Starboard Carve 131 Carbon

On land: On the Carve in the high-quality carbon version, the carbon weave shimmers visibly through the sparse, grey finish. With a length of 2.52 metres, the Carve has now moved back into the group of longer boards. Rolled out like a Pallatschinken, the Starboard is a generous 75.5 centimetres wide, making it look quite large on land - but also thin. The deck is flat with plenty of space, and the shape only becomes significantly narrower towards the tail. The cut-outs at the tail are a striking feature and an expression of shaper's joy of experimentation. The large, straight fin sits in a tuttle box with two screws. With large openings for the fingers at the top, assembly is nevertheless quick. The straps can be mounted far out for freerace and in a slightly more moderate freeride position. There is no centre position at the rear.

On the water: Once again longer and wider - logically, this does no harm when bobbing and planing. The proverbial pontoon-like stability helps to get planing faster and, above all, easier. However, the board also appears larger overall than many of the other candidates. The ideal sailing range is therefore certainly a square metre or so larger than on a Bic Techno, for example. However, hardly any board of this size is easier to planing. Sensitive weight trim? That's history on the Carve. And even in full planing mode, you can easily maintain control, even at the very good top speed, which the board reaches easily and willingly after the rather lively acceleration phase. The lightweight board also achieves a good cut in less wind, keeps the pressure on the fin for a long time in wind holes, looks sporty, direct and free and is therefore also fun for the committed freeracer. Then into the bend with gusto, pulling tight or gliding through in a wide arc - no problem at all. Especially with a mediocre jibing technique, the board compensates for a lot of sloppiness and continues to glide nicely on the wide gliding surface until you reach the tip. Surprisingly - and then again not - the extremely wide board can be turned very tightly in comparison, probably due to the narrow tail, and appears almost "snappy" within this class. The planing rider will be pleased with how stable the board is in the water, even when turning, where the width and the now slightly extended length pay off noticeably.

Info:APM Marketing GmbH, Tel.: 08171/387080, www.star-board.com

surf measurement: Weight: 7.50 kg Length: 252.0 cm Width: 75.0 cm

Prices: 1959* Euro/1699** Euro/ 1399*** Euro

Downloads:

Freerideboards 135 (pdf)