Status Quo: The man behind these designs is Werner Gnigler who, working extensively with This dynamic duo now present their next step in development – the Freestyle The 2001 collection has already made a huge impression around the world. With Now the new 2002 Freestyle boards have been fine tuned especially with regard What we wanted from Werner for 2002
The new
World Cup Discipline – Freestyle – is the very latest trend and brings with
it the requirement for a totally new breed of boards. For the first time in
windsurfing there are boards which work perfectly for the professional windsurfer
and the recreational short board intermediate alike.
his ambassador, Josh Stone, the King of Freestyle, has become one of the most
creative and respected shapers of freestyle boards.
designs for 2002.
its amazing versatility and, as the base for Josh Stones second consecutive
World Cup Victory, the range has become the benchmark for all others. Early
planing, easy and forgiving – yet very sporty. These boards represent what most
of the ‘every day windsurfers’ want from their boards.
to the early planing and easy sailing characteristics.
- Boards with an increased early planing potential
- Fast designs, able to keep the pace of slalom oriented freeride boards
- Easy to sail and forgiving allround shapes for the short board novice and
everybody working on his jibing skills - Best freestyle performance and a sporty, loose ride for the pro sailor
- Boards with incredible planing power. The new generation gets up on the
plane faster, earlier and much easier. This is very important – especially
for the less experienced sailors who do not have the technique to pump (say:
plane passively). - JP Freestyle 2002 offer even more speed on all tracks combining a very sporty
feel with comfort and a smooth ride. So the new and lively Freestyles challenge
the performance of pure-bred freeride designs. - True allrounders which are even more forgiving, easier to control and jibe.
Intermediates will love these characteristics finding they are able to improve
their skills easier and faster without ever getting tired of their new boards. - Versatility – designs that, even in moderate winds, positively encourage
the rider to play in the swell and waves. - Last but not least (but very self-evident): lively and very maneuverable
Freestyle boards not only pleasing the pro sailor but every sporty windsurfer.
- Slightly wider outline in the center area
- To increase passive early planing
- more "tucked under" rails from the center to the nose
- Slightly wider tails
- Thin rails at the tail
- Refined bottom curve (rocker line)
- Optimized deck shape
- Double channel bottom design
What we got
- New fin – especially designed to compliment Freestyle character and The new series of Freestyle boards are now named according their volume. FREESTYLE 95 Werner Gnigler kept the smallest of the JP Freestyle’s short and his 95 liter FREESTYLE 105 The 105 is the flagship of the JP Freestyle range. Offering almost the same Simple handling AND sporty moves. Undisputed free-riding The 115 probably has the biggest target group. For light Characteristics – Freestyle 2002
easy sailing characteristics of the boards.
is only 256×58 centimeters. Decreasing the width, Werner tightened the boards
waist. Brevity is the soul of maneuver, thus the 95 feels agile, compact and
handy in all carving turns and freestyle tricks. It immediately reacts to
steering input and with little effort cuts through tight jibes or take-off
commands lifting clear of the water with ease. And the best prerequisite for
big air is a lot of freeride velocity. The balanced shape planes early with
ease and accelerates to high speeds on all points of sailing. Overall the
lively 95 has more performance and, more importantly, performance that every
sailor can easily exploit with ease. Therefore this Freestyle is a better
freerider than its predecessor. An easy to sail allrounder for a big range
of use.
versatility and lively ride as its smaller brother the 105 matches the requirements
of the sportiest windsurfer and even the professional sailor. In medium winds
this allrounder will give the rider no cause for complaint – acceleration,
top end speed, upwind performance. All the Freestyle 2002 boards outperform
their predecessors and thus will surprise even the hardcore freeride sailors.
But it’s not only radical sailors who will rave about this shape – ask Amy
Stone – perfect volume, high comfort, smooth riding, easy planing, easy jibing
are all attributes that Amy and all less experienced jibing novices will appreciate.
Excellent early planing comfort mixed with smoothness and control in overpowered
conditions – these are the keys for an unbeatable range of use.
FREESTYLE 115
AND –styling. Even with the biggest of Freesstlye boards Werner has managed
to unite these apparent contradictions.
winds or unsteady conditions the 115 offers the sailor enough volume not to
sink between the gusts or to reach the beach with dry feet. Shortboard novices
and heavy sailors will be pampered by the increased planing potential at the
lower wind limit. From now on ‘early planing’ means ‘easy early planing’.
And, once on the plane, the board speeds off. It sits high and loose on the
water offering impressive acceleration. The rider now makes the choice whether
to exploit the full speed potential of this board, or to go for high jump
sessions or perhaps to open the ‘jibing orgy’ of the day. On the other hand
he could go for a relaxed cruising session or follow the original concept
of this board and…freestyle. A huge potential for a huge range of use.
A) SHAPE HIGHLIGHTS
B) CHARACTERISTICS
1) Easy Planing and General Performance
(Early) Planing
The outlines of the old Freestyle boards 2001 were rounder and the entry
had more curve. Werner Gnigler talks about a „sweet spot". Good sailors
will find this by putting their board in the right position, pump and plane
off immediately. Less experienced sailors will not find this spot as quickly.
For the new 2002 Freestyle boards Werner designed the outline of the
center a little bit more parallel. The entry, the beginning of the planing area,
is more harmonious and, together with the wider tail, increases passive early
planing and the overall planing power. The boards offer more planing lift from
the mast foot area and thus slide faster through the planing barrier. The new
shape concept makes early planing and sailing upwind easier and increases the
whole performance of the boards.
Design comparison: the difference between FS and Freeride
Carve designs of similar size:
This generation of JP Freestyle boards is wider with a bigger planing surface.
Additionally the straight area inside the rear Channel increases the flat planing
area. The overall performance is better, passive early planing and sailing upwind
are easier.
Less experienced sailors will love the planing power and the comfort of the
JP Freestyle’s.
Planing more often and quicker, Freestyle pros can pull off more maneuvers
in their heats. All that aside the simple fact is that the sooner you plane
the more time to accelerate for higher and wilder jumps and more powerful maneuvers
– the more fun you have!
Control and Smoothness
To support control, Werner shaped the outline in the center area slightly more
parallel. The nose is a little rounder. The thin rails at the tail are maintained
as they did a great job already. Offering more control and a smoother run the
sailor is easily able to concentrate on pushing the board for more speed.
Upwind
The great planing characteristics and the rails of the rear channel make it
easier to stay in the competition zone.
Lively
The key is the bottom curve: the Freestyle boards sit high on the water and
deliver fun and a typical JP, sporty freeride feeling, ready to immediately
respond to any steering input from the sailor.
Small Fin -> Better Allrounder
A board which is able to perform well with a small fin generaly feels livelier
and is more exciting. It works in a wider wind range and is fun to sail in a
big variety of wave conditions.
2) Maneuvers
Ease
Being very wide the Freestyle’s are generally stable, especially in low speed
maneuver where the board is able to increase balance during sail rotations or
body pirouettes.
Initiating of Carving Turns
The boards still have a quiet, round outline, thin rails and tucked-under edges.
The rocker line has enough curve and Vee. Thus the Freestyles need little pressure
to go into the turn. The boards feel versatile and ‘ready for action’ at all
times.
Carving
Even at high speeds the thin tail rails ensure that the board carve their way
through every turn in total control.
Handling
These new JP boards are shorter and more compact. Designed to perform with
small fins and small sails they feel great under foot and are very versatile.
The Shapers Comments – Werner Gnigler:
"Being such great planing and maneuverable boards the JP Freestyle range
matches the desires and needs of most of the windsurfers today. The average
windsurfer will find these shapes the very best fun-allrounders"
| Board | Length | Width | Volume | Weight (+/-5%) |
Fin | Sails | |||||||||
| cm | Foot/Inch |
cm | Inch |
Inch |
liters |
kg | lbs | name | system | ideal | recomm. | ||||
| Freestyle 95 | 258 | 8′ |
6” |
60 | 23,8" |
95 |
6.7 | 14.8 |
Freestyle | 28 | Powerbox | 5,0-6,4 | 4,7-6,7 | ||
| Freestyle 105 | 261 | 8′ |
7” |
62 | 24,5" |
105 |
6.9 | 15.2 |
Freestyle | 29 | Powerbox | 5,4-6,9 | 5,0-7,2 | ||
| Freestyle 115 | 263 | 8′ |
8” |
64 | 25,3" |
115 |
7.1 | 15.7 |
Freestyle | 30 | Powerbox | 5,7-7,2 | 5,4-7,5 | ||
