NAISH STARSHIP 105 2023 TEST REVIEW
Verdict
With some clear input from Robby Naish himself, the Starship combines modern design with a classic feel. Fast and lively, the board is exciting to sail, providing the most stoke once in the air. With a vast wind range and sea state capabilities, this board can turn any venue into a fast bump-and-jump playground. If you like sailing charged and powered, then this one’s for you.
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- NAISH STARSHIP 105
The Lowdown
Radical in design, the Naish Starship is the brand’s Freemove range produced to adapt to various riding styles. The board comes with a range of footstrap options, with the outboard said to deliver near-slalom performance and the inboard setup for a more manoeuvre-based feel. With its compact design, the volume of the Starship is exceptionally well distributed, suggesting the board will maintain good stability whether on smaller size sails or using the upper sizes in the range, which the brand claim is up to 7.4m. Provided with MFC’s Freemove fin and Naish’s ergonomic footstraps along with medium-density, grooved and embossed EVA footpads, the Starship looked set to be a comfortable ride with maximum feel. Moving to the underside of the board, the Starship is bestowed with a double concave that runs from the nose to the hips that subtly moves into a vee under the fins. The board possesses a parallel outline, due to its wide nose and tail, along with a reasonably flat rocker suggesting the Starship will have some good speed performance. At the tail of the board, the two cutouts reduce the resistance of the broad tail, allowing the board to be designed for stability at rest as well as speed once at full throttle. The Starship is constructed in a full S-glass sandwich wrap and finished with Durafinish to maximise the board’s durability. As with all Naish equipment, the board has a classic Hawaiian look giving it that summer beach vibe.
Brand Claim
Featuring the same compact outline and wide nose DNA as the rest of our boards, the Starship is a freeride board that can adapt to a variety of riding styles and conditions. Its compact outline provides great stability and acceleration and its fast rocker and refined tail cutouts deliver blistering top speeds.
Performance
With a slightly different design than some of the other boards on test, the Starship feels like a fast freeride board that can hold its own in rough seas. Feeling much bigger than its quoted volume, the Starship is stable at rest and no doubt capable of managing bigger sails and heavier riders. Due to its parallel outline, the board releases sharply as it accelerates and quickly reaches its top speed. The board’s blasting capabilities are clear, with the wide tail and large fin asking the rider to position their stance outboard with the heels on the rail, making the outboard strap setup best suited for this riding style.
The board produces some real charge and excitement at speed, making for an electrifying ride which is maintained through the turns where the board feels lively. On the exit, the board maintains speed well, and with its wide design, there is plenty of room for the foot change. Set this board into flight mode, and it glides through the air for impressive distances before touching down with its wide nose providing lift and stability whilst in flight. If you are looking for a board to race hard with your mates and impress with lofty jumps, then this one’s for you.
NAISH STARSHIP 105 2023 TEST REVIEW
Specs:
Price: £2099
Volume (Quoted): 105 litres
Length: 236 cm
Width: 63 cm
Bottom shape: Subtle double concave throughout moving into a vee under the fin.
Weight (naked): 6.55 kg
Fins: MFC Freemove 36 cm
Sail Range (quoted): <7.4m
Sizes Available: 85, 95, 105, 115.