colas said..Sideshore said..
I've tried the gong NFA 9'0" XS and I don't like how it surfs. You need to be in the tail if you want to make it turn.
The NFA can turn from the middle, as it is a kind of hybrid do-it-all shape between a retro and performance longboard.
You may want to switch to a thruster setup, with the center fin quite forward, or even better twin fins + trailer to enhance its turn-from-the-middle behavior.
On the opposite, a big single fin with or without side bites in the rear of the box will turn the dial towards retro, pivot turns.
Longboards that can noseride are designed for the rider to walk (cross-step!) from the nose to the tail and back. That's an essential part of the fun of longboarding.
If you want a long board that turns from the middle, you will have to get shapes with more rocker, but sacrifice glide, there is no free lunch. Guns have this kind of rocker, as they need control, not glide. Gong does not make them currently (people wanting a gun will get a custom Alley: the Zero is a design fro bigger waves, but still with a longboard feel), but for instance JL has the bombora and the stun gun.
The NFA XS is narrow, so not as stable as wider boards by design.
The NFA 8'0" will have the same feel, as it is a mini-longboard. It will turn a bit easier because it is shorter, but I wouid definitively advise you to get a a Karmen instead, a stable but easy to turn shape.
if you do not want to get on the tail, you will not like longboard shapes.
