First paddle in flat, back eddies, low tide sandbar and downbreezer. Verdict. Everything a little bit better, a little bit faster than the 2018. Stoked.
Looks great! No goretex valve?
Still not. Superb design but minimalist regarding accessories.....what accessories...
Looks great! No goretex valve?
Still not. Superb design but minimalist regarding accessories.....what accessories...
Blimey, that really is a minimalist approach these days- a gortex valve costs something like 5 dollars maybe? But the very first Naish Glides didn't have them, and maybe because it is mainly white and silver they think it will be OK in the sun.
The Maliko definitely undercuts by quite a bit the comparable race boards here in the UK. So I guess they have thought about how to save money in as many ways as possible.
Does your board also have the condom on it, that Burchas's one does (ie. a kind of all-over decal as a top layer)? I'm wondering if a "condom" would be a lighter and cheaper way of protecting the paintwork- although how do you repair it?
If it looks better in the flesh than it looks in the pics it must look pretty damn fine in person!
The top and bottom are matt over carbon. The rail section all around the board is very glossy and different finish which could very well be a fine plastic finish very smooth.
This is the picture taken by Burchas of his board. My board does not have the plastic layer on top of the deck. It has same brush carbon finish like the bottom of the board which looks a lot nicer.
How strange- why is the construction of yours and his different, do you think?
And how would I make sure that I got one like yours, unless of course burchas's condom was just packaging that someone hadn't removed:)
Beats me...
Maybe Burchas knows or a guy with a packing tape gun could not cut the tape and keep going....
?
It doesn't take a lot to crack it though and once it does chip away little by little.
Did you succeed in removing cleanly all the "tape" from teh noe of your board?
Was it then teh same gloss finish than on the rails or still the brush carbon as would be seing under a transparent "tape".
Is it really tape/shrink-wrap, or is it just a layer of some sprayed-on top layer that hasn't bonded well with the substrate?
It looks to me like a decal with matte finish nothing more. Underneath it's the same glossy finish. I haven't even bothered to remove it all.
My intension was to fix the board, modify it with my fin box system grind all this crap down and paint it yellow before the world was shut down.
This is how it looks when the paint start to chip away. It didn't take a lot but then again, I put my equipment through rough stuff so I'm not an example.
This is how it looks when the paint start to chip away. It didn't take a lot but then again, I put my equipment through rough stuff so I'm not an example.
Argh!!!!! Worst than Bark. Brushed carbon is OK, scrapped carbon not so much
Holy scrap, that's not good.
Ok well that's made the decision for me, anyway. I'm sick of paying large sums of my hard-earned cash on stuff that falls apart under normal use. My customs and Hypr boards show that this is not the way it has to be.
I bought three of the original Naish Glide/Javelins back about 10+ years ago. The construction of those was great. They seem to have gone backwards ever since IMO, and each year they are finding some reason for me to keep my money.
It looks to me like a decal with matte finish nothing more. Underneath it's the same glossy finish. I haven't even bothered to remove it all.
So brand new board put smoke in my eyes. I had been mostly looking at the lovely tail and tail and bottom are clean brushed carbon finish. The top of the nose is exactly as Burchas said covered by a kind of membrane from the little triangle all the way following the blue line. I even noticed now some light markings like a pattern drawn before cutting. I was totally blind these past few days....
Please don't!!!!
BTW.
The 2021 (S25) has no saving grace in terms of aesthetics. The new stickers are now mixing the straight lines and color with the old Hawaiian motif of 2018 and earlier, creating a real dog's breakfast of a patchwork of styles. The graphic designer seems not to have known in which direction to go. Pot-pourri graphic.....a case of more is not better....
A matter of everyone's own taste of course.
@LucBenac and @Burchas - what are the main differences between the 2019 and 2020 Maliko?
Higher nose volume, better tail shape and refined rails. All positives IMO
My first two paddles show the same. Improvement on everything but sidewind side chop where the extra thickness can be slightly felt.
Another noticeable difference is the weight but we already know at what cost... Still very helpful.
Yes that one is biter sweet :-)
Reading the article that Luc posted, it ooks like the owners of the Maliko have put RA Pro tape or similar on the nose of the Maliko 2020. Maybe an indication of how durable they think it will be?
So far after a few paddles with the 2020 Maliko, it has really be an upgrade to the previous Maliko.
I had tried out a Sunova Torpedo 25.5 prior to purchasing the 2020 Maliko but the retail price tag at the time did not work for me while the 25% discounted Maliko did :-). This might change in the winter.
Asked about the Torpedo and the Maliko, there are two aspects where I find the Torpedo superior:
1) The obvious one which is the construction and the look of the wood finish
2) The less obvious one, is the ability to work bumps and paddle in a downbreezer where bumps are "bigger" than the wind level.
The 2020 Maliko is definitely an upgrade to the 2019/2018 in that respect but the 25.5 Torpedo is a bit better from my point of view with its ability to "seat" the tail and keep moving fast.
The Torpedo is a little bit more nervous and racy but the Maliko is a strong base from which to paddle on.
I should be able to try a 27" Torpedo in a few weeks, which will add to the equation.