The BOARDS Test Teamput a selection of wave and all-round sails through their paces in asmany different sizes as possible, while also exploring how each reacts to different brands of mast. Pix by Andy Joswik…

Continuing with our sail testing approach of the last few seasons, rather than simply trying one size in a range (which may be the ‘sweet spot’, or indeed the worst sail in that range!) our aim with this test was to test each range in as many different sizes as we could, utilising the facilities of OTC in Tenerife where several sizes of most ranges of wave sail are available all rigged on the correct masts. Unfortunately, the wind didn’t quite play ball so we were only able to test each sail in a couple of sizes, but it still helps to give a much broader and more accurate picture than looking at just one size only. It tended to be the 5.3 and 5.7m sails that got the bulk of use. However, there are various ranges – like our quiver Tushingham Rock 4.7s, Gaastra Poison 4.0s and Manic 5.0s – that we have used in other sizes over the course of the season. We also rigged many of the sails on a variety of different masts, to assess the setting effect of different mast types.

We’ll keep the pre-amble down to a minimum, as there’s not actually a great deal to say. This is a relatively stable area of the market – sails of this size and style in general work very well. The designers are clearly comfortable with what they are doing, and most are continuing to do it with just little tweaks to planshape and foil from season to season. (Last year’s ‘designer reshuffle’ between the brands is now working its way through to the shop shelves, with most designers clearly nudging their new models in the directions that they favoured under their previous banners.) Indeed, the main observation is that over the last few seasons, it has been very noticeable that the gaps have closed significantly: while the best have been improving only marginally (if at all), the dogs from a few years ago have come on in leaps and bounds, squeezing the range of overall quality on offer into a much tighter band with far less to choose between the best and worst.

Because of this we’re not going to choose any favourites this year. On the basis of this test you are extremely unlikely to buy a 4.5 to 5.3m wave sail that you won’t quickly get used to and learn to like. For sure there are differences of style, and there are still sails that we would clearly prefer over others, but they all work pretty well over a decent wind range. We found a bit more variation in quality in the bigger (5.7m) sails and smaller (4.0/4.2m) sails we tried, since some small wave sails can become too twitchy and some big wave sails a bit unstable, but most still fared pretty well.

SKINNY vs STANDARD:

Last year we did extensive testing using pairs of matched sails with both standar diameter (SD) and skinny / reduced diameter (RD) masts and our findings were pretty conclusive. In nearly every case best performance was achieved using a skinny. Although we are aware that there is a body of opinion still opposed to this view our overwhelming experience has been that both feel and speed / acceleration are nearly always better with a skinny. Top end stability may not be quite as good but this hasn’t presented as much of an issue. Our advice would be to explore the possibility of using skinny masts with wave sails unless you have very good reason to do otherwise. Ironically, this advice has much more to do with the gains in feel and performance than strength. It seems that most mast manufacturers are now making skinnies not much stronger than equivalent SD masts. This is presumably because any mast will be both cheaper and feel lighter and more responsive if less material is used to beef up the thickness of its walls!

Another reason that we’re holding off from making recommendations is because our perception of sails has changed so massively over the past year or so, now we’ve realised just how much the performance of the entire rig is attributable to the mast. No longer can we simply be happy testing a sail with one mast even if it is the manufacturer’s recommended one. Many sails, though perfectly useable as they are, set clearly better with different masts. It is a real shame we couldn’t do more testing on this because we now know what a huge difference it can make. Future tests will concentrate more on this aspect – although, of course, the recommended mast still has to be our obvious starting point.

DIFFERENT MASTS:

We rigged as many of the sails as we could on as many different masts as we could, and we’ve discussed in detail our findings in the test write-ups. So here’s a more general explanation of how a different bend curve and stiffness of mast will effect the set of a sail.

Stiffness:

Mast stiffness has a big effect on sail performance. Contrary to popular belief not all 400 masts are the 19 IMCS stiffness that they (virtually all) quote. If you look at the Mast Directory you will see that they vary between about 18 and 23 This is considerable variation. If your sail feels too soft, flexible and unstable try and find a stiffer mast for it, if it feels too hard, stiff, twitchy and unresponsive try a softer one.

Too stiff a mast:

The sail is harder to downhaul and outhaul, making the foil tighter with a lot less give or flex. It consequently reacts less to the wind, generating less power in lighter winds even though it may well force a bit more fullness into the luff. Overall a sail rigged on too stiff a mast will feel overly taut and twitchy and unresponsive, a bit powerless in marginal winds, and not quick enough to release power in stronger winds.

Too soft a mast:

The sail will be too quick to derotate on the luff and twist away at the leech. Although it will feel a bit more responsive in very light winds it won’t hold its shape through a decent wind range and will distort too easily.

An easy way to compare:

In every sail range there are sizes with luff lengths near the break point between one size of mast and another (e.g. 400cm, 430cm). A typical 5.3m sail might have a luff of around 430cm, and may be recommended for use with either a 400 mast with a 30cm extension or a 430 mast with no extension. Longer masts are usually stiffer than shorter masts, so if you have both a 400 and 430 mast (of the same range, otherwise you’re throwing a whole heap of other variables into the picture!) you can experiment with each to compare how mast stiffness affects your rig. We often find that actually the softer (shorter) or stiffer (longer) mast works better than the recommended size. If you have a short adjustable head (or don’t mind a 10cm gap between sail foot and mastfoot) and/or have a long (40cm) extension you could exchange masts between sails with luff lengths 10cm either side of 430 to see if changing the stiffness improves performance. Experimentation is well worthwhile, since it really can make quite a major difference to your rig for no additional financial outlay! The same can be tried with sails of luff lengths within 10cm of 400 or 460cm (i.e. usually around 4.2 or 6.3m). Bear in mind that what works for one person may not necessarily work for another though; as a general rule heavier sailors tend to like stiffer masts than lighter sailors because they tend to use a given size of sail in stronger winds.

Bend curve:

IMCS bend curves are explained in the Mast Directory elsewhere in this issue. It is not a perfect system for describing the bend of masts but it is OK (and it’s all we have). However, due to the difficulties of getting exact measurements and the variation between masts even of the same type, it’s pointless to try to be too precise with it. For practical purposes with wave sails we think of masts as either ‘stiff-top’, ‘average’ bend curve or ‘flex-top’. Most masts from a given brand tend towards one of these classifications. Thus Pryde and North tend towards flex-top, while Gaastra and Maui Sails use much stiffer-top bend curves (often better thought of as softer in the mid section) and lofts like Simmer appear to use average bend curves.

You might think that the safe advice to anyone buying an accessory mast would simply be to match the bend curve to the masts recommended by the sailmaker. In practice we have not always found this to be the case. Sometimes performance can be significantly improved by using a softer or stiffer top mast than recommended. We appreciate that without specific details this information is of no practical use to anyone planning a purchase, but the underlying point is still an important one to take on board: you cannot assume that the bend curve of a manufacturer’s recommended mast is actually the best one for that sail. So don’t be afraid to experiment, even with masts very different to what the manufacturer recommends. In some instances it can be very important to use either quite a distinctly more stiff-top or flex-top mast to make a sail work OK.

(Note: For the purposes of this article we are talking about masts of 400cm length and for wave sails. The effect of bend curve can be more exaggerated with larger sails, particularly if they have inducers.)

Too flex-top a mast: For example setting a Gaastra Manic on a Pryde mast:

• The leech goes too floppy at the head.

• Meanwhile the luff stays exaggeratedly rotated (battens sticking too far round towards the front of the mast).

• The sail seems to need stacks of outhaul to set properly and this over-tightens the foil in the body of the sail.

• In use the sail will flap and release at the head while the body stays too stiff and rotated. It will tend to have good top end and stability, at the expense of low end power. The centre of effort will tend to stay too far forward.

Too stiff-top a mast: For example setting a North Ice on a Maui Sails mast:

• The head stays relatively untwisted.

• The rotation comes out of the sail too easily (battens pull right away from the mast before there is enough tension in the sail) leaving the body either too flat or too soft.

• The sail will require minimal or no outhaul.

• In use the sail will have a tight leech and soft mid section, thus feeling more responsive in lighter winds but losing stability quickly. Release off the upper leech will be compromised and the centre of effort will tend to stray too far back.

ABOUT THE TEST:

The test was carried out at the OTC in Médano, Tenerife where most of the sails in this test (plus others that aren’t), are available for anyone to hire and try out. We tried all the available ranges that we had the time and conditions to use. (Unfortunately we are unable to review Loft or Severne Sails at the moment as their UK importer will not make them available to us for test as a result of disagreements about past test findings.)

We would like to thank all the staff at OTC for their help as well as Tushingham for the loan of their narrow-diameter Aeron CT booms, and North for help with their on-the-water-adjustable XT extensions.

THE TEAM…

Ian Leonard, Emile Kott, Jono Dunnett, Mariusz Golinski, with important input from Tris Best and the staff at OTC.

3.3, 3.7, 4.0, 4.2, 4.5, 4.7, 5.0, 5.3, 5.6m.

Manufacturer’s mast recommendations:

Pryde masts tend to be flex-top in bend curve (by our definition – though Pryde call them “progressive flex”) and of average stiffness. Neil Pryde recommend the X9 or X6 (SD) masts and RD X-Combat mast with all their wave sails. Last year we found their Alpha to perform best on the RD X-Combat mast.

Our mast recommendations:

Neil Pryde wave sails tend to set with high levels of twist in the head allied to high levels of rotation and relatively tight foils in the midsection. These characteristics are promoted and exaggerated by flex-top and SD masts. So, although the Combat works well with its own SD mast we would have loved to have tried it with other less flex-top masts, both SD and RD because it appeared to rig well even with very stiff-top RD masts. (However, we can’t vouch that the performance on the water would match the looks on the beach.)

Changes for ’08:

Pryde have reduced skin tension for this season by reducing the luff curve in the sail.

Set:

The Combat has quite a bit of pre-set shape in the bottom of the sail. It needs a fair bit of downhaul although the excellent pulley makes this quite easy. It sets with a very twisted head but tight mid-leech and tight body. It has a lot of shape in the front of the sail below the boom and a lot of rotation in the lower two battens. 2-3cm of outhaul were needed to reduce the fullness, but excessive outhaul does further tighten the already high-tension foil.

Performance:

With its taut feel and despite relatively deep forward fullness it is not a sail that feels particularly powerful or responsive in marginal conditions, but it has a nice light feel and easy natural balance that makes it very easy to sheet correctly and sail with. It feels quite flicky, crisp and precise, being easy to manoeuvre even though it doesn’t go completely neutral. Upper wind range is good and it seems to have a very good range on one setting without needing further tensioning as the wind increases.

Overall it’s a very well balanced, easy handling sail with a forward centre of effort that is fun to blast and ride. It’s the all-rounder of the Pryde range, sitting between the more powerful Alpha and the softer, lighter, Zone, neither of which we were able to try out this time round.

5.0m – £445

Manufacturer’s mast recommendations:

Recommended for use with skinny masts although billed as compatible with SD masts too.

The 2008 Gaastra 400 75% RDM (recommended for the smaller Manics) is a stiff mast with a stiff-top bend curve. Although we didn’t measure the 100% (recommended for larger sizes) it is likely to be at least as stiff and of a similar bend curve since this was the case with last year’s 430s.

Our mast recommendations:

It seems to set best on a skinny with stifftop or average bend curve. A moderate flex-top RD mast stiffened up the middle of the sail and the 2nd batten sticks a bit in lighter winds, though overall performance was still good.

The sail feels relatively taut with the stiff Gaastra masts and doesn’t seem to suffer particularly when used with softer masts, other than losing a little bit of stability.

Changes for ’08:

New luff curve, shorter clew and flatter foot batten.

Set:

There is a fair amount of twist located right at the head, and a decent amount of rotation in battens 1 & 2 – and depending on set it can even keep some rotation in batten 3. The foil is nicely taut but has nice spring. It sets fairly flat on the beach, with pre-set shape in the bottom batten only.

Performance:

We have used this sail in 5.0 and 5.3m and liked it a lot. It feels light and compact with a decent bottom end and good top end. It remains relatively flexible and forgiving despite maintaining decent skin tension with smooth power delivery and breathability. It is light and flicky in transitions and goes neutral easily. A good all-rounder for all strong wind sailing.

Price:

5.0m – £405

Manufacturer’s mast recommendations: Recommended for use with skinny masts although capable of being used with SD as well. We used it with the Maui Sails RDM 100%, an averagely stiff mast with a notably stiff-top bend curve. The RDM 75% measured slightly less stiff but has a very similar stiff-top bend curve. Maui Sails std diameter masts also have stiff-top bend curves and tend to be above averagely stiff.

Our mast recommendations:

The Legend shows relatively typical traits of stiff-top mast bend characteristics when set with its own mast. This means not much rotation and a relatively soft and easy spring in the body of the sail. This is great for flexibility and easy power but it rigs quite nicely with more average bend curve masts, tightening the foil in the mid-section and adding a little rotation and shape.

Changes for ’08:

Maui Sails claim to have incorporated a new twist profile developed from their race sails to give a smoother, softer feel. And for sure, while we haven’t really enjoyed the Maui Sails wave sails in recent years, this year’s Legend seems to mark a real change in approach that delivers a sail with far greater comfort, balance and top end. Set:There seems to be more leech twist than we’ve seen before from this brand, extending well down the leech. There is some pre-set shape in batten 1 and perhaps a little in batten 2, but overall not much. We found the sail worked best with a little rotation left in batten 2 only. It remains quite a springy sail with easy spring that can be usefully controlled with the outhaul.

Performance:

We used both the 4.7 and 5.3m Legends. It’s a reasonably powerful sail with the centre of effort relatively high and far back, and a longish boom which takes some getting used to. However, it is neither heavy nor pully and delivers the power nicely evenly to get you planing quickly with very good acceleration. The relatively fine-entry, flexible foil allows for quick depowering and easy manoeuvring. It is a sail that benefits from being reset to handle stronger winds with a small increase in downhaul and slightly bigger increase in outhaul, and set thus remains pretty stable in strong winds. It gives a soft, smooth delivery of good power with very acceptable stability and good manoeuvrability.

+ Smooth power, upwind ability and neutral when sheeted out

- Really benefits from conditions specific set

Mast recommendations: We only tried the Boxer in 5.4m and on its own mast, so we have no information on how it rigs with other masts. Like the Force and Session it is recommended for use with the relatively stiff-top Firestick masts. With their relatively long boom lengths, big roaches and short luffs, Boxers are extremely compact, short and wide. They generally set on a size smaller (and therefore softer) a mast than comparable sizes in other types of sail.

Set:It sets very flat on the beach with a little rotation and not too much head twist or shape.

Performance: The Boxer has a very compact feel and provides plenty of immediate power, with very quick acceleration and good upwind performance. The foil is quite soft and flexible and the centre of effort is quite far back. However, it also feels light when manoeuvring and the power is very easy to turn on and off by playing the back hand. It is not the most stable of sails and does crease cosmetically quite early but it has a very acceptable wind range. The boom cut-out is relatively low for tall sailors but the visibility is good. We found it not that relaxing for sustained blasting but very good for powering up quickly and getting a lot of action per minute. It is fun to jump and feels good for rotating moves.

+ Easy power, quick acceleration, good feedback, good upwind and in rotating jumps

- Stability in strong winds

Manufacturer’s mast recommendations: Pryde masts tend to be flex-top in bend curve (by our definition – though Pryde call them “progressive flex”) and of average stiffness. Neil Pryde recommend the X9 or X6 (SD) masts and RD X-Combat mast with all their wave sails. Last year we found their Alpha to perform best on the RD X-Combat mast.

Ourmast recommendations:Neil Pryde wave sails tend to set with high levels of twist in the head allied to high levels of rotation and relatively tight foils in the midsection. These characteristics are promoted and exaggerated by flex-top and SD masts. So, although the Combat works well with its own SD mast we would have loved to have tried it with other less flex-top masts, both SD and RD because it appeared to rig well even with very stiff-top RD masts. (However, we can’t vouch that the performance on the water would match the looks on the beach.)

Changes for ’08: Pryde have reduced skin tension for this season by reducing the luff curve in the sail. Set: The Combat has quite a bit of pre-set shape in the bottom of the sail. It needs a fair bit of downhaul although the excellent pulley makes this quite easy. It sets with a very twisted head but tight mid-leech and tight body. It has a lot of shape in the front of the sail below the boom and a lot of rotation in the lower two battens. 2-3cm of outhaul were needed to reduce the fullness, but excessive outhaul does further tighten the already high-tension foil.

Performance: With its taut feel and despite relatively deep forward fullness it is not a sail that feels particularly powerful or responsive in marginal conditions, but it has a nice light feel and easy natural balance that makes it very easy to sheet correctly and sail with. It feels quite flicky, crisp and precise, being easy to manoeuvre even though it doesn’t go completely neutral. Upper wind range is good and it seems to have a very good range on one setting without needing further tensioning as the wind increases. Overall it’s a very well balanced, easy handling sail with a forward centre of effort that is fun to blast and ride. It’s the all-rounder of the Pryde range, sitting between the more powerful Alpha and the softer, lighter, Zone, neither of which we were able to try out this time round. + good natural balance and upper wind range, light and immediate feel – a little inflexible and low powered in marginal winds.

Manufacturer’s mast recommendations: North recommend SD masts with their wave sails and although they do produce a skinny mast it wasn’t the most popular in our examination of 430s last year, and North were the only sails that we preferred when rigged on the brands own SD masts. We used the North Platinum Hybrid shape. North SD masts tend to be towards the flex-top side of average and of roughly average stiffness. The whole Ice range is engineered so that they can be set on a 400 if required.

Our mast recommendations: The Ice doesn’t seem to be particularly mast critical. The relatively flex-top SD mast it recommends gives a lot of rotation and a rather tight foil, and it looked better rigged on average to flex-top RD masts. Stiff-top RD masts take a lot of the rotation and tightness out of the luff which may well improve performance in lighter winds but which would probably compromise stronger wind control.

Changes for ’08: It is said to be more “aggressive and direct” and more neutral in waves, as well as having a softer feel for pumping. Set: The VTS is still an industry-leading system for regulating the setting of the downhaul tension, and it seemed to work well on the 5.3 that we tried. The Ice has pre-set fullness in batten 1 and quite a bit right at the front of batten 2. When rigged, however, it sets relatively flat with a little bit of fullness very well forward in the sail. There is considerable rotation in the bottom two battens and the foil is quite tight. The leech twists moderately near the head. We found it best with a couple of centimetres of outhaul. Performance: It is characterised by its very light and well balanced handling. The flat set with very forward centre of effort makes it extremely easy to sail with, allowing a very upright stance. You don’t need to crank it down in committed style to turn the power on and this allows very quick and easy manoeuvring of the board even though the sail itself doesn’t go completely neutral. We found it lacked a little movement in the foil in marginal winds and – in part as a consequence of this – it struggled a bit in the lulls. It is not easy to set for marginal winds without sacrificing its natural comfort. However, it is very well behaved in stronger gusts, continuing to accelerate as it powers up and holding shape nicely. In manoeuvres it feels very direct, quick and light to handle, and easy to reposition. Much more of a manoeuvre biased sail than a high wind all-rounder.

+ Very light, easy handling, good balance with good upper wind range

- Not so powerful or flexible in moderate winds

Mast recommendations: As for the Ice. The Voodoo is also designed so that all sizes can, if required, be set on a 400 mast. We didn’t try setting the Voodoo on any masts other than the North Platinum.

Set: The Voodoo is a fully X-ply sail built for strength with a stretchy but tough vinyl window. It comes with an impressive five-year guarantee. It has an identical outline to the Ice but is more elastic with softer spring in the body. It is very similar in set to the Ice but with more twist going further down the leech and less batten rotation.

Performance: The Voodoo seems to set deeper than the Ice and develop more bottom end power, with the vinyl window almost certainly contributing to its more springy feel. It is slightly easier to sheet correctly and more relaxing to sail than the Ice but it doesn’t have the same very immediate, direct and light feel, appearing a bit slower with more delay in its response. In more overpowered conditions the Voodoo needs to be reset with greater tension but it has a good range if tuned correctly. It is good in harsh chop as it breathes and absorbs the shocks allowing the sailor to maintain their stance.

+ Bottom end power, top end stability, soft feel and good durability

- Lacks immediacy and needs tuning

Manufacturer’s mast recommendations: We used the Icon 5.3 with a Simmer SC RD 90% mast which unfortunately we didn’t get to measure. However, by comparing the set of the sail with other masts we had measured it looks as though the Simmer mast has a very average bend curve, which would tie in with our findings for the 460 SC 75%. The 5.3 Icon was the only size we tried in the range, and it is designed around a 400 mast.

Our mast recommendations: The Icon sets fine with its own mast, setting relatively flat without a great deal of rotation or twist. We found it also set well with more flex-top masts which give more shape, twist and rotation, but found that it became a bit too soft and shapeless with more stiff-top masts.

Set: We found the Icon to have a good range from one basic setting with only minimal further adjustment necessary or desirable. Too much down or outhaul can over-flatten it and kill response, while too little leaves it feeling rather unstable. However, the correct set is straightforward to find. We found its best set to be quite flat setting with rotation in batten 2 only and displaying limited spring. There is pre-set shape in batten 1 (foot) and a bit in batten 2.

Performance: The Icon feels extremely light and small for its size. It goes neutral extremely easily and is one of the most flicky and manageable of wave sails for manoeuvring. It is very comfortable and easy underway, allowing a very upright and ready to manoeuvre stance. However, it isn’t the most powerful of sails (the Crossover has a more reliable pull) and requires some attention to sheeting and sailing angles to get the best out of it. Overall we found it a really nice sail to use in nice conditions. It’s perfect for not overpowering a small waveboard, leaving you free to manoeuvre or perhaps for freestyle use. Applicable for riders of all abilities, but better suited to light to medium weights or those more sensitive and attuned to lower power levels.

Mast recommendations: As for Simmer Icon, except that the 5.3 Crossover sets on a stiffer 430 version. We didn’t try the Crossover with other brand masts so have no comments to make about cross-compatibility.

Set: In comparison to the Icon the Crossover sets with much more rotation and much more spring, with a relatively soft and flexible feel.

Performance: We found the Crossover to be much more powerful than the Icon, with more shape and good reliable drive. It is more satisfying for blasting with easier upwind ability. The centre of effort seems perhaps a little higher to get you going but the sail remains very easy to blast and easy to sheet correctly. The foil tension isn’t that taut so the sail retains good response in marginal winds and good flexibility. We found that it did need to be set for conditions and benefits from further tensioning as the wind increases. Set thus it has good stability at top end. The sail allows easy manoeuvring of the board, but the sail itself doesn’t go neutral as easily as the Icon and feels a bit heavier and certainly less direct and immediate when handling.

+ Good power and flexibility and easy blasting

- Not as neutral, direct or ‘forgettable’ in manoeuvres as the Icon

Manufacturer’s mast recommendations:

The Rock is designed to set on either SD or RD masts (Tushingham Freewave 75% SD or RD 100%) but last year, following extensive comparison, we much preferred its performance on the RD masts. Consequently we used the 2008 sails solely with RD masts. The Tushingham RD100 is of roughly average stiffness and relatively flex-top in bend curve.

Our mast recommendations:

This season’s Rocks are now less soft in feel with greater shape. Whereas in previous seasons we found that they benefited hugely from fairly stiff, flex-top masts to maintain shape and hold rotation in the luff in stronger winds, this season the sails have more natural shape and tension. Consequently they are now more adaptable to softer and more stiff-top masts, although we would still not recommend using fully stiff-top masts like the Gaastra or Maui Sails spars.

Changes for ’08:

The Rock has been extensively redesigned and is significantly different this year. The sail requires considerablymore downhaul tension to reach best set, and this gives it greater stability andmore foil tension. The head doesn’t go loose quite as easily and extensively as previous seasons’, and the sail appears to holdmore positive shape. However, it is still relatively flexible and recognisably Tushinghamin feel. Set: As said, whereas in previous seasons you could just about hand-tension the downhaul even without a pulley, you now need a rig puller and a good, free-running downhaul system. Otherwise, the visual clues are quite similar. The leech still goes loose quite a long way down towards the clew and there is still quite a lot of rotation in battens 1 & 2. There is a bit of pre-set shape obvious in batten 1 only. The sail still sets fairly flat on the beach but fills in the wind. There is plenty of spring in the body but it is firmer than in previous seasons. It likes a good couple of centimetres of outhaul. It works well through a range of conditions in one set but offers good potential for rerigging for conditions.

Performance: Although we have tried the 5.3 and 5.7m, most of our experience of the Rock comes from our quiver 4.7s which we have always been keen to get onto whenever the wind has been strong enough. All sizes tried seem to offer very similar performance. Although Rocks could always be set with low downhaul and outhaul for decent power, they used to have quite a small wind range set like this. Now they have far greater stability when set for power, holding a slightly deeper and less twisted shape for longer before distorting. Otherwise, they are quite similar to previous seasons’ with a feel that is still more flexible and amenable than taut and immediate and still offering easy release in stronger winds and a forgiving, easy sheeting demeanour. They go neutral nicely in manoeuvres and allow easy manoeuvring of the board. They lack some of the easy release and flexibility of before, though for many this will be a positive trade-off. Overall we prefer them to previous Rocks as they have greater inherent stability and shape whilst retaining similar soft, easy and manoeuvrable feel.

On the Water:The 84 is fast! In fact it’s exceptionally fast by the standard of today’s all-rounders / freestyle-waves. The rocker is very slalom oriented with tiny tail lift, short rocker flat (early 2cm point) and low overall nose, while the width is unfashionably narrow with a planing width a couple of cm less than just about any other board. Early planing is average to good; not exceptional because the board is quite short and needs to be pumped up, but acceleration and top speed are very impressive. It’s exciting and lively, yet the ride is nicely controlled allowing the potential high speeds to be reached and held by any reasonably competent sailor. It is nippy and agile and carves well, giving satisfying fast gybing and high jumps but is not the most loose and relaxed in the waves. It has the width in nose and tail to be ridden without stalling too early but requires good technique and feels more directional than the more wave-oriented all-rounders.

Fittings:The straps didn’t prove too popular as they aren’t the easiest to get in and out of easily, and the adjustment system is unnecessarily complicated, but the pads are very comfortable, and the fin seems to work very well and suits the style of the board.

Popularity:Very popular with a couple of guesters who loved its fast blasting, jumping and gybing, and equally popular with the testers for the same reasons.

Overall:The Cross 84 is for sailors who want to push their board quite hard, sail fast, gybe hard and jump high – and it offers big rewards in these departments. It is an all-rounder in the sense that it can also be used to ride waves and probably do some freestyle too, but it’s essentially a small fast freeride. It enjoys a wide wind range, easily carrying a 6.5m, and has sufficient control to handle small sails as well, particularly in flatter water. It would make an excellent small board for non-coastal waters or 6.5-5.3m blasting / bump-&-jump for most UK coastal venues and there won’t be many other boards of this size, however specialist, clocking much faster GPS speeds!

On the Water:

The Spice is a solid performer in every sense. It can turn its hand to pretty much anything, and is quite heavy both in pounds and ounces and feel. It supports large sails well and gets going averagely early, acceleration is progressive rather than sparkling and when on the plane it feels stable and dependable rather than lively. It gets upwind very easily and rides the chop well, always smooth and composed. It’s also easy to lock down and blast, with more than one sailor commenting on how it seemed to like being driven from an outboard position. It is predictable and forgiving to gybe, generally feeling sedate and safe in its manouevring. However, while feeling less willing to jump than most of the other more wave-orientated boards here, it’s still capable of decent airtime and riding.

Fittings: The deck is simple and the straps very good. The fin feels fairly small and worked well.

Popularity: While most felt it offered sound freeride-biased performance it didn’t get very near the top of any preference lists.

Overall:

The Spice is a decent all-rounder that blasts comfortably and fast, can jump and ride fairly well and could turn its hand to a little freestyle too. For the more advanced sailors it lacks a bit of sparkle compared to the other boards on test here – it is better suited to those progressing to small boards for the first time for whom its ease, dependability and good control will be more valuable assets. It enjoys a good wind range, carrying up to 6.5m and happy with small sails as well.

On the Water:The hull has loads of vee and quite a long flat and therefore tracks very easily indeed, is very easy to get going and to hold on line going out. It is certainly one of the quickest boards on test here and much of the experience of sailing it is the adrenaline rush of the fast and involving ride. It’s particularly sharp and agile in the turns with excellent adhesion to the water, however it isn’t so good at the ‘loose and relaxing’ style of manoeuvrability and can therefore feel a little bit fast and stiff in waves with the relatively low nose often a bit closer to the water than you would like. The key performance attributes mentioned by all users were ease of getting planing, speed, excitement and excellent grip in the gybe and carving turns generally. Obviously these also add up to very good jumping as well. The flip side of this ‘excitement factor’ is that the board felt a bit hectic for some users, particularly in chop.

Fittings: A good G10 Powerbox 25cm fin, high quality straps and comfortable pads complete a classy package. The strap inserts are relatively closely spaced on Fanatic boards so can pinch wider, booted feet.

Popularity: Never lower than middle ranking with the guesters and often a lot higher. It was also very popular with the testers.

Overall: One of our Test Team bought one last year and loves it, using it mostly for jumping (he acknowledges that it could be a tiny bit looser for riding) but finding that it also works well for his level of freestyle (spocks, vulcans, grubbies etc). The great strength of the FreeWave 86 is in maximising small board excitement in relatively moderate conditions. Although it can handle both bigger and smaller sails, few boards feel so fast, lively and exciting with 5.3-5.8m. It’s best for fast blasting, any kind of jumping and hard carving turns.

On the Water:The One 85 is essentially a big, fast waveboard. It feels like a waveboard when you get on it, with a relatively flat deck and inboard-only straps, encouraging an upright stance. It isn’t the earliest to plane and really works best with sails no bigger than a 5.8m. However, it’s far from slow to get going and while it always feels more ready to turn than blast, is extremely comfortable to sail in a straight line. Sailing it is pretty simple; there are no special techniques to learn and not much to go wrong. It just sails nice and smooth and controllable and turns when you ask it to. Upper wind range is good, as you might expect. Its strengths are mostly to be found in the waves where it’s both controlled and loose. It is extremely easy to bear away, bottom turn and redirect and as such makes a very good and very accessible onshore riding board with 5.2-5.8m sails.The relatively flat rocker (for a waveboard) allows it to keep going really well while the width and flattish vee keep it loose but not skaty. It’s also extremely secure on the rail, carving and gybing with ease and security.

Fittings:The Powerbox 24cm G10 fin seemed excellent and the straps and deck were comfortable, although the straps pinch wide feet.

Popularity:Very popular with both testers and guesters, although considered by a few to be not quite fast and exciting enough in flatter water for their FSW needs.

Overall: It is important to make the point that those who buy a freestyle-wave to get them out on a small board as early as possible may find the Goya a bit slow. However, if you want your freestyle-wave to be fully wave capable then the Goya comes into its own. It is a remarkably comfortable and friendly board whatever your needs, particularly good for making the most of ordinary waves in 5.3-5.8m weather but with a very wide usable wind range. It is much faster, easier to sail and more allround in performance than most proper stubby waveboards of around this size, but doesn’t give much away to them in the waves until faster boardspeeds are reached and their more rockered hulls start to shine. It can also be strongly recommended for first time waveboard buyers or occasional wavesailors who want the control of a waveboard with greater accessibility.