Windsurfing Magazine

kristin
2008-01-22 14:00:00 | 1071 views | 0 Comments

Editor's Pre-Test Notes:
- Unreal how light it is for 90 liters – lightweight paint finish.
- Widest board of the fleet, but the tail narrows quickly.
- First “freestyle wave” board from Naish – here we go!

Test Team Notes:

Intermediate/Advanced Testers

Catherine Kurz, lightweight
It's quick to plane, handles low winds and lulls really well. Got me into the waves on light days no problems. Too large for me, but I still liked it.

Antonia Maier, lightweight
Extremely early planer and great to jibe - Jumping was great.
A bit too big for my weight, and hard to control in higher winds. Pad under back foot strap was uncomfortable.

Mac Barnes, middleweight
Everything was great – great board, balance feels right in all areas. Easy to sail, balanced, comfortable, turns easy and levels out chop.  I would own this board.

Ray Scott, middleweight
Board width made tacking easy. Well-balanced fore and aft. Fun, fun, fun – lots of spark and its lightweight is noticeable.

Josh Sampiero, heavyweight
The earliest planing board of the fleet. Floaty and powerful. Good onshore wave board – it would fit into my FL quiver. Light-air wave machine, cranks upwind. Not super turny – not a pure wave board. Weird ridge under back foot strap was a bit uncomfy.
 
Michael Smith, super heavyweight
Never met a board that got me up and going that I didn't like…Planes quick, fun – agile – pads straps good.  This would be my small board if I moved to Maui

Expert Testers

Jake Miller, lightweight
Great pop, good freestyler, fast, quick to plane and easy to go upwind.
But the back pad uncomfortable, and it's a bit big and bouncy for me in the turns.

Eddy Patricelli, middleweight
Pros – a lot of 'em – Lots of get up and go power; crisp, direct. High-strung, high-performance feel. Nice straps n' pads. Lightweight, responsive, feels fast, turns well for me when moderately powered. A little much in size and weight for rookies and lightweights? Last con – a flat deck – for my arthritic ankle, the flatness of the deck is tough on it.

Dave Wissink, middleweight
Good speed, nice easy feel. Best suits planing junkies who want speed with comfort. Fast, nice pads and straps.  Just a little sluggish in the jibes – it's not a full-on wave board.

Dave Troup, heavyweight
Super turny - very predictable but snappy too. Didn't go upwind as I thought it would – fin a touch small.