boot boss Petros Michelidakis opened boot 2023 at 10:00 a.m. sharp. After a two-year break, many spectators and exhibitors were clearly looking forward to nine days full of water sports. Windsurfing, SUP, wingfoiling and kitesurfing can all be found in Hall 17 this year. Located in the centre of the exhibition grounds, with the XXL pool including winch and wind machines and many stars on stage, Beach World is a major attraction and was well attended right from the start.
In addition to some shops with lots of bargains at the fair, some of the big brands were also represented. Here we show you the most important highlights; we will present the new products in detail over the course of the week.
We One
Who? A completely new board brand from Austria presented its shapes for the first time at boot. Behind it are Gerhard Scharl, shaper of Freak-Boards, worldcupper Ben van der Steen and former F2 developer Paul Simmerl. The launch includes a complete range with two wave boards, freemove and freestyle shapes, freeriders and foil boards.
Starboard
In addition to a large star line-up, Starboard also has some new products. The new Ultra was already included in the waveboard test, and the Futura and Carve are also completely new. The long-running favourites Ignite and Kode will also be on show. The iQFoil Olympic material, which will be used in Marseille in 2024, will also be on display at the Starboard stand.
Severne
Severne has brought the completely newly developed Blade and S1 wave sails to boot. The most important feature is the omission of many reinforcements in the lower area, which should make the sail even lighter. The necessary stability is to be achieved by overlapping sail panels in the particularly stressed areas. Balz Müller has also developed a foil freestyle sail with a long luff, short boom and one batten less than the regular Freek.
GunSails
At their stand, the GunSails team will be showing the range of familiar models that have been optimised for the new season. The Flylite, a camberless sail for foil freeriding, is completely new. Following on from the Seal wave sail, the Torro freemove cloth and the Zoom are now also available this year in a "re" version, in which up to 70% of the material comes from recycled PET bottles. In terms of price, the two eco-sails should be largely at the same level as their "normal" brothers.
Point-7/AV-Boards
The Italians from Point-7 have also developed a new foil freeride sail. The F1-E has a camber on the bottom batten, even in small sizes. According to Point-7 boss Andrea Cucchi, this should provide power in the most important area. The F1-E can be ridden with a foil up to 14 knots and with a fin beyond that. Other innovations include a mast specialised for foiling and a particularly durable base. At the same stand, shaper Aurelio Verdi will be showing his AV boards, which will start the new season unchanged.
GA Sails/Tabou
The sail with the biggest development leap at GA is the freestyle model Pure, which was optimised together with Youp Schmit. The focus was primarily on lighter materials. Some sizes of the Allrounder Hybrid have been further developed. Tabou has given the freestyler Twister in the 103 litre size the same optimisations that the 93 was given last year. The 116-litre 3s has been given the innovations that the 96 and 106 sizes received last year
F2
F2 wants to make a second new start. In collaboration with Pedro Vidal, the shaper from Sailboards Tarifa, a completely new range has been developed. The names remain the same with Barracuda, Rodeo, Bullitt, Sunset and co., but behind them are completely new shapes that are to come from a new factory with new technology. The exhibits are still at the prototype stage, and the equipment and design are set to change.
Nautix
French manufacturer Nautix wants to increase its presence in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and is showcasing its range of sails at boot. The focus is explicitly on the average surfer and fun on the water, rather than high-end performance. The French company is also focussing on accessories such as forks, mast feet etc., all of which are manufactured in its own factory in Brittany.
Stage and pool
Stars such as Björn and Liam Dunkerbeck, Lennart Neubauer, Balz Müller and many others met on stage for a chat. On the pool with the wind machines, foiling took centre stage, both as pump foiling and with wings. As always, Balz Müller put on a great show on the water and promoted the sport!
