly what I was wondering mate

D

05 gear probably came out in 04???

04 05 06 07 08 start of 5th season, only guessing.

I bought a 2009 naish thorn a month or so ago, and I'm rapped with it. There is two choices with the 09 thorns and the one I got was the option with more flex. The pads are a new design, and hold my feet very well. It's quite a flat board, and drives up wind easily. Definately keep this one in your scope when looking for a new board.

Nah... doesn't count. WTF is a kitesurf season anyway. Sometimes it's warm (summer) and sometimes it's cold (winter). Kitesurf season is surely just some other marketing bullsh1t to sell more gear.

To keep it on topic. I demo'ed the cabrinha calibur a little while back and it was very nice. Still baught an underground! the UG has a better performance in the chop. Greate straps on the cab boards though and the UG could be a tad lighter.

mike