Comparison of construction methods
You can always rely on Whitsun for interested surf historians. Everything that floats halfway is surfed mercilessly. And so this time it was once again ready to go in the company car park: an Audi A6 that must have weighed 50,000 euros, additionally lowered by the at least 25-year-old PE plank on the roof rack. From a surfer's point of view, that's probably saving in the wrong place. But you can rarely help such thrifty people and after all, it's better to surf on a 25-year-old board than not at all! But even those who have decided in favour of at least a reasonably modern board are still faced with the choice between three different designs with different weights and a price difference of 200 to 300 euros each. Is the extra expense worth it? Where is the money well spent and when does pure luxury begin?
Conclusion: If you can afford it, you should go for the "Pro", you really do get more for the extra price. However, the FWS version is also really fun, and the 200 euro surcharge over the "ES" is well worth it. Price differences smaller in real terms
If you take a closer look at the price structures at JP-Australia and Tabou and include our test results, you can at least get a price-performance bargain. This is because the subjective and objective leap in performance is greater when switching from the heaviest to the medium model than when subsequently upgrading to the top model. In figures, using JP as an example, this means that for an extra 200 euros from the Epoxy Sandwich (ES) to the Full Wood Sandwich (FWS), you get more overall (more riding fun and more performance) than for the subsequent 300 euro upgrade from the "FWS" to the "Pro Edition".
At Tabou, the price differences are the same, but the difference in performance on the water between the standard and budget versions of the Rocket GT is even greater. The whole thing is based on the "recommended retail prices" - with the usual discounts in the surf shop, the prices of the boards should tend to be closer together in reality, as experienced shop sellers also confirmed to us. This makes at least the first tuning stage all the more worthwhile.
From test winner to the bottom third
We tested the different designs with identical rigs directly against each other and, despite the same shape, found differences in performance that in a freeride test group would have put the test winner in the bottom third of the group. On top of that, you shouldn't expect the cheaper board to feel the same underfoot as the lighter board described in the test.
The complete construction method comparison with these boards can be found below as a PDF download:
Fanatic Shark 145, JP-Australia X-Cite Ride 120, Starboard Futura 122, Tabou Rocket 12
CORRECTION: Unfortunately, a mistake crept into the comparison of construction methods in issue 7/2009. The notes for the HRS and LTD versions of the Fanatic Shark 145 were unfortunately mixed up. Here is the correct version:
