HYPR NALU
PADDLE BOARD REVIEW
| PONO 11’0 REVIEW.

HYPR NALU PADDLE BOARD REVIEW | PONO 11’0

Verdict
Another beautiful board from Hypr-Nalu, passers-by couldn’t stop gazing at it. We tested the 10’0 version earlier in the year and are happy to say that the smooth, straight paddling experience is still intact, but this time with even earlier entry into waves and it feels like surfing on a cushion of air. The Pono feels like a hull-type surfboard, it loves to, and will go fast. A great fit for zippy, south coast beach break waves and rolling deep water swells. 

Overview
The first thing you notice about the Pono is the stunning Applewood construction. A tough lacquer coat and see-through rail guards help preserve its good looks. The next thing are the huge great twin concaves that run much of the length of the underside of the board. The rails have a hard chine that starts up by the nose, running all the way back towards a beautifully thinned out tail – this is a unique, elegant board. On deck you have a camera mount up front, a three quarter deck pad and a rear bungee tie down area. Two FCS fins and one US centre fin, and two leash plugs, complete the set up. 

Brand claim
HYPR boards marked by the Hawaiian lifestyle; exclusive, fresh, colourful, warm and unique! They have fantastic performance characteristics as a result of long experience and are manufactured with strict quality requirements The Pono is our entry level high-performance all round surf and paddle board in applewood with nose and tail woodblocks. It carries our patented hull design with sloping chines for the least amount of “wetted surface area” to give you more speed.

Performance
This was our favourite of the test boards to paddle, almost as stable as the floor and surprisingly nippy, characteristics that translated across once on a wave – we did wonder what the two deep concaves of the hull bottom would achieve and can confirm that it is down-the-line speed. The Pono is a Swiss army knife model in that it’ll cruise along nicely in the flat water and ride small waves well when required. Hyprnalu have packed some serious volume into a 11’ but it never feels unwieldy. What this means is an appreciably more stable experience for bigger paddlers, contrasted by a slightly more muted feel in surf than smaller all-round boards – but if that extra stability is what a paddler needs to catch waves in the first place then it you can easily live with it. The Pono brings something unique to the all-rounder market – stunning looks and plenty of speed. If you want to stand out from your mates at the beach and not get left behind, you should give it a try.

www.hyprnalu.co.uk

HYPR NALU PADDLE BOARD REVIEW | PONO 11’0