Boardseeker waveboard tests?

Hej!
When will the waveboard tests be published? Am in the process of ordering a board and it would be great if you could share your experiences prior to purchase. In particular I am interested in the Quatro Tempo's; you have previously written in your news section that you love the boards but it would be good for more subjective feedback.
Thanks!
/Jonas

Hi Jonas, I am currently writing up the 75 litre wave board test, so it should be ready to go live in around 10 -14 days.

Boards included are:

Quatro Tempo
Quatro Rhythm
Fanatic New Wave Twin
Fanatic New Wave single
JP Twin
JP Wave Single
Tabou Pocket
Goya Twin
Starboard Quad
RRD Wavecult Single

Hey that's a good point!
We're all waiting for them i think!

And now i've got a question : When will you publish the tests about the quad fin boards 85L. (or bigger) ??
I'm really interested in it 'cause i'm the owner of the jp quad 92 pro & i'd like to know what you think about this board & what you think compared to the others...
So if the test won't be published soon, please let me know some infos about my questions...

thanks from France!

Any hints on your findings? Looking for a 4.0-5.3 waveboard for 1-3m x-on mushy, slow waves. I have been sailing Evo for several years and am uppgrading to something new; independent of brand and type.

Hi Fock, the 75 test will be released pretty soon with the boards mentioned above included.

Our 85 test has the following boards:

JP Quad 82
Quatro Tempo 84
Quatro Quad 85
Fanatic New Wave Twin 86
RRD Thruster
Tabou DaCurve
Starboard Quad 81
Goya Custom Twin 81

We are still trying to finish this test off - there has been too much wind recently!! So would expect Jan to be a realistic release time.

Hi Surfmeister, Its almost impossible in a few lines to give you a recommendation, as there is so much to say about each of the boards and most of them will fit the purpose you mention. Its more a question of preference of style and performance.

If you are already considering the Tempo, I think this could be a great choice - we are extremely impressed with them this year. Best 'get up and go' of all the twin fins, but with the turning advantages associated with 2 fins.

Sorry I can't say much more as it would be unfair to all of the brands if I was to recommend something too strongly. The bottom line is that all the boards will do the job you are asking for (with exception perhaps for one of them), and the test will explain the characteristics of each design in detail allowing you to match your personal preference with the most suitable board.

I am writing hard at the moment, so will hopefully have the full test for you very soon!

Adrian

Without degrading any other brand, how would you compare Tempo Twin against the EVO75 you tested last year? I am mainly thinking about use for onshore frontside conditions, same conditions as Surfmeister described. The EVO is fantastic in this area and I am very frustrated that SB ended its lifespan this year!

Could you give just som short comments on differences?

My surf shop has given me a dead-line (mid-december) to order if I want a discount....

Thanks in advance!

Ok, the first thing I will say is that Starboard haven't entirely got rid of the Evo...

The 76 Starboard Quad we tested this year was a 'convertible' allowing the option of a single fin set-up. We assumed that this was going to a pretty compromised set-up, especially considering the extra weight and four redundant fin boxes (which come supplied with blanking plates), not to mention that the board is designed for a Quad set up primarily...

However we were actually quite wrong! The board works great in single fin mode - very similar to last years Evo 75 and perhaps in some areas even slightly better?!

To be honest, in most conditions, we actually preferred the 76 in Single fin mode, which gave the board better release, a livelier ride and more predictable bottom turn.

So comparing the Quatro Tempo, I would say that that the Quatro doesnt have quite the same 'get up and go' as the best single fin boards, but is pretty close and definitely the best twin we have sailed with regard to this.

It has a very comfortable and quite directional ride in a straight line, making it great for burning around in cross on conditions and getting jumps. It also has more control than a single fin when well powered up as the board stays flat on the water rather than lifting off the fin.

In the bottom turn, twin fins take a bit of adapting to if you are used to a single fin, so you might initially prefer your old evo, but once you adapt your technique, you will find the Tempo very reliable in the bottom turn and probably a bit tighter turning. Its not quite as loose as the Rhythm, but plenty good enough for most needs in cross on conditions.

The big difference you will notice between your Evo (or any other single fin board) and the Tempo (or other twins) is the top turn. The top turn comes around a lot snappier and with less effort than on a single fin board. This is great in cross on as it allows you to get all the way around in your top turn to the point that the sail powers up again and helps link you into your next turn.

Finally, something the evo was actually pretty good at, but Twin Fins take to the next level is control in a slide. When you get a slide in your top turn, the twin fin boards (like the Tempo) seem to give you so much more control allowing you to bring it back in line or let it slide a little longer...

I hope that helps. Let me know if there is anything more you need to know for now..

Good luck with the choice!

Adrian

Thanks alot Adrian for you response!

Is your comments of the Tempo referring to the Tempo 76 or Tempo 84? A few (!) final questions:
Bottum turn:,
Would you consider the Tempo 76 as "loose" in the sense that you can quickly in mid-turn adjust your bottum turn radius which you often need in x-on in order to get that nice lip? Since you state that it can turn more tightly than the Evo I would assume that it can maintain its speed even in slow waves? How is the drive?

Top turn:
Is the board "loose" (i.e without to much effort being able to turn tightly) there as well and if so does it keep its "looseness" when really powered up or coming to the lip with lots of speed? Is the top-turn more biassed towards "slidey" or "carvy" or can you easily control this with your technique? How would you compare it to the RRD Twin 82 in terms of looseness?

Straight forward: The twins I have sailed have felt so controlled that it almost has been a "boring" ride. How lively is the T76?

One final question: what is the sail range, does it handle a 5.3 comfortably and can it be fully loaded with a 4.0?

Again, thanks a lot for your response!
Jonas



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 12/09/2009 05:46PM by Surfmeister.

Hello Adrian,

Thank you for your quick reply. Interesting to hear that you often prefered the SB convertible in single-fin mode! I have sleepless nights at the moment due to my complete incapacity to select my new waveboard....

I have just purchased a Kode86 as my light wind wave board + bump n jump board (5.3-6-0). Mainly due to your test of the Kode86 2009 earlier this year.....I rely on you guys!

My next step was to choose a wave board to replace my JP RWW76. My main thought was to replace the JP with a twin as this seems to be mainstream at the moment. The problem however is that I want to use my smallest board as high wind coastal bump n jump board as well. This is why I am frustrated by the loss of the EVO, it fullfilled both areas of use very well! If I am not totally incorrect, bump n jump is hardly the twin fins best area of use. Or am I wrong?

My preferred choice of twin is the Tempo as it is one of the only twins which is branded for use in euro wave conditions. But...if you were in my position, would you go for one of the single fins in the test? What would I loose if not choosing a twin?

Thanks again!

does anyone know how the QUATRO QUAD compares to te QUATRO TEMPO?

Hi there,

I am surious why in recent 85 litre wave board tests they tested the starboard quad 81 instead of the 86? 86 litres is closer to 85 than 81 so why not test the 86? This was done in the boards magazine test and is going to be the case for the upcoming boardseeker test. Don't get me wrong your tests are extremely good and helpful I am just curious to why this is done.

Seems that the T76 got a very good review in German SURF mag. Will Boardseeker follow up with same conclusions....? Looking forward in reading your reviews!

Could it be possible to post any scan of the surf mag about the 2010 boards multifin, 'cause in france i can't have them ... Or just mail it...thanks!

Ok, so answers to the questions above (sorry for the delay in coming back)...

Surfmeister - The comments apply to both sizes of Tempo (although we have spent a little more time on the 76) Compared to its competition, the 84 does feel a little stiffer on a proper wave than the 76 does, but generally they are pretty similar in performance between the 2 sizes.

In cross-on the 76 is 'loose' and holds its speed well through turns with decent drive, but you have to be careful what you are comparing it with. Generally most people will conclude what i have just stated. However if you are used to a full side shore board like the Rhythm, you will find the Tempo a little stiffer to turn and not quite as tight turning. Compared with most other boards however (particularly single fins) its right up there.

In a straight line, you will find the Tempo one of the faster more 'nose up' sailing boards of all the twin fins, so I dont think you will find it boring. it does however still maintain control at the top end, a trait that twin fins are becoming known for.

5.3 - 4.0 will work fine on the 76. I have used 3.7 on it ok, but whilst still controlled, it does start to feel big in these conditions. I am around 80kg.

Goose - glad to hear you got hold of a Kode 86 off the back of our test - I think you will like it!

In your position, I would seriously consider a twin fin. If conditions are pretty flat, that Kode is good down to 4.2m sails (perhaps with a smaller fin) for bump and jump sailing. If its any windier or wavier, then a Twin will be just fine.

We are getting pretty sold on the twin fin concept, particularly as this year the boards are getting more refined for straight line performance. They turn better off the top and also have a lot of control at the top end, which could be good for you as your smallest board...

If you are thinking about the Tempo, you can see from my comments above that we are pretty fond of that board, so I dont think you will go wrong with it. I don't want to give too much away until our test is released, but there are a few others worth considering also..

Good luck!

Freeskiing - To answer your question about Quatro Quad vs Tempo, there is a big difference between them. I think (although I may be wrong in saying this) that we are the only mag in the World to have hold of the Quatro Quads so far. We have had them for nearly 2 months now and had quite a bit of timne on them (75 and 85 litre sizes).

We are releasing a 'first impressions' of them in the next few days, so I don't want to get drawn into saying too much here, but you will find they are quite different to the Tempo (and also to the Rhythm).

More to come soon!

Lewis - with regard to the SB Quad 86 vs 81, we let the brands know the spec of the test and then they supply the board that they think will best fit. Starboard chose to supply the 81. As the Starboard's tend to be wider than most other brands, often the boards feel a little bigger than their volume might suggest, so it actually fits in pretty well with the rest of the group.

Hi Adrian,

Thats great thanks for answering my question. My 86 is on its way so hopefully it wont be too big! Would you say you could get away with a 4.2 on it in on-shore conditions?

I would think the 86 SB Quad will take a 4.2, but will feel big in wave conditions. (Particularly if you are under 80 kg's).

We havent sailed the 86, but the 81 takes a 4.2 fine (for 80 kg riders) in cross on conditiions. The multifin set up makes the board more 'planted' at the top end.

It does start to feel a bit big in more side-shore conditions...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/14/2009 05:20PM by admin.