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Best board of all-time?
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pdk



Joined: 26 Mar 2007
Posts: 97

PostPosted: Fri Apr 24, 2009 10:56 am    Post subject: Best board of all-time? Reply with quote

What is the best board of all-time? Or at least, what is your favorite? I personally have had memorable experiences with a Bic Veloce 288, Tiga Free Carve 256, F2 Chili 107 and my current JP Freestyle 90.
I polled about 50 folks from around the industry (shops and distributors) and found names like the Mistral Superlite, Mistral Screamer and Bic Electric Rock get the nod as true all-time greats.
Let's hear what the windsurfing public has to say. I'll post each individual board at http://www.windsport.com/classic_boards/.
Cheers,
Pete DeKay
Windsport editor
http://www.windsport.com
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SeaDawg



Joined: 12 Sep 2002
Posts: 384

PostPosted: Fri Apr 24, 2009 11:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've got two, Pro-Tech ATC 275 and 2003 AHD GT-85. Ah, and then there is 1988 Priester Built 9'6" Light air Salom.
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insh8bl



Joined: 08 Aug 2005
Posts: 181
Location: San Francisco, CA & Coconut Cove, Maui HI

PostPosted: Fri Apr 24, 2009 11:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Oh boy, best boards… yea’ a 7’10” Clam Sandwich (maybe the best ever!), AHD PowerWave 251, RRD Hard Core wave 70, and a 78L custom Quatro twin fin. Very Happy
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pdk



Joined: 26 Mar 2007
Posts: 97

PostPosted: Fri Apr 24, 2009 12:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

...

Last edited by pdk on Sun May 03, 2009 12:34 pm; edited 1 time in total
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swchandler



Joined: 08 Nov 1993
Posts: 10588

PostPosted: Fri Apr 24, 2009 1:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

While I'm a bit "out of school" here, as the intended focus appears to center on production boards, my best all time board was a custom 8'10" Mike's Lab slalom board that Mike Zajicek made for me in 1993. It's my understanding that it was one of the first group of his designs where the wide point and mast track were moved back on the board, the volume was shifted more towards the back, and the nose width was greatly narrowed. This board was lightning quick, but it was always super friendly and so easy to ride. Although I sailed this board for over 6 years, until the bottom softened up under the footstraps, I still have it as part of my personal "windsurfing museum" collection.
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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Fri Apr 24, 2009 4:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

"Best board"? Ya gotta list some criteria first.

My primary criterion is precise control during tight, high-speed maneuvering while overpowered (by most people's standards) in big, rough terrain, and of the hundreds of high-wind boards I've tested in the Gorge and on Maui, my top choice is the 65-liter Gorge Animal Bonzers from about 1992 through about 2004. No other board, including its many multi-finned competitors, enabled me to improve my abilities so much or so quickly as that board.

Mike \m/
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haterrater



Joined: 03 Mar 2009
Posts: 292

PostPosted: Fri Apr 24, 2009 5:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

best board of all time?

Pete, I like the idea of a 'wall of fame'.....

But I must admit I find posts like this quite appalling.
Especially since it encourages sailors to look backwards instead of looking forwards and focusing on the dreams of the future.

I personally believe that the whole "pro-tech" movement - fast, flat rockered boards with sharp rails that beat the living daylights out of you and really took the surfing out of windsurfing and replaced it with this notion of BAFing- really killed windsurfing for a lot of people ---- and I can't bear to hear sailors referring to those demon-beasts with love or affection, especially when they were harder on your knees than football.
(we've all got our soap-boxes....)

It is interesting that most of the favorite boards out there have been customs. Is there a reason why the industry still to this day insists on flooding the market with half-baked shapes that have no soul and are about as fun to ride as a ford taurus? My first love in windsurfing was a custom 8'4 fast waveboard that was right around 90L, circa 2000. Single to double to vee, soft thick 50/50 rails.... story goes it was shaped for a local rider by this great surfboard builder and exchanged hands a couple times before I bought it for $300. I sailed the crap out of it for two years before moving beyond to the modern era.... It was a great board but now that I'm riding boards that are a whole foot shorter I'm never looking back.
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beallmd



Joined: 10 May 1998
Posts: 1154

PostPosted: Fri Apr 24, 2009 5:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Classic boards, as defined by many users, many boards, broad familiarity and braod acceptence and appreciation; Windsurfer, Mistral Superlite, Bic E rock and Astro rock, Mistral screamer, Seatrends and other Mistrals of the 88-95 era such as the ATV, Bic Veloce, Tiga (can't recall name; plastic board). Then things diversified a lot, Naish Wave for little folks, F2 Xantos and Sputnik, then on to modern boards; JP FSW. I am trying to think of really ubiquitous boards that were everywhere at the time and highly loved. I suspect the list would be different in Europe.
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katiedog



Joined: 09 Jul 2000
Posts: 117

PostPosted: Fri Apr 24, 2009 5:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Tipone wave/slalom 8ft6inches
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FredFX



Joined: 20 Aug 2008
Posts: 220
Location: South Bay Area, CA, USA

PostPosted: Fri Apr 24, 2009 6:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

F2 stoke

Thought I don't have all that much experience with boards (I've only ridden Bic Technos 273, 283, 293; F2 stoke; Starboard GO; JP X-Cite; Crazyfly board [nowadays Crazyfly only does kiting stuff]; and a Tabou Rocket)
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