Naish Momentum (2012) 136 – Out of the Box

Naish Momentum 136 top view. Nice straps.

New Twintip, Naish Momentum 136cm x 43cm.  First one for a few years.  Prior to this I have had 143 sessions on my Nobile 666 135 x 44 which was my first wide twin tip.

This board looks really nice.  The first thing I noticed was that it is pretty thick. It is noticable thicker than other twin-tips I am familiar.  When I say thick I mean it has noticeably more sidewall than I am used to.  It is a bright neon yellow also so it stands out.

The quality is high as I was expecting.  It came mostly put together so there wasn’t really any thing to do except put in the fins.  They were nice quality and I’d say about 5cm.  They are set pretty far out on the side of the board.  Everything good.  The foot beds are nicely contoured and I like the way the strap tightens.  You pull up from tabs on both sides of the strap and then lay one across the other and it secures with velcro.  The footbeds are shaped to your feet.  I was a bit concerned that they wouldn’t work well with boots.  I just got my first session on it and it wasn’t a problem. That said, I really can’t wait to ride this board without boots.  I think it will be really comfortable.

Wide sidewall on Naish Momentum

On the water the first word that comes to mind to describe the ride is “smooth”.  The hype is that this board will help you land your tricks better.  I don’t know about that but I will say that landings are much smoother and softer than other boards I have ridden.  There is something about the landings from tricks and jumps that just felt softer and more controllable.  The board is able to absorb the landings in some way.  Its wide and thick and I think that helps.

I also noticed a really nice ride through chop.  Again I would call it “smooth”.  I generally liked the board in all ways and had a really nice session.  It was pretty solid 12 and really good flat water.  I’d say that it was a perfect setup for this board considering its hype and its freestyle cred.

The only problem I had was that I wasn’t feeling excellent on sent jumps in flat water.  I think it was a timing thing and I’m sure I will work it out.  I found the pop decent but I was expecting better.  I think I just have to get a bit better.  But all in all I think I will get many good sessions on this board.