RRD Freestylewave 85
“Feels soft and easy going and you feel quite inboard, so safe and neutral on the board”
“Sits well even in the big gusts and handles the chop well”
“Very good control - like riding in an arm chair”
“Does everything well but lacks a bit of excitement”
“Has a soft easy turn, but doesnt like to be pushed mega hard”“Wide nose gives good float in the air”Summary
The RRD is another board with a solid reputation built upon...well, a lot actually! You can quickly tell why this board has such a following. It feels very refined and is just so comfortable to sail!
When you step from one of the more lively boards onto the RRD, it feels like it’s been sedated! Its so smooth (even in the worst chop) and so comfortable underfoot - helped also by the fantastic pads and straps. This character gives the RRD top of the group for control.
All this comfort comes at some cost however. It is less lively and slightly less exciting to sail than some of the more full-on options coupled with a little less pace in a straight line.
Never-the-less, the RRD makes a great high wind freeride and bump & jump board, with a strong emphasis on smoothness and ride comfort.
In waves, it turns well, and maintains its trademark good manners with nice glide and predictable riding. It does feel relatively wide and chunky in the rails, preventing it from being cranked quite as hard into the turns as a couple of the other boards within this group.
Overall the RRD stands out as the ‘comfort’ board within this test. It may feel slightly less exciting to sail than some of the other boards, but retains fantastic all-round performance, making the board very applicable for all types of Freewave sailing.
