The Wild Tribe Naia 11’ iSUP Review – Overview
There are primarily two thicknesses available when it comes to buying an inflatable paddle board – 6” or 4.7”. Both sizes have their own positives and negatives, but most iSUPs on the market are 6” thick for increased capacity and an easier time making the board rigid. But thinner boards do have some benefits over thicker paddle boards. There’s a different quality to how they feel on the water, you generally have better stability, and they can be more playful on the water.
The Wild Tribe’s entire lineup of iSUPs, including the Naia 11’, are 4.7”.
The Naia 11’ blends a performance-oriented shape with a stable outline and thinner profile to create a great balance of performance characteristics. And while most 4.7” iSUPs will set you back over $1k for a full kit, The Wild Tribe bundles the Naia 11’ with everything you need to get on the water (and then some) at a more wallet-friendly price.
— The Wild Tribe Naia 11’ iSUP Review – Ratings and Summary —
The Wild Tribe Naia 11’ iSUP
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Construction & Durability
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Features and Versatility
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Stability
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Speed
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Maneuverability
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Tracking
Overall Score
The Naia 11’ is a great all-around board for paddlers of all skill levels who want the feel of a thinner iSUP.
Pros
- 4.7” thick board construction with welded rails and dual-layer PVC for durability and longevity
- Efficient paddling shape
- Balanced performance on the water
- More stable than its width implies
- Large accessory kit and lots of built-in board features
- US fin box
- 3-year warranty
Cons
- The Naia 11’ is heavy compared to other 4.7” boards the same size, but has comparable rigidity
- The included 3-piece aluminum paddle is adequate for light cruising, but not for longer distances, more time on the water, or higher speeds.
The Wild Tribe Naia 11’ iSUP Review – Construction and Durability
The Wild Tribe uses a combination of materials and construction techniques to create their 4.7” thick boards so they are both functional and affordable.
Inside The Wild Tribe Naia 11’ you’ll find a drop stitch core that uses a woven base layer fabric for reduced weight and a standard V-shape drop stitch pattern to connect the top and bottom base layers. This drop stitching keeps the board flat and gives it its 4.7” thickness.
The deck and hull are made with a dual-layer fusion PVC material. This is a heat-pressed lamination process that mechanically bonds the two PVC layers to the woven fabric base layer.
The top and bottom of the board are connected with a heat-welded interior rail band. This turns the entire board into one continuous piece of PVC material without the use of chemical adhesives. The welding and fusion lamination processes are more robust and resistant to heat exposure compared to glued constructions. A layer of reinforced PVC is then glued around the edge of the board to protect the inner rail band.
To help increase the board’s rigidity without the weight of a full layer of PVC, The Wild Tribe uses a wide PVC stringer through the middle of the deck and hull of the board. They refer to this as their “Dual Core” construction, but it does not have anything to do with the actual drop stitch core of the board as the name and graphic imply.
Once the board is built and all of the features added, it weighs in at 24.2 pounds. That’s around average for an 11’ x 32” x 6” iSUP, but is notably heavy compared to other 4.7” thick iSUPs (around 18-20 pounds for a similar size).
The Naia 11’ is rated for a maximum pressure of 18 PSI. However there is a warning to only inflate the board to 12 PSI when used in “hot” environments or “direct sunlight,” but there is no indication of what is considered “hot.” While it is best to not leave your board out of the water while fully inflated, a 6 PSI reduction feels a bit extreme in my opinion. Generally 2-3 PSI is sufficient to account for thermal expansion and pressurization, but the black rails of the board can get quite hot in the sun and are around the weakest part of the board. This is also not something we’ve seen from other brands, though we have seen a few brands reduce their overall maximum pressure recommendations over the years, but not conditionally. In the end, you’ll have to use your own judgment about if or how much to underinflate in hot conditions.
At its maximum 18 PS, the Naia 11’ did OK in our standardized bend test. With 170 pounds of weight in the middle of the board, the Naia 11’ bent 1.85”. That’s a little more than our current running average of 1.62” and is in line with the lower end of other 4.7” thick boards we’ve tested. Board thickness plays a large role in rigidity (along with construction and size/shape). While this bend test is in line with the other thinner iSUPs we’ve tested, its weight isn’t. Typically heavier boards have more material which make them more rigid. Here we see a heavier weight without the improved rigidity.
On the water, things were a bit different. I did notice a little bit of flex while standing and paddling the board normally, but not in any way that I felt impacted its performance.
While walking on the board or paddling faster I could feel the board flex more. And during hard paddling for a sprint or while bouncing on the board it became very noticeable. The Naia does settle back down smoothly and comfortably without any twitching or springy feeling.
In talking with The Wild Tribe they did mention that they are working on changing and updating their construction to use cross-woven drop stitching in future models. I look forward to testing these as I do believe it will noticeably help improve their rigidity both on and off the water.
Overall, the Naia 11’ is well-built. The dual-layer fusion shell is durable and the board has decent rigidity for its thickness. It is a touch heavy, but only when compared directly to other 4.7” iSUPs, and it falls into the average weight range for 6” boards.
Specifications
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 11’ 0” |
| Width | 31.25“ |
| Thickness | 4.7“ |
| Weight | |
| Max Capacity | 325 pounds |
| Board Weight | 24.2 pounds |
| Kit Weight (SUP & accessories) | 32.0 pounds |
| Buying Info | |
| List Price | $812.00 |
| Warranty | 3 years |
| Returns period | 45 days |
The Wild Tribe Naia 11’ iSUP Review – Features, Accessories and Versatility
The Naia 11’ is a true all-around iSUP with a stable, but efficient, shape and a feature-rich deck. The Naia is just over 31” wide rather than the specified 32” which does reduce its overall capacity and stability a little, but is still well-sized for most paddlers.
The Naia 11’ comes with quite a feature and accessory set. The entire kit includes:
- Naia 11’ iSUP
- The Wild Tribe SUP backpack
- Single-chamber hand pump
- Aluminum 3-piece paddle
- Three fins with padded fin bag
- Coiled leash
- Accessory deck storage bag
- Four removable passenger handles
- Maintenance and repair kit
The included bag is lightweight, but does not have any wheels, so you will need to carry the 32 lb kit either on your back or in your hand. The hand pump, leash, repair kit and other small items are all fairly standard with no real outstanding features. I’ll get into the paddle in the next section, and the fins are also a typical array of a 9” center fin and two 4.5” side fins.
The Wild Tribe Naia 11’ iSUP Review – Paddle
I found the paddle that comes with the Naia 11’ to be a bit of a let down for an iSUP kit at this price point. It is adequate for short, casual cruises around the beach, but falls short of the performance level for the rest of the board.
After my first time out with the Naia 11’ I had a hard time thinking about anything other than the paddle, but not in a good way. Over the years we’ve seen a handful of boards come with aluminum paddles. They are usually included with boards at some of the lowest price points, though they occasionally sneak into some mid-price kits. But this is the first time I’ve seen one in a kit that retails for over $800.
I’ve written about this a few times before, but I am pleading with brands to stop bundling aluminum paddles with their boards. Aluminum paddles are extremely heavy and are easy to bend and damage. They are only marginally less expensive from the factory than a fiberglass paddle. Please, for your customers’ sake, spend a couple of dollars more to upgrade to a fiberglass paddle shaft.
The Wild Tribe aluminum paddle weighs in at a hefty 33.6 ounces between the aluminum shaft and the heavy-duty plastic blade. The blade is a medium to slightly large teardrop shape and made with a reinforced ABS plastic. The adjustable handle section has length markings, but is not indexed, so you’ll have to make sure the grip is properly aligned with the blade each time you adjust it. The grip itself is a small-size plastic palm grip with some molded texturing.
I had some problems with this paddle. First, it bent almost immediately. The first time I tried paddling at anything faster than cruising speed permanently bent the paddle shaft below my lower hand. When aluminum bends it stays bent. Bending it back is nearly impossible to do accurately and it weakens the metal each time. Fiberglass and other composite materials, on the other hand, will flex naturally and return to the correct shape on their own.
The next issue I had was with how it felt. The blade is very heavy and the grip itself is very small. The whole assembly is quite unbalanced and just feels weird. I wouldn’t recommend using it for any extended period of time.
Overall, it’s adequate for very light and short use, but not for any type of paddling beyond that. The Wild Tribe does offer an upgraded paddle option with a carbon fiber shaft that, according to spec, comes in almost 10 ounces lighter. I would recommend either purchasing this paddle at the time of check out or upgrading to one of our top recommended mid-range or higher-end paddles if you plan to do more than short cruises around the beach on the Naia 11’.
The Wild Tribe Naia 11’ iSUP Review – Stability
I was initially concerned about the Naia’s stability when I saw it measured just over 31” wide, but I was pleased with its performance on the water. Its shape and thinner profile help make the Naia 11’ feel like a comfortably-stable all-around board for most paddlers.
On the water, all of my concerns about the Naia’s narrower width melted away.
The thinner profile of the 4.7” board gives you a little stability boost by lowering your center of gravity and helps the board feel more locked-in to the water rather than floating on top of it.
I didn’t notice any rolling or twitching, and I do attribute some of that to the heavier weight of the board. Ultralight SUPs can be very fast-reacting to changes in weight distribution, but having a little more mass under your feet helps temper those shifts.
Rocking the board side to side and holding it on edge was smooth and comfortable. I could easily hold the board tilted to a pretty good degree without it rolling over or back flat onto the water.
Now I did notice some flex in the board while paddling harder and when moving around on the board. This did change the quality of the Naia’s stability, but I didn’t feel like it was going to buck me off or suddenly grab an edge.
If you are used to 6” thick inflatables and are looking at moving to a 4.7” board, I would give you a fun word of caution – it’s going to be a lot easier to sink the edges or the tail of the board than what you are used to. But, it is a quick adjustment period, and it does give you the benefit of not needing to move around so much to do those things.
Overall I think the Naia 11’ has a significant amount of stability considering its narrower outline. I think paddlers of all skill levels will feel comfortable on the Naia 11’, though new paddlers over 200 pounds may want to consider a slightly wider board like the Honu Fairlight or Red Paddle Co 10’8 Ride for that extra bit of stability.
The Wild Tribe Naia 11’ iSUP Review – Speed
The Naia 11’ has a narrow and efficient shape compared to many all-around iSUPs, but isn’t able to take full advantage of that outline due to its flex and heavy paddle, giving it a more average performance in our speed testing.
Our speed testing is divided into three categories: sprinting, cruising, and efficiency.
In our sprinting speed test, we paddled the Naia 11’ at a constant 75 strokes per minute to see how fast we could go in a sustained sprint. The Naia 11’ did OK with an average speed of 5.0 MPH. We also like to check the fastest speed we can get on a board regardless of stroke rate, and hit 5.5 MPH. Both of these were hard to do. With big, powerful strokes the Naia 11’ does have some flex on the water. This causes the board to bob up and down and turn side-to-side easier than when it remains flat at slower speeds. The biggest culprit, though, is the heavy paddle. At over 2 pounds and with a larger teardrop blade, the aluminum 3-piece paddle is difficult to use quickly.
At cruising speeds, the Naia 11’, and its paddle, do much better. There’s very minimal flex that was easy to forget about unless you went looking for it, and the paddle handles better at a slower cadence. At 25 strokes per minute, the Naia 11’ cruises along at an average of 3.6 MPH.
Both the sprinting and cruising speeds were about average for most 11’ all-around iSUPs, though most are a touch wider (between 32-33”).
In our efficiency testing, the Naia 11’ did well, traveling an average of just under 20’ before slowing down after a single stroke. That gives it a gliding ratio of 1.8 board lengths per stroke, and it does have a very smooth-feeling glide on the water.
The Wild Tribe Naia 11’ iSUP Review – Maneuverability and Tracking
The Naia 11’s narrower shape and triple fin setup give it good tracking performance without making the board too difficult to turn.
The Naia 11’ is just a little bit harder to turn using basic stroke techniques than some other 11’ all-around boards, but only just.
In our maneuverability test, it took an average of 7.5 forward sweep strokes (paddling in an arc from nose to tail) to turn the Naia 11’ in a complete circle. That’s about one more paddle stroke than average. However, reverse sweep strokes (from tail to nose) turn the Naia in just four strokes.
Of course, that’s to turn a full circle – not something most people do regularly. The Naia does respond well to steering input for turns up to about 90 degrees, and works very well with more advanced turning and steering strokes.
Stepping back to the tail for a pivot turn is pretty easy. The main section of the board is quite parallel, giving you a very consistent feel as you step back, and the thinner profile of the board makes it easier to sink the tail without needing to move back as far. Once the nose is out of the water, the Naia’s tail cuts easily through the water for a quick turn.
How well a board tracks straight can make a big difference when you want to paddle a long distance. The Naia 11’ tracks very well when using all three included fins.
In our 10-stroke tracking test, the Naia 11’ only deviated 15 degrees off course after the tenth paddle stroke on one side. That’s great for an all-around paddle board. I didn’t have any issues paddling straight during normal use, and I could easily make course corrections with quick steering strokes.
The Naia 11’ comes with three fins: a 9” center fin and two 4.5” side fins. The center fin uses a Universal Standard (US) fin box. You can adjust the position of the fin or swap it for hundreds of other different options to suit your needs. The side fins use a less common short-base fin box with integrated fin bolts.
For a flatwater all-around board you don’t need to use all three fins. Using all of them does help improve tracking, but reduces maneuverability and increases drag (slowing you down). By just using the center fin, the Naia 11’s maneuverability and tracking performance even out a bit more, and by using just the two side fins you can paddle in shallower water and have greatly improved agility (while giving up tracking performance).
The Wild Tribe Naia 11’ iSUP Review – Warranty and Customer Support
The Wild Tribe offers a 3-year warranty for their inflatable paddle boards and a 6-month warranty for all of their accessories. This is a mid-length board warranty, but a slightly short accessory warranty. They also have a longer, 45-day return period for their products. If you have any questions about The Wild Tribe’s products or need to file a warranty claim, you can contact them via email, phone, webform, social media, or at their headquarters outside of Montreal, Quebec.
The Wild Tribe Naia 11’ iSUP Review – Final Thoughts
I had a lot of requests from readers to review the Naia 11’ from The Wild Tribe, and I can see why.
The Naia 11’ has well balanced performance on the water, comes with a large accessory kit, and is priced very reasonably. In fact, it’s one of the least-expensive options available for a 4.7” thick iSUP. While the paddle could use an upgrade, the kit overall is a great value.
I was really pleased with how the Naia 11’ feels on the water and its versatility. If you’re looking for a feature-heavy 4.7” all-around iSUP, the Naia 11’ is a great choice.
The Wild Tribe Naia 11’ iSUP Review – FAQ
Is the Wild Tribe Naia 11’ a good paddle board for beginners?
Yes. The Naia 11’ offers good stability and performance for beginner paddlers. However, paddlers over 200 pounds will benefit from a wider and more rigid paddle board.
Is the Wild Tribe Naia 11’ compatible with a kayak seat?
Yes, the Naia 11’ is compatible with most accessory kayak seats. The Wild Tribe does sell a kayak conversion kit with a seat and full convertible paddle, but does not sell a separate paddle blade for the paddle in the Naia kit.
Can I paddle with a passenger or pet on the Wild Tribe Naia 11’?
That will depend on the size of the riders and pets. The Naia 11’ has a maximum recommended weight capacity of 325 pounds total, however, an average adult paddler is likely to notice a loss of stability when sharing the board with a passenger or pet that is over 40 pounds.
How long does it take to inflate the Wild Tribe Naia 11’?
It takes about 8 minutes to inflate the Naia 11’ to 15 PSI with the included hand pump. We recommend electric pumps for their ease of use and hands-free setup.
Is the Wild Tribe Naia 11’ worth the price?
The Naia 11’ is one of the most affordable 4.7” iSUPs available today. With an MSRP of around $800 and a sale price of almost $500 it’s a great way to get into this type of iSUP. The included accessory kit is a little weak compared to other iSUPs in this price range, but the board itself is a good value.