Test 2016: Freeride boards 130-146 litres
"Wow - that's huge". In the shop, hanging under the ceiling, the 80 centimetre wide freeride boards can seem overwhelming. Big and bulky on the water too? Not a trace. For four days, we pushed these boards across Lake Garda in both light and really strong winds - fuelled by 7.5 mm sails - and hardly missed any sporty feeling. Even in the selected wood construction in the mid-price segment, you get high-quality fun and sports equipment here. After many kilometres of testing, the true characters have become apparent.
- JP-Australia Magic Ride, Fanatic Gecko, Naish Titan, Tabou Rocket, Hejfly DropInn and NoveNove Style Move are comfortable freeride boards with really good jibing ability, even for advanced windsurfers.
- Those who value top speed could take a closer look at the Starboard AtomIQ and Tabou Rocket Wide, as well as the NoveNove.
- For very light surfers, we would recommend the Hejfly and the Naish board.
- Heavy surfers glide smoothly on the Tabou Rocket and have enough volume around the mast foot to pick up the sail.
- The boards from Fanatic, JP-Australia, Naish, Starboard and RRD are particularly suitable for intermediates who want to learn loop surfing and power jibing. The Hejfly is also available for lightweights.
The entire test report with the test results of these boards is available as a PDF in the download area below:
AN LAND
Loop options: Practising jibes, carving jibes, cruising, heating up - as versatile as the range of use of this large board group is, the strap plugs are just as plentiful. All boards have the right plugs for freeriders of all skill levels. Many offer a far inboard position or even a centre strap for the first gliding sections with your feet in the straps.
Equipment: Starboard clearly has the most comfortable straps in its range and also the highest quality fin in this group. Although it is "only" 44 centimetres long, it appears significantly larger - because it is very stiff and wide - and can therefore compete well with the 46 and 48 mm fins that are predominantly represented. The three Hejfly fins are also top of the range, perhaps a little sensitive to stone contact, but with perfect grip and low drag they are first class. With a draught of just 26 centimetres, you can surf where others are still pushing.
ON THE WATER
Planing and handling characteristics: None of the boards seem really powerful and even 7.5 mm sails harmonise very well with the large boards, which could easily handle an 8.5 mm. Even though our test runs were repeatedly shaken by the official choppy waves of a 350-strong field of sailors, the wide boards remained surprisingly easy to control. The wide centre acts like a wide-track chassis, while the short board length ensures a stable board nose that glides over the water.
Speed: And the differences in the speed rating are not great either, our comparison rides were often around 42 km/h in medium winds, we reached the top speed in a strong wind phase with the Rocket Wide and Starboard AtomIQ at 47 to 48 km/h - with 7.5 freeride sails. This is not at the level of race slalom boards, but offers more than enough potential. If you want to get even more out of it, you can certainly add another two or three km/h with a good tuning fin and avoid possible spin-outs. However, our powerful test sails are also blessed with plenty of vapour and deliver a lot of power to the back hand and back foot, which of course places particular demands on the fins.
Jibes: Boards like the Naish, JP Magic Ride, NoveNove, Tabou Rocket and Fanatic are the surprise when it comes to jibing qualities.
Fin tuning à la Hejfly: The Hejfly really deserves its own chapter, because the outsider concept with three fins also offers real advantages (flat water, control, riding comfort), but it is just as little a "high-flyer" as the very short wide boards, because you have to accept slight losses in planing and gliding.
