Just picked up my newest toy - 100 litre RRD Wave Cult Quad.
I will post some pics soon and let you know how it goes as soon as I get to use it.
Ok, so I finally got to try out my board so here goes.
This is my first real board review.
I am no board designer or am I very technically inclined when it comes to shapes, designs, etc.
I am more interested in just riding the things rather than talking about the technical aspects of them.
Therefore I will try to describe my findings in simple not technical speak.
Location: Perth South
Conditions: Solid Head High with cross to cross off winds 10 to 20 knots
Sail Size: 5.3
My Weight: 85Kgs
Why did I buy this board? I was looking for a big wave board that would float me in non planing conditions that would also turn on a wave like a true wave board. Given my weight most people would say I could get away with a 92 litre board but I just wanted to have that extra little bit of float just to make everything easier in light conditions. I use to use my 98L JP freestyle board with a wave fin in light conditions and it would work perfectly except for the top turn. It just didn't cut it for the top turn, you could have fun on it but it just wasn't dynamic enough.
How is the float? The first thing I noticed when I got on the board was that it felt very short. If you put your foot slightly in front of the mast track the nose tends to sink. The volume seems to be located just behind the mast track and in front of the front straps. The perfect position really for when you are grovelling. The board is wide and stable enough to easily allow tacks, heli tacks, back to sail and even uphaul. Float wise I was very happy with this board.
How was the bottom turn? Rail driven front foot bottom turns were super smooth. No hint of skipping or the rail catching. At one stage I forgot I was on a 100L board. Very fast through the turn and at times I found myself in sections I don't often visit on a wave. On the smaller mushier waves where you can't generate much speed and need to drive more off the back foot the board performed equally well. It did everything I told it to do.
How was the top turn? In one word – Super. This was what I was really nervous about, having bought the board without testing it. I couldn't believe it. It felt like my 83L quad. I was super happy with how it performed. Rail driven tail whips, tight cut backs, tail slides, grippy turns are all possible on this board.
How quickly did it get planing? The board was not super early to get planing. Once on the plane it was very comfortable over the chop out the back and it seemed to stay on the plane well during the lulls. I didn't really buy this board for early planing so to me it is not really a big deal.
Overall Impression: This board does everything I wanted it to do. It surpassed my expectations and I am very grateful for that. With that bit of extra volume it just makes things so much easier in light conditions. It lets you get/stay upwind and catch more waves, it gets you out of the danger zone faster and it saves you swimming in at the end of the session when the wind dies off.
Thanks for this great review. I am pleased to see that the manufacturers are at last realising that not everyone weighs 80 kilos. I could never see any good reason why the heavier sailor had to put up with wavesailing on a freestyle wave when the wind was light. Why cant the manufacturers just take a tested wave shape and upscale it to give volume above 100 litres?
Anyway at last we have RRD 100 and Goya 104 custom quad dedicated wave shapes. This review is great but has anyone sailed the Goya 104 or for that matter any other 100 plus litre wave board.
Having windsurfed for nearly 30 years and approaching 45 I am now fully aware of the importance of weight in how well you do in the waves in light conditions. The pros and guys in their 20s are on average 80kilos or less. this means they can get out on 95 litre boards with 15 litres of float in light winds. At 95 kilos this becomes a sinker and you need a board at least 110 litres to be on the same starting point.
