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.

On the Water:

It was clearly and immediately noticeable how much slower the RWW is to plane, and this is due entirely to the much greater rocker through the tail. Most of the other boards were more or less happy to use up to a 6.5m while the RWW derived no extra benefit from it, needing something closer to 5.5 before it really starts to release. The RWW is a waveboard and needs waves to perform. In chop it’s a little bit bouncy and lacks drive and purpose. However, in a decently powered wave situation the RWW suddenly has considerable advantages over most of the boards on test here as it generally feels much looser, turns tighter and grips better. The turnaround point comes really as soon as you can rely on the RWW to stay planing and releasing and this is dependent on what you’re doing as well as the windstrength and sail size. Although a good constant 16-17 knots will get the RWW buzzing, it’s still much more likely to stall than flatter-rockered boards when turning down-the-line in onshore frontside. Generally we found that it was best to be comfortably powered on a 5.3 before changing down from an all-rounder.

Fittings: Nice straps and pads and a decent fin.

Popularity:

The RWW 74 was a very popular board in the wave test and we have no reason to believe that the 82 is any less a board. It would be unfair to rate its popularity against boards that were usually much better suited to the conditions, but it is very indicative of how much less popular (and effective) waveboards in general are if the wind is at all marginal, even in a wave environment.

Overall:

The 82 gave us every reason to believe that it’s a highly recommendable waveboard and we would be confident that you could read last month’s test on the 74 and scale it up. It is basically a riding board with a stubby planshape but with good allround waveboard performance.We would recommend it for use with 4.2-5.5m sails for sailors of around 85-95kg.

On the Water:

Actually, despite adding noticeable quantities of tail rocker this year, the FSW still feels pretty similar to previous years. It is perhaps not quite as fast and exciting and a bit more controllable in stronger winds but it remains basically a very easy board to get up and going, and very easy and comfortable to blast at a very respectable speed. The vaunted greatly improved manoeuvre potential doesn’t leap out at you, although it is certainly a bit looser than in previous years. We actually found it to be even easier than ever to sail, if that’s possible, as it tracks so well with good adhesion to the water, keeping its shape in chop very well. It is still very quick and likes to seek out ramps and jump. It gybes nicely and handles itself quite well in waves, though was felt to be not quite as quick to respond as some of the sharper or looser boards. Many commented that it felt slightly more voluminous and therefore stable and floaty rather than agile compared to the average, and it seemed very suitable for freestyle.

Fittings: Very comfortable deck, pads and straps gives it the five star feel underfoot. The fin seems to work fine.

Popularity:  Solidly popular, as ever, with everybody who sailed it, but this year just missing out on the very top places.

Overall:

In time-honoured tradition the JP FSW offers extremely easy sailing and a combination of lively, early planing performance with good speed and very good jumping. It remains a classic freeride / jumping biased all-rounder that is happy in both flat water or coastal conditions. This year it has added a dimension of control that will make it more suitable as a high wind board for intermediate to advanced sailors who either aren’t ready for or have no need of a waveboard.

On the Water:

It does indeed plane very early indeed for a waveboard, and although the relatively narrow tail and small fin supplied mean a bit more work to unstick and get tracking, speed and acceleration once under way is very good. The ride is fast and quite exciting, with good grip and speed offering good jumping. It’s light and lively, although quite a few sailors commented that it felt a bit more clattery and harder work on the ankles in chop than many others. Although it isn’t the loosest-feeling of waveboards, feeling a bit stiff on the wave, it’s nippy and agile enough to get you round the break quickly, and we had some nice rides in onshore conditions when it proved sharp and precise and kept good speed through the turn. It is fast and fun and responsive to gybe and carve.

Fittings:

The pads are nicely comfy while the straps are comfortable but firm. The classic box moulded fin is relatively small at 23cm, so it would be worth investing also in something a little more powerful for more positive performance in moderate conditions.

Popularity: Not challenging for the top spots, but mostly enjoyed.

Overall:

It is pretty much a synthesis of waveboard and fast-tail all-rounder, feeling quite small, narrow tailed and lively in waveboard fashion, but with most of the early planing and speed of the fast-tail. Though not quite as comfortable or positive as the better blasting boards or quite as loose and turny as the waveboard name might suggest, it is a lot of fun to blast and gybe around on and pretty happy in the waves as well. All-in-all a very nippy coastal freeride / wave that will suit competent sailors for use with 5.0-5.8m sails.

On the Water:

Last year it was clearly more wave-oriented than the average but still pretty fast-rockered and reasonably quick to plane (quicker than the Goya One). This year it seems a bit slower to get going, which might be expected with the increase in rocker. Nevertheless, it responds well to powering up with quite big sails due to the strong forward grip of the vee, so it’s happy with up to 6.0m and tracks very securely. You certainly notice the vee in use because it keeps the board well attached to the water and you can feel it rock from side to side which gives it a somewhat lively feel; not as soft and smooth feeling as other of the more wave styled boards. In waves it has much more of a rail-to-rail feel than is now normal for larger or more moderate conditions waveboards. It’s very willing to turn and predictable when on the rail, but it doesn’t feel all that loose and pivotal, having more the feel of a larger, fast trad. It was particularly smooth and grippy in the gybe.

Fittings: The straps and deck were comfortable although the straps pinch wide feet quite tight.The board is supplied with aMFC moulded 25cm and although we didn’t have that fin on test it is a fin we have liked in the past.

Popularity: An opinion splitter, faring very well with some and only moderately well with others and generally better with the guesters than testers.

Overall:

The Quatro FSW is a fairly wave-biased all-rounder with high grip and a slightly flighty feel, which is quite a novel combination.You can load it up for some high octane blasting so long as you don’t expect it to accelerate away during the lulls. It is fun to blast, gybe and jump in all water states and is very at home in waves although we didn’t find it quite as fast and exciting or as loose as last year’s board (compared to the benchmark Goya).There is perhaps too much overlap for it to make a natural quiver partner with a medium sized waveboard, so it would probably seem most suited as a high wind board for sailors who only get irregular outings in waves.

On theWater:

The basic ingredients are the same as ever, with early planing and smooth easy tracking to the fore. Compared to last year it seems a little bit slower to get going and a bit looser and more manoeuvrable. It prioritises comfortable blasting and excellent jumping with its generous nose rocker giving it very good lift in take-off and a wavey feel. The shorter length and rocker flat have led to slightly more pitch in chop, taking away slightly from the freeriding suitability but adding to the manoeuvrability. Several sailors picked it out as a favourite gybing board, finding it very easy to keep out of trouble in swell and chop and particularly easy to keep speed up on. We were impressed with its application for waveriding, being not far at all behind the more wave-biased boards and clearly ahead of most of the ‘fast-tail’ boards. It does however have quite high vee so is more rail-to-rail than pivotal in onshore frontside.

Fittings:

Comfortable straps and although most found the pads comfortable as well we did find the raised heel bumpers make for quite a flat deck under the back foot, which cuts down comfort for sustained blasting and promotes a more upright wave stance. We’d like to see the double density pads set into the deck, as per the waveboards. The board comes with a nice G10 25cm fin, with classic rather than Powerbox fitting.

Popularity:

The shapes get tweaked but the popularity stays right up there. Top or within the top three for all the guesters and very popular with the testers as well, giving it the highest aggregate position.

Overall:

Although it has changed focus slightly and isn’t so fully geared to planing in the least possible wind or giving maximum blasting comfort, the basic ethos is the same. It prioritises speed, early planing and ease of sailing but thereafter gives as much manoeuvrability as possible. We currently rate it as the most manoeuvrable / wave compatible of the true fast-tails but it’s now getting close to the boundaries where ‘fast-tail’ becomes ‘fast waveboard’. This year it has increased range with smaller sails but is essentially a top contender for anyone who wants exciting multidiscipline sailing in coastal conditions with sails between 5.2 and 5.8m.

On theWater:

The brochure claims improved early planing, but it’s still more in line with the wave-biased boards for speed onto the plane. Once up and running though it does seem to feel more engaged and less remote than previous Kombats, with a slightly harder edge to the ride – several sailors noted that the nose got quite slappy in the chop which unsettled the ride in rougher conditions. Nevertheless, it blasts fast and tracks well on the tail, taking up to 6.0m sails with ease.While not quite as loose and turny as previous models it is still quick to change direction. It’s very easy to take into the gybe and holds a line well even when overpowered, although it’s one of the more technically challenging boards to maintain speed on the exit. The waveriding performance isn’t quite as hot as last year’s model as it’s a bit more straight-liney in feel, but it cuts into carving turns very easily and reliably.

Fittings:

The double density shock absorbed pads are very comfortable and the straps are fine, although the degree of adjustment isn’t that great and they set quite low, wide and flat. The fin is classic box fitting.

Popularity:

The Kombat was not popular with the guesters but a bit more appreciated by the testers. It is the bigger Kombats where the majority of R&D and design changes have been focused and Starboard report exciting developements.We look forward to testing the 105 very shortly.

Overall:

The new Kombat 89 keeps its bias towards slightly more powered up sailing, but can turn its hand to many disciplines across a wide wind range and could make a useful strong wind all-rounder for intermediate to advanced sailors who don’t require a waveboard. Price: £969 inWood construction with 26cm classic box fin (£869 in Technora).

ADDENDUM: Unfortunately the board was supplied with a more upright 26cm fin rather than the correct 25cm wave fin. A smaller fin would obviously reduce the early planing, but should improve the manouevrability and soften the ride slightly, and increase the top end still further.

On the Water:

The 3S is still refreshingly unusual in its style of performance. It has no tail rocker at all but a radically early nose lift and quite a hefty duck-tail (overhang at the tail to give a bow effect for sliding backwards in freestyle moves). Although 2cm narrower than last year this year’s tail is still the widest on test. The rocker and duck-tail are responsible for quite poor early planing. You can be sat there waiting while everyone else has disappeared into the distance so it helps to be very active about trying to unstick the tail and rock the board onto its very short, wide planing flat. However, once up and planing it’s transformed and rather than seeming to want to drag back off the plane it releases, becomes light and goes well through the lulls. It gives a very pleasing ride, not particularly fast but feeling very short, reactive and ready to turn or jump at the flick of an ankle. It isn’t really a board for long fast reaches as the deck is flat and becomes uncomfortable when you’re cranked out, and the board does pitch a bit in chop, but it gives a very lively and prettywell-controlled ride. Jumping is good, with the high and early nose lift and wide tail giving easy take-offs. Gybing is unusual. It is very easy to turn but is more of a snappy, pivotal style of gyber than a classic grippy carving board. In the waves it can be a lot of fun with a very stubby and relatively low grip feel, very redirectable and very easy and satisfying off the top. It responds well in relatively slow onshore waves but is fun in most moderate wave conditions. For freestyle it’s way better than the other boards on test with excellent pop, great slide and good stability.

Fittings: The pads are very thick and comfy but the raised heels make the deck very flat for blasting. We didn’t like the straps and believe they may have used the same straps as last year but widened the insert spread, thus making the covers too short and restrictive to allow for a wide setting option. The board comes with (classic box) 24cm freestyle fin that also works well for general sailing, and a 28cm freeride fin that is great for bigger sails.

Popularity:The favourite and potential purchase of one guester and although slightly quirky in its appeal it was very much liked by nearly everyone.

Overall: Anyone buying the 3S should be warned that there will be frustrating times when it seems like it should be planing but isn’t, so if you are buying it for its strong freestyle application don’t expect it to fill the moderate wind, ‘pump-&-plane’ role. That aside it really is a great fun board to sail. It works in flat water and waves and it makes you want to try things, be it jumps, freestyle or waveriding. Although not quite as quick to plane we consider it to be much better than last year’s board with the reduction in tail width, in particular, giving a more active ride and increasing the carving abilities. It’s ideal for 5.0-6.0m and partnering a smaller waveboard, and while a bit lacking in freeride performance to be a true 3S it is undeniably the truest freestyle-wave and a very fine one.

On the water: Although it lacks a little lift on the narrow tail the Cross X is no slouch and planes earlier than average in this group. Once up and running the long flat and easy trim make it very comfortable to sail fast and it is happy in all water states, riding well through chop and feeling comfortable underfoot. The big fin and long waterline allow it to point high and fast upwind. Whilst not the most lively in feel it is very controllable and predictable, gybing cleanly and fast, jumping nicely and handling harsh conditions.

In the waves it is not the most loose and manoeuvrable but still carves well, gripping securely and feeling agile on its narrow tail, and it can certainly ride to a good level. Its strengths are its easy blasting and pleasant feel and versatility in all conditions. Freestyle is limited due to the outline and long fin but it can still perform.

Fittings: The straps are excellent and the pads and doming were considered comfortable. The fin is quite long and freeride-biased, having a relatively narrow chord and being quite stiff. The board features a breathable valve that doesn’t require removing for heat or travel.

Overall: While a lot of fun for jumping and general use in coastal conditions the Thommen is best for blasting and gybing and handles a very wide range of winds and water states. We would strongly recommend it for both advancing intermediates and advanced sailors in coastal or sheltered waters wanting a non-specific board that can do a bit of everything but is above all just a nice, easy, fast board to sail.

We found it worked well with a 6.5m sail and could handle bigger, but was equally at home with much smaller sails in strong winds.

On the water: The duck tail causes a small amount of extra drag, particularly for heavier sailors. However the very wide tail and low tail rocker means that with active technique or with lighter sailors the board will plane very early. It is quite comfortable with a 6.5m and could possibly take bigger.

The ride it gives is quite unique. The short planing flat and extremely flat-decked, upright stance makes it feel very lively and ready to manoeuvre in waveboard style, if not the most comfortable board for prolonged fast blasting. The wide tail gives good lift and acceleration but tends to get a little bit bouncy in choppy water and despite its length and believable volume it is effectively a very big board in this category.

The major strength of the 97 is its easy manoeuvrability. Although, with such a wide tail, it can’t be described as nippy or nimble, it is extremely loose and pivotal and easy to play around with on the swell or in waves, and it keeps its flow even at very low board speeds. Gybing in a wavy style is fun and easy and low speed riding in smaller waves can also be very satisfying. Freestyle too is excellent given the high stability, easy planing and good slide but it is highly advisable to change down from the 28cm fin provided.

Fittings: The new Tabou straps are excellent and a huge improvement on previous years. The pads are soft and cushioned but in conjunction with the relatively flat deck are only comfortable if you like a very upright, flat decked stance. The fin is relatively stiff and narrow.

Overall: The 3S is not intrinsically a straight line blaster, particularly in choppy conditions. Where it comes into its own is for jumping, riding, playing in the swell and doing freestyle – it is perhaps the most loose and pivotal board on test, and a lot of fun. Being so big, we’d recommend the 97 primarily for sailors of over 90kg – the 3S 86 or even the 76 would be the better option for lighter sailors.

On the water: Although the RRD proved in comparative testing to be amongst the very earliest to get up and planing it has a slightly soft and cushioned feel to it which can fool you into thinking that it isn’t the most sprightly. Certainly it feels relaxing and easy rather than lairy and exciting, but it is one of the most comfortable boards to blast around on due partly to the rocker and partly to the very comfortable configuration of pads, deck and straps that always seems to let you find an ergonomic position. It is fast but very controlled and good through chop. One tester described it as “armchair cruising but radical when you wanted it to be”.

Although not as naturally loose and turny in the waves as the more rockered boards it still does turn very nicely both through fast gybes and in the onshore riding we had. It keeps speed very well in the gybe exit or bottom turn but isn’t too stiff in the top turn to have fun on waves. It was one of the favourites for freestyle, with our experts finding it one of the most easy to slide through moves.

Fittings: Fittings are of a good standard. The 27cm G10 MFC fin suited the board very well. The straps are very comfortable but don’t give quite the direct feel of the JP / Mistral / Fanatic straps, however the dome and deckpads give you numerous options for driving the board in good comfort.

Overall: A very popular board with all the testers and guesters. Although it doesn’t feel quite as dynamic and exciting as some boards it really has no weaknesses, and is better than average in all departments with the added bonus of excellent comfort whether blasting, freestyling or riding. It is early to plane, easy and quick to blast, controllable in a wide variety of winds and water states, good to jump and pretty good at riding as well.

We would strongly recommend it for medium heavyweights (78-88kg) for making the most of moderate to medium winds in coastal conditions for riding, jumping. However, it would do well also as a strong wind board for similar weights of sailor in flatter waters as well.

On the water: Very like the Goya the Quatro is clearly most at home in the waves where its upright stance, very loose, easy turning performance and easy jumping are most appreciated. Although as reluctant to plane as the Goya and Mistral Style in moderate winds, once up and running it doesn’t exhibit the same tendency to drag back, releasing nicely once fully up and planing off the tail. Nevertheless we would recommend not using sails bigger than 6.0m, and looking for a solid breeze.

It too feels very lively and ready to manoeuvre at all times once planing, and while it is not slow and not uncomfortable blasting it inclines the rider to shorter runs and a more jumpy / turny / freestyle attitude. It gybes very nicely and keeps speed up pretty well out of the turn for such a wave style design.

We particularly enjoyed the Quatro in the waves where it exhibits the good performance of a fast waveboard, turning very easily but still keeping good speed through the bottom turn even on smallish onshore waves. Our freestylers also found it very conducive to higher wind freestyle.

Fittings: We didn’t think the fittings complemented the board as well as they might. The straps are hard to adjust big enough, and not the most comfortable. The fin was of excellent quality but at 30cm it was the biggest that you would ever want with this style of board, so you’d definitely need to invest in a smaller foil too. The deck is very flat and though often popular with wavesailors and freestylers, all our testers would have preferred more dome.

Overall: The Quatro is clearly more of a fast and easy waveboard than a true all-rounder, and will have most appeal to coastal sailors looking for a big board to get riding early. That said, it is by no means slow and is also good fun to blast around on, gybing and jumping well. However, if you are looking for long fast runs in a locked down stance, possibly in choppy waters you would probably be better looking elsewhere.

We would strongly recommend it for advanced heavy weight (87kg+) sailors looking to maximise their riding in moderate to medium winds, and get good jumping and or freestyle as soon as there is a decent breeze. It would also make an excellent first time waveboard for sailors from about 78kg upwards.