Hi Clones,


I read your twin fin and FSW test and the boards that caught my eye are Fanatic from twin fin test and Kode86.

My question is why should I even bother with Fanatic since Kode appears to be an overall winner?

Which one is faster? Better for jumping?

What do you mean Fanatic ain't good with 4.2 if you are serious regarding wave riding?

Which one would you suggest to me based on this info:

Weight 81kg (up to 82-83)
Sails 4.2 and 4.7
Level: about to learn carve gybe not really riding waves but will learn fast since I visit wsurf school.
I love speed and hi jumps but still need a decent board for waves.
Conditions: Rubbish Euro!
Current board: Naish WaveQuest 78L 248, 55.5 wide, single fin (year 2003 i think). It doesn't really matter as I'm selling it.

If you are very focussed on front side riding get a twin as they are really fun to ride. Not neccesarily better than a single they allow you to turn in ways you couldnt with a single and get into different sections of a wave, especially in onshore conditions.

However the Kode is a very balanced board, Very good for front and backside riding, arguably better for jumping than the twins and many folks find they can achieve a higher top speed on them. It's the pragmatic choice as a high wind allrounder.

The Kode is the result of a lot of refinement of a proven concept. The twins are still evolving rapidly, coupled with the massive seconhand devauluation problems fanatic face may also color you judgment.

Good luck with your choice and rip it up !!

Eddie

Ive had the Fanatic twin 93 on demo for a few weeks now and just bought it.. For a board that can sail in 8 knots cross off glass to cross on mast plus gale ive never sailed anything like it, and ive sailed alot..... Stunning board..

Eddie as I really do appreciate your reply may I ask you are you actually one of the clones? Have you actually sailed both boards? How do I know you ain't Starboard salesman? =)

If I ain't wrong for front side riding waves should be 90 degrees to the wind. Most of the time this is not the case where I surf. So it's mostly backside. Even in times where there is front side possible Kode will do the job.

Isn't shorter board (fanatic) better for looping?

Welshside I'm interested in 86L version. The 93L can be quite different despite the same model....

Hi Vitez

Now - if i worked for Starboard that WOULD be cool. Sadly not. Where i work we sell all brands of boards except a couple of minor ones.

Yes i saield both boards.

You can go frontside anytime - most commentators reckon it's more appropriate to cross- cross off conditions but i quite like it even in cross on shores.

I was trying to be professional and not color your judgment too much from my own opinion, but for me the starboard was a great allrounder and very good in the waves, the fanatic was a pretty dull allrounder but fantastic in the waves. If i was scoring i'd say Starboard 9/10 jumping, 9/10 blasting, 8/10 waves with the fanatic being 8/10/4/10 and 10/10 respectively.

I'm gonna buy a 74 ish liter twinzer and a 90 ish liter FSW, probably both RRd's

Cheers
Eddie

Slesman as I said I really appreciate you reply - you and Welshside are the only one participating here.

See the embarrassing thing is that despite googling I don't know what cross shore off shore and that stuff means - I don't even know if it says info regarding just the wind or the waves as well....

But still I do know that you can't really go front side with waves and wind in the same direction no matter what the direction that is - you would get the sail in your face =)

Anyway I do too fancy Kode more as I like aggressive board - I rather wsurf 2 hours really hardcore than 4 hours average. And yes the waves are mostly for jumping here.
And also I can keep the 78L which should be somehow loose as the fanatic is. My 78L has 22cm fin.

Have you tried Kode86 with 4.2?

I also have a freerace no-cam sail 6.0 - ok for Kode?

With the conditions you are getting it sounds for sure like the kode is the better board.

Regarding using ANY big (80liter) and above board with tiny sails (5.0 and less) then there are some arguments for when you would want to do this, very gusty wind, heavy sailor, very strong rips , freestyle or windy lakes.

For most average size windsurfers when it is really really windy (5.0 or windier) then having the smallest possible board is a great thing as it is easier to control.

That's why i havent used the kode 86 with a 4.2 - i'm sure compared to any other 86 it would do really really well, but if i have a smaller board i'd always take that.

Finally - there are a few "howlers" (really bad boards) around but they are a small minority and im sure whatever you get you'll learn to love, but for me these posts were about steering you towards the right type of board.

Get tooled up pronto and get to the beach, the rest is up to you .............

Cheers
Eddie

Sorry - your 6.0 should work just fine, personally i'd leave the footstraps in the center and go with a 25-28 cross over style fin.

Should be a pretty quick combo - I'd expect to be out in about 15 knots on that.

My dream biggest sail for that board would be a NP firefly 6.1 - seminal bit of gear.

Cheers
Eddie

See Eddie that's the thing. My 78L is ok if the wind is not gusty which is most of the time so I really miss a bit wider and bigger board.

Well if I had lots of cash I'd sure have like RRD twinzer 74, Kode86 and Manta 100L slalom but let's leave that ;-) ou I'd sure replace my 6.0 with some cam sail!

Sure additional fin for 6.0 - why not free race fin?

Right if it's steady wind for 4.2 I'll use 78L instead - the 78L is a bit long 248cm, what does that mean?

Btw have you sailed Kode86 2009 or 2010?

So thanks for the help. If anyone has anything to add go ahead although I feel that the Kode will kick ass!

Hi Welshside, I am thinking of getting the Fanatic twinfin 93L for 5.3 and 4.7 cross-off waves.... what's your experince with the 93L in the stronger winds, EG overpowered 4.7-ish ? Would be great if you can let us know more about your experince with the board..... and specifically about it's limitations at the top-end of it's wind range...

I had an 2009 Kode 86 and now have the 2010 Kode 86. Both were stunning. The 09 board was very blasting orientated and very quick, the 2010 one is a lot more wave orientated and turns beautifully, engaging the whole rail when you need to. Its still very quick for blasting and jumping though, so you can probably tell, I'm loving it! Then I tried the Quad 74 last weekend, I loved it too, but its a totally different board. It was like a single withe tiny fin for riding, but a medium fin for blasting etc. If you are into riding then the Quad is one of those 10/10 boards, really loose and planes upwind so easily, but for me its the Kode that wins for use everywhere. Haven't tried the fanatic twin, but have tried the wave (single) and didn't like it. Too stiff, felt like I was riding on concrete, but then that's just me, might suit others.

Oh, and I use my 86 Kode with 4.2, including being overpowered. I would say that it works, but Im heavy (around 97 kgs and like sailing powered up). I think if you're 80-85 kgs then you'll definitely need something smaller and even at my weight, I enjoy the 4.2 on the Kode 8.6 but would be better on a smaller size. Cheers, enjoy your sailing!!

Tim are you selling the 2009 Kode?

Too bad it's too big for 4.2 yeah I'm 80-82kg....

No, sold the 09 Kode off to a mate who loves it. Interestingly he's thinking about a twin as well. If you had to have one, or very boards (I normally only carry two), then its great, but if you want to fill a van, then I'd definitely ad a smaller one as well.

He is thinking about a twin now after he bought the Kode?

No, he loves the Kode, and will definitely keep it, no question. But like most of us would like to see if a smaller twin is a good idea for high wind and waves (as he's very light). So he's trying a 75 litre twin and will try the 74 litre Quad that I've borrowed at the moment. I can see where the Quad is absolutely brilliant, but it would never replace my Kode (because the Kode does everything really well, the Quad is slightly better in waves, but not as good onshore bump and jump). I think the Quad would be fabulous in waves, light or high wind.

I have just ordered the K86 2010. Right now I am trying to define which max sail size to use to the board. I plan to use my ICON 5.3 as the smallest size to the K86 but I am planning to buy a bigger sail as max size. So the million dollar question is: what size of sail can be used regularly (without feeling too big) with the board? I weigh 75kg and currently I have to alternatives, the ICON5.9 or Firefly6.1.Anybody have an reccomendation? Experience? I want to plane early as possible with the smallest possible sail!

I have a Kode 2009 and have sailed it with a 6.4 crossover sail. You have to run a larger fin than the "factory" fin, but I found the width of the board was quite capable of carrying the larger sail. Hope this helps.

Can you explain the devalueing of the boards....especially the Fanatics