Starboard AtomIQ 110
On land: We chose the Starboard Atom based on volume, as the majority of surfers still do. With a width of 74 centimetres, the board looks significantly larger than other boards in the group, despite only holding 110 litres. The wide tail features a very soft 38 mm Powerbox fin (with an extremely high flex), three strap positions from "intermediate" to "racy" to suit different skill levels. The wide deck has been lowered in the centre, as is sometimes the case with slalom boards, in order to keep the board thin, and there is plenty of V in the underwater hull throughout, which should allow the board to be used gently in choppy waves. The price is certainly also attractive: 1699 euros for a full carbon construction seems fair in any case.
On the water:A luxury saloon doesn't speed off like a Ferrari, but it drives - and that's exactly how the Atom feels: gliding early and with moderate acceleration, you feel slower on deck than you actually are - as our comparison drives have shown. This is "thanks" to the great control, the Atom stoically keeps its nose down even when powered up. Before it rears up like a wild horse, Christmas and New Year fall on the same day. And because you rarely have to take your foot off the accelerator, you can also surf very quickly with the Atom. In the jibe, you need noticeably more power to edge the Starboard; as expected, you can't turn the wide board really tight. On the other hand, it is almost difficult to fall off in medium jibe radii, the "platform" stands calmly and with a lot of grip on the edge and takes the speed through the turn excellently.
Info: www.star-board.com
surf measurement: Weight: 7.91 kgLength: 235.5 cmWidth: 75.0 cmPrice: 1699 Euro
