Looking for my first waveboard, for an overseas trip, I'm 85 kgs. Really thinking more of bump-n-jump conditions than actual DTL wavesailing.
I've been offered one of the old Naish waveboards, 100 litres, haven't seen it yet so don't know which model but I assume it's about 10 years old, one of the Mistral models. They look pretty cool in a timeless way but are they any good? If it's cheap should I grab it, or save the cash for something more newfangled?
Thanks in advance for your help, guys. 
Willy,
Depends what Naish. There were some good wave boards but if it is an older model it may be a Mistral/Naish and some of those weren't much good for our conditions. Then Naish came out with their own. I had a Mistral 'razor' which was a great allrounder for a production wave board.
Since most wave sailors are now using twins/quads and newer thrusters you should be able to find some good single fin wave boards.
I think 100 litres is way too big unless you want a freestyle wave and even then you could consider < 90 litres. I'm over 80kg and my wave board is 80 litres and I use that in all conditions.
First up my motto is "if it's free it's for me" or as say say in Bavaria "an gschenkten Gaul Schaumburg am nett ins maul" (ie don't look into a horses mouth that was a gift"
As for buying a 10 year old wave board to do some bump and jump...? Save your money and get a JP freestyle Wave anno 2008 or earlier instead. A 92 or 84 liter should set you back about au$600 or so... Maybe less and unless you fully down the line conditions will be a better board.
I'm sure other people will chime in in regards to other boards that are suitable.
W.Willy
I used to own a 2000 model Naish 8'5" Wave. Was a single fin around 84L or so. Had Mistral badges all over it, red and silver lightning bolts and the Naish skull/cross bones.
This board is really old school - quite long (255) and not very wide (about 55 or 56) by today's standards and a huge amount of nose rocker. One of the fastest waveboards I have ever owned though, slices through chop with the high nose, gybes effortlessly once committed and gee when you get a cross off day, DTL was real nice.
I weighed around 85kg back then and ran North "Styles" and Raves on it, from 4.4 up to 5.8m. Handled the 5.8 quite well for a slender old school shape.
I saw a second hand one of these down at Wind Surf and Snow when I picked up some gear last month, and I got reminiscing about it.
As fun as it was, I would say if for free (or very cheap), take it, but otherwise use your dough on something wider, less nose rocker and more of a new school FSW shape.... newer FSWs are wider, prob just as fast but will plane earlier and be less technical to sail then the old Naish.
The piccy of me sailing to the left is the Naish in action up at GraveYards near Exmouth. I had the board up until Dec 2006 when I traded it in for a Quatro FSW - what a disappointment that move was - much slower than the Naish, turned on waves nicely but not as smooth as the Naish, but on the positive the Quatro was quicker to plane and needed less input to plane and was generally easier to use, just less exciting to sail.
AJ,
Have you biggest losered down to less than 80kg. Nothing wrong with 85, it's all about the activity right!
There too many skinny blokes around these days.
Typically older waveboards are better for hi wind B&J than new skool boards are as they have some vee and are narrower, like AJ said.
Grab it.
Thanks guys. Grabbed it. Mui Ne, here I come!
Next question: what sort of fin? For high wind b&j. The board has no fin at the moment.
I'll be running a 5m ezzy wave, 5.8 superfreak, and a 6.9 ezzy wave. (My mouth is watering at the thought!)
