I've been riding this board for a week now as well as over in the BOP and these are my thoughts on it.

First thing you notice is it is a dug out board to lower the center of gravity and make the board a bit more stable. I myself have never been a fan of doing this to boards as it makes them look more like canoes than surf board but looks aside this board gets along pretty good, it seem to carry pretty good speed and is about as quick as most 12'6 boards out there. It does not like to be behind in the wash and is very hard to push out from behind someone but once in clean water it is quite quick!!
Stability is OK, not great, it does roll from side to side a bit but in saying that it is very hard to fall of this board.
Surfing on a wave is about average for 12'6 boards and what i think makes it harder than it needs to be is that you have to step out of the dug out bit which feels a bit weird.

Overall not a bad board and in the right conditions could win some races with a good engine on it. The weight of the board is good and the handle is great and if you are looking for a 12'6 or BOP board then this one is worth a Demo as it will appeal to most but not all!!!

Jacko

Yes i am spono'ed of Naish!!!!

kissa said...

Thanks for the review Jacko. I get the impression that you are happy but not overjoyed with it. Would that be right? Stepping out of the dug out must make it hard to surf on. Is this really possible for your average surfer? Were many other competitors using the Catalina in the BOP? Thanks again.

You are right, do i think this board could be improved, yes i do, does it work the way it is! yes. As far as 12'6 boards go it about on the pace.

It surfs alright and is pretty easy to step out of the hollow, just make sure you wax it up or you will slip of the back!!!. If it was a flat water 12'6 race this would be a very good board to be on but if it was choppy then it might struggle a bit!!!

Would i buy one? Yes it does enough to be up there with 12'6 race boards and where some others might struggle this one will probably be good!!!

There were 10x 12'6 Naish boards in the BOP and they all performed really well.

Jacko

Yep. Agree Dan. TC was going really well - but i think he would go well on anything. The next day I grabbed the same board for another DW'er and struggled a bit. Last night, did a DWer with Sam and we shared the Fanatic and Naish 12'6ers. We both expected the Naish to go better. But, by the end, it was clear that the extra stability of the Fanatic and the ability to easily shift your weight around the board made it a whole lot more fun in big conditions (for someone of my size and intermediate ability). In the end, it seems like you just need to have a big quiver to cover all conditions. Hopefully see ya Sunday at Nth Avalon. Dave

The Hammer said...

How does the 12'6 compair with the 12 glide and the 14 javelin in flat water and in thoppy water????

Would love to know how must of an allrounder "glide" it is.

The 12'6 Cat is closer to the Javelin more than the 12ft glide it is good in the chop but you do have to get use to the water coming in to the dug out part it is more stable than the Javelin but still has a little tip to it. All in all it's a pretty good board and if someone buys one they will be pretty happy with how it goes.

Jacko

I Paddled Lummer's 12'6 Catalina. Very nice board. I thought I would never get one, but after 1 ride, I started to questions myself! A BOP specialty though.

It has a nice piercing nose, slices out through the waves really nicely. Catches little waves very easily. Feels fast, and surfs pretty easy. If I was shaping it, I would have built a less steep ramp out the back of the cockpit. But, with the steeper ramp when you jamb your foot into position you instantly and definitively know how far back your 'back foot' is.

If anyone has a 12'0 Glide that they no longer, I'll consider taking it off your hands !!
But yeah, the 12'0 seems a bit obsolete! However, I think it would make a nice fun small wave board. I'm yet to paddle one actually!

Here's a pic that either Kristi or Phill took. 100m+ rides on micro waves. Lettin' the little beer gut hang a little loose !


This shot technically belongs to Phill & SeaMeSurf ! Notice the brilliant blues in the sky. His equipment is SWEEEEET!!!
(PS - water temp was about 15 or 16, boardies and a 0.5mm hot skin vest. That's all you need when the sun is out.)