- 2009 Board Tests

Tabou Pocket Wave 85

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0400

V: 85 L: 225 W: 58
Web: tabou-boards.com
The Ride: Tabou’s Pocket Wave comes in numerous sizes and has gained popularity as a wave board that performs on flaterwater as well. It has a very similar feel to the F2 but with a little more lively ride. It offers a very well balanced rider position and plenty of stability to make it a great board for the first time wave sailor, or even those new to boards in the 85 liter range. The thick tail allows the board to plane easily with minimal rider input needed and also helps heavier footed riders cruise through lulls. On the water this means you can focus more attention on the wave instead of foot-placement, board trim or body position and react to your surroundings much easier. In the DTL conditions of San Carlos the Pocket Wave worked best as a one hitter with the wide tail on the 85 liter version requiring a fair amount of effort and movement to repeatedly going rail to tail. We wondered if maybe the 80 or even 75 liter version might have been the better size for these conditions? In an onshore set-up or smaller waves this wound not be an issue as one hit is all you’re going to get. On flat water the boards liveliness feels great and helps give the board some pop for jumping or launching into your favorite new-school spinny moves.
The Parts: The Team Edition we tested had great finish work nice straps and a fin that was of good quality and perfect sized for bump and jump conditions.

RRD WaveCult 80

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0400

V: 80 L: 237 W:57
Web: robertoriccidesign.com
The Ride: Smaller Wave Cult sizes are geared towards bigger side-off conditions, while the sizes 80 litres and up are shaped to perform in any wind and wave setup. The Wave Cult 80 planes a little quicker than true DTL boards, making jumps on the way out a performance highlight. On the wave, it easily keeps speed through a bottom turn, but the rail does not grip as readily as the full-blown DTL boards when going full throttle. In side or onshore conditions this isn’t a problem as it is too difficult to reach speeds on the wave that bring out this nervousness. Also, in these conditions, its ability to maintain speed allows you to go front-side and reach the lip with momentum every time. On flatwater it cranks through highspeed jibes with style, but a less directional ride makes it difficult for anyone new to smaller boards.
The Parts: The WaveCult's "made by Dakine" straps are the best in the test and the fin is the perfect size for bump and jump sailing. In San Carlos' DTL conditions we found a smaller fin provided more stability and a smoother ride.

Exocet U Surf 84

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0400

V: 84 L:235 W: 60
Web: exocet-original.com

Ride: More so than any other board in the test the Exocet U-Surf is a wave board that resembles a surfboard. The pointy nose flows beautifully into a wide mid-section that ends with a shortboard like squash tail. Finishing off the look are rails pinched for their entire length. It's not surprising then that the Exocet feels a lot like a surfboard on the water as well. It turns off the rear foot more than others and likes a different technique in how you set up for the lip. You need to stay higher on the wave to keep speed, but it allows such a tight turn you can get to the lip at a moment’s notice. This 84-litre version is most at home on smaller waves and will truly excel in sideshore and onshore conditions where the tighter turn will help you truly ride the wave. Riding bigger waves takes serious commitment to lock-in the rail due to the width. The 76-litre model (57cm wide) would likely match up better to the side-off boards in this test. On flatwater, the continuous rocker makes the board very difficult to trim onto a plane and over chop. The U-Surf II is big-feeling board that can handle all wave conditions.
The Parts: The board has fantastic finish work with clean lines and graphics, but both the fin and footstraps leave something to be desired. The straps placement is set up for wide feet so those with smaller feet may want to pinch the straps closer together for a more secure feeling.

Fanatic NewWave 81

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0400

V: 81 L: 240 W: 56.5

Web: fanatic.com

The Ride: Fanatic's NewWave's are the same board team rider Victor Fernandez uses to repeatedly win PWA Wave contests. It is a one board wonder that excels regardless of the conditions and lets you get a taste of how Victor boggles the mind with his insane jumping. Its narrow nose and tail provide curvature to the outline that along with thin tucked rails give a progressive look and an extremely loose ride. With minimal effort it carves a very tight turn off the front foot without losing momentum. It turns tightly enough to fit in smaller onshore waves and also works when it’s clean and sideshore. Off the top, the Team Edition construction feels amazing, letting you pull things back together when the board gets away from you and it also gives an incredible sense of connection when trimming the board across chop or onto a plane. In the air it has impeccable control to go as big and contort at will. In the hands of an advanced rider this board makes the jumping-run out as much fun as the wave-ride in.

The Parts: One of the things that makes this board so well balanced out of the box is the smallish looking fin that is the perfect match for todays modern shapes and lightweight constructions.

Quatro Wave 86

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0400

V: 86 L: 242 W: 58
Web: quatrointernational.com
The Ride: Being designed in Maui the Quatro Wave is built to truly perform in real waves. It does not allow you to be quite as precise as some of the other DTL boards, but it's ease of use is superior to any other true wave board in the test. It is the perfect board for anyone who is dedicated to progressing their wave sailing and doesn't want a board they will outgrow. The Quatro Wave is the user-friendliest true waveboard in the test, perfect for anyone looking for a board to improve on and not outgrow. Its rail holds no matter how aggressive you are in your bottom turn, while off the top the wide nose never pearls or gets trapped in white water. As you dial in your style it rewards carving off the front foot, but if you need to make something happen off your back foot you can still get it done. This back foot turning ability also makes a decent choice as a side or side-on board. Compared to the Goya, which has a similar look, the Quatro looses a little speed through the bottom turn and isn't quite as fast to begin with. For this slight loss of performance the reward is stability at slower speeds and a board that almost self trims itself while catching a wave or getting onto a plane. Adding to the Quatro's appeal is that it does not feel completely out of place in bump and jump conditons. With that said the speed and pop don't match that of a typical freestyle wave, so the Wave 86 is still best suited to riders who will spend at least half their time in the waves.
The Parts: MFC straps adjust easily, but are a little narrow and constantly “shrink” when made big from the stretchiness of the outer cover. Great fin, even though it’s a little bigger than needed. A smaller fin adds maneuverability with no loss in early planing.

Naish Wave 85

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0400

V: 85 L:238 W: 57
Web: naishsails.com
The Ride: The Naish Wave has a very traditional look hiding some refinements to the rocker line and rail shape that provide true modern performance. They also give it a comfy directional ride for bump-and-jump sailing. On the wave, it keeps speed well through an aggressive front foot bottom turn. The arc is a little wider than the new-school shapes, but with good timing you can you still hit the lip with plenty of force and then the wide nose will takeover and re-direct you back into the wave. When done right the reward is unequaled, but for those still getting comfortable in waves it may be hard to find this timing. This doesn’t mean the Naish isn’t a board that can be grown into. It’s straight-line ride is one of the fastest and least technical, providing a sweet ride for boosting big air and mowing down any chop in its path.
The Parts: The new Naish pads are very thick and care has to be taken not to strip the screw hole when putting on the footstraps. We loved the high quality smaller fin which was a perfect fit with the board.

JP Twinser Wave 84 Pro

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0400

V: 84 L:234 W: 57
Web: jp-australia.com
The Ride: With Kauli Seadi being the rider credited as changing wave sailing and reviving the twin-fin one might think that his JP Twinser would be an extreme shape that asks for a progressive skill set to dial in. Nothing could be farther from the truth... and this can be a good thing. If you never looked beneath the board you would have no idea it had two fins (even in flat water). This is a stellar board for ripping apart waves, spinning through freestyle moves or just blasting back and forth. On a wave the rail holds well enough to push your limits in big conditions and its ability to be turned off the tail makes it perfect for side and onshore conditions as well. It may not be the perfect board for any specific wind direction, but as a one-board quiver it will not be beat. Plus, its true freestyle wave-like performance on flaterwater makes it like getting two boards in one. This straight line goodness even makes the Twinser a good choice for those new to 85 liter boards, as the smooth and directional ride takes only a minimal amount of trim work to get planing or ride smoothly across chop.
The Parts: The JP straps with their width adjustment are some of the most comfortable in the test. The stock fins are great on bumper conditions, but we found smaller fins helped noticeably loosen up the ride on better waves.

Goya Custom Wave 84

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0400

V: 84 L: 239 W: 57
Web: goyasails.com
The Ride: Hearing that the Windsport test weeks have had some great conditions over the last few years, Francisco Goya himself decided to come down and show us how well his boards can perform on the wave in San Carlos. With gauges into the wave that sent him vertical to lip, in sections few even think to ride, we were left in awe. Ridding his new Custom Wave 84 didn't let us recreate his moves but it did give us a bit of an idea as to how it was possible. More than any other board, the Custom can be driven into a tight high-speed bottom turn with little worry of losing speed or traction. Off the top it is incredibly snappy and immediately accelerates once pointed back down the wave, leaving you perfectly setup to do it again. Only the Starboard has a better top turn, but it lacks the Custom’s speed and acceleration. To get this kind of on-wave performance some flat-water ability is lost, but the Goya is no more difficult to sail than any other DTL board. A pleasant surprise is its ability to keep speed through a carve, making it a good performer in all wave conditions. If you’re lucky enough to consistently sail good wave conditions you’ll be hard pressed to find a better board.
Parts: MFC straps adjust easily, but are a little narrow and constantly “shrink” when made big. Great fin but we found that a slightly smaller size rode smoother and only added to the maneuverability.

Mistral Twinzer RD 84

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0400

V: 84 L: 224 W: 59
Web: mistral.com
The Ride: With their Red Dot Division Mistral has committed to be a brand pushing the evolution of board design. Their Twinser RD, with a lower than normal nose scoop is the shortest board in the test and also one of the widest. Even at first look there is no mistaking this as a stubby wave board that just so happens to have two fins. On the water the short and wide Twinzer RD has the performance to completely change how a wave is ridden. It is by far the loosest in the test, yet the rail still holds surprisingly well both off the front and back foot. In can feel a little nervous on bigger waves, but its tight turn completely opens up sections of a wave that you’ve never reached before. It goes rail to rail so easily that once dialed in you’ll find yourself making an extra turn or two per wave. Even though it lacks the pop of a freestyle board, it will spin and slide at will. Now, the once-skipped small closeout sections will become perfect ramps to exit the wave with a stylish move. The board does have some quirks that stem from the stubby length, but in experienced hands the Twinzer can make wavesailing look more like skating in a half-pipe.
The Parts: The fins are of good quality and seem the appropriate size. Mistral's footstraps are comfy and cover a large range of foot sizes.

Starboard Evil Twin 80

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0400

V: 80 L:233 W: 58
Web: star-board.com
The Ride: Despite the name there is nothing unpleasant about Starboard’s Evil Twin. For the most part the fact that it has two fins seems irrelevant. Surely they are part of what gives the Evil Twin the best cut-back in the test, but the thin rails and copious amount of rocker surely help as well. Most of the comments about the Starboards sound the same as any other dedicated wave board. It’s a little slow to plane and not very directional, yet once you’re on a wave it comes alive. The rail will hold no matter how much speed you take into your bottom turn, but it will loss interest if you draw out the turn too far. Off the top is where this board shines as you can get in as deep as you dare to go and it will do its best to not only get you out but get you out with style. The rider position seem to give you perfect balance and the transition from rail to rail is seamless. Like other dedicated DTL wave boards the Evil Twin feels a little out of place if there are no clean waves around. It's speed is decent and it's comfortable to sail, but there is not much pop and with it taking some time to get going you're always working to make sure you trim the board properly to keep it there. This is a board that is best left in the hands of riders who only wave sail and therefore value on-the-wave performance above anything else.
The Parts: Starboards new straps are more comfortable than their old ones, but they still “shrink” when you expand them for bigger feet. We also found it hard to fine tune our stance with the minimal number of footstrap inserts. The fins seemed the appropriate size and we loved the large Philips head fin screws.

11 True Waveboards (80-86 litre)

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Put to the Test at Punta San Carlos

Ask and you will receive. Windsport’s veteran test crew asked for true waveboards that can handle the real down-the-line conditions found at Punta San Carlos, California, and we scored big time with 11 very wave-capable sticks to play with for a few weeks. To help breakdown these boards into similar categories we’re mostly looking at the way they bottom turn on a wave. Some prefer a tighter pivoting turn with weight on the back foot, while others do better with a more drawn-out turn from weight being placed on the front foot.

Windsport’s New Test Format:
As you can tell by all the words in this test write-up, we put a lot of effort into our tests. From the head-to-head breakdown to each individual board’s review, a ton of on-water testing, discussion, measuring and research goes into the Windsport testing format. However, it has been brought to our attention that sometimes readers don’t have time to do all this reading. In response, we are introducing a graph at the bottom of each board’s review highlighting their strengths.
Onshore These conditions, where the wind and waves are traveling in the same direction, require a board that is capable of a tight radius bottom turn to fit into the wave. But since waves in onshore conditions are rarely clean it’s worth sacrificing wave riding performance for early planing and acceleration.
Sideshore When the wind direction is basically perpendicular to the waves it’s easy to find power for planing and acceleration, so board designers focus more on wave performance. A tight bottom turn is needed to reach the lip easily, but it’s also nice to have a board with a lively ride to take advantage of the accompanying perfect jumping conditions.
Side-off These are the conditions that you find at the world’s best wavesailing locations, like Punta San Carlos. Here the wind blows at an angle between sideshore and straight offshore, allowing you too easily generate speed on the wave. You always have the wind to tap into if needed, even when you’re going up to hit the lip. Since speed and acceleration is easily found on the wave it’s more important to find a board offering control and balance.
Ease of Ride Due to today’s variety of shapes for different style of wavesailors, some will have you ripping right away while others will take time to dial-in their full potential.
Small Wave The average wavesailor doesn’t get to sail the perfect waves of Punta San Carlos every session. Knowing a board’s small-wave potential can be helpful, but remember that judging a small wave can be subjective depending on a rider’s size.

Head-to-Head Breakdown
Within our group of 11 test boards, two cater to those mainly riding onshore waves, six are all-around or all-wave shapes that excel in sideshore conditions but can be further broken down by their radius of bottom-turn, and there are three boards that truly let you charge San Carlos’ supreme down-the-line (DTL) side-off conditions.
Onshore Boards:
The two onshore boards are the quickest planers in the test and also offer performance that a bump-and-jump sailor will appreciate. On a clean wave these larger feeling boards are not as loose and nimble as the others, but their rail still holds better than the typical freestyle wave design. In onshore conditions you don’t really get to set up a true bottom turn, so a tight back-foot turn can get you to the lip while quick acceleration helps you keep your speed immediately after.
   The F2 Rebel is not only a good onshore performer but it can also double as either a great first-time sinker board for intermediates or an excellent highwind freestyle board for the more advanced rider. The Tabou Pocket Wave is a little better in the waves with a tighter turn and less effort needed to set the rail. It’s also more responsive to trim work, making it a board that better rewards more advanced riders. It too can double as highwind freestyle if needed.

All-Wave Boards:
The majority of the test boards have performance characteristics that shine in all conditions. They are one-board wonders for sailors who need a board to take full advantage of the perfect days while still letting you make the most of all the days in-between. All these boards tolerate a pivoting back-foot turn to let you have fun in onshore waves, and all will still hold speed through a bottom turn on a big side-off day as well. On the onshore day you may wish for a little tighter turn or more acceleration off-the-top, while on the side-off day their liveliness may make you a little hesitant as you set the rail. Of these six test boards there is a trade-off made between turning radius and liveliness. Some tolerate more pressure from your back foot while others stay more controllable when setting up for a bottom turn.
   The Exocet U-Surf II is the widest board in the test and feels big, but with a great turn off the back foot it will make the most of small waves and lighter winds. Mistral’s Twinzer, with its narrower tail, turns within an incredibly tight arc and works well in larger waves. Some time is needed to get used to its quirky ride, but once dialed-in it has no limits. Both the Fanatic NewWave and JP-Australia Twinser Wave turn well off both the front and back foot making them true one-board wonders for any wave. The Fanatic gets the nod as the better sideshore waveboard with a looser ride that translates into tighter turns. The JP Twinser shows up the NewWave on flatter water though, with a directional ride that rivals that of any freestyle wave board for speed and jumping.
   Compared to pure waveboards from only a couple years ago, the RRD Wave Cult and Quatro Wave would easily match their down-the-line performance. The Wave Cult planes so much easier though that it allows you to take full advantage of any ramps for jumping in sideshore conditions. The single fin Quatro Wave is the easiest board in the test for down-the-line riding. In a smaller size it likely would have been placed with the side-off boards, but with a tail that can support a back foot turn when needed it seems better suited to good sideshore wave conditions.

Down-the-Line Boards:
Down-the-line (DTL) boards are designed for side-off conditions present in places like Punta San Carlos. With a long peeling wave and wind in your sail all the way to the lip, it’s easy to find speed so control becomes a more sought-after commodity. Having the board roll smoothly onto the rail, with minimal effort and body movement, not only gives you control through a bottom turn it means that you’re less likely to find yourself over-committing once you reach the top. Control also makes these the boards of choice in bigger waves regardless of wind direction.
   DTL boards have seen some notable changes in design over the last five years as riding styles have progressed. More traditional riding revolves around a high-speed drawn-out bottom turn, while today the new-school rider is trying to see how deep into the pocket they can crank a bottom turn and still hit the lip. Of our three, it’s easy to find your ideal match as they each have a very different bottom turn.
The Naish Wave has a very traditional feel on the wave with a more drawn-out bottom turn. It begs you to carry as much speed as possible at all times and when things go right there is no bigger reward from any other board. As a bonus, the speed of the Naish makes it a decent big swell bump-and-jump board as well. In the Goya Custom Wave we find a not-too-tight and not-too-wide bottom turn that seems to always have us at the lip in the perfect spot. Off the top it is very predictable and controllable with only the Starboard Evil Twin coming around with similar control. The Evil Twin rules the cutback and its bottom turn can be the tightest of the three, but it likes some help from a reasonable size wave to keep up speed through the turn.

Test Editor: Derek Rijff
Test Team: Kyle Brazell, Paddy Buckley, Cliff Cordy, Pete DeKay, Daniel Macaulay, Derek Rijff

2009 Big Freeride Board Test (125-155 litre)