Windsurfing Equipment Tests - American Windsurfer

Boards: Mistral @ Islamorada

Mistral Malibu 335

Power Rating: 76
Length: 11' 1"
Width: 28"
Volume: 210
Weight: 25.1
Planing: 8.5
Reaching: 5.0
Upwind: 8.5
Tight turns: 7.0
Wide turns: 9.0
Ding rating: 48+
Price: $1,099
Includes: straps, fins, cb

The Malibu 335 is the smoothest sailing, easiest jibing, most well-rounded longboard on the water. Mind you, the Malibu 335 is a full-featured longboard, complete with foot-adjustable mast track, which means it’s a complex board to master and not ideal for novices. But it initiates jibes easily, carves a consistent, predictable arc and exits with speed.
Intermediate testers with little jibing experience felt it was a spectacularly good board for anyone wanting to learn to jibe. Its balance is just as impressive. Some longboards this big don’t sail well with the centerboard down, as their bows tend to spear chop and drive under water. With the Malibu 335, however, the rider can put the mast track all the way forward, the centerboard all the way down and relax: everything balances perfectly. For the rider who wants one big board that’s unusually stable and capable, the 335 is hard to beat.

American Windsurfer Magazine
http://www.americanwindsurfer.com/

Editorial: (603) 293-2721 Subscriptions: (800) 292-2772
FAX: (603) 293-2723 E-mail: info@americanwindsurfer.com
Web Site comments: web@americanwindsurfer.com