At first glance, the Naish board is characterised by its elegant but unobtrusive design. Spread over a length of 12'6'' (3.81 metres), the 32-inch width doesn't look too generous and the moderately wide tail results in a slim, sporty yet touring-ready outline. A trick was used to significantly widen the board in the centre area by padding the deck pad towards the edge, thus providing a larger flat surface than a board of this width would normally have. The moderately pointed nose completes the harmonious outline.
Viewed from the side, the board lies relatively straight on the water, the bow is only a few centimetres higher and therefore runs easily over the waves. In terms of equipment details, the board has been fitted with almost everything imaginable. There is a very large net at the front, which is anchored to solid stainless steel rings, where you can stow a lot of luggage underneath. There is a second luggage net at the rear for smaller items, which is also attached with solid steel rings.
The carrying handle in the centre is only thinly padded, but sufficient. There are two additional carrying handles at the front and rear, which can prove very practical on tours, but also for handling on land - if you want to carry the board with two people. But even if you want to push or pull it through the water, such handles are always useful. The stainless steel ring for attaching the leash is also provided on the rear handle. There are also two further handles on the side, which are also always useful: when climbing up and when pulling through shallow water. Here you can quickly grab the board when you have descended sideways. There is also a sturdy GoPro mount on the front of the bow and a sturdy towing eyelet under the bow to attach the board or tow it behind a boat, for example.
The fin sits in a sturdy US box on the underside. The large fin holds the track well and is quickly attached with a small screw that can be turned with your fingers. No tools are required here. Naish has glued a tear-off edge around the tail, which looks relatively elegantly integrated. This should ensure a clean tear-off, especially at higher speeds. For example, if you're surfing down a wave on a downwinder, the board won't get stuck at the back and can absorb speed well.
10.1 kilos is a good weight for a touring SUP with this extensive equipment.
Without the fin, the board weighs 10.1 kilos, which is a good weight for the lavish equipment. This is also achieved because Naish uses a dropstitch (material on the inside) that is welded to the PVC outer shell using so-called Fusion Technology and not glued. This saves a few grams of glue. The edges of the board are doubled, which should ensure a long-lasting durability. Overall, the board makes a very well-made impression. The glued seams are all crease-free, smooth and neatly finished. On land, the Naish Touring 12.6 is well equipped and suitable for touring. But what does it look like on the water?
Naish Touring SUP: stable and fast
With a width of 32 inches (81.3 cm) and a thickness of six inches, the Naish Touring 12.6 offers very good rigidity and tipping stability. It is not a clumsy tanker, thanks to the slightly slimmer tail and the sporty tapered nose, but it is still really stable: suitable for heavy paddlers and plenty of luggage. With a possible pressure of up to 20 psi, there are plenty of reserves; we filled it with 16 psi for our 83-kilo tester, which was more than stiff enough. Positioned in the centre next to the handle, the bow is slightly above the water. With a little weight trim, i.e. standing one foot further forward or further back, the board can be trimmed into the water so that either the bow lies nicely in the water plane or that you have a little more room at the front, even for wavy conditions.
The slightly raised nose also makes it possible to load the front of the board with luggage without pushing it too hard into the water. This is a very good compromise between a sporty paddling feel and carrying capacity for touring. When paddling, the good directional stability is particularly noticeable, which is probably primarily due to the large fin, but also to the well-guided nose. This means that you can paddle a relatively large number of strokes on one side without having to make snaking lines in the water. At the tail, the water always breaks cleanly at the trailing edge and the board is well equipped against side waves with a width of 32 inches.
Our tester made rapid progress at a brisk 7 km/h, both objectively and subjectively, and over 9 km/h can also be achieved quickly when sprinting. These are good values for a touring board, especially with such a large width. Nevertheless, the board still turns quite willingly in the crossbow turn because the nose is not completely flat in the water. And for the turn where you go to the tail, i.e. the pivot turn, the tail still offers enough stability, although not quite as much as extremely wide step-up boards, which are much wider at the tail.
The rear width is a good compromise
The rear width is a concession to fast progress, touring suitability and yet tipping stability, which can be described as quite successful for this board class. Overall, the Naish Touring turns out to be a board that is very comfortable and quick to paddle both with and without luggage. It is a board that can also be paddled in somewhat rougher water - at least if you already have some experience - and on which you can complete your tour safely and dryly even in heavy weather. The 12'6'' length and sporty outline ensure fast progress and the large fin provides very good course stability, which is very pleasant on longer tours.
Alternatives: The same model in size 12'x34'' for maximum tipping stability and the 14'x30'' version for touring paddlers in a hurry
