Windsurfing Equipment Tests - American Windsurfer

Boards: Mistral @ Maui

Control Bump Speed Style King Surf

Mistral Flow 276

There's no board in the 100-liter range that works better for the average high-wind windsurfer than the Flow 276. It's fast and quick to turn, but still smooth and controllable in chop. We think Mark Schapper got it right when he said the 276 is, "smooth, good jiber, quite fast, but feels a little detuned." Detuned in the sense that it's more easily controlled than something like a race board or one of the livelier freeride boards like the Naish 8'11". How's it compare with the F2 Ride 277? The two boards are very, very close, but the Flow is just a touch less wave-oriented.

Power Rating 60
Length 9’0”
Width 22.6”
Volume 100 Liters
Weight 18.3 lbs.
Planing 7.5
Reaching 9.0
Upwind 8.0
Tight turns 7.5
Wide turns 10.0
Ding rating 48
Price $1,399
Includes: Straps, Pads, Fin

Recommended sail:
Wave & Freeride 5.0 to 7.5

Control Bump Speed Style King Surf

Mistral Flow 266 &
Custom 266

The Flow 266 and Custom 266, replacements for the popular Screamer and Custom 268, have all the quickness, speed and controllability of their predecessors, plus they’re just a touch curvier in the outline and thus looser. They both rip in flat water, chop and sideshore surf. So are the two boards identical? Close, but the Custom is a little quicker to plane, livelier and faster. The Flow is more controllable at speed and slightly looser in the turns.

Power Rating 58
Length 8’8”
Width 22.1”
Volume 91 Liters
Weight 16.3 lbs.
Planing 7.0
Reaching 9.0
Upwind 7.5
Tight turns 8.5
Wide turns 9.5
Ding rating 48
Price $1,399/1,499
Includes: Straps, Pads, Fin

Recommended sail:
Wave & Freeride 5.5 to 7.5

Note: one of the few not pictured

Control Bump Speed Style King Surf

Mistral Flow 260

David Watson’s comment on the Flow 260: “Very easy to sail. Enough flotation for big sailors in 4.0 to 5.0 conditions. RIPS through chop and reef break. Seems exactly like my Screamer 260.” Pro testers would agree with Dave on these comments - the Flow 260 is indeed identical to last year’s Screamer 260 - but adds two points: (1) with the right footstrap setup, the Flow 260 can also ride small sideshore waves with the best of them and (2) the Flow 260 is on the lively side, so it’s best for advanced to expert riders.

Power Rating 55
Length 8’5”
Width 21.7”
Volume 79 Liters
Weight 16.1 lbs.
Planing 6.5
Reaching 9.5
Upwind 6.0
Tight turns 8.5
Wide turns 9.5
Ding rating 48
Price $1,399
Includes: Straps, Pads, Fin

Recommended sail:
Wave & freeride 5.0 to 6.5

Control Bump Speed Style King Surf

Mistral Wave 256

Replacing last year’s Wave 253, which was quite a small board - too small, some thought, to have wide appeals - is the Wave 256, a significantly larger board and one that earned high praise from everyone who tried it. Since Robby Naish contributed to this design, the obvious question is how does the 256 compare with Naish boards in the same size range. The answer is that the 256 is similar, but a little easier to ride, particularly in onshore surf, and not quite as lively when overpowered.

Power Rating 52
Length 8’3”
Width 22.0”
Volume 85 Liters
Weight 13.9 lbs.
Planing 5.0
Reaching 7.5
Upwind 5.0
Tight turns 10.0
Wide turns 7.5
Ding rating 8
Price $1,399
Includes: Straps, Pads, Fin

Recommended sail: Wave 4.0 to 5.5

Control Bump Speed Style King Surf

Mistral Wave 265

The Wave 265, the second most popular board in the test, has two great strengths: size and quickness to plane. It's big enough to float 180-pound riders in a dead calm, and it's comfortable in a breeze for guys weighing over 200 pounds. It's quick to plane owing to its wide, powerful shape, and once on a plane it moves along at a comfortable pace. Al Chinappi’s comment: “I absolutely loved this board - easy to jibe, fun to jump, good to learn waveriding on... It's not really that fast, but it works well in all respects.” Quite a few other testers shared Al’s opinion.

Power Rating 56
Length 8’6”
Width 22.3”
Volume 100 Liters
Weight 15.0 lbs.
Planing 7.5
Reaching 7.0
Upwind 6.5
Tight turns 7.5
Wide turns 7.0
Ding rating 8
Price $1,399
Includes: Straps, Pads, Fin

Recommended sail: Wave 5.0 to 6.5

Control Bump Speed Style King Surf

Mistral Score V85

The Score V85 is designed to do the same thing as its popular sibling, the Score V104, but just for lighter sailors or stronger winds. Somehow, though, it didn't excite testers the way the 104 did - we just didn’t get many comments on it. This is probably because there are so many incredibly good conventional boards in the V85’s size and power range, and because most of those boards are easier to sail and more forgiving. Still, for the light weight looking for versatile marginal wind performance, the V85 is worth checking out.

Power Rating 57
Length 8’4”
Width 22.5”
Volume 93 Liters
Weight 15.6 lbs.
Planing 7.0
Reaching 8.5
Upwind 7.5
Tight turns 7.5
Wide turns 8.0
Ding rating 24
Price $1,499
Includes: Straps, Pads, Fin

Recommended sail:
Wave & freeride 5.0 to 7.0

Control Bump Speed Style King Surf

Mistral Score V104

Some testers weren’t sure what to make of the short, wide Score V104, but a number of the expert and pro-level testers thought it brilliant. It’s arguably THE most versatile board on the water. Set the straps in their outboard positions, install a 40cm blade fin and you can go upwind like a racer. Drop to a 30–cm fin and you have one of the quickest, liveliest freeride slalom boards on the water. Get into some chop or onshore surf and you have a jumping machine. Move the surf side straps to their inboard positions and take it out in waist- to half-mast-high waves. It’s a wave board. Frankly, in marginal to moderate winds - any sail bigger than 5.5 - this board can do it all and do it well.

Power Rating 61
Length 8’7”
Width 23.4”
Volume 102 Liters
Weight 14.9 lbs.
Planing 8.0
Reaching 8.5
Upwind 8.5
Tight turns 8.5
Wide turns 9.0
Ding rating 8
Price $1,499
Includes: Straps, Pads, Fin

Recommended sail:
Wave & freeride 5.5 to 7.0

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