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RRD TWINTIP 65
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TWINTIP 65
Length: 263 cm Width: 65 cm
Volume: 118 ltrs Weight: 16/7.2kg
Upwind: 3.86 Planing: 4.36
Speed: 3.79 Handling: 4.43
Jibe: 4.43 Overall: 4.24
Price: $1,495
Includes: Straps, Pads, Fin
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It’s King of the Lake. That’s the biggest and most important freestyle event in the world, held each year on Lake Garda in Italy, won in ‘99 by Robby Seeger, RRD’s powerful freestyle ace. Like many other stars, from Josh Stone to Jason Polakow, Seeger was a frequent visitor at our test site. One light-wind afternoon he put on a special show, a display of tricks that boggled the mind. It was as if he could make the board levitate, although it never stood still. Five feet of air on invisible ramps just 20 feet from the beach, landing tail-first and scooting the board the rest of the way to the sand before gently dismounting with a wide smile and a bow.
Designing the TwinTip was easy, says Ricci, because he only had to do half a board. It’s 265 centimeters long and 65 wide, and its name comes from the unique symmetrical outline; the back half matches the front. The well-tucked rails and very flat scoop/rocker line aren’t the same, of course, nor is the distribution of volume, but it’s still evenly balanced, which was the objective—and one result is steady tacking, even on just 108 liters.
Never has a board been designed with so much emphasis on sailing tail-first. For example, there are four channels on the concave bottom, under the nose as well as the tail, to bite like a fin and give directionality.
It must be this balance that makes the TwinTip plane so well. Weigh its volume of 108 liters against its recommended sail size of 6.0 to 7.5 meters, and no way should its planing be exceptional. Especially since its construction, though lighter than the Avantride 70, is heavier than the epoxy sandwich freeride boards, with a mat coating on the blue paint.
Of course, there is another explanation here. Rarely did our testers sail the TwinTip in that recommended range. Because of conditions, it was mostly sailed with 5.0 to 6.0 sails. But this also proves that it performs well with smaller sails than those it was designed for, which is something you can’t say about a lot of boards. However, there’s a TwinTip 60 of 96 liters for that range. We wish the 60 had been in the test instead of the 65. We suspect our testers would have raved a blue streak (pun intended) over it.
The bottom line of the TwinTip is that it takes much of the challenge out of basic execution. It may be short on speed and excitement, but it’s also very short on frustration. Which means high on fun, as the comments made clear.
“I think the TwinTip is going to be the future for freeride designs,” says Ricci. Did he say freeride? Actually, we thought he thought the Avantride would be the direction of freeride. But no matter. The TwinTip was very popular with our guest testers, who were hardly freestylers. We’re not sure whether or not that says something about the desires and likes of intermediate freeride sailors in general, but it does indicate one thing: our testers, which we believe to be broadly representative, like their time on the water to be easy.
SCORE:
Upwind 3.86 Planing 4.36 Speed 3.79 Handling 4.43 Jibe 4.43 Overall 4.24
COMMENTS:
“Really fun, planes up quickly, very maneuverable, very forgiving in the jibes,” said Clem Wang, whom we couldn’t get off the board, even after dark. He sailed it four days. “It’s really good for trying out new stuff,” he added. “Clew first waterstart was a cinch. Once I even sailed fin first, and it was easy on this board. I have a lot of confidence sailing it. I can tack it, and almost got a couple of duck jibes.”
“Very easy, good for a first-time short board.”
“A great board to learn planing jibes on. Plenty of room for tricks. Really fun with a 5.0 or 5.5 in small waves. It turns on a dime for a wide board, and jumps well. Plows over chop and smoothes it out. A breakthrough design.”
“Awesome with the 5.4 Pryde Soul wave sail, particularly if you want to plane on a sneeze.”
Jim DeSilva, a dealer (not RRD) who offered a wealth of insight on many other boards and sails, was the only tester whose comments here came from sailing within the recommended sail range. Using a Hot Sails Maui 6.0 Stealth, he said, “The powerful sail made for huge air. I’m sure the board would be excellent over 7.0. It’s stiff, light, and even its low nose accentuates the lift. Good pads, straps and sailing position.”
And apparently he agrees with Ricci about the direction of freeride. “These boards are the future because they make sense for normal people in normal conditions,” he added. “They are easy, quick to plane, work in lighter winds and feel small.”
“Fast to plane, very smooth, easy to jump, easy to jibe. Should be fun for any intermediate or better, between 4.5 and 6.5.”
“Love the TwinTip; quick to plane, stable, goes upwind well and doesn’t bounce in the chop,” said a woman who sailed it with a 4.5 Loft wave sail. Next day, same sail, she added, “Easy to handle, but feels bigger than the 8-11 French.”
“The TwinTip is the board I liked the best,” said an intermediate who used a Hot Sails Maui 4.3 wave. “Very stable and controllable in high wind, despite its volume. I’ll probably buy one.” This is a significant comment, again because of the source. The board highly pleased a sailor of very intermediate skills who basically sailed it wrong.
STAFF:
Upwind4.0, Planing 4.5, Speed3.0, Handling 4.0, Jibe 4.75, Overall 4.15
COMMENTS:
“Fun fun fun,” said Mark Archer, until daddy took his T-bird away. “Has something to offer everyone from beginning shortboarder to advanced freestyler.” He added that it’s best suited for 5.0 to 6.5 sails, which is the recommended range of the TwinTip 60.
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