On land:
The Starboard Hyper Nut is designed to cover several areas of use. At just under 243 centimetres in length, it is quite long from a wingsurfing perspective. This is mainly due to its use as a wave SUP, where a little more length helps when paddling into waves. There are loop plugs on deck for windsurfing foiling, but wing foiling is only possible without loops. In addition to the double rail for mounting the foil, the board also has fin boxes in the underwater hull for use as a wave SUP. At a measured 11.3 kilos, the Starboard Hyper Nut in the Starlite design is heavier than most of the other boards in our test. Crossover test . The carrying handle is large and the deck pad has a good grip.
On the water:
We tested the board with the Starboard Waterman foil, which allows it to be used for wings and windsurf foiling. In the wing setup with a short fuselage and the small rear wing, the board impressed with plenty of volume for the easiest entry into wingsurfing. With its 133 litres, the board is very buoyant, the board lifts off in a very controlled manner by going back slowly and the stability around the longitudinal axis is remarkable. The board remains almost always perfectly controllable even without straps. You can easily learn to wingfoil here, even if you need a little more wind pressure due to the higher weight. If you want to try it without a foil for the first time, you can still practise well with the wing or windsurf sail on the comparatively long board even in light winds, but a centre fin would have been a good upgrade against lateral adrift. For use as a windsurfing board for children, an appropriately positioned box for mounting a centre fin is also missing.
In combination with the large board, the Waterman foil is very directionally stable to fly, but in wind holes the powerful nose is a little more likely to land than with shorter foil boards or lighter competitors. Unfortunately, there is no suitable loop option for wing gybes, which doesn't exactly make the manoeuvre any easier.
The test foil is also very suitable for windsurfing foiling - then with a long fuselage and large tail foot (also included in the Waterman set). In the Starboard Hyper Nut, the already quite tame foil is even more tame; this is not the F-16 jet among the foil boards, but rather the big Antonov. For enjoyable wind foiling in light winds, this is quite relaxing, the front straps fit perfectly, giving you good control over the board. We had no use for any of the other (sometimes originally placed) loop plugs, neither for windsurf foiling nor for wings. The rear centre loop also sits too far back on the tail.
As a SUP in the waves, the board with a generous 31.5 inches in the standing area makes it comparatively easy for heavy wave paddlers in particular to get started. The flat bow easily cuts through smaller white water when paddling out, the board is particularly stable and converts paddle strokes well into speed. With a lot of rounding in the back of the outline and enough rocker, it can be turned surprisingly tight with physical effort and a little more weight, enabling real turns in the waves.
Starboard Hyper Nut 4in1 - the conclusion:
With the Hyper Nut, beginners can "discover" all three disciplines (wing foiling, wave SUP and windsurf foiling) with equal ease. However, the sporting potential is somewhat tempered by the weight, although the Starboard Hyper Nut is also available in the significantly lighter Blue Carbon construction on request. The board could also be ideal as a windsurfing children's board - if it had a centre fin option.
Great wave SUP, introduction to wings & windsurf foiling
Weight
No loops for swinging
