Build -10, strongly built modern design surfboard, still super lite.
Portability - 10
Pads - 10
Straps - 0 choose your own, not generous Robbie
Fins - 3 nice future fins, honeycomb construct.
Rider level - wave capable, long term reef break wave riding addict.
No links to supplier beside for being a very good custome, paid full rrp for this board. $1299
Kites used- 7,9 m Cabrinha drifter.
Previous surfboards- various thrusters - cab trigger 5ft8 5ft 11. NKB pro series 2014, Gaastra 5ft 8, Shinn duke 5ft 10.
F one 6ft.
Initially I was curious what modern surf shape would provide, I liked the idea of a shorter board, was told by Daniel, it is a fun board for perth slop, should be ridden strapless etc.
Use - extensive testing Perth slop by 4 sessions 7 metre. 5 hours of 9m weather in good head high to overhead high reef break conditions.
Ease of use - even for tt riders you will be up and going super easy on this board. It planes early, shoots upwind, turns like a dream with good control.
Jibing - Heel to toeside is super easy, smooth as and controlled. This is the easiest board I have ridden to change foot position on? Why? I am not sure, seems to have perfect balance for the jibe.
Waves- Control is great, I rode it mainly with front strap.
Bottom turn is super smooth, control allows you to go early across the face, then you can easy throw the tail around to go down again.
Jumping- Surfboards not meant for it, except this construct is bullet proof.
I am very taken with these boards will get 4ft 8 as well.
Definitely the future, may not have traditional nose, thats one less thing to snap off in the water or travelling.
I had demo the board on 4 foot waves for one hour. I will buy this year.
What I like about the board
fast
pivot turns
upwind is great
smooth on choppy water.
The other huge benefit is ease of travel. 5ft 2 will fit in 160cm bag with 2 kites etc. Naish seem to have the sizes sorted. The 5ft 2 is as good in light wind as a lot of larger 6ft boards. The upwind performance is staggering. Picked up 4ft 8 today, will give it a good go, once we get decent wind. The other interesting thing is width is not really wide at all. 5ft 2 is around 17.25 inch. On a wave it feels like pure surfboard, no compromise.
Select to expand quotebermand said..
Build -10, strongly built modern design surfboard, still super lite.
Portability - 10
Pads - 10
Straps - 0 choose your own, not generous Robbie
Fins - 3 nice future fins, honeycomb construct.
Rider level - wave capable, long term reef break wave riding addict.
No links to supplier beside for being a very good custome, paid full rrp for this board. $1299
Kites used- 7,9 m Cabrinha drifter.
Previous surfboards- various thrusters - cab trigger 5ft8 5ft 11. NKB pro series 2014, Gaastra 5ft 8, Shinn duke 5ft 10.
F one 6ft.
Initially I was curious what modern surf shape would provide, I liked the idea of a shorter board, was told by Daniel, it is a fun board for perth slop, should be ridden strapless etc.
Use - extensive testing Perth slop by 4 sessions 7 metre. 5 hours of 9m weather in good head high to overhead high reef break conditions.
Ease of use - even for tt riders you will be up and going super easy on this board. It planes early, shoots upwind, turns like a dream with good control.
Jibing - Heel to toeside is super easy, smooth as and controlled. This is the easiest board I have ridden to change foot position on? Why? I am not sure, seems to have perfect balance for the jibe.
Waves- Control is great, I rode it mainly with front strap.
Bottom turn is super smooth, control allows you to go early across the face, then you can easy throw the tail around to go down again.
Jumping- Surfboards not meant for it, except this construct is bullet proof.
I am very taken with these boards will get 4ft 8 as well.
Definitely the future, may not have traditional nose, thats one less thing to snap off in the water or travelling.
Sorry should be 5ft 2 as header
I weigh 82kg, 186cm. Medium skater imo for guys upto 90kg as goto board for most sessions. If you are over 90kg and have mainly light winds go the large. However once wind cranks above 22knots you will be more comfortable on medium. Obviously depends on light wind skill, though it cranks upwind and planes super easy with minimum effort.
Thanks for the review, looks interesting.
From the pictures it looks like the inserts for the front strap are further forward than others like the North Whip & LF Messenger. Would give a feel towards a mutant? Not as much front foot required compared to a surf board?
Yes yes I know all the hard core club says we shouldn’t use straps....
Had nice session on 4ft 8 Skater, it definitely handles strong wind better than medium size. Nice comfy ride in decent size swell. Yes footstrap position is reasonably far forward, but there are quite few different insert positions.
3 hours on 5ft 2 in nice 4-6ft waves. Lightish wind about 14-16 knots. This board rockets upwind in light conditions. Really versatile.
Video's by the Germans on the new shapes:
Firewire vanguard: gleiten.tv/index.php/video/action/story/v/1775/s/18/page/436/
RRD Cotan: gleiten.tv/index.php/video/action/view/v/1755/page/351/
North Whip:gleiten.tv/index.php/video/action/view/v/1787/page/351/
Slingshot T-Rex gleiten.tv/index.php/video/action/view/v/1410/page/351/
My impression of teh video's: the RRD Cotan seems to turn better
Build -10, I had heal dints in the Nugget and Whip after a few hours, no damage at all on the skater
Pads - 10, The pads with the convex top of the board make your feet stick like glue
Fins - 3 nice future fins, nice colours (exactly the opposite of board!!!!!)
Rider level - Intermediate flat/wave
Sessions: 10-15 knots, 19m Edge 1.5 hours (Flat Chop)
25-35 knots, 12m RPM, 9m RPM 5 hours (2-3 three foot waves)
Previous surfboards- thrusters/quads - Slingshot Tyrant, North Whip X-surf, North Nugget, North Whip 2015, Big old 6,2 Fish, Slingshot T-Rex
I just picked up the 5ft6 version of the skater and it is a really awesome board. I was surprised how thin it was and how light.
I would typically use my North Nugget or Fish for lighter winds due to the absolute fatness of boards but was surprised to see that Skater (at 17 inches) performed all most as well as the Nugget going upwind in such rubbish conditions. It is certainly faster then the Nugget!!!!!!
It turns/carves really well and is very quick in a straight line. I played with it in conditions from 12 knots to overpowered 35 knots strapless and it stuck to my feet like glue (great deck!!)
I have the North Whip equivalent and I like it a lot but it feels really corky compared to the skater. I need a lot of front foot pressure to keep it flat on the water in comparison to the skater.
I suspect that the board quiver will end up being the Fat Fish/Nugget for 10-15knots, the Skater for everything else.
Build :10
Pads :10
Straps : none,I might buy some for when the waves get big maybe
Fins :10 I have some slightly larger TC Red Line Fins I might throw in when the waves get big and it gets over 30 kts
Rider : 85 kg OK only been riding kite surfboards for 6-7 weeks total
I finally bought the 5'2" Naish Skater 5 weeks ago after demo-ing it with straps last summer
been riding it almost every day since
Been riding strapless, mostly toeside riding in northernlies doing downwinders along the coast
Wind,from 12 kts to 22kts
Mostly small waves 1-3 ft shoreys
Riding 12 and 8m Slingshot RPM
I aptsolutly love it
It rocks
Supa stable and supa responsive
Turns unbelievable toeside, heelside
comes out of turns faster than I enter
Never ever sides out, even if I do a hard toeside turn in the whitewash
Has a slightly raised arch in the pads which helps keep it on my feet if I hit a wave with too much speed and get airbounre
Gets up on the plan supa easy even in light wind
Flys downwind
Small compact light narrow and pretty much bulletproof
Does not shutter as another similiar shaped board I tried does
Wind turns to the south tomorrow 26 kts predicted forecast
And 2-3m swell as a tropical low approaches
Will see how it goes with the 6m TS
Yahooee can't sleep too amped about tomorrow
Love this board
I fitted some slingshot feet straps to it. Work a treat.
The guys I kite with reckon I go better on this board than any of other I have.
Had a blast in the same southerly yesterday for about 6 hours (2-4 footers - 100m to 200m rides )
Well the predicted Southernly came throught
Gusts over 50 kts at Double Island Point
And supa gusty on the Sunny Coast
Came in after a short downwinder
Placed my Skater on the beach while trying to self land my 6m
No one on the beach
It took off down the beach tumbling nose over tail for 50m when supa strong gusts hit
Thought the fins would snap off
Just a few cosmetic scratches
Told you it was bulletproof
Has anyone used the Skater Sport, in some video they say it should be lighter but obviously not as bullet proof as the normal Skater?
Never used sport model. Have 5ft 2 and 4ft 8, these boards Rock. Only change in 2016 is graphics and channels are wider apart. Another famous custom shaper has added this shape to his standard options, check out Amundsen kite boards, the Jonno is his version. Looks sick. John mainly designs boards for Hawaii and Mauritius.
