Hey everybody!

I am new here and this is my first post!
The season for windsurfing is starting soon and I am looking for a new board. It has to be one of the hot new freestyle boards. I have been looking at the following boards:
F2 compstyle = 68,5/246
JP freestyle pro = 66,5/244
RRD TwinTip 105 ASC = 62/250
Fanatic skate = 62/250

The measurements I have written is the width and length of the board. I want a board that is wide so it will be stable in the middle and feel like a bigger board. So basically I have narrowed it down to the F2 or the JP freestyle pro. Both of them look super cool, but I can't decide.

Does anybody have first hand experience with the new 2004 freestyle boards? Which of the 2 are better and why?

PS. I posted the same question at iwindsurf.co.uk - I hope people don't mind

a friend of mine has a f2 compstyle 2003 he loves it but it does seem abit slow to get plaining where as i have owned 2 jp boards 1 wave 1 freestyle and both were great early plainers
hope this helps

Hi Simoh... Welcome to Forces-of-Nature, I hope you like the site, and as you'll soon find out, the people here are all pretty friendly!

I can't actually comment on any of the boards you've mentioned as i've never tried any of them, and besides, although getting other peoples opinions is always useful, the only real way to find out which is best for you is to try them yourself...

Find a windsurf retailer near a sailing spot that will let you demo the boards before you buy, or go to one of the many demo days held around the country (not many at this time of year though).

I'm sure you've already thought long and hard about which type of board you want, but before going down the out-and-out freestyle route, make sure you really want to be doing freestyle all the time. Almost all modern boards of that sort of size will have at least some freestyle potential, and unless all you want to do is willy-skip, vulcan and grubby your way around, then you'll often find that a more allround board will give you more quality time on the water. You probably Do wnat the board mainly for freestyle, but boards with such a specific design do have their limitations.

Let us know what you decide upon.

Al.

hi m8 as every one elce i have not used eather of these boards as the comp style is only just been finished. they make good points that you cant beet trying them. but both of these boards look very good and i dont think you could go wrong with eather i used the old compstyle very good lots of pop but this makes the board slow on to the plane this has been corrected in the new board. from people in this industry i have heard great things about it the Boogie rails look well cool. i think the jp is quite prone to dings. what stage are you at learning your freestyle do you prefer jump sliding or sail spins? what size sails and what weight are you as this makes a big difference of what board you should get. i am thinking of getting the comp style when i get some money so let us know what you decide on also what do you mean the windsurfing season is about to start you have just missed a week of great wind.

Yeah... You tell him... The windsurfing season NEVER ends!!!

Al.

WOW! I did not expect alot of feedback to my topic but your answers were awesome! I little about myself: I am from Denmark and have been surfing for a year. I can do duckjibes, tacks, waterstarts and I use the footstraps. The board I have now is a 10 year slalom board that is 130 liter. I weigh 100kg. We do not get any waves where I surf because it not on open sea. Mostly when the wind is blowing hard it is chop condition.

Hmmm.. Its difficult to tell what level you are actually at... tacks, waterstarts and using the footstraps are fairly basic things, duck gybes aren't (unless you are doing them non-planing). If thats the case and seeing as you've only been windsurfing for a year, then I would have though that a dedicated freestyle board such as the ones you are looking at would be a little too specialised. You would be better off getting a more modern all round board such as a Bic techno, Fanatic E-Ray, F2 Stoke, Starboard Carve etc etc etc.....

All will be much wider and more stable than the 10 year old slalom board you have at the moment. They'll make sailing much more comfortable and easy, and will also get planing in lighter winds and generally have a more allround appeal. They'll all be fine on flat water or chop, and most will also be OK in small waves. They'll also be just as fast as the slalom board you have (maybe even faster in real terms as you'll be more comfortable sailing it). AND, if you want to do some freestyle, then they'll allow for that too. Although they may be a little big for aerial freestyle.

Oce you have progressed a bit more and really want to go for the aerial freestlye moves like willy skippers, vulcans, loops etc. then would be the time to go for a dedicated freestyle board. (The freestyle boards are also made to be very light and are therefore very fragile too which is worth bearing in mind)

Also, you may as well buy 2nd hand as well, there will be plenty of deals around on last years kit.

Hope that helps you make a decision.

Al.

I've got a JP 2004 Freestyle 101 and its the mutt's. If you want some more info email me as I dont want to bore people here. That said, it completely changed the way I sail - if you're into freestyle it will be great, if you're not or you're not a good sailor already I wouldn't recommend it. It's volume distribution is fairly different to most all-round boards - it spins fanastically but will sink if you you get your weight in the wrong place at any time - it's not a lightwind off-the-plane board either really due to this. Hope this helps.