Hi, decided to get a 14' Glide as a second board for ocean race and DW. Have an 11'6" Nalu which doesn't seem to keep up with the pointy boards. As a 6', 100kg novice I've tried a few X29's but don't know of anyone with an X30 to compare with. For the same price I'm thinking more is better? The difference between the two is only 0.8kg weight and 34 litres volume but how does that translate to performance? Any advice would be appreciated...
Select to expand quoteHusat said..
Hi, decided to get a 14' Glide as a second board for ocean race and DW. Have an 11'6" Nalu which doesn't seem to keep up with the pointy boards. As a 6', 100kg novice I've tried a few X29's but don't know of anyone with an X30 to compare with. For the same price I'm thinking more is better? The difference between the two is only 0.8kg weight and 34 litres volume but how does that translate to performance? Any advice would be appreciated...
Go the 29 .....gives you a bit of progression.....especially if you are getting a decent amount of watertime.
Good choice the glide. What ever width you go you couldn't ask for a better board to learn to down wind on.
I reckon if we ever get a 40knot wild day in the bay ill be doing anything to borrow a 29 wide glide from someone to use.
Wouldn't even have to paddle just stand back and control the thing down the bumps 
Select to expand quoteAndyR said..
Good choice the glide. What ever width you go you couldn't ask for a better board to learn to down wind on.
I reckon if we ever get a 40knot wild day in the bay ill be doing anything to borrow a 29 wide glide from someone to use.
Wouldn't even have to paddle just stand back and control the thing down the bumps
Like this.. 
Yep just like that!
Standing a solid foot back from the handle and in surf stance whole time with a single paddle stroke and away you go haha it sure looked windy that day DJ!
What are the new Glides like for coastal touring and light DW? The nose is quite different to the old ones. They appear to be quite heavy ....surely not 16 kg for a GTW... sure the website said that.
The Glide 14 X 29" works excellent for coastal touring and light or heavier DW conditions. Still plenty of rocker for when it gets rough and the design really works well in quartering swell and choppy conditions. I have taken mine on overnight expeditions and all day touring trips. The biggest downside to these boards is definitely the weight. The GTW version is still well over 30 pounds, but looks great.
I had the chance to ride the 30 on the weekend for the first time. I've had a 29 for a couple of years now. I preferred the 29 a LOT more than the 30. The 30's very stable - but not much more than the 29 - but it felt like a lot more work to get up to speed. And i found the dished deck a tad weird as i couldn't get my feet as wide as i can on the 29, stability being the key reason for this… I'm 110kg and a bit taller than you as well...So, 30's a lovely board, but for doing anything with a bit of speed involved i'd be buying the 29.
Select to expand quotekikaha said..
The 30 is a barge. Unless your huge go the 29.
I've just ordered a GTW 30, due sometime next week. I like the 29 a lot but I'm a tall, heavy (read: fat) man with old injuries to knees and hips and compromised balance - stability wins over grace for me. I don't mind that it'll be heavy, all my other boards weigh around 16kg apiece. I have paddled the 30" GS, liked it but it felt like it was made out of ferro cement (if Naish had made that 30" board in GX I would probably have bought one a year ago).
Select to expand quoteDavidJohn said..
I agree.. Go with the 29.. Great board..
Hi DJ. Just curious from someone who has never been on a downwind board. I noticed the nose bury itself a few times. Do you think it was more to do with lack of nose lift or feet position or perhaps something else.?
cheers
Select to expand quoteHumanCartoon said..kikaha said..
The 30 is a barge. Unless your huge go the 29.
I've just ordered a GTW 30, due sometime next week. I like the 29 a lot but I'm a tall, heavy (read: fat) man with old injuries to knees and hips and compromised balance - stability wins over grace for me. I don't mind that it'll be heavy, all my other boards weigh around 16kg apiece. I have paddled the 30" GS, liked it but it felt like it was made out of ferro cement (if Naish had made that 30" board in GX I would probably have bought one a year ago).
Good for you mate, I love the look of the GTW boards and the over 1kg weight saving is another great reason to get one.
Its not just a matter of 29" versus 30" after you paddle both you realise they are completely different shapes, and behave completely differently too. Both Glides by name but different by nature.
Ive got the GX 28 14 it's a beauty ..tippy at times when really rough ..and you have to be alert when riding it in those conditions
i could defiantly .go a bigger board for coastal cruz ing..the new 14' x 30 and a fat 8 3/16 it's 15.6 kgs ..not bad for 314 litres.
it defiantly is a big guys liner ..but it would smash through everything one would hope ..Im eyeing one up ..this year.
it would be great to have one big sucker .
going back to the question ..
The 29 is a safe bet .good shape, nice rocker,good literage .
Love the wood this year ...
Select to expand quotebownes said..DavidJohn said..
I agree.. Go with the 29.. Great board..
Hi DJ. Just curious from someone who has never been on a downwind board. I noticed the nose bury itself a few times. Do you think it was more to do with lack of nose lift or feet position or perhaps something else.?
cheers
Good question.. You will soon find out if you start DWing that pearling is a big part of it no matter how good you are.. and how a board behaves with poking it's nose under is a good way of judging how good a DW board it is.. IMO.. Also.. The old rockers nose DW boards didn't poke their nose under that often but they're a bit slow.. These new 'hybrid' flat ware/race/downwind boards do it more and they require quick footwork to raise and lower the nose height.. Just skimming the surface with the nose is ideal.. Sometimes I think she'll be right and I dont move.. and it's not and it goes under.. It's just a matter of getting used to the board and those vids were early days on that board.. The nose going slightly under on the Naish Glide is amazing.. There's very little splash and very little slowing.. Dig it too deep and it's a different story.. Some boards don't like their noses going under at all and they either boof.. splash water and pop up.. or go under and the board just stops.. It's good fun trying to master it..
Agree with DJ the Glides nose thru like a submarine sometimes but you dont lose speed and when you do get back it will correct itself.
Horses for courses, I dont enjoy boards with boofy high volume noses and I cant quite figure why.
Select to expand quotekikaha said..
Agree with DJ the Glides nose thru like a submarine sometimes but you dont lose speed and when you do get back it will correct itself.
Horses for courses, I dont enjoy boards with boofy high volume noses and I cant quite figure why.
Are we talking about the new bigger volume nose like on the 2016... or the earlier versions?
Select to expand quoteSlab said..kikaha said..
Agree with DJ the Glides nose thru like a submarine sometimes but you dont lose speed and when you do get back it will correct itself.
Horses for courses, I dont enjoy boards with boofy high volume noses and I cant quite figure why.
Are we talking about the new bigger volume nose like on the 2016... or the earlier versions?
No.. like some other brands..
Select to expand quote
Good for you mate, I love the look of the GTW boards and the over 1kg weight saving is another great reason to get one.
Its not just a matter of 29" versus 30" after you paddle both you realise they are completely different shapes, and behave completely differently too. Both Glides by name but different by nature.
Good for you mate, I love the look of the GTW boards and the over 1kg weight saving is another great reason to get one.
GTWs being what's coming in the next container is another good reason to get one.
Its not just a matter of 29" versus 30" after you paddle both you realise they are completely different shapes and behave completely differently too. Both Glides by name but different by nature.
They are very different boards under foot for sure. For my taste I liked how planted the 30 felt in our local slop. Horses for courses - the 30 is definitely for your big units, a tad bit north of 100kegs I'd lean towards the 29, for punters substantially north of that mark, look seriously at the 30.
Has anyone got a recent vid of a DW trip on a Glide 29 with the new style nose? Unless I am mistaken all the previous vids are of the board before the newer nose was being produced...or am I wrong? This kind of nose
Interesting.. That 3D view looks like my 12' Glide.. I thought there was no change with the 14x29..
Just rotated that 3D view of the 14x29 so you can see the writing near the tail.. and zoomed in.. It says 12'6''
I'll try and find out tomorrow.. but pretty sure the 12'6 and 14 Glides haven't changed..
Took delivery of my 14 x 30" GTW today. Haven't had it on the water yet (maybe later today...).
I was pleasantly surprised when I hefted it up in the shop so out of curiosity when I got it home I weighed it. Dry with the stock fin in it comes in around 15.2-15.3 kg (or close enough to with the fishing scale I used, prob good for a couple of hundred grams either way, I'm OK with that). And the handle is in just the right spot. I recall the GS feeling a lot heavier in the hand but maybe hadn't had as much of the wheaties that morning, who knows.
That's 33.5 lbs for our US cousins. Actually not bad considering it's a VERY big board for a 14. Big guys need big boards.
The Starboard K15 used to be over 40lbs I think.
Thanks for all the advice, much appreciated, you won me with the 14' X29 Glide. I was at a competition today admiring an X29 that a bloke had just raced 14km on. Told him I wanted a board just like his, so he sold it to me!
Select to expand quoteHusat said..
Thanks for all the advice, much appreciated, you won me with the 14' X29 Glide. I was at a competition today admiring an X29 that a bloke had just raced 14km on. Told him I wanted a board just like his, so he sold it to me!
Win! 
I really like the shape of the 29 Glide....it is a proven shape too but even the GTW is too much weight for me to want to lug it around. I'm going to look for lighter options. My 14 ft downwinder is about 13.5 kg maybe a tad more....I want to see what the new Sunova Faast Ocean looks like when it comes out.
They seem to be a lot heavier getting them off the water than getting them on it... but their toughness and price compensate. There are aids available for old blokes like me to manage the weight - a partner, trolley wheels, roof rack extensions to lever them on top of the car. That's how I talked myself into it anyway...
Select to expand quoteHusat said..
They seem to be a lot heavier getting them off the water than getting them on it... but their toughness and price compensate. There are aids available for old blokes like me to manage the weight - a partner, trolley wheels, roof rack extensions to lever them on top of the car. That's how I talked myself into it anyway...
Yup, it is only after being out and having to walk up a steep hill that I detest even having a 13.5 kg board! It sometimes destroys me
i had a Nalu GTW and loved that board.....well made IMHO. I think I would still be tempted with a new Allstar over the Glide but to be honest either would do just great.
Select to expand quoteHusat said..
They seem to be a lot heavier getting them off the water than getting them on it...
I'd say that's true of every board I've ever owned.
