I to am a FNQ SUP fan ( in Cairns )
My family and I just had a weekend at Mission Beach with the Outrigger regatta .
I spent some time out on our SUP 's a Naish Nalu 10.65 , 11.6 and Fanatic Fly race 14'. The boards we have are great for our conditions..
The downwind angle ,wind and swell conditions between Dunk and Mission Beach are those that most people will only ever see in magazines It really is a beautiful spot, and really suited the bigger downwind board, but the Nalu's are the multipurpose boards load them up with kids dogs esky & fishing rod.
My recommendation would be buy a second hand few year old high quality brand name board 12.6' or 14' and spend good money on a high quality paddle it makes paddling a pleasure.

Hi moldavite .
i had the 11.6 Nalu GS ,2014 .i sold it due to the heaviness almost 14 kg .and brought the 2015 naish 11' Glide touring
it is only 12.4 kg and twice as stable ,as the 11.6 ,does handle rougher conditions alot better,and perfect in flat water too
they also come in a Alana 11' .which is the same board ,but with a mermaid on the bottom .and blue instead of yellow
they are easier to carry than the 11.6 @230 . 11'. @213 litres .it can carry heavy weights,like the boys .mentioned.
a very easy board to use .A great cruiser . Would be a great board for up there .its very hard to fall off this board.

Oh wow !!! I was on my Sup right next to the whales that day when the regatta went past..!!! Yes my problem living here is that it's hard to try before I buy ..I like the look of the naish nalu boards but not sure if that's the best board for us..I also am not sure about the Gs vs Gt is it worth spending the extra money? Are the Naish boards overpriced?

Thank you !!! I like those boards ..the only other one that took my fancy was a hobie 12'2 Atr ...just hard to find any rewiews ..from where I live i have to paddle downwind and paddle into it on the way back which isn't ideal ..the bay on dunk is fairly protected but the wind rips across the spit and makes the conditions quite confused at times..I only venture out of the bay in under 10knots but my board at the moment just doesn't paddle well into a head wind ..is this true for all boards?

Moldavite,

I have an 11' ATR 11, great board and light for it's durable construction. I also have a Bic c-tec tracer 14'- great board but dings easily. Just reading about the type of paddling you will do the venture would be more suitable.It is way faster too. The starboard free ride would also be a good one to look at. Here's a cut and paste from another forum regarding the venture. I'd rate the Hobie construction as good as anything on the market for the equivalent dollars. I'm with DJ though - you do get what you pay for. Naish are right up there amongst the best. I was looking at the 12'6 glide but it's 3 kilos heavier than the Venture. Here's a cut and paste from another forum .


"I just took the Venture 12'4 out for a 4 mile paddle last night... pretty fun actually!

Full disclosure: I work at California Canoe & Kayak in Oakland, CA and we recently became a Hobie SUP dealer. That being said, I have nothing to hide on this forum & have never used it as a platform for self-interested promotion. At least, not yet!

We had an eventful paddle - I rode a few mini bumps downwind, transferred my friend's 40 lb. dog on board for a mile, surfed a boat wake, kept up with my friends on their 12'6 & 14' race boards, and battled some upwind & side chop on our way back... the Venture handled it all very well.

It's not blazing fast, but it's SUPER stable and tracks as well as most 12'6 boards. It pushes upwind nicely too. Maybe 'll post a full review after taking it out in more conditions, especially the surf.

IMO, the Venture is an example of a new & improved all-around design for people who want stability, mostly paddle flat water, and may occasionally take it into some small surf (be it ocean waves, DW waves, etc). For that i'd feel much better recommending this board over a typical all-around shape. The Starboard Freeride also comes to mind."

This is from the Hobie website re the construction of the ATR's , the video of the range is pretty good.


http://www.hobie.com/stand-up-paddleboards/122ATRII-7-3.aspx

This is the Venture video. The difference in construction of this board is the addition of carbon fibre to the rails.

www.hobie.com/stand-up-paddleboards/124Venture-26-8.aspx

Moldavite said..
Oh wow !!! I was on my Sup right next to the whales that day when the regatta went past..!!! Yes my problem living here is that it's hard to try before I buy ..I like the look of the naish nalu boards but not sure if that's the best board for us..I also am not sure about the Gs vs Gt is it worth spending the extra money? Are the Naish boards overpriced?

If you like the Nalu ,they are great ,we have two in the family ,11'& 11.4. The 11.4 is the better board if its flat water.both GTs ,we surf ours ,so went for the three fins,GS is single fin only ,which won't matter in flat water paddling .the GT is a full gloss board.GS is Matt ,but pretty strong boards.also 1 kg heavier.you might go back to the mainland one day and you will have the board for surf As well.
If it is only flat water for the rest of your life .I would go for a 12.5 or a 14 footer , everything feels slow after riding these sizes.
And they keep gliding in between strokes,without much speed loss.
nobody would blame you for wanting a Nalu .tardy.

Moldavite said..
Oh wow !!! I was on my Sup right next to the whales that day when the regatta went past..!!! Yes my problem living here is that it's hard to try before I buy ..I like the look of the naish nalu boards but not sure if that's the best board for us..I also am not sure about the Gs vs Gt is it worth spending the extra money? Are the Naish boards overpriced?

If you like the Nalu ,they are great ,we have two in the family ,11'& 11.4. The 11.4 is the better board if its flat water.both GTs ,we surf ours ,so went for the three fins,GS is single fin only ,which won't matter in flat water paddling .the GT is a full gloss board.GS is Matt ,but pretty strong boards.also 1 kg heavier.you might go back to the mainland one day and you will have the board for surf As well.
If it is only flat water for the rest of your life .I would go for a 12.5 or a 14 footer , everything feels slow after riding these sizes.
And they keep gliding in between strokes,without much speed loss.
nobody would blame you for wanting a Nalu .tardy. .

Moldavite said..
Oh wow !!! I was on my Sup right next to the whales that day when the regatta went past..!!! Yes my problem living here is that it's hard to try before I buy ..I like the look of the naish nalu boards but not sure if that's the best board for us..I also am not sure about the Gs vs Gt is it worth spending the extra money? Are the Naish boards overpriced?

If you like the Nalu ,they are great ,we have two in the family ,11'& 11.4. The 11.4 is the better board if its flat water.both GTs ,we surf ours ,so went for the three fins,GS is single fin only ,which won't matter in flat water paddling .the GT is a full gloss board.GS is Matt ,but pretty strong boards.also 1 kg heavier.you might go back to the mainland one day and you will have the board for surf As well.
If it is only flat water for the rest of your life .I would go for a 12.5 or a 14 footer , everything feels slow after riding these sizes.
And they keep gliding in between strokes,without much speed loss.
nobody would blame you for wanting a Nalu .tardy. .

Moldavite said..
my board at the moment just doesn't paddle well into a head wind ..is this true for all boards?

Yes and no really. It's harder to paddle upwind on any board.

Displacement type touring and racing boards are generally much better as they get a lot less of the slapping under the nose that no doubt you hear on your current board.

The Nalu is a great all-round board but it sounds to me like for your type of use you will be happier with a longer touring type board.
Something like the Glide already mentioned will work well - www.naishsurfing.com/product/glide-126-x-30/ these should be more stable than your current board.