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Are the boards testing the Magazines or the Magazines testing the boards.?
Dear All,
I have been in this business since the Dinasaures, and board tests
have always amused me. (Since Windsurfing Mag’s were invented)Who are they,- the testers. I remember back in “The dark 80’s”
when Peter Brockhaus really got F2 going, and had a clear best
seller with his F2 Bullet. It was just ahead of everything, and performed incredibly well compared to everything else at that time.
It was a true free ride board of the 80’s. Here is what the German
Surf Mag had to say about it; “The Bullet is more difficult to jibe than
shooting around a corner with a shot gun.” It became obvious to all the happy Bullet owners that the test crew did not have a clue what they were talking about. Unfortunately the test had such an impact that the Bullet sales dropped dramatically. Was it political or just ignorance- lack of knowledge or even worse- power play.? (Why should you succeed when nobody else does) As an example I would
like to give you two versions of our resent tests of the Carve
80:
Boards UK: It was not the easiest to get going, and seemed unwilling to bear away or head up easily without spinning out. It gives a slightly slappy ride and only really seems comfortable when broad of 90
degrees to the wind. Most ironically given the name, was it’s resistance to Carve immediately in response to foot preasure.Windsurfing Mag. USA: The 80 is all about control. The single/double
-to-vee bottom make it smooth through chop. The deck is wide,
creating stability for heavy footwork and early planing. The chambered
rails really work.! They allow a smooth water flow across the bottom at
high speeds and especially in the turns.As we see it, the two tests are contraversal at max. It is embarassing
for the industry to my personal opinion. We are not judging who is
right, but maybe you 80 owners could enlighten us. In 1997 our Sonic
275 got a rather sluggish test in the UK Boards, but won the Production
Worlds Slalom title shortly after. Intriguing would be one way to put
it, but lack of professionalism comes to my mind..Tor
Starboard Staff
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