I got hold of a mates recently purchased 9.5 mana GS .just to compare the difference to my piping hot 9.6 GT Hokua .
the rocker is alot flatter and the nose is quite a bit chunkier too.I guess the 9.5 will be better paddling around on the flat than mine ,but when it comes to step drops the Hokua will have the edge.I was tossing up between the two at one stage ,but I think I made the right choice ....for the step wave I ride .heres a couple of photos .to compare .if anyone is interested .I still think the 9.5 would still be a good board .
Hey Tardy, how is the hokua for glide and getting on early to the wave? Being X32 should be plenty stable waiting around?
Now if I could just find a good second hand one for sale.
Hi Bobajob ....I can only say how the 9.6 is...
As you know and see its got plenty rocker...so probably not as good as the mana ..as far as planing goes ..but ..it catches waves great having the 170 litre s,and once on the wave ..yeeha .. cut loose..
waiting around for the wave the x32 is great .you can really milk the small waves ..rip it till its just a ripple ..it just keeps moving ..
.If you can find one ..grab it ..(2 nd)
our friend DJ has just purchased one.. 
Looking forward in seeing what he says about his.
i still like it as a thruster ..
Select to expand quoteTardy said..
Hi Bobajob ....I can only say how the 9.6 is...
As you know and see its got plenty rocker...so probably not as good as the mana ..as far as planing goes ..but ..it catches waves great having the 170 litre s,and once on the wave ..yeeha .. cut loose..
waiting around for the wave the x32 is great .you can really milk the small waves ..rip it till its just a ripple ..it just keeps moving ..
.If you can find one ..grab it ..(2 nd)
our friend DJ has just purchased one.. Looking forward in seeing what he says about his.
i still like it as a thruster ..
How do you find the construction of these, just that I've been reading that some Naish boards are a bit, ah, well could be better.
DJ, he never posts here, might be waiting awhile for that review...
I've surfed my new 9'6" x32" Hokua the last couple of days.. and it's a very.. very different board to my 9'5" x32" Mana.. 
Hope that's a good thing DJ.
it is very fin sensitive ..4 fins ...a totally different board ..more drawn out turning ..I like it as a thruster..snappy turns ,I shift the rear fin back and forth due to wave size.
construction ..well I reckon the construction is very strong ..I ended up on a rock ..I never saw this big boulder ..the wave sucked out and I was high and dry ..still standing on it ..it was semi dark ..late surf ..it scratched it up a bit. .but no cracks ..so that's tuff in my book.(another sticker)
the deck on mine has sunk alittle where I stand ..I have smashed it into door way ,roof racks ..not a mark .
this is my third GT.i like em.especially the lightness ..10.9 kgs.for a 170 litre board ain't bad.
Select to expand quotebobajob said..
Do go on......
They are very different boards.. and both are awesome.. 
My 9'5" x32 Mana (about 162 ltrs) is still my go to board.. and I loved my old 9'1" x32" Hokua (150 ltrs) but struggled with stability in anything but calm conditions... I'm 6'4".. almost 100kgs.. and old and wobbly.. So I recently sold it and bought the new 9'6" x32 Hokua (170 ltrs) and I have found a noticeable increase in stability over the 9'1".. I think the 9'5" Mana is still slightly more stable and the Mana has slightly better glide allowing you to catch waves early and milk them a little longer but I love the added nose rocker of the Hokua.. I think at my surfing level the Mana is the better board for me.. but for someone who is a better surfer I'm sure they'd be choosing the Hokua.. It may also depend on the waves you surf with the Mana being more suited to flat rolling waves and point breaks and the Hokua being more suited to the more sucky waves and beach breaks..
I'll try and get some vid of my new Hokua soon..
