Kai Lenny, Naish team rider, gets the waves of his young 17 year-old life a couple of days ago at Jaws...under the guidance of watermen David Kalama, and Laird Hamilton...
Kai's legal middle name is "Waterman"...and he has already proven that he is a multi-talented athlete...
Legendary world windsurfing champ, Robby Naish, has also mentored Kai in windsurfing...
This clip was from 2 years ago at Hookipa on Maui's North Shore...
Forward 2 years and Kai invents a brand new windsurfing move called the "Kaino"...
Kai visits Santa Barbara a couple of times per year, as his dad, Martin, grew up here...
The Lenny family is a family of watermen...(the matriarch, Paula is a waterwoman...;-)
Kai's brother, Ridge, is already starting to follow in Kai's footsteps...
Since we are well into the first full week of Summer...and half of our clients are women (wahines) who have been buying lots of the great Naish SUP's from us lately...we thought we'd share a few pics with you to further stoke that Summertime fun...
During the Dave Kalama visit to our shop last week, the Naish guys brought along a notebook full of killer wave SUP images they scored on a trip to Indo...
Robby Naish was riding the new 9'3"...and ripping!!!
Check these out and I think you'll agree...these boards are capable of doing most anything on a wave that a paddlesurfer is capable of...
That's why these boards have been H O T...ultra lightweight, durable, and gorgeous...we only have a couple left...
We've heard the chatter for awhile now...legendary waterman Dave Kalama signs with Naish...
Naish International is pleased to announce the addition of legendary waterman Dave Kalama to both the Naish stand up board team and Naish product design group, where he will work alongside Harold Iggy, Rick and Robby Naish and product manager Michi Schweiger in our ongoing efforts to keep Naish at the forefront of SUP development.
Dave Kalama has been a fixture in Maui's "heavy water" scene since it's inception, and is famous for his spectacular surfing at Jaws, his background as a champion windsurfer, and his open-minded approach regarding pushing the limits of what is possible on the ocean that, together with together with fellow master waterman Laird Hamilton, has revived sport of stand up paddling.
Product Manager Michi Schweiger notes: Dave is a great asset. He brings the same "on the water" philosophy to the table that has been the central theme of Naish product design since Robby started the company - the whole philosophy of building rock solid equipment that helps people improve their riding instead of limiting it. Dave was a immediate fit, and we are stoked to have him on board.
With several new products already in the development pipeline, and lots more to come, there is no question that Dave will be a key player in the future of this new industry, and Naish is proud to have him on the team!
Dave (Naish), and his cousin Ekolu (Starboard), have solidified their ohana as true paddling champions...
Kind of a strange occurrence the other day when we had three different clients with an Illinois connection buy standup paddle boards from us...and they all surf...while another brotha representing Illinois, (who also rides waves) debated for the highest office in the land, on the national stage...then in a few days, sista Gretchen Wilson is coming to town to entertain us on Chumash land...she is from Pocahontas (Illinois) and will sing California Girls...but, then she is Politically Uncorrect...WEIRD...;-)
Perhaps, it's partially a function of how many boards we're selling and shipping...regardless, it's interesting nonetheless...
They talk about six degrees of separation...oftentimes, it's a few less than that...
Maybe if the world leaders understood this connectivity, there would be less conflict(s)...
This image showing standup paddlers in a canoe, was discovered on the walls of a palace in Khorsabad, Iraq...dating ~ 700 BC...this area is commonly referred to as the "Cradle of Civilization"...granted, they're prolly not paddling for pure pleasure...but, who knows what turned them on...sounds like crossing the Molokai Channel on a SUP is grueling and not that pleasurable either...;-)
See how we just connected Iraq to Illinois by standup paddling?...;-)
Native Americans in Illinois, the Illini, made dugout canoes by hollowing out large trees...sometimes 50' in length...and most likely paddled them at times standing up...many native cultures around the world did...and still do...it's only natural!!!
Here's one of our Illinois connected clients, Jon Ham, showing off his new Naish 9'6" quadfin...
Curtis Wathne enjoying his parent's Naish 10'6"...in some smooth and silky point waves near Santa Barbara...the family now has the new Naish 9'6" Quadfin in it's SUP quiver...
Stay tuned for the Naish kid's SUP...with hot rippers like Kai Lenny and Tucker Ingalls on their team, it's gonna be a good one...we will have some shots of Tucker's new Naish custom soon...
Grom sightings on SUP's in the waves, are becoming more and more commonplace around Santa Barbara, and elsewhere, these days...wahines are ripping, too...
As you've seen previously on this blog, Naish has really stepped up their SUP program going into 2009...view 2009 Naish SUP brochure here...
We've already highlighted the slashy new 9'6" quadfin...
Now, we'll give you a L@@K at the new Naish 11'4" x 30"... Thinned out tail and nose...progressive pin tail...very lightweight...this board will cover a broad spectrum of conditions...definitely hitting the most area under the SUP bell curve...glide...stability...surfability...this puppy is going to be a huge hit across the globe...
It comes complete with the new "Eco bag"...which provides adequate protection for day trips...and minimizes packaging...pad with side ramps...and a beautiful wood veneer center fin...I'll try and get some picks of it later today if board shipping slows down a bit...
You can find more pics of the new Naish 11'4" in this gallery...
We've had lots of inquiries about info on the 2009 Naish SUP's...
In addition to the gallery of the 2009 Naish 9'6" Quad that we have already shared with you...we'll provide detailed pics of the other gorgeous new SUP boards in the expanding Naish lineup...
Click on image below for a L@@K at the 2009 Naish SUP brochure...
Hey now, L@@K what just showed up on the doorstep today...
Chined rails...perfect finish work...integrated handle...custom pad...and SUPER lightweight... Holy Shmoly it's L I G H T !!!...this puppy is gonna fly...
Click above pic for more images of the 2009 Naish 9'6" quadfin...