2014 Exocet RS2:
Firstly I need to say this review is not solicited, I love windsurfing and GPS/ slalom sailing and provide my comments for others who are looking in the market for a board and are considering the Exocet RS range. I am sure there are other brands that are fantastic as well but this review is about my first ride experience on the new RS2 from Exocet.
Rider Russell Dowd weight 95kg height 6'3"
First sail Sunday 14 July 2013
Target one hour: Result 21.78 knots 42 gybes made 40
Construction: Full Carbon weight 5.6KG (light) 235 long, vee tail to reduce area and no tail cut-outs.
Colour: jet black; the board looks stunning very black tie, so I will need to be mindful about leaving it in the sun.
Location: Marion Bay Tasmania (East Coast) Magic place no wind in town (Hobart) but very windy 45 minutes away on this beautiful bay.
Conditions very powered up 6.3m sail 25 to 35 knots also with some light patches in it, but generally blasting all the time. Essentially the perfect testing ground for the Exocet RS2 .
Let face it, the first sail on a new board you tend to hold back a fair bit feeling for the unfamiliar and working out what adjustments to your sailing style will be required in order to feel at home on the new board. Today I had no time for that; I was on a one hour mission for the Tassie Speed Seekers. I had to go with how I set up the board out of the box. Mast track was a tad forward of centre and foot straps back as far as they will go. Fin I used my trusty Rocket 32 G10
On The Water:
The new foot straps are softer and feel more comfortable as you take off they just feel better than the older ones so well done for working on this Exocet.
The board has more volume in the tail than my old board so it is on the plane quicker and with a feeling of strong acceleration into top gear. The shape of the rails is very natural and comfortable for the feet my one hour was about one hour fifteen minutes of nonstop sailing and I can honestly say in the very loaded up conditions the board sat on the water steady as a rock and I was not tired in the end it was simply a comfortable fun sail.
The feeling of the board is comfort at speed I never felt like the board wanted to buck me off even in the extreme gusts the Exocet RS2 just held its line and allowed me to stay in a comfort zone. The board is full carbon and in heavy chop it feels very comfortable under foot because the vee forward just slices it up and takes the energy out of it along with those pads which are fantastic.
Upwind:
The Exocet RS2 key strength is it upwind ability; honestly it just rockets up wind without heaps of rider effort and holds an upwind line at speed. For a slalom board this is a fantastic asset as you are not wasting energy hunting the board upwind trying to hold your line. I was able to try speed runs then recover my position at the end of the run very easy.
Off the wind:
I never had a real chance to run to deep today unfortunately as I was focused on my one hour and then ran out of time. But the few run?s I did the RS2 felt predictable over the chop like the RS Speed it does not suck down and the boards feels very willing and free to run. I will need to play with my settings a bit to feel 100% committed off the wind but early indications are very positive. Today's peak speed 33.34 Knots
Gybes:
This was very different to my old Naish sp ltd board the Exocet RS2 is more compact there is more volume in the tail area this provides heaps more support in gybes the forward rails bite and hold the board on a track making commitment to gybes easier and the success rate much higher out of 42 gybes in the one hour I made 40; not all perfect but in the end the tail volume provides so much support it helps recover many mistakes. I was going into gybes so loaded in the high winds; I thought the board would spinout and catch a rail. But the more I sailed the better I got at committing with confidence and laying down the sail to dump power. All in all it rewards confident sailors and I am looking forward to improving my gybe style with this board.
Conclusion:
This is a real step forward board for me it has a fantastic rocker line and the vee up front somehow in combination with the higher volume tail helps the board drive up wind very fast and easy to place you in a position where you have options on the slalom course. The board gybes well and with more commitment rewards the sailor who drives the rail. RS2 is very fast on the reach holds it's line and feels very comfortable underfoot.
The new RS2 wow wow wow unreal speed one second off almost 37 knots with a 7.6 m smashed my pb for that size sail.
Jibe I can not believe an alfa over 25 with that size sail and a nautical of over 32 knots. all this with 15 to 20 knots of breeze.
PB hour first time on board I dont normaly try but decided to go fo it but wind was light and came off the plain around 4 times or so, so imagine with 6.6m and more wind, I can not wait to realy test the gear.
The fin was borrowed from Greg wow unbeilable power and top speed for a fin of that size 25CM. Greg Ferguson design and made
So much fun sailing with every one it was a realy fun sail untill I had to go to work.
I am stoked and very happy the numbers speak for them selves first time on board and PB got to be happy with that.
Any one looking at new boards you must concider these boards for price, durability and performance.
Did I mention how happy I am.
I think Russ has detailed the board pretty well and I agree with his comments.
The thing I do like is to have a narrow board but a bit thicker this makes it more comfortable and gets your feet out of the water but at only 59 wide makes it quicker than wider boards offered by some of the other brands.
Select to expand quotequatro25 said..
what is the difference between black and jet black?
I think what I was trying to say was glossy not mat black
Had the chance to try the RS4 for the second time over the weekend and was really impressed how plug and play the board is.
Conditions:
- Foreshore, NSW
- Gusty Westerly 10-25 knots
- flat water-small chop
Gear:
- 2014 Exocet RS4
- Mauisails TR9 7.0
- Select Vmax 41 and 39
Speed:
- 2s max: 36.9kts
- 5*10s: 34.2kts
- Alpha: 23 kts
- Nautical mile: 25.2kts
Funny enough the best speed was done on the 41cm fin while the wind was strongest (I wish I had the 39 then). The combination of thicker rails straighter outline between footstraps make the board very balanced. This lets you go off the breeze with confidence and also easier to rail and climb back upwind.
The thicker rails feel very natural and lets you push hard on the fin when needed. This was particularly noticeable when the wind dropped and could get the board going or keep it going in less than ideal conditions.
I ended swapping for the current Exocet RS5 that felt lower on the water but nevertheless quick (33.5kts 2s max and 24.2kts alpha). This board will see minor shape changes with more V around the mast track which should help release and rail the board more naturally.
Nice results Remi
Are you still keen to set up a RS Speed comp in Austraila?
Cheers Russ
I have had a few more sails on this puppy and it is so nice as a deep off the wind blaster in rough water. It sits so steady in the water looking forward to a long summer
A quick sail with the 2014 Exocet RS5 yesterday afternoon in a light/gusty seabreeze in Botany. The board is the same as last year (why change a proven shape 
) with the new aggressive look. Construction is single shot full carbon which gives the board a boost in acceleration and very responsive in gusty conditions and getting on the plane.
Here are a few pics:
The board is up for demo as well as smaller ones and other 2014 Exocet
