The Naish Hover Crossover on land:
The crossover shape comes from a genuine wave SUP, the Naish Raptor. With a length of 223 centimetres, it is naturally quite long by wing standards, the length is a concession to its suitability as a wave SUP. Compared to other crossover boards such as the Fanatic Bee or the JP-Australia Foil Slate (tests of these and other boards can be found in the HERE ), the Naish concept is kept quite compact. Weighing 8.4kg, the Naish Hover Crossover is one of the lightest boards in this class. There are strap positions on deck for windsurfing foiling in a moderately sporty position. Our test model (S25, which stands for "Season 25") has no plugs for wingsurfing, so the Naish board can only be surfed "strapless".
Subsequent note from the editors: The successor model S27 (from 2022) has this option and can also be used for wings with loops.
The Hover Crossover in a practical test:
You immediately realise that the Hover Crossover has wave SUP suitability in its genes. In the waves, with a paddle and four fins, the Naish is the most radical, most manoeuvrable board in this class. For more experienced wave paddlers or light wave beginners, it presents itself as a fast, lively board, but with a volume of only 120 litres and a short length, it demands a lot of practice even from an 80-kilo paddler in a choppy line-up.
With the right Naish foil in the box - we used the Naish Jet Foil 1650 - the board is perfectly suited for windsurf foiling with appropriately positioned straps. The foil characteristics with sail are typical of Naish: the board only wants to be edged a little, you stand upright rather than hanging fully on the sail. The loop positions fit well with a camberless 5.3mm sail. With a more powerful comparison foil from the test (Slingshot), the coordination of the loop and foil positions was not optimal.
Wing beginners simply push the foil of the Naish Hover Crossover all the way forwards in the rail and enjoy the comparatively compact, light board feel. At 120 litres, it's a good size for quick learning and safe bobbing, but the board is also a lot of fun for fast cruising with a wing. With its short fuselage, the board can also be easily manoeuvred through wind holes by pumping with the legs. The comparatively stretched shape of the board also ensures that you can reach the necessary take-off speed and take off smoothly even when riding passively, i.e. without a sophisticated pumping technique. Straps are not provided for wing-foiling - and are not necessary for relaxed cruising. The successor model will have this option. The omission of the loop plugs ultimately also contributes to the low overall weight of the board.
Conclusion:
The Naish Hover Crossover covers two and a half sports reasonably well to well and therefore offers a wide range of uses. For surfers under 85kg, it is already a very radical wave SUP, but also requires a lot of practice. It is much more docile for windsurf foiling, where it offers the best conditions for leisurely cruising and jibing, ideally motorised with camberless wave, freemove or freeride sails up to 6.5sqm. As a wingsurf board, the Naish is ideal for beginners and as a large-volume board for light wind areas. It is best equipped with good-natured and thicker profiled foils (low to mid aspect ratio). If you mainly want to wingfoil and put SUPing or windsurfing foiling at the back of the list, you will soon want a more compact board with straps.
Lightweight; wide range of use; ideal for wing beginners
Wingsurfing only without loops
