Got to take out my 87L the other day in proper waves and here is my 2c worth on it:

First, it feels smaller... 87L is a big wave board for me at 76kg and i intend to use it as such; however, it feels smaller. I was properly powered in 4.0, and normally i'd have used my 82L in those conditions but the 87L never bothered me, the board stayed planted the whole time, always feeling in control. It felt like a smaller board really, with the added benefit of volume. It's also short... which helped a lot in bigger waves, enabled me to stay in the pocket... a very playful board.

I loved the bottom turns... it turns really well without loss of speed at all and quite effortlessly as long as you put the right amount of pressure on back foot. The board will pivot and set you up for your top turn... To me, it was the highlight of the board, that smooth although radical bottom turn. You can opt for a long drawn out one as well if you feel like it but that's not where it excels... The board just loves staying in the pocket and pivoting off the tail.

Now, the top turn took me a little while to get used to... At first, i was trying to turn off the rail by putting pressure on front foot (which i'm used to doing on my fanatic grip) but it didn't quite work with the nano, it felt slow, hard work and didn't really turn properly. Then, i changed my approach and instead started putting a lot more pressure on back foot... and it changed everything. As soon as you do that, the board accelerates, and turns on the spot and very surprisingly you end up back down the wave with tons of speed to setup your next bottom turn.
It requires a bit of involvement, you have to consciously push on the tail, a bit like you have to want to bury the tail in the wave ... and then magic happens ... you end up with a radical cut back with tons of spray and speed, it super fun. You can hit the lip, go for aerials, whatever you want, the board will take you there... as long you apply that additional pressure on tail.

To me, i can see how super fun and radical the board can get, especially in small / medium waves, where the ability to generate and keep speed in the pocket is key to take your waveriding to the next level. So, that's how i'll use it... 1 to 3-4 ft cross on to cross conditions or when wind is marginal and you need volume.

Its limits... I think 3+ foot fat or hollow waves in side / side off conditions is where it shows its limits... There you really need to use your rail game to make sections, keep speed in your top turn. That's where i'll be using a more dedicated down the line waveboard.

The only drawback to that setup i guess is that you have to adapt to the board's waveriding style every time you change... but as i see it, it only makes you a better waverider.

Used my 77L with an under powererd 4.0m in gusty 1 foot onshore slop in the bay yesterday and it went great!! Was a bit worried that with all the changes it would have lost its usability in the bay but its a big improvement. Kesy is right about the tail pressure, stomp the tail in the top turn and you get this squirt of speed and grip. Still found it needed a tad more to get moving compared to the previous though but super comfortable top end and turns more than make up for it.

Was good to try my new 82 nano in 3.6 cross-on port tack conditions yesterday. Really smooth and settled in the strong wind and chop. I'm 80kg and didn't feel I needed any smaller. Heaps of fun in frontside wave rides. Like Alex said less of driving front foot bottom turn. Gotta pay bit more attention to engage the back foot rail first and then can actually drive into it more. At times when fully lit on 3.6 possibly could have dropped fins a smaller size so may consider 9s in the front for sub 4.0.

Mauritz Mauch was on his 77 nano today at the PWA Sylt wave event and with a 5.2m, S1 rig.
Seemed to be doing just fine in the lighter winds with that combo - although I'm guessing he's 70kgs or perhaps less.

There are lots of photos of the new Nano on the PWA site, from today and from others at this event.

Did anybody try the Nano 2020 in big wave conditions? One of my friend yesterday try Nano 82 2020 mode quad 14-14-9-9 in 1,-1.5 metres waves sideonshore and 4.4 S1 full power. He says it is the most beautiful wave board ever had, he is enthusiastic, it would be interesting to understand how it goes with big waves mast high.

tubbydug said..
I am looking at the 87l nano but I have a few question . I can only have 1 board and ride a mix of waves (cross on) and bump n jump. I have used a 85 dyno and thought it was fantastic in bump.n jump but a little stiff compared to a proper wave board. How does the nano fair as a bump n jump board?

I only tried the 82 once & was really disappointed. Conditions were powered 4.2 with messy choppy flat water. It looked so nice I wanted to like it. But, I think in the end it is really a dedicated waveboard. This compared to other compact waveboards like the Fanatic Stubby & Quatro Supermini though I did not sail them back to back. It planed like it was towing a bucket at least with my stance. I felt I really had to step back, get in the straps & pop it hard to break it loose. Like I said, I really wanted to like as it is a sweet looking board, but to me that extreme tail kick must kill it - probably great on a wave though. I wish I had more time to see if I could adjust my stance or tweak some setting etc... just my brief observations but I wouldn't have it for B&J. Would love to try the Dyno vs Fanatic FW, though I found the same thing on the FW STB it was nice but a bit stiffer than a waveboard & missed some looseness. You might try some different fins for your Dyno, I bet you could loosen it up quite a bit from stock.

Acker said..

gorgesailor said..

tubbydug said..
I am looking at the 87l nano but I have a few question . I can only have 1 board and ride a mix of waves (cross on) and bump n jump. I have used a 85 dyno and thought it was fantastic in bump.n jump but a little stiff compared to a proper wave board. How does the nano fair as a bump n jump board?

I only tried the 82 once & was really disappointed. Conditions were powered 4.2 with messy choppy flat water. It looked so nice I wanted to like it. But, I think in the end it is really a dedicated waveboard. This compared to other compact waveboards like the Fanatic Stubby & Quatro Supermini though I did not sail them back to back. It planed like it was towing a bucket at least with my stance. I felt I really had to step back, get in the straps & pop it hard to break it loose. Like I said, I really wanted to like as it is a sweet looking board, but to me that extreme tail kick must kill it - probably great on a wave though. I wish I had more time to see if I could adjust my stance or tweak some setting etc... just my brief observations but I wouldn't have it for B&J. Would love to try the Dyno vs Fanatic FW, though I found the same thing on the FW STB it was nice but a bit stiffer than a waveboard & missed some looseness. You might try some different fins for your Dyno, I bet you could loosen it up quite a bit from stock.

I certainly wouldn't say the Nano is slow to break loose on to the plane.

Worth playing around with a few things before totally dismissing it. In particular, a few of us are finding it quite sensitive to mast base setting. Best position seems to be a few mm back from the indicator lines. Too much further back and it can ride nose high.

For "messy choppy" water perhaps try the thruster option as I've had a few sessions like that now and it just allows a bit more back foot drive in those conditions, and doesn't actually loose that much in the turning, but in proper waves quad fins are still much better.

Another thing is the Nanos ride with a higher stance and higher power in the sail. They're not quite as suited to a drafty low and forward pulling sail that prefers driving off the back foot. To me works ideal with an S1 and prob not quite as good with the more drafty blade, but some sailors may still like this. Prob more to do with body posture and not hanging back off the back foot.

Also, like the freestyle boards, sometimes it's good to bear off the wind a bit further initially to get good acceleration, even though it looses a bit of upwind ground (or water). Trying to get planing really close hauled isn't so good on these or other shorter style boards.

Well I'll have to try it again & pay more attention to setting. Just, I didn't feel the same way about the Fanatic Stubby or the Quatro Supermini at all.... could be subconscious bias against all that tail kick which neither of those other boards have...

Bondage said..

gorgesailor said..

Acker said..

gorgesailor said..

tubbydug said..
I am looking at the 87l nano but I have a few question . I can only have 1 board and ride a mix of waves (cross on) and bump n jump. I have used a 85 dyno and thought it was fantastic in bump.n jump but a little stiff compared to a proper wave board. How does the nano fair as a bump n jump board?

I only tried the 82 once & was really disappointed. Conditions were powered 4.2 with messy choppy flat water. It looked so nice I wanted to like it. But, I think in the end it is really a dedicated waveboard. This compared to other compact waveboards like the Fanatic Stubby & Quatro Supermini though I did not sail them back to back. It planed like it was towing a bucket at least with my stance. I felt I really had to step back, get in the straps & pop it hard to break it loose. Like I said, I really wanted to like as it is a sweet looking board, but to me that extreme tail kick must kill it - probably great on a wave though. I wish I had more time to see if I could adjust my stance or tweak some setting etc... just my brief observations but I wouldn't have it for B&J. Would love to try the Dyno vs Fanatic FW, though I found the same thing on the FW STB it was nice but a bit stiffer than a waveboard & missed some looseness. You might try some different fins for your Dyno, I bet you could loosen it up quite a bit from stock.

I certainly wouldn't say the Nano is slow to break loose on to the plane.

Worth playing around with a few things before totally dismissing it. In particular, a few of us are finding it quite sensitive to mast base setting. Best position seems to be a few mm back from the indicator lines. Too much further back and it can ride nose high.

For "messy choppy" water perhaps try the thruster option as I've had a few sessions like that now and it just allows a bit more back foot drive in those conditions, and doesn't actually loose that much in the turning, but in proper waves quad fins are still much better.

Another thing is the Nanos ride with a higher stance and higher power in the sail. They're not quite as suited to a drafty low and forward pulling sail that prefers driving off the back foot. To me works ideal with an S1 and prob not quite as good with the more drafty blade, but some sailors may still like this. Prob more to do with body posture and not hanging back off the back foot.

Also, like the freestyle boards, sometimes it's good to bear off the wind a bit further initially to get good acceleration, even though it looses a bit of upwind ground (or water). Trying to get planing really close hauled isn't so good on these or other shorter style boards.

Well I'll have to try it again & pay more attention to setting. Just, I didn't feel the same way about the Fanatic Stubby or the Quatro Supermini at all.... could be subconscious bias against all that tail kick which neither of those other boards have...

I haven't had the experience of having trouble getting it planning. In fact I was absolutely stoked in onshore conditions to find how well it planed across whitewater. I have the 72, as per my original review and have the mast setting set exactly in the factory marked settings I also have 2020 blades and haven't noticed any issues. Everyone has a different stance and weights come in to play so what might suit one person another may hate. I have always been a sailer who is light on my feet which makes it easy to sail any board but I can understand how a heavy footed person would not like this board. I have seen the same with Nuevos, I absolutely love them but I have seen bigger heavier guys try them in the bigger sizes and just not like them saying they cant get them planning.

I also think that the thruster option is better in messier onshore conditions and that's how I will be using it in our Adelaide seabreeze conditions. Im still experimenting with it as a quad so don't really have a preference yet between quad and thruster in waves.

Interesting, well I'll have to try it again. I am pretty light on my feet myself & usually able to get planing before others.

I'm heading to Cape Town with this..... but I haven't sailed it yet.

It's been a while since anyone has mentioned the Nano boards.
I've had my 82 litre version for 5 months now and I've sailed it a lot, both in Cape Town and here in the UK since our lockdown ended.

I'm very pleased with this board although it's not without its faults.
I'm 73-75kilos at the moment and I sail the 82 with 4.8 rigs down to 4m sails normally. This weekend we had some very strong wind and the Nano was still pretty good with my 3.6m rig, although I could feel it start to tail walk with the standard quad fin set up, and smaller fins would have helped for that sail size.
I'm using the quad set up and have yet to experiment with the board set as a tri fin.
The 82 would certainly carry a 5.2 rig but I have bigger boards for my bigger sails, and in 5.2 weather I prefer a FSW rockerline.

The Nano is a great board for windy weather sailing when you have some waves, even small ones. It turns really well with some snappy top turns, and it fits well in the pocket of smaller waves. The turns are helped by the board's exaggerated tail kick.

The down side of that tailkick seems to be that the board can be a bit sticky to plane if it's not well powered - and my Dyno 85 will jump on the plane so much quicker in the marginal stuff...
Any good wave sailor can overcome this issue with good popping technique but watch out that if you are used to an easy board like the Dyno, then the Nano requires a bit more skill or pumping effort. Its short length can also mean the board will stall if you make a mistake with your weight distribution in a fast turn, or if your read the wave face or chop wrong. I guess this means the Nano board doesn't flatter you as the Dyno FSW rockerline might.

But for the time being I'm running the Nano 82 and my Dyno 85 as my two main wave boards. The volume label makes them sound too close a pairing, but they are not, because they each suit different conditions, with the Dyno being better for all round use and for bump and jump conditions.

Are others finding something similar?

Basher said..
It's been a while since anyone has mentioned the Nano boards.
I've had my 82 litre version for 5 months now and I've sailed it a lot, both in Cape Town and here in the UK since our lockdown ended.

I'm very pleased with this board although it's not without its faults.
I'm 73-75kilos at the moment and I sail the 82 with 4.8 rigs down to 4m sails normally. This weekend we had some very strong wind and the Nano was still pretty good with my 3.6m rig, although I could feel it start to tail walk with the standard quad fin set up, and smaller fins would have helped for that sail size.
I'm using the quad set up and have yet to experiment with the board set as a tri fin.
The 82 would certainly carry a 5.2 rig but I have bigger boards for my bigger sails, and in 5.2 weather I prefer a FSW rockerline.

The Nano is a great board for windy weather sailing when you have some waves, even small ones. It turns really well with some snappy top turns, and it fits well in the pocket of smaller waves. The turns are helped by the board's exaggerated tail kick.

The down side of that tailkick seems to be that the board can be a bit sticky to plane if it's not well powered - and my Dyno 85 will jump on the plane so much quicker in the marginal stuff...
Any good wave sailor can overcome this issue with good popping technique but watch out that if you are used to an easy board like the Dyno, then the Nano requires a bit more skill or pumping effort. Its short length can also mean the board will stall if you make a mistake with your weight distribution in a fast turn, or if your read the wave face or chop wrong. I guess this means the Nano board doesn't flatter you as the Dyno FSW rockerline might.

But for the time being I'm running the Nano 82 and my Dyno 85 as my two main wave boards. The volume label makes them sound too close a pairing, but they are not, because they each suit different conditions, with the Dyno being better for all round use and for bump and jump conditions.

Are others finding something similar?

I total agree Basher I use Starboard Ultrakode 80 and Kode Freewave 86. They are too close? Nooo Kode 86 for all round use (Garda lake or small wave onshore days), Ultrakode for real wave days or super high windy days (>30konts).

hi shangukai.
im dimitris from greece . i have the same problem like you..!76 kg and i m between 77 or 82. (i might go forr the 77 cause during winter here in greece we have a lot of storms and 3.3 - 4.0 days)

there is quide in the severne websight that might help you if you have not seen it (i cant post a link for it cause i m new membrer also)


my question to fellow rides here..has someone tryed a 77 or 82 fanatic stubby?i want to compare them to nanos because in my experience the 82 stubby above 30knots (4.2 to 3.7) gets really ugly when turning.i tryed with softer fins and it was a little better but still this extra wide foot and tail area makes the board really overpowered in higher winds

I'm not sure I can answer those specific questions asked, but I can comment a lot more about my Nano 82 - now that I have sailed it more.

On the board volume thing, the wave board size you want will depend on your body weight and typical sail sizes used, plus the ideal shape will depend on local conditions.

If you only want to own one board then watch out that the Nano is a proper wave board and not an all-round bump and jump board. It's no slouch for speed but it is not the earliest planing board and the get up and go requires good technique on the part of the sailor. This is because the Nano has relatively fat rails and a lot of tail kick, plus it's short in length meaning a shorter planing platform. Those features work well on the wave face but do not make the board an early planer for white water conditions or in marginal winds. The Nano jumps well because it has good speed, but you'll need to be powered up.

I find my Nano pairs really well with my Dyno 85 with the latter being the easier planer and happier with bigger, 5m+ sails. I bought the Nano 82, and I love it in waves, but if I had the choice again, I would buy the 77litre version, as an even better step down from my Dyno 85.
I weigh about 73kgs.
The Nano 82 is my windy weather board typically used with my 4.4m and 4.0m, and is happy with sail sizes down to 3.6m, helped by the quad fin set up I use.

I will add that trying to base the board size you want on what others find is difficult. You may be a different weight, and so the board will sit higher or lower in the water for a given board volume and that affects early planing as much as your ability.
Plus, if you have a lot of white water and downwind currents at your local wave spot then extra float and a faster rocker will often help.

Thanks Basher !Had really a "wave face" choice to do, just for snappy turns and finding new surfing strategies.I understand that for a more all-round usage (for the volume) or for jumping, Nano is not a masterpiece, i know goya boards are doing the job well.You describe very well the trade-off you have to face with the Nano, the fact that higher winds may "hide" its slowness and exclusive nature is now clear to me.The stronger the wind, the better the Nano.That would push me @78Kgs to the 82L instead of the 87L, if i partner with a +90L faster rocker board.So, partnering is the key when choosing a Nano, particulary for 4.7 medium winds.At the end it is fun to see a Tomo dealing with the same problems as pure cross-off pintail board .We push hard the think-tank here !

I finally order a Nano 82 ( second hand ).Knowing that for my 78ks, it is a high wind board but i wish it can carry a 4.7.This will pair my Custom3 91, essentially used in a 5.3 super light, and mostly cross-crossoff.I notice on my spots, the magic cross-off session is mostly 4bft or light 5bft when low pressure comes at the very beginning, then stronger wind but tends to be more side side on.I can ride a lot with my car, my france country experience is that it very rarely i get side off clean with strong wind, best DTL is lighter.Just my personnal experience.This is why i choose a DTL board for lightwinds and a more side/side smaller.Not sure it make sense elsewhere in the world :)soon feedback