Hello SUP people. I am probably going to buy a Naish Hokua X32 and am deciding between the 9'1" or the 9'6".
I have a Naish Mana 9'5 which is fun and stable and catches small to medium waves. But it takes a bit of strength to turn and when the waves get steep it tends to catch an edge due to the wide nose. I have another SUP which is 9ft and 29 inches; fun when on a wave but unstable and a bit annoying while waiting for waves in choppy water. So, thinking I will buy a Naish Hokua which should be great; stable like the Mana but turns like the skinny SUP.
I weigh about 70kg, 54 years of age, passionate about SUP surf, strong balance, high quality paddling ability due to being a long time canoeist/kayaker: but I only go out when the waves are small and up to shoulder high because I just want fun and know I will never be a gun!
So, I would like to read any opinions from any people who have paddled the two different lengths of the Naish Hokua X32 and who recommend the longer or shorter.
Cheers!
At your weight I'd be thinking the 8'8" might be the best choice.. I have a 9'5" Mana and a 9'1"x32 Hokua.. (I'm 95kgs).. You will find the Hokua loves steep waves.. 
Ditto DJ's suggestion. I'm 84kg & have got an 8'8" hokua. Was going to get a 9'1" but would have had to wait months for it. So glad I got the 8'8" & I have a ball on the small waves of east gippy.
And its got heaps of rocker so can handle the steeper take-offs & the 32 inches gives you stability during the long lulls (that can last up to 6 weeks ) & the confused swells.
I think you should be looking even down to the 8'3 x 32 !!! , Im 74 kgs and it was VERY stable in even crazy chop .... if your supping smaller waves the 8'3 will turn and fit into them much better .... if you oversize X32 model , it will destroy the concept a bit , theyre designed to be ridden shorter , and compensate stability with the width ... so my vote is 8'3 or 8'8 .... especially if you have good paddling technique and fitness ....
Select to expand quoteseabreezer said..
I think you should be looking even down to the 8'3 x 32 !!! , Im 74 kgs and it was VERY stable in even crazy chop .... if your supping smaller waves the 8'3 will turn and fit into them much better .... if you oversize X32 model , it will destroy the concept a bit , theyre designed to be ridden shorter , and compensate stability with the width ... so my vote is 8'3 or 8'8 .... especially if you have good paddling technique and fitness ....
I agree. At 70 kg you need to go smaller. I was 95 kg (53 y.o.) when I got my 8'8" X32 - it was a bit of a challenge at the time but now it is my stable board. I would not go bigger than 8'3". You will still have your Mana for extra stability, but at 32" the Hokua will feel stable. Having a shorter board with a pointy nose and lots of rocker will end the nose diving issue.
Well, thanks for your opinions so far……though I have to admit I really wasn't thinking about going shorter than the 9'1" because I like the feel of a bit of length when chasing small waves. And I like the feel of a bit of length when 'cruising' on fat waves. And I like the feel of a bit of length when surfers look at waves and decide they are too small to get a wave and yet I can catch a wave because SUP will catch anything ankle high. LOL. However, I will think about it!
I have my personal 8'3 X32 LE for sale - mint condition if your interested. PM me. Cheers AA
if you only looking at small waves, have a look at the starboard hyper nuts (not saying their a small wave board but would perform better than a 32)
Hey .Im on the heavy end of the scale at 97 kg .and have the 9.6 Hokua jumping from the 10 mana ...I know what ya mean by the mana s nose catching in the chop and nose diving due to the lack of rocker in the nose ..but ..still a great board ..going to the 9.1 Hokua you will notice heaps of difference in performance and looseness ..but at 70 kg ..you are quite light ..8'8 will probably be the go for you ...but the 9.1 will catch the smaller waves better ..both will work for you ..the Hokua x32 's are a hot little number ...I know every body wants you to go small but if you are happy with the volume of the 9.5 mana ..then I would do whats in your mind and only drop 13 litres to the 9.1 @150 litre and get the 9.1 ..I found it a little too small for me ..Im 27 kgs more than you .and find the 170 litre Hokua a perfect board for me ..
with the Hokua ..compare to the manas you don't have to line the wave up as much ..and can take off side ways ..and correct it on the way the face ..they are loose.i love the way they can tail slide .
tardy . 
Hi capeconran
heading up there tomorrow for the week. I'm bringing an 8'10 x29 pro wave with me If you want to try that. Might give you a bass line on what you can handle. I'll be on my naish raptor so say gidday if you want.
Have those sharks moved on since the whale carcass was buried?
Sharks have moved on stm; they buried the whale!! Unfortunately won't be there but thanks for the offer of trying your board.
I am in Albury Burleighlocal but come and go to Melbourne / Marlo / Omeo etc etc and everywhere else that is outdoors fun. Are you in Burleigh? Why are you selling your SUP?
Won't go as small as some of you have mentioned but thanks for the comments and opinions; always interesting to think about the options!
CC what ever size board you buy,make sure you buy some decent fins,close to 100% of us who ride X32s run a quad set up
Interesting about the fins. I SUP with thrusters and single fin. Didn't really like quads on another SUP. Why do you prefer the quads?
Select to expand quoteCapeConran said..
Interesting about the fins. I SUP with thrusters and single fin. Didn't really like quads on another SUP. Why do you prefer the quads?
I think these shorter and wider boards work well as quads and seem faster with four short fins.
Select to expand quotecantSUPenough said..seabreezer said..
I think you should be looking even down to the 8'3 x 32 !!! , Im 74 kgs and it was VERY stable in even crazy chop .... if your supping smaller waves the 8'3 will turn and fit into them much better .... if you oversize X32 model , it will destroy the concept a bit , theyre designed to be ridden shorter , and compensate stability with the width ... so my vote is 8'3 or 8'8 .... especially if you have good paddling technique and fitness ....
I agree. At 70 kg you need to go smaller. I was 95 kg (53 y.o.) when I got my 8'8" X32 - it was a bit of a challenge at the time but now it is my stable board. I would not go bigger than 8'3". You will still have your Mana for extra stability, but at 32" the Hokua will feel stable. Having a shorter board with a pointy nose and lots of rocker will end the nose diving issue.
I agree, with the two quotes, I am 55yrs young at 80kgs and have ridden all X32s from 7"10 to 9"1, I absolutly loved the 8"3 but settled on the 8"8 for all conditions. I have surfed all boards in most average conditions from knee to head high, from dumping shore breaks to point breaks. I have surfed short boards to longboards for over 30 years. The Hokua range are better surfed as a shortboard (you will need to pump and turn to get it going). I recommend the 8"3 to 8"8 for your weight and ability. At first you will need to adjust but you will advance pretty quick. You won't regret it.
stay stoked
I switched from a 9'2" Fanatic AW, and have ridden the 9'5" Mana quite a bit because my friend has one and I rented one in CR one time. I would go with the 8'8" Hokua, and it is much better in turning, and handling overall. I would say you basically go from riding a SUP to actually surfing with that jump. If you want a floaty ride, I wouldn't buy it, I would stick with the Mana, because this board is not in my opinion, made for a slow, floaty, easy ride.
For really small days, I have the JL Black and Blue for longboarding/nose-riding, the Hokua is for all sized waves, but it's more a shortboard-type ride.
Select to expand quoteGreystoke said..cantSUPenough said..seabreezer said..
I think you should be looking even down to the 8'3 x 32 !!! , Im 74 kgs and it was VERY stable in even crazy chop .... if your supping smaller waves the 8'3 will turn and fit into them much better .... if you oversize X32 model , it will destroy the concept a bit , theyre designed to be ridden shorter , and compensate stability with the width ... so my vote is 8'3 or 8'8 .... especially if you have good paddling technique and fitness ....
I agree. At 70 kg you need to go smaller. I was 95 kg (53 y.o.) when I got my 8'8" X32 - it was a bit of a challenge at the time but now it is my stable board. I would not go bigger than 8'3". You will still have your Mana for extra stability, but at 32" the Hokua will feel stable. Having a shorter board with a pointy nose and lots of rocker will end the nose diving issue.
I agree, with the two quotes, I am 55yrs young at 80kgs and have ridden all X32s from 7"10 to 9"1, I absolutly loved the 8"3 but settled on the 8"8 for all conditions. I have surfed all boards in most average conditions from knee to head high, from dumping shore breaks to point breaks. I have surfed short boards to longboards for over 30 years. The Hokua range are better surfed as a shortboard (you will need to pump and turn to get it going). I recommend the 8"3 to 8"8 for your weight and ability. At first you will need to adjust but you will advance pretty quick. You won't regret it.
stay stoked
I've been on the 8'3" for well over a year and thought I would try something different, tried a few inc Pocket Rocket, Speed 8'10" ,JP, HyperNut but missing the stability and nose rocker of the Hokua so now on the hunt for a 2015 LE secondhand in either 7/10 or 8/3, how did the 7/10 go for you ? or anyone else out there.
Phil
Select to expand quoteCapeConran said..
I am in Albury Burleighlocal but come and go to Melbourne / Marlo / Omeo etc etc and everywhere else that is outdoors fun. Are you in Burleigh? Why are you selling your SUP?
I have resisted for a year going smaller as I think people tend to go for a smaller board too quick without mastering a larger SUP. I think I have now got my skills up to a level that requires I drop down in size. I can now get quite aggressive on the 9.1 and come off the lip and slide the tail but to really progress I need a smaller Hokua. I will probably drop down a ft in size only.
Here in tassie, on the north coast we surf a lot of wind swell choppy surf. I am 95 kgs and I went for the 9 1 Hokua X32 LE it is so stable in the chop and turns well. but at your weight this board is far to heavy and you dont need the volume, If i was your weight I would go to 8 8 and if that works out then go to the 83 , but you will pick up heaps of small waves on the 8 8, and turn on a dime. hope this helps.
Hi All, I'm new to the forum. When I was shopping for my board I used this forum a lot for review's and videos. So I thought i would throw up a vid to try and help also. I'm 100kg riding the X32 LE 9'1. Would recommend the board to anyone.[youtube
/youtube]
Select to expand quoteHemmo said...
Hi All, I'm new to the forum. When I was shopping for my board I used this forum a lot for review's and videos. So I thought i would throw up a vid to try and help also. I'm 100kg riding the X32 LE 9'1. Would recommend the board to anyone.[youtube/youtube]
Great vid.. Great waves.. Great board.. 
Select to expand quoteDavidJohn said..Hemmo said...
Hi All, I'm new to the forum. When I was shopping for my board I used this forum a lot for review's and videos. So I thought i would throw up a vid to try and help also. I'm 100kg riding the X32 LE 9'1. Would recommend the board to anyone.
Great vid.. Great waves.. Great board..
+1!
Can you tell us where you were surfing? I want to go there!
Surfing in the Coffs Harbour area. The board handles any condition from choppy mush to solid hollow waves. It's the only surf SUP I own and have no complaints. I demoed the 9'6 and it was too big for me. At 32 wide you can afford to cut a bit of length. I think at 70kg you would have no worries with the 8'8 or 8'3
So, do you guys ride it as a quad or thruster or mix it up based on conditions? I ride it as a thruster all of the time mainly because I don't have a set of fins for quad setup (the guy I bought it off of didn't have them).
Hey Hemmo,
How do you find it waiting around out the back and cruising from peak to peak. This (LE 9'1"X32) is sounding like a great all round board. I'm about 10 kgs lighter than you and have come to the conclusion that a shorter board isn't necessarily more fun just based on it surfing better. I figure if I want short board performance I'll take out the surf board.
For general fun in a wider range of conditions, I find a shorter sup hard work, but I don't want to go back to a 10'2" X 32 either, some thing between sound the goods!
Hey burleighlocal if you are considering selling......
Select to expand quotebobajob said..
Hey Hemmo,
How do you find it waiting around out the back and cruising from peak to peak. This (LE 9'1"X32) is sounding like a great all round board. I'm about 10 kgs lighter than you and have come to the conclusion that a shorter board isn't necessarily more fun just based on it surfing better. I figure if I want short board performance I'll take out the surf board.
Wash your mouth out!!
I reckon it depends on how often you get out and the surf conditions. At big left my 8'8" is all I can manage because there is always a lot of water moving around, but at other breaks, even with a bit of wind, the 8'8" is super stable (me:90 kg). But there is no doubt that a bigger board means you catch more waves, you can stay out longer (legs don't get as tired), and it is still a lot of fun! But for me, when I get out on my 7'10" minion I remember what I really love about surfing.
Select to expand quotecantSUPenough said..bobajob said..
Hey Hemmo,
How do you find it waiting around out the back and cruising from peak to peak. This (LE 9'1"X32) is sounding like a great all round board. I'm about 10 kgs lighter than you and have come to the conclusion that a shorter board isn't necessarily more fun just based on it surfing better. I figure if I want short board performance I'll take out the surf board.
Wash your mouth out!!
I reckon it depends on how often you get out and the surf conditions. At big left my 8'8" is all I can manage because there is always a lot of water moving around, but at other breaks, even with a bit of wind, the 8'8" is super stable (me:90 kg). But there is no doubt that a bigger board means you catch more waves, you can stay out longer (legs don't get as tired), and it is still a lot of fun! But for me, when I get out on my 7'10" minion I remember what I really love about surfing.
Ha ha,
That doesn't happen often. Mainly when the daughter wants to go for a surf with me and doesn't want me going up and down the beach continually avoiding pesky surfers! But if the surf is crackin'.... Otherwise as long as I can bottom, top turn, cut back and link up sections, I've discovered I'd rather cruise a bit and be comfortable for a couple of hours than wobble fall off and get sore legs for the sake of a bit extra performance. And that's on an 8'4"X 30.5
