Naish Go-To

As with their kite range, when Naish have a winning formula they stick with it and refine it. So the Global surfboard has been in the range for many years and does exactly what you want from a performance surfboard – it handles pretty much everything you can throw at it in solid waves. The Skater has now also spent a few seasons in the lineup and ticks all the boxes for strapless freestyle and for smaller waves. But what if it is something in-between? What if it’s shoulder high and a little bit messy, or what if you want something less serious than the Global in prime conditions? The Go-To is designed to be that board. It has a fuller outline than the Global with a wider entry point and parallel rails before pulling back into a wider tail with a batwing tail shape. The bottom has a single concave for maximum drive and control and the Go-To has a thruster set up. Naish’s construction has been refined over the years and it’s not super light but it is pretty bombproof, and you can expect to get a few season’s use out of it… The Go-To is available in a 5’6 or 5’9.

On the water and the Go-To planes early and then provides an excellent platform for cruising around on. The rocker is lower than the Global and the extra width and more parallel rails promote easy riding. For gustier or onshore conditions, you can carry your float and speed so don’t get bogged down as you can on a more high performance board. When it comes to getting stuck in to a wave, the Go-To ‘turns on’ quickly – it accelerates smoothly and then really takes off generating plenty of speed without you having to do too much. The concern here is that it’s going to skip out when it comes to engaging a rail, but the sharper rails, tail shape and fin set up provide plenty of grip when you need it, and you can really throw the Go-To into a turn. The Go-To really does stand out as a perfectly designed, very well balanced board which will suit riders just starting out in the waves as well as seasoned pros looking for a more versatile alternative to the Global.

In a sentence: For us this is the board that was missing from the Naish surfboard lineup – it’s easy and forgiving to ride around but then really turns on when you need it to.