When you purchase gear through links on our site, we may earn a small commission. Here’s why you can trust our tests and our affiliate partner.
Naish has brought an updated mid-length to their board lineup with the 2026 Chimera. Built on the original Chimera, this 2026 version is a true one board quiver capable of being agile enough for prone foiling, while having the support and efficiency required for wing or parawing.
The Chimera is built with an ultra-stiff sandwich construction providing great sensitivity and feedback from the foil. The stiffness translates all the rider energy directly into the foil, giving a powerful and solid feeling, and offering confidence in critical moments. This strength does not come at the cost of weight, for better or for worse, with the Chimera feeling right on par with most production boards currently on the market. The box positioning and extra length makes the Chimera versatile enough to ride practically any foil on the market, in any discipline. The deck has a nice convex on the tail which provides a subtle reference point for strapless riders to index their position on the board and has a moderate concave up under the front foot for control. The overall deck space is slightly recessed from the nose moving volume forward in the board. This makes a platform that is stable and wants to float “nose up” allowing for quick and easy takeoffs even in underpowered or marginal conditions. Riders who prefer the locked in control of strapped riding have a variety of configuration options on the deck, making the Chimera a true jack of all trades board.
The 5’8 Chimera was tested downwind parawinging, wind 20-30mph, 6-8’ swell
At first feeling, the Chimera has a nice volume distribution with the tail wanting to float slightly lower than the nose in the water. This is ideal as it makes the board want to climb out of the water and get on plane immediately. For parawinging and wingfoiling, having low effort, efficient takeoffs is key for consistent starts especially in lighter conditions. As soon as the Chimera starts to move through the water the board wants to pop right up and get the rider on plane, ready for take-off.
The relatively flat, lower rocker bottom means the Chimera has great control and take off speed, releasing quickly and easily getting up on foil. Up on foil the deck has a nice feeling with unique concaves and contours under the front and back foot. This allows for riders to easily identify their position on the board and have great control. Taking a step back onto the tail and finding that convex tail bump gives a ton of leverage to drive the foil through turns offering a very surfy feel from the board. Under the front foot the concave gives a nice locked in feel without being too deep. The deck pad is comfortable and grippy, providing nice traction and control when wet.
At 5’8 and 70L the tested size of the Chimera is towards the larger end of the mid-length spectrum but did not feel oversized or sluggish. Quite the opposite actually, for the size and dimensions the Chimera rode a bit smaller, meaning riders can take a little more board for more range and still have the quick snappy feel of a smaller size.
Overall, the Chimera is a strong contender for any rider looking for a versatile board that can check a lot of boxes for a variety of disciplines. The stretched mid-length design will get on foil easily for parawinging or wing foiling, but also has the capacity to throw straps on and really push for control and freestyle. This combined with a high end ultra strong sandwich construction means the Chimera is ready to handle any conditions and any disciplines.
