| Q: |
So, how was the record breaking board? |
| A: |
Patrik Diethelm put a lot of work into the Missile and that effort has proved well-founded. In the extreme conditions that the record breaking weekend presented, the Missile never missed a beat. But it is using the larger sails where this board scores most. This is not just a small sail ripper, the Missile is more than capable of carrying sails up to 7.6m and still compete with custom boards. |
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| Q: |
It looks quite specialised being so small, is there any freeride appeal? |
| A: |
On flat water it is brilliant fun. It gybes so easily, which you wouldn’t expect for a board that has 66 litres of volume. I mean I don’t even use a wave board that is that small, so I was quite sceptical and it looked so small at 228cm long. Once you pop on the plane it is smooth and flies through the lulls. As an all round blasting board you could have some really good fun on it! |
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| Q: |
What is it's sail range? |
| A: |
7.6m to however small you can hold on to! |
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| Q: |
Have you used it at Clacton back home in Essex? |
| A: |
No. Since I got back from the speed event at Sotavento, I had the biking accident and haven't been windsurfing till now! (Quite an amazing feat. Imagine not going windsurfing for 4 months, then the first time back, stepping on in 50 knot plus winds and breaking the world record!) |
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| Q: |
Explain to us what the thundertail shape is for? |
| A: |
It is to relieve the pressure off the fin and reduce the wetted area at the back of the board. Consequently the release is so much better than on standard boards. You saw it on a Formula board to start off with, which had to be very specific with water release, and that has translated really well to short boards. |
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| Q: |
How does it compare to the old Sputniks? |
| A: |
Much more user friendly. The average guy will end up going faster on the Missiles than the old Sputniks and Thommens of the past. He will also find that the ride is much smoother as the board rides naturally flatter. |
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| Q: |
Will it fit into someones existing quiver of boards? |
| A: |
Yes, it is definitely not too specialised. Everyone who has tried it has told me how remarkably easy it is to sail. The volume shouldn’t put people off it, they don’t get much heavier than me!!! |
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| Q: |
What fin did you break the record with ? |
| A: |
The same blade fin I used on the original Sputniks when I broke the world record all those years ago: a 27cm F-HOT. |
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Faster than a speeding missile.
(Photo by Jean Souville, courtesy of Masters of Speed)
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