Hmmm, could have been a Bombora Tri-fin, or a very old Windtoys wave circa 1986-87 or so.
I think some of these old boards, while loosing many of the advances we have today, seemed easier to do some things on like learn to carve gybe. But then I do remember some slalom boards from the mid 90's to be absolute dogs to do anything on other than go fast in a straight line.
I have no longer chance to try but I wasted quite a few years to try to learn gibing on huge old style boards like BIC Calypso 320 cm without any luck at all ( step gibing - yes- only).
I wonder if it is physically possible at all?
When I switched to 130 and 92L everything is much easier.
So the question is :
Did you now professional, experienced riders ever try for fun to jump on old board and give her a go ?
Tiga 275ACR - what a great board.
Chop absorbing = comfort = stability = more commitment = more chance of planing carve gybe.
I still have a hard time understanding why people are going for highly technical boards (unless they are racing), unless they are highly skilled these type will only highlight your shortcomings.
The range of free ride style boards that give a great ride, excellent to gybe and still fly are plentiful to say the least. The only problem is that if you own one, you keep it so second hand ones are rare.
Boards like the Starboard Carve/Combat, Exocet Cross, Naish All Terrain, JP Freestyle wave, Fanatic Hawk, Tabou Rocket etc, etc. Board like these will give you a smile factor and improve your progress ten fold over a fully dedicated board. Getting off soap box now.
AB......
Jackson Suicide wave thingy... major sinker. water logged.. but i probably only weighed about 50kg when i was 17. finally upgraded 10months ago im now 32
F2 Comet and Bombora Astrotoy. Heavy hunk of plastic that I had to continually lay in the sun with weight on the tail to keep the tail from curving and gixing negative tail rocker.
Tiga Swift. All 3.3 metres of it, with duct tape over the centreboard slot so it turned it into a slalom board- of sorts.
F2 sunset slalom - 1985 model - had blue and green spiderweb graphics.
the first model released after the sunset (which was also pretty sick and had great graphics) There was also a Bullit that was totally sick and a comet too .
sickest board ever - gybed so well - learned jump gybes, planing 360s and back smacking cheesies rolls on it waaay back in the 80s.
Saw a guy on the river with one a few years back and just went crazy over seeing one again. He probably thought i was nuts.
Mistral Diamond Head 290 x 60 115 litres . Was a great board for gybing . After only 12 mths stainless stringers started showing through bottom of board, probably caused from jumping , was a shame . Claimed warranty on it ,no worries. Ended up with a custom board after that.
i remember the Mistral Hookipa from 86/87 was a pretty fine shape too.
i didnt have one but my Israeli mate who had one - and myself on the f2 were unbeatable - i had a 6.3 gaastra slalom foil pro (the model with the short boom - 195 cm) that was insane too. All on an ally mast !
Seems to me the original question relates to how you carve gybe and what is the best board. For my 2cents any free wave board of 90 to 100 liters is a good start. You need speed and a board that turns. Next you need to get the move into your brain and I would look at a video from someone like Peter Hart. You could even check Windseeker Mag online where there have technique videos. To learn you need to go fast, be off the wind, to keep your weight forward and looking where you want to go, flip earlier than you have done before and move your front hand close to the mast when flipping. The feet and the rest should follow.
Flat water _really_ helps as well...
(Mistral Flow 105, in around 30cm of water over a sandbar near Brisbane, I was hooting for days 
)
Also practice your rig flips on the beach until you can literally do them with your eyes closed.
It's weird , one day I absolutely nailed it on an early Surf FX salom with a '92 Pryde 5.5 slalom, gybe after gybe the sail was flipping almost by itself , losing hardly any board speed at all, sadly I have never been able to replicate that day, even though I rarely take a dive it seems difficult to maintain the speed through the turn. The short chop and often flukey winds on the Broadwater don't help.
one of the best shaped boards ive ever used was a mistral electron 88l, it was fast, change the fin and it could shred, great board, handled some really high jumps landing super flat, no problems it really made me able to gybe fast,smoothly,and efficiently
any of the starboard carves are great but i reckon you'd best suit a 100l-115l board to what's needed.
keep your knees bent, absorb that chop and pull the boom down to keep the nose down, don't look down at your feet
timeless tips- from robby naish
F2 Max2Air, bought second hand from RPS, around 90l. I had it for 2 or 3 seasons and loved it, really learnt to jibe (6 or 7 out of 10!) but never saw another one? Has anyone had one? Followed that with a Maui Project, I think 92l, also loved it. Both boards ended up breaking in half, is this something common of F2,s of that vintage (early 2000,s).
