Windsurfing Equipment Tests - American Windsurfer

Boards: AHD @ Aruba

Novice Control Speed Race Explore Balance

AHD Diamond Race 67

The Diamond Race 67 is AHD’s most versatile race board. It’s conventional in some respects - no flap - but unconventional in that it’s quite short for its width, and it has a single concave bottom shape over much of its length. We all know about short-wide boards by now, but concave bottoms? The concave actually extends to just in front of the tail and makes the board seem to hug the water without actually touching it. Sort of like a Hollywood kiss on the cheek. Aft of the concave the board has a slight vee, which allows the sailor to rail the board just a bit and raise the nose at higher speeds. The 67 is quick to plane and fast in marginal to moderate conditions. It jibes beautifully - medium to wide turns with plenty of speed - though it’s not as loose as the AHD Free Race 299. It’s at its best in flat water and works well for medium-to heavyweight riders.

Power Rating 77
Length 8’11”
Width 26.1”
Volume 148 Liters
Weight 16.5 lbs.
Planing 9.5
Reaching 8.0
Upwind 10.0
Tight turns 6.5
Wide turns 8.5
Ding rating 16
Price $1,699
Includes: Straps, Pads, Fin

Recommended sail:
Freeride & race 7.0 & up

Novice Control Speed Race Explore Balance

AHD Diamond Race 72

After a week of testing boards and sails in Aruba, Mark Stumpp commented, “[the] most fun I had all week was on this board . . . I flew across the water . . . it’s a wonderful option for someone who lives on a lake with marginal winds and not much chop.” Quickness to plane, gliding through lulls and speed upwind are, of course, the 72’s strong points, but we were also amazed at how well it could go upwind in non-planing conditions. You just drop the windward rail and cruise. It’s fun to jibe too, as it’s looser than its longer predecessor, the Race 310, and much looser than boards like the F2 Thommen 305. The 54-cm fin that came with our test board was a bit on the flexible side, but it was a good size for the board. Other components were excellent. We agree with Mark that the 72 is best in flat water and strongly recommend it to both heavyweights who race and those who just want a performance-oriented light-air board.

Power Rating 82
Length 8’ 11”
Width 27.9”
Volume 164 Liters
Weight 15.4 lbs.
Planing 10.0
Reaching 7.5
Upwind 10.0
Tight turns 6.0
Wide turns 8.0
Ding rating 14
Price $1,699
Includes: Straps, Pads, Fin

Recommended sail:
Freeride & race 7.0 & up

Novice Control Speed Race Explore Balance

AHD Free Race 299

The Free Race 299 is much like the Diamond Race 72 in size, but it rides more free of the water and it’s slightly looser to turn, probably because it has a more traditional vee bottom. You don’t want to lay into a jibe too hard and turn this board too sharply, but if you just apply gentle rail pressure and carve a smooth medium or wide arc, it turns beautifully and comes out with speed. This board’s high volume didn’t seem to bother anyone, and, indeed, the volume made it extremely comfortable and stable to ride in the gusty winds near shore at Fisherman’s Huts. Good width and crisp rails help the Free Race 299 to compete for quickness to plane with the best of the light-air boards. In short, this board earned praise from everyone who rode it, but we think it works best for heavyweights who like a lively ride yet not a demanding one.

Power Rating 74
Length 9’9”
Width 26.2”
Volume 174 Liters
Weight 17.8 lbs.
Planing 9.5
Reaching 8.0
Upwind 9.5
Tight turns 7.0
Wide turns 9.0
Ding rating 16
Price $1,450
Includes: Straps, Pads, Fin

Recommended sail:
Freeride & Race 7.0 & Up

Novice Control Speed Race Explore Balance

AHD Free Speed 275

The Free Speed 275 is the second lightest among the freeride boards and of the three boards in the 110- to 120-liter size range, it’s clearly the liveliest. It’s also very powerful for its volume - right up there with much longer, more voluminous boards like the F2 Xantos 310 and Drops Freeride 299. This high power-to-volume ratio makes the Free Speed quicker to plane than you’d expect and faster upwind. It also gives the board more range than your average nine-footer, in much the way a high-end race board has more range. Of course, the Free Speed 275 is best for riders at the expert level, as boards this light and lively are a handful for the intermediate. Our test board had last year’s black deck pads, which tend to shrink and come unglued in hot weather, but the ‘99 production models have pads made of different material and should be fine. Our only criticism is that this board’s stock fin is a bit stiff and small and not quite up to the quality of the rest of the board.

Power Rating 67
Length 9’0”
Width 23.8”
Volume 119 Liters
Weight 15.5 lbs.
Planing 8.5
Reaching 9.0
Upwind 8.5
Tight turns 7.5
Wide turns 9.0
Ding rating 16
Price $1,450
Includes: Straps, Pads, Fin

Recommended sail:
Freeride & Race 6.0 to 8.0

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