In our last issue we reviewed boards and sails for windsurfers who are not only seriously addicted to the sport, but who can get out regularly in lots of wind. We described these people as those who sail at least 15 days a year in winds over 15 mph. This  issue’s test report is a little different: It’s focused predominantly on readers who are either just starting out in shortboard sailing, or who have shortboard experience but who like to windsurf when the wind is in the 5- to 15-mph range. While this broad group includes most of the best windsurfers in the world – just about every Olympic contender and World Cup pro enjoys racing around in light to moderate winds – it includes experts, intermediates and novices as well. In fact, within this broad category we’ve identified six subgroups, each with its own needs, preferences and keyword.
Keyword: Novice - You may or may not be new to windsurfing, but you’re definitely new to shortboard sailing. That means you need something stable and durable. Fortunately, shortboards are now wider and more stable than ever. The prime example of this is, of course, the Star Board Go. Unfortunately, the new wide Fanatic Bee 289 was available only in a light carbon Limited Edition construction when we did our test, and the new wide-body Bic Techno wasn’t available in any form. Judging from the performance of the Fanatic Bee 289 LE, the thermoformed version will be an excellent choice for light- to medium-weight novices. A little narrower than the Bee, but a proven design in thermoformed construction, we tested the F2 Xantos 310 II. Again, the manufacturer gave us the carbon version of the Xantos to test, but the thermo version is definitely a good option for light- and medium-weights.
Normally we wouldn’t put sandwich boards in this list, and we’d leave out boards aimed at expert riders, however the big Mistral SLE 311 and Seatrend Allstar 80 AVS are not only surprisingly tough against dings but they’re also two of the most stable boards in the test. At 182 liters, 27 inches in width and 166 liters, 31 inches in width, respectively, they were second only to our photographer’s scaffolding as stable platforms on the water.
The ideal sail for the novice shortboarder is light, superbly easy to handle, quick to power up and low in cost. The one sail that combines these qualities best is the Neil Pryde SuperNova. The other camless sail that comes close is the North Sails Sting.
Keyword: Control - You’re able to sail in the straps and hook in, but you may or may not have your jibes wired. You want to relax on the water, not hang on for dear life, so you really prefer it if your board has a smooth, highly controllable ride. Since you see windsurfing as more of a waltz than a tango, you should consider boards like the Drops Freeride 299,  F2 Xantos 310 II, F2 Xantos 295 II, Fanatic 289 (the thermoformed version), Mistral Explosion 295, Mistral Flow 284 and Star Board Free 299.
Your sail should be light, stable and superbly easy to handle. The light, stable, no-cams and the more handling-oriented cambered sails that fit this description: Aerotech Ultimate Slalom III, Naish Alana, Neil Pryde V6 FreeRide & SuperSonic, North Sails Pyro, North Sails Sting, and Sailworks Retro.
Keyword: Speed - You don’t race in organized events, at least not often, but you like to go fast and drag race. Most race boards and race-oriented sails aren’t really what you’re looking for because their strength is speed on all points of sail and wind strengths, while you mainly want to go fast on a reach.
Of course, the fastest board on a reach in this test was the dedicated slalom board, the North Shore Maui Slalom 275. Other fast boards are the AHD Free Speed, Mistral Custom 284, the Flow 284 and the Seatrend Allstar 58 AVS.
Sails don’t differ all that much in reaching speed – pretty much anything can go fast for a stretch - but some of the camless models are incredible when set flat on an overpowered reach. The standouts here are the Naish Noa, Neil Pryde SuperSonic, Sailworks Retro, and the Windwing Synthesis when set up in the camless mode.
Keyword: Race - You may not realize that racing is the most social form of windsurfing, but you know that you like it. You enjoy learning the moves of this dance and you take pleasure in performing just a little better every time that you do it. You don’t need a dedicated race board - plenty of people race on freeride boards - but you need something with good range, high top speed and decent handling.
The bigger you are, the wider your board should be. Conversely, more skilled sailors will generally prefer smaller, livelier boards. For heavyweights with plenty of experience, we can recommend the livelier among the widest boards, the North Shore Maui 280 Racing and Star Board Sonic W-75. For a tamer ride, the two big Seatrend Allstars, the 70 and 80, are competitive despite being freeride boards. For a smooth, controllable ride the AHD Diamond Race 72 and 67 are hard to beat.
For lighter sailors or stronger winds we like the narrower, more conventional race boards. Of these, the F2 Thommen 295 II is not only blazing fast but also ridiculously easy to sail. The Drops Aguera 9’6” is slightly smaller, lighter and livelier.
If you’re one of the few sailors more interested in downwind slalom, the North Shore Maui Slalom 275 is the only real choice we had to test this year.
Race sails aren’t just fast on a reach; they’re fast every which way. While the racier sails in this test aren’t World Cup-level race sails, they do the job just fine for most of us. The ones we like most for recreational racing are, the Gaastra Free Slalom, Hot Sonic, Naish Stealth, Neil Pryde V8 Street Racer, North Sails Zoom and Windwing Synthesis (rigged in three-cam mode).
Keyword: Explore - You can sail out, jibe, sail back, jibe, sail out, jibe, and so forth with the best of them, but back-and-forth sailing isn’t your thing. You’d rather get away and see more of your world, the part just over there, on the other side of the bay, or just south of that island. You’re a good, resourceful sailor - you have to be to enjoy windsurfing in this way. You have confidence in your equipment and your ability to make it work on all points of sail and in a variety of conditions.
Many boards will work for exploring, but the best have a great combination of size, range and controllability. They’re the boards that float you easily, plane off quickly in marginal winds and are easy to sail as the wind and chop increase. When considering all these variables the F2 Thommen 295 II comes immediately to mind for its great combination of volume, speed and handling ease. Others, that will suit the most performance-oriented riders, include the AHD Free Speed, Drops Aguera 9’6” 0.2, the AHD Diamond Race 67 and, for adventurous sailors, both of the big Seatrend Allstars.
The sails for explorers are the rangiest ones and, frankly, these are sails with cams. They need not have THE best speed, but good speed combined with good handling is a big plus. Any sail will do, really, but the best are the easy-handling race sails and the racier of the non-race sails. These are the Aerotech Ultimate Slalom III, Naish Alana, Neil Pryde V8 Street Racer and V6 FreeRide, North Sails Pyro and Windwing Synthesis (rigged with cams).
Keyword: Balance - You’re an experienced windsurfer, but you’re neither a control freak nor a speed freak. You don’t race much, if at all, but you like good performance, being able to go upwind well and venturing away from your launch site. You want equipment with great balance - moderation in everything except, of course, moderation.
The boards that fit this description best are the AHD Free Race 299, F2 Thommen 295 II, F2 Xantos 295 II, Fanatic Bee 289, Mistral Explosion 295 and Mistral Flow 284.
The sails that strike us as the most balanced with a combination of speed, range, handling, weight, durability, price and easy rigging are the Aerotech Ultimate Slalom III, Naish Alana, Neil Pryde V6 FreeRide & SuperSonic, North Sails Pyro and Sting, and the Sailworks Retro.
Contact American Windsurfer to find out about joining us at upcoming tests. |
