Looking for advice from Glide users - want to go to a Naish Glide for flatwater, ocean touring and with the view to having a go at down-winding. Problem is, which Glide? I'm 53 YO, 6' tall, 96kg. I've been learning casually on an 11'6" Naish Nalu GS for the last year and love it. Can't surf for nuts but would love to ride ankle slappers. Wouldn't want much heavier than the Nalu though, it's about 14kg.
Q: Does the GTW handle as much abuse as a GS or are they more fragile?
Q: Do I need a 14' for DW or would a 12'6" do the job?
Q: If I go the 14' what would be easier, X29 or X30?
Thanks
Yes and no.. Yes.. and the 14x29" in the GTW is the best board to get IMO.. It's awesome.. I guess the x30 is slightly more stable and also an awesome board but it's noticeably bigger and heavier.. Is there any way you can demo them both? The GS is heavy and strong.. The GTW is slightly lighter and still very strong.. Much stronger than the carbon and LE boards.. If you are happy with the weight of the GS and can't afford the extra price of the GTW the GS is still a great option..
If you want to surf the "ankle slappers" then the 12'6" Glide will be easier to handle than the 14, and it will still cover the bases for a touring board that you can learn to DW on. With that said, a 14' is a better board for your size and paddlers inevitably want to move up to a 14 once they get a taste of down winding and distance paddling/touring. I'm close to your size and ended up with the Glide 14 x 29, and it is a very forgiving board and quite stable. Especially once you start paddling in rougher conditions, which is where the 14 does well. Very versatile. I would consider the 14 X 30" if I wanted to really load up a board for expeditions or was 20 to 30 pounds heavier, but keep in mind that it is another step up entirely in volume and overall size compared to the 29 for sure. The GTW is reportedly a couple pounds lighter, but keep in mind that these are heavy boards in either the GS or GTW construction. You are still looking at around 32-33 pounds for the 14 X 29 GTW if it is actually lighter than the GS construction. I really like the look of the wood finish but it depends if you think that extra cash is worth a couple of pounds of weight savings. Either way, the Glides are great boards.
Great choice ..defiantly go the 14'..
I would go the 29 wood GTW .if I was you .the 30 as said is a whopper of a board ..but it smashes through anything ..and a. Extra 34 litre of foam.(big)
Im 96 kg .51..5,10...I have the carbon 14'x28 GX @280 litre...so same as the 29.. I bought.last year .they are amazing boards .opened my eyes
getting a 14' totally different world ..
the light version would be better for carrying ...GTW
I have a 4wd I have to throw it on the roof and appreciate the less weight .
if they had wood last year I would of bought one ..bugger. The wood looks great..and the shape is good .win win.
Another vote for the 14x29. Mine's the GS so it's a tad heavy to say the least but sometimes i think that's an advantage – anything choppy and it just demolishes it! It's also pretty quick in the flat – i did a 10km run in no wind on the weekend and did it in 1hr 16:04, not blindingly quick but averaging over 8km/h...
The GTW is a very pretty board though! I couldn't justify the extra cost for the GX (carbon) when i bought mine as the difference in weight was negligible for me 110kgs, but i reckon i'd be buying the GTW now purely on looks! Which is very shallow of me...
Thanks for the advice. I'm not keen on carbon, seen too many damaged ones, I'm getting good as it is with solacure patches just on GS construction. Needs to be light though, got a tall 4WD and getting older. Getting it off the roof racks is easy but getting it back on after a few hours paddling and the wind up and still try to look good doing it to impress the missus so looks like the 14' GTW Glide would be the go. If only I could justify the extra $1k!! I've never seen a second-hand one for sale so either they must be keepers or nobody can justify the difference enough to buy them? I'll keep saving.
Thanks also to DJ for the awesome DW vids, I can downwind vicariously whilst saving up.
