Windsurfing Equipment Tests - American Windsurfer

Boards: Mistral @ Aruba

Novice Control Speed Race Explore Balance

Mistral Explosion 295

Everyone who tried the Explosion 295 loved it. Good speed combined with great controllability and can’t-go-wrong jibing ability cemented its place as one of the most-loved boards in the test. A number of Intermediate riders raved about it and pro Mike Piltzecker said it “performed like a much smaller board, yet it didn’t sacrifice any of the basic qualities like stability, quickness to plane, and the forgiving ride that you expect in a board this big.” The construction is tough and reasonably light. The straps aren’t our favorites, but the anti-twist is good. Other components such as deck pads are fine and the fin is excellent. For the rider who doesn’t want the latest in light-air go-fast gear, but rather prefers a comfortable, versatile big board, the Explosion 295 is hard to beat.

Power Rating 66
Length 9’8”
Width 23.6”
Volume 134 Liters
Weight 17.5 lbs.
Planing 8.5
Reaching 8.5
Upwind 8.0
Tight turns 8.0
Wide turns 9.0
Ding rating 48+
Price $1,399
Includes: Straps, Pads, Fin

Recommended sail: Freeride 6.0 to 8.0

Novice Control Speed Race Explore Balance

Mistral Flow & Custom 284

We had these boards on Maui but thought them too big and slalom-oriented to be included in that test report. A number of our testers on Maui enjoyed riding them, but a lot of riders thought they were just too much board for Maui. When we took the Flow 284 to Aruba it proved to be hugely popular. Margaret Hepper called it “really peppy, a beautiful board to sail,” and went on to say that it “turned easily and was very smooth in chop.” These two boards are not identical, however, as the Flow is slightly looser in the turns and more controllable at speed, while the Custom version is faster, livelier and a little stiffer in the turns. Both have good components, but the anti-twist footstraps on the Custom are only adequate.

Flow Custom

Power Rating
Length
Width
Volume
Weight
Planing
Reaching
Upwind
Tight turns
Wide turns
Ding rating
Price 63
9’3”
23.2”
111 Liters
18.0 lbs.
8.0
9.0
8.5
7.5
9.5
48
$1,399 63
9’2”
23.2”
113 Liters
16.5 lbs.
8.0
9.0
8.5
7.5
9.5
12
$1,499

Includes: Straps, Pads, Fin

Recommended sail: Freeride 5.5 to 7.5

Novice Control Speed Race Explore Balance

Mistral SLE 294

The SLE 294 is fast on a reach and though stiff in the turns, maintains speed remarkably well through a jibe. For the performance-oriented sailor it offers a lighter, livelier feel and slightly quicker planing than its almost identically-sized sibling the Explosion 295. However, at only 23.6 inches wide it can’t keep up with other course-slalom boards when sailing upwind, even in a solid 20 mph of wind. The 42-cm fin is small, but it’s all the fin this board can comfortably handle. That pretty much pegs it as a high-wind board for lightweight racers. Non-skid is abrasive but not grippy, a fact doubly driven home by the lack of deck pads on the test board. Straps twist easily and strap screws tend to come loose. A real strength is this board’s low weight and high ding test score.

Power Rating 66
Length 9’7”
Width 23.6”
Volume 136 Liters
Weight 15.3 lbs.
Planing 8.5
Reaching 8.5
Upwind 9.0
Tight turns 7.5
Wide turns 8.5
Ding rating 34
Price $1,599
Includes: Straps & Fin

Recommended sail:
Freeride & Race 6.0 to 8.0

Novice Control Speed Race Explore Balance

Mistral SLE 311

The SLE 311 is a good board for the heavyweight performance-oriented recreational sailor. It’s the floatiest shortboard on the market (with more volume than the Star Board Go) which makes it stable and reasonably fast in non-planing conditions. In a gust it planes up smoothly and gradually - not all in a leap like some of the shorter, wider boards - and cruises at a comfortable speed in flat water. It’s very stiff in the turns, but maintains its speed well. Construction? This board has remarkably low weight and high ding resistance, and it comes equipped with a superb 50-cm blade fin. Still, we can’t recommend the 311 to serious racers, as it doesn’t have the top-end or chop-handling ability that a race board needs. Other weaknesses: (1) deck pads weren’t installed on our test board, (2) the non-skid is abrasive but not really grippy, and (3) strap screws unscrew easily.

Power Rating 78
Length 10’2”
Width 27.0”
Volume 182 Liters
Weight 17.3 lbs.
Planing 9.5
Reaching 7.5
Upwind 9.5
Tight turns 5.0
Wide turns 8.0
Ding rating 34
Price $1,599
Includes: Straps & Fin

Recommended sail:
Freeride & Race 7.0 & up

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