| Q: |
What do you like about the board? |
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| A: |
It is a true all round wave board. I’ve
been sailing this model and the larger 8.2
(78 Litres) over the winter in everything
from mast high Hookipa to cross onshore in
South Africa. It plans early and goes upwind
well and with its shorter length it remains
super manoverable. |
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| Q: |
How does it differ from last year’s
model? |
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| A: |
The whole range is a little bit smaller
and shorter in length. This feels nicer in
the air as the board feels more compact underneath
your feet. When I first tried the new range,
I over rotated the first few forwards as
the board spins a lot quicker in the air. |
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| Q: |
What sail sizes have you been using
with it? |
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| A: |
For me, 5.0m is about the biggest I would
get away with, but lightweights could squeeze
a 5.3 on it. It works very
well with small sails. |
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| Q: |
What fin do you use with it and
where do you position it? |
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| A: |
The board comes with a CNC 8.0 Northshore
fin. This really compliments the board well.
I have also been trying a slightly bigger
8.25 fin in it when it is more onshore, or
super choppy wave riding. In terms of fin
position, the screw of your back strap should
be positioned over the middle of the fin
or very slightly forward. |
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| Q: |
Where do you put the mast track
for different sail sizes? |
| A: |
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I have been sailing with the mast foot
a long way forward on these boards. Being
short they are super manoeuvrable, so moving
the track forward helps hold the rail in
when bottom turning and gives more speed
in all carving manoeuvres so better gybing
and better wave riding. The exact position
is between 134 and 136 which is in the front
third of the track. However it is worth playing
with the position. Sometimes small changes
can have a really big effect on your sailing,
and the mast foot is the easiest thing to
change whilst sailing. |
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| Q: |
Where do you put the foot straps
and why? |
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| A: |
I put the front straps right in the front
position and the back straps in the back
holes. The reason for this widestance
is to get the front foot as far forward as
possible to hold the rail in the water when
carving and maintain as much speed as possible,
whilst keeping the back foot over the fin
for controlling the board better. Again it
is worth playing around with this, but in
general I think people sail with their feet
too close together.
Also this year we have introduced 2 sets of strap positions in the front to make
it better when riding with no boots. There are a set for wide bootied feet and
a set for narrow feet. |
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| Q: |
What other boards are in your quiver? |
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| A: |
I have an 8.2 Guerilla wave. For me, being
80kg, this board gets more use. It is the
perfect board for 5.4 and 5.0 (which is the
majority of my wave sailing)
I
also have the 240 Guerilla Style. This is
a new design based on the very successful
Style range. They are now shorter and wider
with a more ‘fishy’ feel. The
bias is more towards the waves, but they
have added a small bevel in the tail to aid
jumping and freestyle. The new tail really
smoothes out tail first landings which makes
jumping more comfortable. Also for those
people that are trying some of the new advanced
freestyle moves, like vulcans and wily skippers,
the tail also makes the board more forgiving.
It is the perfect board for the days when
the conditions are average. Maybe there are
a few ramps for jumping, some flat spots
for tricks and the odd wave for turning....this
board does it all.
Lastly I have my big freestyle board,
the 244 Comp Style. This board is incredible
for all the extreme moves in freestyle. Everything
is super easy. Whether it’s
a switch stance Chacho diablo or a duck gybe, this board gives a stable platform
and keeps planning through all manoeuvres. For competitions and super light winds
I also have the 246 Comp Style. This is super big at 110L but is almost impossible
to fall off it!!! |
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