After two extremely successful years Goya have given their fast wave / freestyle-wave a redesign. It gets a very slightly narrower tail, slightly wider nose, and a little more nose rocker, all of which are minor tweaks. However, it also gets a not insubstantial 4.5cm added to the length and an appreciable injection of vee.

On the water:

Fortunately, in essence nothing has changed – it is still a relatively flat rockered and extremely easy, user friendly board. However, despite the quoted 77L of volume, the 57cm width and fast rocker make it effectively larger than any other board on test – and the only one really happy taking up to a 5.7m sail. It planes up earlier than any, supports heavier sailors and although naturally controllable in strong winds, its size means that it becomes a bit less manageable and manoeuvrable than the smaller boards in winds over Force 5. In character it is versatile. It has just enough rocker to give it a definite waveboard feel in terms of control and manoeuvrability, but is flat enough to make it extremely easy to get going and take upwind. The length and vee keep it tracking very securely without feeling like it is on rails, and it is satisfying to gybe, keeping speed well through the exit. It proved one of the most satisfying boards to ride with 5.3m sails since, despite feeling a bit stiffer than the rest, it keeps its speed so easily. As wind and wave size increase so does the effect of the extra size and stiffness.

Fittings:

It comes with a high quality, sensibly sized fin and the pads and straps are comfortable. The straps are engineered to be quite tight, so will best suit those with narrow feet, and/or sailing barefoot. (The strap inserts are however a standard 15cm, so the wider-footed or boot wearers could simply change straps).

Overall:

This style of fast-rockered waveboard is incredibly versatile as it puts so many ticks in so many boxes for so many sailors.We see the One 77 fulfilling two important roles. The first is as a versatile all-rounder for skilled sailors for making the most of waves in 5.0- 5.7m winds, with a weighting slightly more towards jumping rather than riding. The other role is the first-timer’s waveboard / occasional sailor’s smallest board, for which the One is ideally suited with its excellent combination of ease and control. Compared to last year’s model the ’09 One is possibly a bit better suited to the latter role, yet overall still a very competent and manoeuvrable waveboard.