Let’s face it, we don’t always get down-the-line conditions and we’re not all Levi Siver (as much as we wish we were!) so what board will really suit your style and conditions you ride?
Boards caught up with former PWA star Nik Baker to find out which wave boards really are the best bet for right here in the UK.
It’s not all about the Quad, most people, especially here in the UK, would benefit from having a tri or freewave type of board, rather than a full on quad. From the Fanatic range we’re looking at the triwave or the freewave, but which could be better for you?
“You need ask yourself, every time you sail into the beach are you looking to turn on a wave? Are you thinking about wave riding on every run in? Is your primary goal wave riding and that’s all you’re looking to do?
“If yes, then you’re looking for a triwave.
“If you’re sometimes looking to catch waves, but also sail in flatter conditions or sometimes want to focus more on blasting then I would say go for a freewave.
“It’s both level and location dependent. If you mix up your locations/conditions and you’re just looking to get into wave riding or you can’t wavesail in the majority of your sessions, then pick a freewave.
“A freewave WILL give you an ‘easier’ ride and get you through those harder turns and lighter spots on a wave that you didn’t think you could make.
“I do think a lot of people use quads that don’t really need to. Many people would be better off and get a lot more out of their windsurfing than they would on the quad. It might be ‘cooler’ to have a quad, but what’s more important? Looking good on the beach, or actually enjoying your windsurfing and getting the most out of every session?
The Fanatic Triwave
“What is better about our triwave for me this year is the smoothness, as you go into a bottom turn or gybe I find that now it just draws a clean line through the turn. But most of all, we have managed to get the board to ride much better on the three fins, it’s just been tweaked and we’ve got a little bit more lift from the fins.”
The Fanatic Freewave
“A freewave design is probably the hardest of all to make, it can be used anywhere from the almost flat lakes in lighter winds, to bump and jump style conditions with a whole range of swell and chop, right through to logo to mast high clean, down-the-line waves. So, it does a radical amount of stuff.”
Check out more about the Fanatic range on their website here.
