The display jumps up and down between 6 and 12 knots - we once again fled from "too good" wind in Torbole during the test. To find out which board gets you planing the earliest. This gave us some incomprehensible looks, but after four days of testing, the certainty that planing under ten knots is also possible without a foil - and that there is a perfect board for light winds for almost every requirement and riding ability.
AN LAND
Shapes
The differences in length in this test field alone make you curious. After all, a whopping 37 centimetres separate the Lorch Bird from the Fanatic Falcon LW. The measuring stick on the underwater hull reveals the effects on the planing surface. The planing surface of the Lorch runs dead straight up to around 110 centimetres from the stern. The Thommen shape, which is also very long, has a similar planing surface of 108 centimetres. At the tail of both boards, this long straight is garnished with a minimal tail kick. In contrast, the Fanatic Falcon has a significantly wider tail with a flat section of just 88 centimetres - but almost no tail kick at all. The different "planing angles" - the transition from the flat planing surface to the bow - are particularly interesting. "Flatten the curve" is the motto for Lorch and Thommen with a particularly flat rise. With the other boards, all of which are significantly shorter, the curve inevitably rises visibly steeper here, where the board has to push itself onto the water when planing, which can also be felt on the water.
Equipment
In contrast to slalom raceboards, almost all boards are supplied with fin(s). Thommen opts for a variant with three fins, which is unusual in this board class - JP offers a similar amount of fin surface area in a long 56 mm single fin. While Thommen has a power box in the centre flanked by two slot boxes, all the other fins are in deep tuttle boxes. We found the smallest 46 mm fin in the RRD, which also appears to be better equipped for sails up to around 7.5 square metres, but hardly for our powerful eight-and-a-halfs. Four boards have a particularly reinforced tuttle box and are therefore "foil ready". Exocet, Fanatic, JP-Australia and RRD also allow you to try out this style at least once - and push the wind limit down another two knots if you like it. The orientation of the boards can already be seen from the strap set-ups on land. Fanatic, for example, focuses exclusively on sporty outboard positions, while JP at least gives less experienced surfers a chance with an additional, significantly more inboard option. Lorch offers a sporty freeride option and a very intermediate-friendly option. With the Thommen, the straps are also designed to match the fins as a very moderate freeride variant quite far inwards, with a step in the deck shape for improved stability.
shape ensures improved stability - and very thin edges. With Thommen, not only is a board bag included in the price, but a comfortable handle is also integrated into the board (photo right). What is standard for SUP boards also makes the journey to the water a whole lot cooler for wide windsurf boards.
ON THE WATER
Sliding properties
When planing without pumping, the motto "length runs" still applies. When planing and actively pumping, on the other hand, the shapers rely on "a lot helps a lot" - in relation to the planing surface underfoot. This means that the two longest boards in the test - Thommen and Lorch - overcome the glide threshold almost unnoticed and with very little resistance, even with a lazy riding style. The transition is very harmonious, so there is plenty of time to gradually find your way back into the loops. For this, we also award an intermediate tip - which shouldn't make the boards any less interesting for very good surfers! The short, wide boards all have similar characteristics: the slightly steeper planing angle described above reduces the chop before planing. If you overcome this small "threshold" with only a slight pumping aid, you will suddenly find yourself in the acceleration zone. The wide tail and long fins produce maximum lift even at the lightest planing speed and ensure the fastest possible transition to top speed. JP and Fanatic in particular ignore minor wind fluctuations - and longer wind holes - and thus dominate the overall glide rating.
Speed in light and medium winds
In light planing winds, Fanatic and JP get the maximum out of the conditions, both boards hang very freely and without resistance on the foot immediately after take-off. The Lorch and Exocet in particular are able to catch up as the wind picks up and the Exocet can even overtake them at some point. The RRD board is unable to cope with the pressure of the 8.5 mm glider fins. Only during a test run with the Fanatic fin can the board show its qualities and also convince in terms of performance. An additional, larger fin is recommended for sails over seven square metres. The Thommen board with three fins surfs very comfortably in the entire wind range and with surprisingly good pressure distribution on the feet, but with three fins in the water it can no longer mobilise the last two or three km/h to catch up with the group.
Control
When we are no longer talking about "early planing", when even a 7.0 sail is really blown up, then the Thommen trident really stings. When the wide flounders with the long fins are really powered up and flying high and wild over the choppy water, the Thommen shape keeps the nose down and can be steered and controlled safely. The JP board in particular is recommended with its free planing position - and the largest fin - for inland waters with less wave formation and the Fanatic shape is also sporty and demanding in "choppy" conditions. Lorch, Exocet and RRD offer the most balanced combination of control and speed in conditions with powerful winds. The long Lorch board and the sporty Exocet are slightly ahead in this group of three.
Manoeuvre
You might think "short turns well" - but that certainly doesn't apply to gliding jibes. The two best manoeuvre boards are also the two longest. From 85 cm board width and especially with the wide tails like the JP-Australia and Fanatic, a board for tight turns can no longer be edged and cornered as much as a narrow Lorch - a bit like a motorbike with or without a sidecar. The necessary wide lunge leads to a somewhat spindly stance and, above all, allows for wider glides - through which both boards glide well, however. If you want to ride dashing power jibes or duck jibes even with 160 litres under your feet, the Lorch is a gliding wonder, the Thommen turns the tightest, but the RRD and Exocet also turn corners well.
Type recommendation
The performer
You want to plane early with maximum performance on all courses and a 9.0 sail doesn't scare you? Then the Fanatic Falcon Lightwind and JP-Australia Superlightwind are your choice. Very sporty and the best gliders.
The connoisseur
Gliding early is very important, but you want it to be "easy"? Then the Lorch Bird and Thommen Glide are ready for you. The Thommen with the special characteristics and all the advantages of three short fins, the Lorch with the particularly easy-to-use "automatic glide".
The all-rounder
You want to plane early, but would sacrifice a knot at the planing limit for good, dashing manoeuvrability? The Exocet S-Line offers exactly that, combined with super top speed even in medium planing winds, while the RRD Firemove is a classic freerider with a very balanced overall performance.
Foil suitability of the boards
In addition to the overall width, the tail width and the distance between the two rear straps is a good indicator of whether a board is suitable for foiling or not - especially for high-performance foiling. As far as possible, we tested with a Starboard Foil GT-R Plus. Fanatic and JP were very suitable, with little recognisable difference to a special foil board. The foil also works in Exocet and RRD, but you are less balanced, the rear leg has to stretch far, the front leg remains bent, the geometry is not ideal: the rear loop is very far inwards in relation to the front. This makes Fanatic and JP the ideal choice if you potentially want to push the glide limit noticeably downwards again, an advantage with foil was clearly evident in our tests. Thommen is out of the running with the Powerbox due to its design and Lorch does not recommend the Deep Tuttle Box, but with its long length and narrow tail width, the board would probably also be more of an embarrassment solution.
Measuring
In addition to a powerful fin, upwind performance and planing in particular depend heavily on the width and planing surface in the tail. The suitability for foiling can also be roughly determined by this (see above). In the board data, you will find the width measured at a distance of 30 and 50 centimetres from the tail.
Exocet S-Line 140 PRO
The classic freerace board performs well against the specialists, but can't quite keep up in the pure planing disciplines. The strengths of the board with the
The strengths of the board with the narrow tail lie elsewhere: with active pumping aid, the 140-litre beast moves up to the planing level of the RRD or Thommen, but then goes straight to the point in a completely different way: the fine 52 fin lifts the board with the perfectly fitting 8.5 sail freely over the water, in gusts the board accelerates noticeably faster and more light-footed than the rest of the field. The largest freeracer in the Exocet range suddenly looks small and almost petite next to the inflated early planers. The board is easy to place on the leeward edge and can be pushed to top speed. In wide gybes, it glides stably with little pressure and can also be turned really tight. Jibes are also the preferred manoeuvre variant, as there is significantly less volume in front of the mast track than is usual in the class of other 160-litre gliders. Despite more damping and more comfort than a Fanatic Falcon, it is able to set off well at speed, especially in strong winds, but there is a noticeable lack of surface area underfoot in the lowest planing area, the board seems a whole class smaller, which has a negative effect when planing through and especially when planing upwind.
surf recommendation: For surfers who want to combine at least good planing with maximum speed in medium planing winds and a maximum of 9.0 square metres.
Fanatic Falcon Lightwind 159
With more volume and an extra plus in width, the Falcon "LW" expands Fanatic's slalom range. Explicitly not for World Cup races, but for the dedicated hobby racer. In our test, the board completes the fastest sporty duet with the JP. Despite the six centimetre difference in the fin configuration, the boards don't differ much in comparison, with the Fanatic board being better matched to our test size of the 9.5 power sail as standard. All in all, the board impresses with top planing potential, which enables planing without foam crowns, especially when actively pumping. The split step for the planing jibes is not as wide as on the JP, it seems a little more light-footed, the board glides smoothly through wide planing jibes. The strength is clearly the actively supported planing phase, the brute acceleration and the speed on all courses. Here the board - also due to the smaller fin - is a little more agile and a tad more lively and less resistant than the JP, but it certainly doesn't handle the really large sails of ten or eleven square metres as well as the even larger "Superlightwind".
surf recommendation: Sporty formula replacement for sails up to nine and a half or ten square metres. Very sporty planing machine for experienced surfers who want to push the planing limit with pumping. The standard fin fits the 8.5 to 9.0 metre sail perfectly.
JP-Australia Super Lightwind 165 PRO
Sliding surface = length times width. The Superlightwind optimises this formula quite effectively at the rear. With 92 centimetres in the middle and a very wide tail, the board advertises itself as a serious Formula replacement. The stable platform bobs along at a slightly reduced speed, but is easy to pump and accelerates with plenty of lift from the 56 fin with a comfortable but sporty standing position. Our 8.5 mm sails seemed almost petite on the large board and in combination with the long fin, but the 10.0 mm fits easily here. Surfers with some freerace experience will get the maximum planing performance out of it in half wind and with an active start; upwind, the board goes upwind better than all the other candidates. This is due to the large fin and the brilliant planing potential on all courses. Once you get going, the board is almost unstoppable. Stop-and-go is a problem in the jibe, as the shape is not made for smooth buoy manoeuvres. The wide tail forces a wide lunge, the turning radius requires a respectful distance to the beach and other surfers. In terms of planing potential, the board remains unbeaten, especially with large sails.
surf recommendation: Sporty formula replacement for sails up to around eleven square metres, a good fin for 9.5 metre sails and larger is already included. Planing machine for experienced surfers who want to push the planing limit with pumping.
Lorch Bird 165
Sliding winner without pumps is the Lorch Bird. With a length of 2.67 metres, the board runs particularly fast even before planing and picks up speed unstoppably from this brisk displacement ride. Without changing gear, you are pressed smoothly, comfortably and gently into the loops. In the acceleration phase, the "narrow" shape rolls a little more around the longitudinal axis and also seems comparatively long, but this is largely compensated for by the free planing position at full planing speed. The good fin picks up pressure early on, acceleration is very quick, you stand comfortably in the loops positioned quite far inwards - like on a sporty freerider, but not on the edge like on a freerace board. Free, but well-damped, the board glides very quickly over choppy water, and you keep control of the board just as easily as on the Thommen shape. The smooth power jibe at the end of the stroke is a real treat: It almost always succeeds with top planing potential in the turn - extremely elegant and fluid, and not just for an early planing board.
surf recommendation: Classic, longer board for anyone who doesn't like pumping but still wants to plane as early as possible. With a good mix of freeride and sportiness: For sails with or without camber up to around 9.5 square metres.
RRD Firemove 155 LTD
The maxi freerider stands out visually with its round outline: The RRD combines a generous hip with a slim foot. In combination with the smallest fin in the test, the board struggled with the powerful 8.5 metre sails, the set-up clearly suits sails in the 7.0 or 7.2 square metre range better. We experienced a few spin outs during the test runs and the board didn't stand a chance in comparison when pushing upwind. Nevertheless, it planes well, feels quite lively and is really easy to surf (tested with the optional 50mm Fanatic fin: more lift, a freer planing position and better upwind performance). It goes into the jibe very light-footedly, gives full control at all times and that from all conceivable loop options, even for freeride riders. It offers good comfort on the long stroke across the lake, but even with the alternative 50 mm Fanatic fin, it could not be tuned to the same sporty peak performance as the wide-tail bolides. It never flies just as high over the chop, but rather stays slightly flatter over the water with a controlled low nose - with the resulting small speed disadvantage. The good-natured freeride genes clearly predominate with this board.
surf recommendation: For freeride intermediates or heavy surfers with camberless, maximum 8.0 square metre sails, the Firemove is an early planing freeride board with good manoeuvrability.
Thommen Glide 165 LTD
With three fins in the rear you would probably rarely reach for the Thommen when looking for an "early glider" - what a mistake! Because the board planes very well and surfs like a board with a single fin in terms of pressure distribution, spin-out-free even with an 8.5 mm sail. With a draught of just 34 centimetres, it conquers many areas with shallow water or numerous sandbanks that remain closed to the other candidates. The transition to planing is very harmonious, even without pumping, and control remains particularly good up to top speed. The acceleration is not as powerful as on boards with a large single fin. With a comparatively flat planing position, the board often takes the rougher chop on Lake Garda in its stride - it doesn't really want to "fly" over it - but the short bumps with the bow are absorbed very gently, the planing position is always stable and safe. What's more, it holds more tightly, safely and easily than any other board in the group. The riding experience on the Thommen is quite sporty, especially in smaller waves, but the Trident can't quite keep up in terms of pure performance - apart from passive planing.
surf recommendation: Top for shallow water and for comfortable light wind freeriding with a wide wind range. For freeride sails with or without camber. Hardly suitable for freeracers with GPS speed measurement.
