Rider: 70kg, Advanced
Style: Surf
Weather: 13-23 knots
Build Quality: 10/10
Satisfaction: 9/10
Disclosure: Team Rider - AKS, Ozone
My Comments:
2012 North Nugget
This board is really fun 
To look at it, in a picture or even in the shop, you would think that it was one of those weird concept boards with limited potential for everyday use. Riding it strapless is a whole different story. It is great fun in the waves and even flat water but for light wind and small waves it would have to be one of the most fun options available. It managed to keep me upwind comfortably in 13knots using a 10m Ozone Reo.
Despite the wide tail it handles a fully committed bottom turn and pivots super tight in the pocket of a wave. The quad can be pushed hard to break traction sending the board into a nice controlled slide or spin and it likes a bit of air off the lip of a wave. Even as the wind picked up it continued to perform well in the waves and chop. Lighter weight riders will need to keep their back foot right on the tail of the board for more responsive turns.
The latest North boards are really light and strong. I've got a North Whip which has been ridden hard but still looks like new with no sign of any rail or heel dents.
I gave the North Nugget to a mate to try during a down wind run today and he was also stoked. He had a big grin and used the 'surf like Kelly Slater' line to describe the freedom it allowed in the light, mushy conditions.
It's worth a look if you live in a region that tends to have lighter winds, or as second board to extend the season/options in WA. In Perth, there's a demo board available at AKS in Scarborough - thanks for the demo!
I demo'd one but unfortunately didn't get to use it with a kite.
I went for a paddle on it though. The surf at Wedge was smaller than expected so I took the nugget out. At 70kg it had enough volume to use as a small wave board, but probably not enough for bigger guys.
This thing is a wave hog - due to the wide tail and flat rocker it paddles onto anything. It is fast and loose as. Gotta surf it real flat, it doesn't like going on a rail (but given the shape this is expected).
I had fun where the guys on standard HP shortboards were struggling a bit. I actually surfed it for about 2.5 hours and didn't even get my other board out.
A similar board is the Firewire Sweet Potato which I would like to try for comparison.
Hi,
Can those who have actually ridden the Nugget please confirm its actual manoeuvrability - the little I have read online seems a bit contradictory, some say it turns fantastically but others say that due to its tail width it doesn't turn very tightly. It sounds like it would be just the ticket for lighter mushy days here in Auckland to complement my WAM, but there aren't any Nuggets over here (certainly none to demo).
I have tried other kite surfboards around 21inches wide and they felt like boats !! My concerns re the Nugget are to do with its width and also the volume they are packing in , potentially making it feel a bit corky and feel boat-like - however the Firewire Sweet Potato boards all seem pretty wide and the surfers seem to love them. Having just gotten rid of a wide fish style kite board due to its sluggishness and reluctance to turn tightly enough for me I don't want to repeat the experience. Would really like something you can ride rail to rail in lighter winds if possible (10-15kts), and carve quite hard, not so interested in a skatey feel. The east coast summer waves often lack a bit of power here so you have to work the board quite hard sometimes.
There is very little in the way of info on the Net about what this board is actually like to ride, almost no footage of it in use, no magazine reviews yet either. Quite a lot of guys I have spoken to here reckon nothing wider than 18-19inches will turn well, which directly contradicts the review above. Does it turn tightly or does the tail width force it into a wider radius turn and you can't overcome due to this design limitation?
Thanks for any assistance you can give - it is very possible that I may get one brought in without being able to try it first , hence trying to get my facts straight by getting info from people who have ridden it. Also , would be good to know if there was anything they didn't like about it or could be improved perhaps?
Cheers
Mike
