RAM F13

Maximum performance just below World Cup level with a balanced handling – these are the cornerstones for the development of the RAM F13. The RAM F13 is, and remains a relentlessly fast Slalom sail, with again improved acceleration power and top speed over the whole wind range through a steeper angle of the top batten.

DETAILS:

7 battens, a narrower mast sleeve and the reduced weight make the RAM F13 far less physical to handle than the WARP F2012. The INDEPENDENT.SHAPING.CONCEPT supports this concept decisively. Instead of just using one kind of shaping for the complete sail (sail body and mast sleeve), Kai worked with 2 separate 3-D profiles for the sail body and mast sleeve. The wind range has improved drastically by an impressive 25%.

S_TYPE

For 2013 Kai Hopf developed new features and an optimized profile which increase the outstanding performance yet again.

DETAILS:

For example a small but essential detail is the steeper top batten, which provides a better connection to the top of the sail, which gives a more active twist. This leads to quicker acceleration and an expanded wind range. Following the extremely successful WARP F2012 the compact shape got taken over, but with a slightly longer CROSS.BATTEN. This results in greater comfort and control during acceleration and in overpowered conditions, because the longer CROSS.BATTEN flexes more.

X_TYPE

This extremely versatile sail combines convincing handling and rigging of a NoCam sail with a very tangy power delivery and top speed. Simply powerful thrust and speed AND the ease of a NoCam sail for relaxed maneuvers. The secret is the reduced aspect ratio that was taken over by the World Cup winning sail WARP F2012 plus the relatively high sail foil tension which guarantees maximum performance even without cambers.

DETAILS:

The forward draft location facilitates rig control and steering, and significantly contributes to what is an unusually high draft stability profile for a NoCam sail. Thanks to the PROGRESSIVE.BATTEN.CONFIGURATION, all X_TYPE models feature batten numbers relevant to size and application, with Kai Hopf managing to perfect the 6.0 and 5.4 sizes with just 6 battens. This helps reduce weight and improves handling. What’s more all X_TYPE sizes can be used with a single 460 mast - one mast fits all!

NATURAL

The NATURAL accelerates without pumping, offers a surprisingly high speed potential and inspires with its high draft stability.

DETAILS:

The secret of the perfectly balanced range of the NATURAL is the PROGRESSIVE.BATTEN.CONFIGURATION. As a result, the focus for sizes up to 5.8 is still on handling and draft stability, which explains why only 5 battens are in place. At 6.2 and above, the design focuses on performance while Kai Hopf once again concentrated on simple rig control and handling characteristics. Both versions offer excellent control, a high level of comfort, and plenty of planing ability – the perfectsynthesis of speed, acceleration, and handling. The new NATURAL with CROSS.BATTEN.CONSTRUCTION and CUTAWAY.CLEW will make windsurfing much less complicated, and we believe that for many sailors the problem of choosing the right equipment is almost obsolete.

CURVE

Looking at this Crossover sail one can imagine how easy it is to control during manoeuvres and light it feels in your hands.

DETAILS:

The secret is the extremely weight-optimised and clean construction that focuses on the essentials, without compromising the durability. The result is an unparalleled handling, which immediately makes especially intermediates jump up one class. The balanced shape and very low weight are specially tailored to the group of novices and intermediates. The new CURVE accelerated the move to the next skill level and ideally supports learning new manoeuvres.

DRIVE.GROM

Maximum performance just below World Cup level with a balanced handling – these are the cornerstones for the development of the RAM F13. The RAM F13 is, and remains a relentlessly fast Slalom sail, with again improved acceleration power and top speed over the whole wind range through a steeper angle of the top batten.

DETAILS:

7 battens, a narrower mast sleeve and the reduced weight make the RAM F13 far less physical to handle than the WARP F2012. The INDEPENDENT.SHAPING.CONCEPT supports this concept decisively. Instead of just using one kind of shaping for the complete sail (sail body and mast sleeve), Kai worked with 2 separate 3-D profiles for the sail body and mast sleeve. The wind range has improved drastically by an impressive 25%.

Year on year we see new ideas and wetsuit types being introduced to the market. Companies are developing new materials, cuts and designs to make sure the end user gets a great product. Seeing another new product on the market, officially introduced at NWF ’12 wasn’t of a great surprise to me but Iain Smith’s approach and idea has intrigued me to the point that I had to try it.

Ianovated design is staying away from current, tight fitted, strongly panelled and multi-purpose wetsuits. As a windsurfer I’ve decided to try the classic smooth skin version. Single lined wetsuits are becoming less and less popular with windsurfers, none the less this material is the best for keeping you warm on those cold winter days. And this suit will keep you super warm!

System in use with ION open palm mittens

Many of us hate using gloves while windsurfing, however Iain has found a solution to keep your hands warm,  whilst using open palm gloves. The open palms means you’re not restricted and can still grip the boom well, taking away the problems associated with traditional gloves. The wetsuit is integrated with two pipes, mounted with a mouth piece and running through the suit, exiting before wrists and fitted inside the glove.

Ianovated is made for a purpose – to allow you to get on the water in the coldest possible weather using an integrated with the breath-powered heating system. The cut is well thought through, to allow the pipes to run inside the suit and to give you movement and comfort whilst sailing. The rear horizontal dry zip allows easy entry, and additional bagginess lets you feel comfortable and not even think about pipes inside the suit.

 Sailing experience
The Ianovated suit should be used in temperatures  lower  than 10 degrees. We used it in five, with wind chill of two to three degrees. Result were very positive! The wetsuit fits perfectly, keeps you warm despite the seams being glued and blind stitched, not welded, and the neck and wrist seals are the relaxed “semi dry” spec, water seeps in too slowly to notice when you fall in. Wind chill, what wind chill? The neoprene is super thick and warm (5/4mm). Although flexibility isn’t the strongest part of the design manoeuvrability is very good. Swimming after your kit being washed in by 2m wave in 3,7sqm weather was not a problem either.

The mouth piece doesn’t get in the way what so ever, and is very accessible when needed. I’ve found myself using it more than I had to; it’s been a while since my hands stayed warm for the whole two hour session in mid February. After a long period in the water the tubes do fill up with water, but this isn’t a problem at all as the water warms up from your body and next blow delivers even nicer feeling of a hot water stream on your palms.

Mouth piece feels suprisingly comfortable

Over all I would say the system works perfectly! Built for purpose and delivers. The wetsuit itself is super warm and there are not many disadvantages to it. This product is made for specific group of clients, and after breaking the first barrier of putting it on and using the suit it will find many believers and supporters. If you are looking to stay warm and be able to take full advantage of sailing in extreme temperatures throughout the winter, this is perfect product!

High quality neopreme and well thought design make this a great product.

“Even the young and fashionable conceded this odd looking suit solves a problem.”

Liam Ellis:

“First impressions are that the suit looks like a fairly decent; it’s a slightly odd looking wetsuit, with the tubes sticking out. But generally a pretty good quality suit. The neoprene is really comfortable, nice and flexible. Zip across shoulders generally feels a little restricting but whilst sailing not so bad.

I was not cold in this wetsuit! I purposefully dived under the water and I was still warm once out of water. Smooth skin is brilliant!

I wore the suit with gloves as opposed to open palm mitts which I think it may not work at its best as when I blow into the mouthpiece my gloves just inflated, so whilst sailing I found it would move the glove around my hand a little. It seels off the gloves quite well with the plastic piece for wrists on tube which I thought was pretty good!

I was surprisingly happy wearing the wetsuit and impressed. I guess it is designed to be able to keep your hands warm whilst sailing and it does just that! The water today was probably five degrees and I did not get cold once. The wind was about 25 knots and from the North so not a warm wind either and I think the quality of neoprene helped with that! I think little improvements to the size and fit and this could be a great wetsuit for the cold winter days!”

For more information on Ianovated Wetsuits, prodcuct info and videos along with testimonials from live users head to the full product page.

All the tests for the 2013 Freewave edition are now online on Boards, you can check out the introduction and all of the individual tests by clicking on the images below.

Introduction.

Quatro Freestyle Wave.

RRD Freestyle Wave.

Fanatic FreeWave.

Goya One.

Witchcraft Chakra.

JP Australia Freestyle Wave

Tabou 3Style.

Starboard Kode.

RRD Freestyle Wave

RRD Freestyle Wave

The RRD comes from a long and very successful heritage of freestyle wave designs.  They have always been renowned for blending a decent amount of comfort and ease of use with good performance.

RRD chose to supply us with their 90 litre version, making it the smallest in test as they feel that the width was more comparable to the rest of the group.  At 61cm wide it was in fact one of the wider boards, but the tail width was the second narrowest.  It was also the second shortest in test.

The Freestyle Wave is designed as a single fin and comes complete with great quality detailing and accessories.  The pads in particular were extremely soft and comfortable.

On the water, the narrower tail width and lower volume make the RRD feel smaller underfoot than most of the other boards in this group.  However, the relatively high maximum width does make it a fairly stable and secure platform when not planing.  As the wind increases, the larger single fin set-up of the RRD makes it relatively easy to get planing on from a technique perspective.  It wasn’t the quickest of the group to get planing, but the smaller size of the board may have contributed to this.

As a classic single fin Freestyle Wave, it’s manoeuvrable enough on the wave and requires minimal technique to get it to turn.

RRD Freestyle Wave

Once shifting, the RRD is all about ease and comfort.  It scores as the most ‘passive’ board in the group, because it is very settled and requires minimal technique to get the best from it.  It isn’t as fast as the other boards in the group for raw speed, but the ease and control may mean the end result is on par, particularly in rougher conditions where the control is a noticeable asset.  For a single fin, the RRD actually has quite a planted feel to the way it rides, which keeps the board locked down but at the same time, offers a slightly less engaging ride than some of the more lively boards.  If you are looking for a comfortable cruiser, they don’t come much more comfortable than this.

Very comfortable ride in the chop when it’s super windy, which gives it a bit of speed because you can lock it down.

On the wave, the RRD gives an impression of being very easy and smooth to turn, which it is for the initiation and early part of the turn.  For novice and less aggressive wave riders, there is plenty of performance on tap to develop the basics of front side and backside wave riding with a very ‘easy riding’ feel to the way the board turns.  More skilled riders who are looking to push harder, may find that the performance isn’t as agile as some of the more cutting edge tri-fin set-ups are able to offer.   Again, the RRD is all geared towards ease of use and makes the performance accessible to even the least skilled of riders.

Feels like an arm chair cruiser with lots of control.  Works well at the top end, but makes it less engaging to ride at the bottom end.

The RRD Freestyle Wave, single fin set-up.

RRD Freestyle Wave, great for freestyle too.

TARGET BUYER

The RRD Freestyle Wave is a classically designed Freestyle Wave board.  It has all the usual ‘easy riding’ traits that we now associate with RRD boards, particularly the freestyle wave models and offers a huge amount of control at the top end, and in rougher/choppier conditions.  It isn’t as agile on the wave as the multi-fins, nor as lively underfoot as some of the other boards within this group, but RRD’s forte is control, comfort and ease of use and to this extent the RRD hits the nail on the head.

Check out the rest of the Freewave testing series:

Quatro Freestyle Wave

Quatro Freestyle Wave

Graphically the Quatro is a great looking board and comes complete with high quality fittings.  It is a single fin design and is supplied with a 28cm MFC, the biggest in this test group.  At 95 litres, it is one of the biggest boards, but perhaps surprisingly the width is actually the narrowest in test by nearly 1cm.  The tail width is fairly standard, giving it quite a narrow, straight-sided profile compared with the other boards within this group.

On the water, the Quatro has a fairly unique feel to it, perhaps down to this narrower, straight-sided profile and larger fin set up.  It’s not particularly quick to plane, but once the board does release it really accelerates well.  That narrower width does pay a penalty when the wind drops however making it one of the first to drop off the plane.  Top speed is one of the slower within this group, but the ride is easy and fairly comfortable.  Once the wind picks up, the bigger fin does start to overpower the tail of the board, so we would definitely recommend a smaller fin option if you are planning to sail well powered.

Unique board – has a really nice bottom turn, feels quite small and you can really crank it in to the turn.

Quatro Freestyle Wave

In a straight line, it’s fair to say that the performance of the Quatro isn’t really up to the rest of the group.  Bank the board into a bottom turn however and it’s a whole different story.  This board has probably the most radical bottom turn of the whole group, allowing a skilled rider to carve tightly and get really vertical back into the wave.  Off the top it suffers against the tri-fins in the same way that all the other singles do by not turning as tightly or with as much ease.  In fairness to the Quatro, it does transition well from bottom turn to top turn, a point at which some of the bigger boards get a bit stuck.  It also has a really nice backside snap.

The more gunny profile makes it quite good for jumping, once up to speed although for pure freestyle, the same attributes make it less stable in the slide. Despite the higher volume, the Quatro definitely feels one of the smaller boards within this group.

Has a really nice backside snap.

Quatro, whipping round a top turn.

Quatro, Freestyle Wave

TARGET BUYER

The Quatro is a wave riding board that excels in the bottom turn for more skilled riders.  Unfortunately this skill-set, probably steers it away from what most Freewave buyers are looking for from this style of board.  However if you are a heavier rider, looking for a larger single fin to ride waves on, then the Quatro would be a nice fit.

Not really competitive with the better boards when it comes to straight line performance, seems to be more about the riding.

RIGHT TO RESPOND – Zero Gravity, the British importers of Quatro, give their response to the test.

“The Quatro Freestyle Wave 95 is a great choice for anyone who is progressing in the waves but still needs a board for back and forth blasting. The test states “most radical bottom turn of the whole group and is able to carve tightly” which are attributes which translate to an amazing board for carve gybing, perfect for riders wanting to master gybes in rougher conditions with a more front foot weighted stance. It inspires and rewards in equal quantities and is without doubt a board that will take you further.”

A full list of UK dealers is available here on the Zero Gravity website.   You can also find out more about the One and other boards in the Quatro range of their own website here. 

Check out the rest of the Freewave testing series:

Goya One

One of the clones taking the Goya One for a spin.

The Goya One is a time proven shape that has been designed to do exactly what it says on the tin – One board for all conditions.  The One is supplied in two constructions; Pro (tested here) and Eco.  The smaller models (86L and down) are supplied as tri-fins, whereas the larger sizes including this 94L model are all designed as powerbox single fins.

Looking at the dimensions, the One sits pretty much in the middle of this group with regard to length, width and tail width.  The 27cm fin supplied is the second largest of this test group.

Despite what the dimensions tell you, as soon as you step on the One, it feels bigger underfoot than the most of the group.  We believe that the larger fin and relatively flat deck attribute to this sensation.  In a straight line, it has a very comfortable freeriding stance, feeling extremely easy to sail and well behaved underfoot.  In default positions, the strap spread (space between front and back strap) is narrower than the other boards, however Goya have a fantastic system where the hole spacing of the front straps is greater than the rear, allowing much more tuning range for shorter and taller riders.

Feels quite fat and wide so you need some weight or attention to push it through the turn.

Goya One

When not planing, the One feels very stable underfoot, helped by the flatter deck and impression of width.  Feeling slightly heavier than some of the other boards, it takes a little more work to release it onto the plane, but once on the plane, it is one of the best in the group for maintaining planing through the lulls.

Top speed is relatively average within this group, although the easy feel of the ride definitely takes a little away from the overall sensation of speed.  Underfoot, the One feels quite settled and more planted than some of the other boards in this group right up until the top-end, where that big fin does start to feel a little draggy and can begin to lift the board a bit too much.  It is fair to say that it felt a little over-finned at the top end (well powered with 5.3m sails), so it would definitely worth purchasing a change down fin if you plan using this board a lot in high winds.

In a straight line it’s really easy to sail and comfortable.

Once on a wave, the One is predictable, safe and easy to turn, holding speed well through the bottom turn.  It feels one of the largest boards underfoot and really can’t be cranked as tightly as some of the others – particularly the tri-fin boards, which were generally in a league of their own when it comes to wave riding.  Never-the-less, the One was one of the more potent single fins within the group meaning novice wave riders and heavyweights should get enough potential out of the board to suit most of their requirements.  For backside riding, it’s a similar story; feeling bigger and less agile than the tri-fins, but still plenty on offer.

Goya One

The Goya One, single fin set up.

Overall, the One is a very easy riding and comfortable board to sail and definitely leans more towards these traits than those of raw manoeuvrability.  The quality of fittings and attention to detail is very good

Good for wobbling as it’s so wide. Needs a little bit of work to get it going, but once you get planing it stays there really well because of the width and size.

TARGET BUYER

As a high wind freeride board the One is fantastic as it is very easy and comfortable to sail.  The flat deck also gives it some reasonable freestyle potential, particularly with a much smaller, freestyle fin in place. For bump and jump it works fine, but the feeling of size and lack of snappy agility limit it to some degree as it does on the wave face.  It definitely feels like the design leans more towards high wind freeride than lightwind waves.

Goya One

RIGHT TO REPLY –  Goya importers, Zero Gravity’s, response to the test.

“Multi-fins do have very different attributes to single fin boards, albeit some better and some worse. The Goya One 94 was designed as a single fin so as to not compromise the freeride element which we feel is important in this size to truly have a “one” board solution. Our Goya thrusters start at 86lt and below which is the point at which we feel a heavy wave bias has to be catered for.

The Goya One 94 provides a reliable, inspiring platform from which you can explore your wave riding and higher wind freeriding in an effortless all in “one” package, that said it is definitely no slouch in the waves and will reward committed riders.”

A full list of UK dealers is available here on the Zero Gravity website.   You can also find out more about the One and other boards in the Goya range of their own website here. 

Check out the rest of the Freewave testing series:

Starboard Kode Freestyle Wave

Starboard Kode Freestyle Wave

For 2013 the Kode comes in three ranges; the Wave, the Freestyle Wave and the Freemove, which span 10 different sizes and shapes.  As the name suggests, the smaller models are focused more on the waves (and Philip Koster’s signature boards), whilst the bigger models blend more into flatter water territories.

At 61.3cm max width and 38.5cm tail width, the Kode is the widest board in this group, but also one of the shortest. Weight is very good and at 6.42kg’s the Kode is the lightest board in the group.  The Kode Freestyle Wave comes as a single fin only whereas the Kode Waves are offered as single/twins.

Felt fast, fun and blasty and good for jumps.

Underfoot, the Kode feels like a big board on the water. It feels quite freeride initially thanks to it’s fast, stable and smooth ride. There is no doubting the Kode is a fast board.  Some of the boards in this group reach a top speed, but the Kode seems to keep accelerating making it arguably the fastest board in this group. The board rides from the fin and maintains great trim, even in big chop where the nose stays down and in check. The fin feels pretty big at the top end, so you may want to consider a change down if you own this board.  It does help with upwind performance however, where the Kode was very good.

Starboard Kode Freestyle Wave, taking a smooth turn.

Considering the size of the board and fin, we were expecting the early planing to be a little better than it actually turned out to be.  There is plenty of float in the board, but when a gust hits the Kode feels a little sticky to release at first.  However, once the board releases onto the plane, the acceleration is very good and continues through to a blistering top speed.

The deck pads and straps are very comfortable.  The footstraps are on the softer side, but it made them particularly nice in bare feet.  It’s worth noting however that the width of the straps is fairly big for bare feet, so you may want to squash them together a bit using a closer insert hole – easily done.

It’s got a nice bottom turn that you can actually crank surprisingly tightly for a single fin board of this size.

Starboard Kode Freestyle Wave, single fin set-up.

Starboard Kode Freestyle Wave

On a wave, the Kode actually has a really nice bottom turn and for such a large single fin board, can turn impressively tightly when required.  It also transitions easily from rail to rail i.e. front side to backside and vice versa. It was arguably the most nimble of the single fin boards, but off the top, the tri-fins really are in a different league in terms of how tightly and easily they can turn.  The backside turn was actually pretty nice and you could snap the Kode pretty tightly off the tail with the correct technique.

The Kode was a great jumping board thanks to the speed, quite rockered nose and the reliability of the single fin set up.  It was also pretty good for freestyle with it’s wider, more compact profile helping those sliding moves.

Stable and smooth, off the fin feel in a straight line and goes upwind well, keeping the nose trimmed down over the chop.

Starboard Kode Freestyle Wave

TARGET BUYER

The Kode is a great all-round single fin freewave board.  It is fast, comfortable, easy to sail, fantastic to jump and has a really nice bottom turn.  You wont get the tightness and ease of turning that the tri-fin boards offer off the top, but you do benefit from a more lively and ‘freeride’ style straight line performance.  Bear in mind that the Kode feels big for its size, so if you are a smaller rider, you may want to consider the next size down.

To find out where to buy the Starboard Kode, and all other Starboard boards, head to the Tushingham website here. 

Check out the rest of the Freewave testing series:

Tabou 3Style

Tabou 3Style

On paper, the Tabou is the biggest board in test at 96 litres. Both the max width and tail width are also both up there, beaten only marginally by the Starboard.  It’s quite a radical shape actually with a stepped tail design and quite chunky rails compared with most of the other boards.  The 3Style is designed as a single fin and is supplied with a 28cm version (one of the biggest in the group).

So far it’s all big, big, big and as soon as you step on the Tabou, nothing changes – it’s definitely the biggest feeling board underfoot and that has advantages when it comes to early planing.  There is no doubt the Tabou has the best ‘get up and go’ of this test group. There is plenty of volume and stability underfoot when wobbling and then as soon as the sail fills the fin starts to drive, the board accelerates and it’s onto the plane without any real fuss or fancy technique.

Easy to sail in a straight line, really feels like the fin is big and you are flying off the fin.

The pads are extremely comfortable, which combined with the deck shape gives a very comfortable blasting stance.  It actually feels quite like a freeride board in a straight line riding fast and free off the fin.  Upwind performance is also very good thanks for the width and fin size.  On the subject of the fin, we are little suspect about the humming noise that we kept getting from the tail of the board at speed. It might be worth trying a different fin if you encounter this issue.  It didn’t seem to affect the performance, but certainly eliminated the need for a waterproof iPod!

Easy technique to turn, but needs weight to get it to turn tightly.  Feels stiffer and less agile on a wave than the tri-fins.

Tabou 3Style, easy to use in the waves.

At the top end, the size of the 3Style and the fact it likes to ride off the fin, made it a bit less controllable than some of the more ‘planted’ boards.  Although we reckon a smaller fin would definitely help the top end.

There is no doubt that the 3Style leans more towards blasting and gybing than wave riding compared with the other boards within this group.  It’s ok for riding on, but the sheer size and single fin configuration limit its potential.  It was definitely more suited to heavier riders on the wave face who’s weight and power could negotiate the board through the turn better.  As a novice wave riding board, it would also be fine as it holds speed well through the turn and had a reasonable back side snap to it.  It’s more the intermediate/advanced in front side riding conditions riders who will probably notice its limitations.

For freestyle the aptly named 3Style was pretty decent thanks to its speed, easy pop and stable slide.

So easy to get planing on – releases the best of all the boards and then just accelerates and has a lively, free feel still.

Tabou 3Style, great for jumping.

Tabou 3Style

TARGET BUYER

The 3Style scores as the best high wind freeriding board in this group.  It planes extremely early, is easy and comfortable in a straight line and has a very good top speed.  It feels like the biggest board in this group and is exceptionally good at getting planing – and then staying there.

It is more than manoeuvrable enough for all style of transitions, but does start to feel a bit less agile on the wave face, particularly for lighter and more skilled riders, and certainly when compared to the tri-fins within this group. Never-the-less it’s fairly easy going and holds speed well through the turns, so would be perfectly fine for novice wave riders.

Check out the rest of the Freewave testing series:

JP Freestyle Wave

JP Freestyle Wave

The JP is the shortest board in this test and also one of the smallest at 92 litres. It is the second narrowest (max width) but the tail width is proportionally a little wider, sitting it somewhere in the middle of the group. Weight is very good at 6.63kg’s making it the third lightest in this test. In Pro edition construction it comes standard as a tri-fin, sporting a comparatively large 25cm centre fin and two 10cm thrusters.

On the water it definitely feels one of the smallest boards in this group, particularly as the nose is quite short on it. However despite its smaller size, it is one of the quickest onto the plane.  It releases exceptionally well and once planing accelerates very rapidly with a noticeable ‘locked down’ and fast feel to it.

Underfoot it has a fantastically compact, exciting and remarkably controlled feel to it.  It feels controlled because the nose stays locked down and those 3 fins help to keep the board well planted in the chop and gusts.  It’s worth noting however that the shorter, lower nose does make it a little more technical to sail.

For riding, you have to use a bit of pressure to get it to turn but rewarded with a very tight turn and loads of grip.

JP Freestyle Wave, kicking up some spray.

Top speed is very good – one of the fastest in the group and we only used it as a tri-fin.  As a single, it may be even quicker.  For jumping it’s fantastic.  It planes easily off the beach, accelerates well, hits a high top speed and then in the air feels very light and compact underfoot, thanks to its shorter length.  It is definitely a favourite of the Clones when it came to jumping.

On the wave is where this board really excels however.  To be honest, it’s probably the best riding freewave board we have ever sailed.  The shorter nose does make it a little more technical, particularly in chop, but the turning potential is incredible for a board of this size and orientation. You have to push a little harder than on some to initiate the turn but once done, you are rewarded with an extremely secure and tight bottom turn and arguably the only board in this group that allows you to easily adjust the arc of the turn once committed. The top turn is also probably the tightest and most radical of this group helped in part by the shorter board length and tri-fin set-up.   The JP really is bordering on proper wave board territory in terms of riding performance.

Always gives a feeling that it wants to do things. Fast, compact, exciting, great for jumping and manoeuvrable.

JP Freestyle Wave

JP Freestyle Wave, tri-fin set up

For freestyle it was also pretty decent thanks to the low nose, compact proportions and shorter fin configuration.  Foot comfort was generally good with the straps fitting extremely snugly on your foot giving good contact and control, plus some nicely padded deck pads.

Really impressive on a wave.  Could give some wave boards a run for their money.

JP Freestyle Wave

TARGET BUYER

The JP was arguably the most radical board in this group.  In a straight line, it planes early, is fast, exciting and has good top end control.  In the air it was compact, light and really great for jumping.  And on the wave it had the most potent performance of this group.  Less able riders may find the short and low nose, makes it a bit more technical to ride, but intermediate to advanced riders will love it.

Check out the rest of the Freewave testing series:

Witchcraft Chakra

Witchcraft Chakra

Witchcraft, who were formerly known as a purely custom brand, are based in Fuerteventura and started making production boards in 1997.  Founder Bouke Becker is an engineer and having met him this year on our test trip, he is a man who approaches everything with a scientific approach and huge attention to detail.  We have long heard about the unique construction that Witchcraft boards have; so strong you can hit the HDD versions with a hammer without causing damage…and yes we did try!  What we hadn’t heard much about is how the shapes work, so it was with great interest that we included this Witchcraft Chakra into test.

Feels relatively flat decked, manoeuvrable and planted making it more of a wave emphasis than freeride.

Looking at the measurements, the Chakra weighs in as the second lightest board in the group at 6.6kg’s.  The maximum width and length are pretty much middle of this group, but most noticeable is the tail width, which is particularly narrow.  At 30cm from the tail, it’s a whole 1cm narrow than the next board (RRD) and more than 2cm narrower than the widest Starboard.

Witchcraft Chakra

The quality of the board looks to be very good and is certainly unique in terms of being the only board in this group not to come out of the Cobra Factory.  The footstraps are wider ‘kitesurf’ style straps, which you will probably either love or hate.  In a straight line they are very comfortable (spreading the load across the top of your foot) and give a very secure feel, however in the turns, your foot does feel less able to release quickly from them.  The footpads have an extra ridge on them to give better grip under your foot, which seems to work nicely.  The fin set-up is tri-fin and our board was supplied with some very sophisticated carbon fins with pre-twist moulded into them.  As I mentioned above, Bouke is extremely scientific in his approach to board design and the fins are just one area where he has put a lot of development into.

For freestyle it’s very slidy, with nice wide stable shoulders.

On the water the first thing you notice is how quickly the Chakra accelerates.  It feels the smallest board in this group underfoot (and by volume it is the smallest board), but as soon as the board releases, it accelerates unbelievably quickly up to top speed with a real frictionless feel to it.  Once blasting the board doesn’t have quite the same secure, locked in ‘freeride’ feel to it that some of the others do in this test.  It feels more manoeuvrable underfoot and more wave-board like in nature – probably attributed a fair bit to that narrower tail and flatter deck. The shoulders sit quite low and give it a more ‘planted’ feel than most.

Witchcraft Chakra, jumping high.

Witchcraft tri-fin

On the wave is where the Chakra feels most at home.  It has a very surfy, manoeuvrable feel, particularly for a freewave board, transitioning easily from rail to rail as you gain speed on the wave.  As you initiate the bottom turn, it has plenty of reassuring grip and a very smooth, safe feel to the way it turns, holding speed very well even if your technique leaves a bit to be desired.  Turned on its natural arc, it is really good through the bottom turn.  However, we did find that it doesn’t like to be pushed much tighter, seeming to resist this and return you to its natural arc.  The same is true of the top turn.  Go with the flow and it has all the grip, drive, smoothness and performance that you could ever want.  Try and crank it tighter to really throw some spray and it resists.  Putting this back into context however, this is not a full on wave board – it’s a freewave and from that respect it’s very good on the wave.  Novice and intermediate wave riders will love the way it turns, with only advanced and really aggressive riders feeling they need a little more tightness in the turns at times.

When it comes to freestyle, the Chakra was actually one of the best performing boards thanks to its great slide and wide, low shoulders giving it a reassuringly stable feel.  It also feels very compact underfoot which is great for jumping.

A perfect cruisy waveboard.  It doesn’t have a super tight turn, but instead kind of sets its arc, is very smooth and carries it’s speed really well through the turn.

Witchcraft Chakra, flowing turns on the wave.

TARGET BUYER

The Chakra is probably the most wave-orientated board of this group, although still perfectly capable in the flat.  It planes well, goes upwind really well and has a very loose, surfy feel to it on the wave.  Those looking to learn front side waveriding will love the way this board holds speed, grip and smoothness through the turn.  Heavier and more brutal riders will love the durability of the construction and only advanced riders looking to turn more tightly on the wave face would be better looking at the more dedicated wave boards within the Witchcraft range.

RIGHT TO REPLY – Bouke Becker gives his response to the test.

“We fully subscribe Adrian’s findings. What maybe did not show as clear within the test period is the extended windrange of the trifin because of the shorter centre fin which also gives the more planted feeling. The Chakra is a cross over between wave and FW with a wide appeal. It’s often been described as the easiest board possible to gybe and the bigger sizes are even being rated highly by teachers for teaching planing gybes. It’s also recommended to read the reports on the Boards forum for additional info from a wide range of users on what it can and can´t do. The Chakra V2 is going in it´s  4th year now but it´s still very much up to date and we still would not know what to improve. For those who want to crank really tight turns we have the Wave or the Shaman ranges.”

Check out the rest of the Freewave testing series:

Fanatic FreeWave

Fanatic FreeWave

When Vice World-Wave Champion Victor Fernandez chose to ride this exact board in the 2012 PWA Wave tour, it made a fairly clear statement that it’s a very good board.  It was probably the first time a production freewave board has ever been used in a PWA competition and not only did he use it for jumping, but also for riding where he notched up some of the highest scoring rides of the day in Klitmoller this year.

The Fanatic Freewave is a tri-fin design with a relatively long and gunny profile compared to some of the other boards within this group.  At 237cm long it was in fact the longest in test.  The quality of the fittings and finish are excellent including the Fanatic straps, which are always a pleasure to use.

Underfoot if feels fairly high in volume, long and narrower than most – which is actually slightly deceptive as the maximum width is in fact the third highest within this group.  The tail width is narrower and the more drawn out nose shape lead to this impression.

In a straight line, it feels longer and narrower with a more rockered up nose than most, giving it a very secure feel underfoot.

Off the beach, it gets going very quickly, feeling of decent volume underfoot with plenty of drive from the fins. The longer profile gives it a fast and reliable feel as it guns towards the first ramp. In a straight line, the nose rides high and there is a feeling of sailing off the fin, which makes the ride quite exciting in comparison to some of the more planted boards.  Never-the-less, the extra fins come into their own at the top end, helping to keep the board settled down and in control when conditions get rough.

Extremely smooth, grippy and predictable through the turn.  The extra length definitely helps with this, particularly in chop.

Fanatic FreeWave, carving through a tight turn.

For burning around and getting jumps on, the Fanatic is top notch and as such scores best (jointly) for bump and jump sailing.  It’s comfortable, fast, exciting and jumps well.

It’s not just in a straight line that the Fanatic is good though.  On the wave face it turns incredibly well with the tri-fin set-up giving lots of grip and also a tighter turning circle when required.  It was apparent within this test that the three tri-fin boards were really in a different league when it came to turning on a wave and the Fanatic was no exception. It feels very smooth through the turn and whilst it might not be quite as aggressive and radical as the JP when pushed hard, it is definitely easier going and more predictable.  It’s hard to call which is best.  Advanced riders looking for proper wave riding potential will probably be able to get a little more from the JP, however the Fanatic is definitely more consistent and easier going, particularly in chop where it feels very smooth indeed.  It can also be snapped pretty hard when required and the narrower tail and tri-fin arrangement provided a really good backside turn when required.

Fanatic FreeWave fin set up

Fanatic FreeWave, ideal for jumping.

The Freewave also seemed pretty good for freestyle where it slid easily and felt agile enough to be thrown around a few spocks and flakas etc.

Off the beach it gets up and going really fast and was one of the best for jumping.

TARGET BUYER

The Fanatic Freewave is arguably the best all-round freewave board of this group.  On the wave face only the JP can challenge it for aggressive turning, but the Fanatic will shine through for most with its easy going and predictable nature.  In a straight line it was really fun to ride, had decent speed and was great for jumping.  And if it that wasn’t endorsement enough, Victor Fernandez chose to use this exact board in his recent PWA heats, so it must be good!

Fanatic FreeWave

RIGHT TO REPLY - Craig Gertenbach, Fanatic Brand Manager, gives his response to the test.

Boardseeker has, as always, produced a well researched test, we were lucky enough to witness firsthand the tremendous effort which goes into the process and were notably impressed. For 2013 we worked very hard on having a clear difference between our three waveboard lines. Our freewave remains an absolute favourite, the best all-rounder we have for waves, flat water and bump and jump. Adding the tri-fin setup has added an even bigger range of use, with the option to close the side-fin boxes and use as a single fin too, customers can now have everything they need in one board for loads of different conditions. A more radical, more waveriding oriented shape is the TriWave, which is narrower than the Freewave and also has the option to switch between Tri and single fin mode, this board is ideal for all riders who have always wanted to try a multi-fin setup, but were perhaps not quite ready for a full on Quad or Twin style ride. The Triwave works great in waves and also on flat water, easliy switching between front foot and back foot riding, as well as a great jumping board with excellent top end speed. Shorter, snappy turns as well as long drawn out lines, all work well with the TriWave, making it one of our hottest sellers this season.

And our third and most radical shape in the wave lineup is the Quad, which is ideal for good wave conditions, has excellent control and is THE waveboard of choice for the majority of our team riders when the going gets rough. In either onshore or pure down the line conditions, the Quad is the most manoeuvrable board in our line, it likes to be ridden with slightly more power in the sail/more powerful waves and is very forgiving in overpowered conditions too. Keeping in mind that we service a global market with many different needs and skill levels, we believe the Fanatic 2013 Wave range has something for everyone, from absolute wave beginner, through to experienced wavesailors, all the way through to Pro level. Our riders are only using Sebastian Wenzel designed boards, either in custom or production form, they are completely integrated into the R&D process to make sure we stay in touch with any new trends and ideas. Thanks Boards and Boardseeker, keep up the good work and see you on the water soon.

For a full list of Fanatic retailers here in the UK head to the K66 website.

Fanatic.com - also the Fanatic website and APP have the info you could need.

Freewave test 2013

Whether you are a wave sailor, high wind freerider or a freestyler, freewaves used to be the ‘standard’ board of choice between 85 and 100 litres.  However the advent of multi-fins, allowed wave boards to get bigger, drawing away many of the wave aficionados, whilst dedicated freestyle boards got smaller and more dedicated, leaving freewaves largely the domain of high wind freeride sailors.

Having spent a few weeks testing these most recent 95 litre Freewave versions, we are left with a feeling that the majority of buyers may be missing a trick by overlooking freewave models.  Here’s why!

The Fanatic Freewave in action

One of the clones taking the Goya for a spin.

WHAT ARE THEY GOOD AT?

We have all heard the expression ‘jack of all trades and master of none’.  But what you must bear in mind is that when the wind is lighter and you are on say a 120 litre board, the conditions are generally flat, so it’s worth having a dedicated board for these conditions.  Conversely, when it’s windy, say 80 litre weather, usually the sea state is rough and it’s worth having a dedicated wave board for these conditions.  However the interesting thing with 85-100 litre weather is that the sea state can be anything from completely flat, through extremely chop right up to full down the line riding conditions.  And that’s why we need a ‘jack of all’ trades in our quiver.

Most of our Clones haven’t ridden freewaves for a few years, having been drawn away by the larger dedicated wave boards, but they were all very much in agreement that these boards, without a doubt, offer the most fun possible in the conditions we normally encounter in 85-100 litre weather.

In Tenerife, these boards plane and accelerate much quicker than a wave board, so we were getting much better jumps in the waves straight off the beach than we could get on the dedicated wave boards.

Once past the first peaking waves, the boards became great high wind blasters and we all had a huge amount of fun drag racing each other all the way out to the rolling swell out the back where the boards were able to oblige with big jumps, carving moves on the swell faces and aerial freestyle moves in the flats between the waves.  Then on the way back in, we were able to mix proper front-side riding with more freestyle. What other board in windsurfing can offer so much versatility?!  I can quite confidently say none!

Witchcraft tri-fin

The RRD single fin

SINGLE FIN OR MULTI?

When we first received these boards and saw the Fanatic, JP and Witchcraft offered tri-fin set-ups, we have to admit to being a bit sceptical.  After all, freewaves are supposed to plane easily, be fast and exciting to sail, do we really need the extra drag of two extra fins?

Well, we were certainly wrong!  Having spent a fair amount of time on these boards in a wide range of conditions, I can confidently say that tri-fins have really revolutionised the way these freewaves perform. On a wave, the tri-fins were in a different league for turning when it came to tightness and ease of turning. The fact Victor Fernandez used the Fanatic tri-fin to score some of the highest wave scores of the day in PWA Klitmoller this year is testament to how well these boards now turn.  In a straight line, they do have a more planted feel, but they still have an exciting ‘off the fin’ feel to them and at the top end have a lot more control with the extra fins keeping them from flying out of the water.

We are struggling to see any real consequential draw back of the tri-fin configuration.  Sure, they may be a tiny bit slower to get planing and at top speed, but the shapes of the boards within this group seemed to more than make up for this.  And of course if you aren’t convinced, you can always use the tri-fins as a single anyway!  We quite expect to see a lot more brands jumping on the tri-fin freewave bandwagon next year…and rightly so!

The Clones have been hard at work...image credit Si Crowther

THE TEST

The test was conducted in Tenerife thanks to the Official Test Centre, who were able to cope admirably with all the diva requirements of our test Clones and their huge array of equipment.  Tenerife has to be the ideal testing location for freewaves with everything condition you could ever want to put the boards through right off the main beach – cross-on jumping, chop, flat water and side shore waves up at the harbour wall – its all there!

We would like to thank North Sails for supporting the test with sails, so that head to head comparisons between boards could be made without worrying if the sails were making the difference.  We had a selection of identical Volt and Hero sails between 5.0m and 5.7m to test these boards on.

Simmer supplied the booms for this test.  Their Blackline carbon wave boom has built a solid reputation for being one of the best on the market and delivered faultless performance throughout our testing.

The full comparative test with scores and graphs will be released on Boardseeker at the end of this week.  In the meantime, enjoy the individual write-ups right here on Boards.co.uk!

Exocet Nano being taken out by the Clones. Image credit Craig Hamilton.

Exocet Nano. Image credit Craig Hamilton.

In an effort to keep costs at a sensible level, board manufacturers have been looking at all sorts of options.  You will notice that many brands are now offering two year product cycles, cheaper construction options, different distribution methods and many other ways of keeping costs at check.  These have all played their part, but have been unable to compensate for the natural increase in raw costs that have occurred over the past few years.

So, what about this for an idea… Why not build one uncomplicated line of boards to span all the way from a 75 litre wave board, through freewave and freeride shapes right up to a 205 litre lightwind/ beginner board with a daggerboard?  To keep costs down, why not build this range in an economical construction, not go overboard on the fittings, avoid the annual redesign process and (here’s the clever bit), lets build the line out of the moulds from last year’s performance ranges to keep the costs right down.  Sounds like a good idea right?

Well, that’s exactly what Exocet have done with their new Nano range.  It’s a one-line does it all range, pitched at an economical price. In fact, it’s an incredibly economical price at just £699 for all but the largest two models.

In a time when even the best price point freeride models struggle to sneak under £1000, this is a staggering price for a new windsurfing board.  We decided to get our hands on one to see if the performance would stack up to the price tag.

I’m going to confess now that I really wanted this to be a good board.  I think the concept is great and what windsurfing needs now more than ever is a way of rejuvenating the lower end of the market.  The top and middle ends of the market are taken care of fantastically well, but with the escalating prices, it’s been running further away from what a lot of people can afford.  The bottom end of the market has really been missing in action since Bic Sport dipped out of the limelight.

Exocet Nano - The full line up

Exocet supplied us with three models; 105, 115 and 135; but we only had opportunity to test the 115 on the water.  First impressions of the boards quality are good. The finish looks on par with much higher priced boards.  The weight is respectable.  At 8.6kg (measured) it isn’t going to break any records, but it certainly won’t break your back either and is very much on par with boards more usually found around the £1000 price point.  The deck pads are also surprisingly good with a dual density cushioning giving a really soft ride.  The footstraps are pretty dreadful, but they work and with the saving you make on the purchase, you can do yourself a favour and upgrade them!  The fin is budget, but suited to the nature of the board and works perfectly well – you would have to be pretty enthusiastic to justify upgrading the fin.

On the water, I’m very pleased to report that the performance is well worthy of the concept and the price tag.  This is a freeride board in the true sense of the word; it’s simple and fun to sail blending a nice mix of straight-line performance with manoeuvrability.  It won’t catch Antoine Albeau on a speed course and it won’t out-manoeuvre Philip Koster in Pozo, but who cares?!  The world of windsurfing has got far too techy and this board is all about escaping that and going about the simple business of enjoying yourself on a brand new board that you didn’t have to rob the bank to afford.

Exocet Nano. Image credit Craig Hamilton.

The 115 we sailed is from the same mould as the previous Exocet Sting.  It’s therefore quite a blasting orientated shape; straight sided with a fairly rounded nose profile.  It planes relatively easily and the larger fin helps compensate for the higher hull weight. The width of the board provides good progress upwind and gives stability downwind, albeit the wider nose being a little catchy when headed right off the wind in larger (waist high plus) chop.  Gybing is easy and very forgiving – two words which in fact sum up this board pretty nicely…easy and forgiving.  Exocet have a knack of engineering comfort and ease of use into their designs and the Nano is no exception.

There are of course limits to the performance.  But when you start to outgrow the board, you will be more willing to pay the extra money for real top end performance.  For the time being, the Nano should suit most freeriders needs.  It may not be strictly ‘free’ riding but it’s about as close as you can get in windsurfing at the moment!

For more on the Exocet Nano head to the full product page here.

The RRD Firemove in action. Image credit Nic Botha.

The Clone getting down to business!

Despite what some sceptics say, there is no doubt that windsurfing equipment continues to improve for the better.  Having tested my fair share of boards over the years, I will happily admit that most years progress is small and occasionally static or simply a sidestep into another direction, but I can guarantee that when you take a snapshot of say a five year period, you will see marked improvements wherever you look.

Most changes are evolutionary; small and incremental.  Sometimes however they are more dramatic.  Multi-fin wave boards would be a fine example of where within one product release, the turning performance of wave boards made a huge leap forward.

As with most developments however, there are usually associated drawbacks.  Multi-fin boards may have improved the turning capabilities of wave boards overnight, but five years later and they still can’t really match the straight-line performance and excitement factor of a single fin.  It’s referred to as a trade-off; and almost all design developments have trade-offs.

Within the freeride board market, the last major step forward was arguably the concept of more compact, wider and shorter boards.  Now RRD have introduced their Firemove, which pumps up the width even further, but more notably thins the board down, giving less volume and size to the rails.

RRD Firemove, one of the easiest boards to gybe of it's size!

They claim the result is a board that can plane quickly, even with a wave rig on it, manoeuvre like a freestyle-wave board and still match freeride boards for speed and upwind pointing.  Oh and they also mention that it’s ‘the ultimate carve gybe platform’!  That’s a tall order to live up to, so we decided to get hold of one and see what all the fuss is about.

The Firemove is offered in five sizes 100, 110, 120, 130, 140 and three construction options to suit your budget/ requirements.  We were supplied with the 110 Ltd, which is 236cm long, weighs 7.58kg and measures a whopping 75cm wide (10cm wider than many boards of this size).  It comes as standard with a 36cm fin and is recommended for 6-8m sail sizes.  Because of the extra width, the board sails bigger than its volume would suggest, making it more comparable to say a 120 litre board. Although it’s worth bearing in mind that volume is still critical when it comes to uphauling.

RRD Firemove

We tested the Firemove with a 7.3m no-cam sail in a range of conditions from shoulder high chop to flat water and also underpowered right through to overpowered, so managed to get a fairly good handle on its performance range.

The first thing you notice is how easy the board is to plane.  Not only does it plane early, but perhaps more importantly, it planes easily.  You don’t have to bear off the wind much to get it going, the width gives great stability and the short length means that reaching the footstraps is simple.  Once in the straps, you will appreciate the very soft, comfortable feel of the pads and straps, which really match the character of this board.

Acceleration is good and once up to speed the board has a very comfortable trim and stance.  It has a stable feel to it at speed and rides comfortably off the tail, yet with the nose remaining locked down and in check when flying over pieces of chop.  Short, wide boards have proven themselves for blasting performance and ease of speed, but can often lack a bit of excitement, with their less responsive characteristics making the rider feel a bit like a passenger on a skim board.  I’m pleased to report that the Firemove has managed to keep agreat balance of comfort and excitement.  This could really have been the make or break of this board.

Boards of this nature should be fun to sail and it’s a credit to RRD that they have managed to retain this fun, lively sensation within such a wide shape, yet still kept just the right amount of control to make its full performance attainable for most abilities.

Point the board upwind and it flies, as you would expect from such a wide shape.  The 36cm fin suits the board well for all-round performance, but if you want even better planing and upwind performance then you could definitely go bigger.  As conditions get rougher the control is pretty good with the board staying trimmed down in the gusts and chop.  However, as with all boards of this style (wide), when they do eventually lift i.e. the wind gets under them, they do it very suddenly and you have to react quickly to bring them back into line.  When you point the board right off the wind for a full speed run, the width does start to become a bit more noticeable making the board harder to ride right off the tail keeping the nose high.  To be fair, this is only really noticeable when well powered up, pointing right off the wind and in chop.  But in these conditions, you may notice the shoulders catching a little when going over the backs of waves.  We found that the mast track worked best a little behind middle, which helped keep the shoulders riding high.

RRD Firemove

When it comes to gybing, the Firemove is arguably the best gybing board we have ever sailed of this size.  You can bank the board really hard in to the turn with no risk of catching.  Most impressively however, where many boards of this size tend to set a line and turn on it, the Firemove remains manoeuvrable and can be banked in even tighter at any point through the turn.  It’s no wonder that there are claims about this boards wave riding potential as it really does turn unbelievably well for a board of this size.

So, here we have a new style of freeride board, which planes early, goes upwind well, is comfortable and easy to sail at speed, doesn’t take an experienced rider to get the best from and gybes fantastically.  Of course as we discussed above, there are always trade-off’s and in this case it’s mostly to do with absolute top end control in chop. But the truth is that the gains on offer from the Firemove and the style of board that this model has brought to the freeride market, far outweigh the drawbacks and from where I am sitting that’s called progress. The Firemove has created quite a following over the past 12 months or so and having now sailed it, I can definitely see why.  Give one a try!

For more on the RRD Firemove and other RRD products head to the RRD website here or the home of the British importers for RRD, Seasprite, here.

For the past 30 years Boards Magazine has conducted product tests within most of the monthly printed magazines.  For 2012 the format of Boards Magazine will change and so too will the way that tests are delivered.

The quality and volume of tests provided over the year will remain unchanged, but the delivery will be focused online (although some will still feature within our Bi-Annual publications).  The tests will become more interactive, will be free of charge to read, more accessible (everything will be archived) and more up to date.

Testing will continue in 2012 with Adrian Jones remaining the test editor and as always, he will be assisted by his Clone test team.

For the time being, we have uploaded a selection of the main tests that were covered over the past 18 months in Boards Magazine printed and linked through to our sister site Boardseeker, where the full test can be read.  In the future, all new tests will be available right here on the Boards website in a new and improved online format.

We will continue to deliver regular group tests, but will also be increasing the number of ‘first impressions’ and ‘new concept’ reviews that we do.  This style of review will allow you to get more up-to-date reviews on the very latest kit to hit the market as well as more niche and specialist products.

As always, we will continue with the same methodical, unbiased and honest approach to testing that both Boardseeker and Boards Mag have become renowned for.