Status Quo:
That’s how
the British BOARDS magazine described the Freestyle Wave 255 2001:
"A beautiful little wave-slalom that is fast enough to be fun in the flat,
loose enough to be fun in waves and a perfect little toy for perfecting any
planing or aerial moves."
Could anyone ask for more ?
What we wanted from Werner for 2002
- To do the impossible. Improve your best. Create the most versatile allround
shape ever without losing performance – better the Freestyle Wave 255 !
- Create a new top model for the future generation of "freestyle Stones", which performs better in every single discipline, in freestyling, wave riding and freeriding.
- With all this sporty performance the board must retain it’s basic shape to maintain an easy to control, high wind freeride board.
- And finally design a bigger and smaller brother of this new top shape !
What we got
- Three JP Freestyle Wave Boards ready for action. Anything and everything! No matter where you take them, be it flat water, chop, swell or surf, the boards will perform. They’ll perform up to, and beyond, your expectations. This is thanks to their massive range-of use!
- Incredibly versatile, loose and maneuverable.
- Thoroughbred wave designs riding 2 meter side shore surf – real wave riding
!
With perfect planing power and speed the Freestyle Wave’s 2002 are the best
toys for onshore conditions and for typical European wave spots. - In the areas of early planing, speed, control and freeride the Freestyle
Wave 255 gets the top score. The new shape completely overshadows all predecessors. - The greater performance of the boards, coupled with thinner rails, give
the freestyle sailor increased grip in radical maneuvers. When planing tail
first the nose channel helps the board track. - Considering their size the Freestyle Waves plane well – vital to give a
wide range of use. - Slightly wider nose area for greater harmony between the outline and rail
shapes. - Parallel outline in nose area
- Rounded rails, clearly more "tucked under"
- Thin rails in the tail
- Refined bottom curve (rocker line)
- Optimized deck shape
- Double channel bottom design
- The new maneuver-oriented fins support the allround characteristics
The new series of Freestyle Wave boards are now named according their volume.
FREESTYLE WAVE 78
Werner took all the advantages of the new 86 shape concept into this smaller
and even more agile shape. For all ‘constant high wind’ venues where soul-windsurfers
and freeriders speed over hard chop. This board is fast, very fast. Why? Absolute
control and easy handling are essential for high wind speed – with the 78
you’ve got it. Nevertheless the board’s main purpose is not in outright performance
but more in pulling maneuvers. The smallest FSW is even wilder and looser
for the light or radical freestyle sailor. Confident grip in tight turns means
it is ready for action in all side shore and onshore conditions. Incredibly
high jumps are quite simple to control. Thus the 78 is the most versatile
and probably the greatest of all small, allround, high wind shapes. You want
the goods – this board delivers it – in all waters – flat smooth water, chop,
open ocean swell, side or onshore surf.
FREESTYLE WAVE 86
The new standard for allround shapes in all spots. Slightly bigger compared
to its predecessor, the Freestyle Wave 255, the 86 optimizes total performance.
This means that the board planes quicker, becomes faster and remains fully
controllable. Its "simplicity" applies to handling as well as maneuvers.
Thus the hull is easier to steer and carve hard – even in 2 meter side shore
surf. With these nice maneuver characteristics it cuts through side onshore
conditions like a hot knife through butter. And don’t forget that this is
a specialized freestyle design – it’s flat deck shape giving it the basic
ingredients for radical tricks. Originally freestyle was the discipline this
board was dedicated for but it is not only a freestyle experts board – with
the widest "water range" in which windsurf boards can be used it
simply suits everybody in medium to high winds.
FREESTYLE WAVE 94
The term ‘allround shape’ already fits the 94’s smaller brothers – but this
board will still outperform them. How? First of all, like the whole JP-Freestyle-Wave
range, it really performs extremely well in all water conditions, flat water,
chop, side and onshore conditions. Secondly, the board offers the highest
volume and therefore has the widest range of use. The 94 is an ideal board
which you should take for every trip. Freestyling is easy and radical sailors
and freeriders alike will be pleased by its excellent mix of early planing,
speed and control. Speed you say? This board can handle it and it loves to
carve wide and tight turns alike without bounce. With its true riding characteristics
in 2 meter surf the skeptics better take cover – Werner finally designed the
"greatest" of allround shapes.
Characteristics – Freestyle Wave 2002
A) SHAPE HIGHLIGHTS
B) CHARACTERISTICS
1) Maneuver and Wave
"Carving"
A greater harmony in outline and rail shape creates even lift in all situations,
no matter how much of the rail is in the water. The thin rails hold positively
to give a controlled feeling in maneuvers. Thus, a lot of speed can be maintained
in aggressive carves and all the way trough the turns.
Small and Lively
The new Freestyle Wave boards are short and therefore very lively. The compact
shapes feel good for all sorts of freestyle turns, carving maneuvers and especially
jumps.
Radical Turning
A well rounded tail helps with easy initiation of all maneuvers and ensures
tight turns. From the center area forward the tucked-under-edges are clearly
more pronounced preventing the board from tracking and enabling it to stay neutral.
Furthermore they give the board a more pleasant ride because side chop or waves
don’t knock the board off the track.
Double Channel Bottom Design
The "double channel bottom design" has proven to be a huge success.
(‘Rear’ channel: see page XX). The nose channel can take sideward power adding
support to the tracking stability when planing tail first, e.g. when doing Willy
Skippers.
Wave Riding
Effortless initiation of tight maneuvers and excellent grip in turns make these
small allrounders great wave designs. Werner Gnigler’s shapes can be compared
with classic wave shapes and yet, with their superior planing power and versatility
they outperform them in onshore conditions. Terms like "Euro Waveboard",
"intermediate Waveboard" and even "Wave-Allrounder" are
justifiable descriptions. The performance makes it much easier to break out
through the surf and catching a wave is much easier. Depending on the weight
and ability of their rider the FSW’s can handle 2 meter side shore conditions
…. and bigger!
Design comparison: the difference between the FSWs and the JP Wave Boards:
The JP Wave Boards are narrower, thus faster to rail up from one side to the
other, which means that you can change direction quicker. The narrow hulls with
their different rocker curve can handle more speed in maneuvers and therefore
are easier to control in fast bottom turns. Accordingly there are no limitations
in the height of the wave. The foot straps are positioned further forward increasing
the "passive" board control. Furthermore they turn more radically
in tight turns, e.g. in cut backs, which means that they respond faster, are
quicker to maneuver and skatier for aggressive small wave riding.
2) Control and Planing
Easy Planing
The new shape concept makes early planing and sailing upwind easier, thus increasing
the whole overall performance. Werner designed the nose area a little wider,
making the outline more harmonious and changing the ‘entry’ and the forward
planing area. Thus the transition from non-planing to planing is smoother and,
as a result, passive early planing is easier.
Control and Comfort
Harmonious outlines support control. The nose looks rounder. Thin and narrow
tails make sailing comfortable and easy in increasing winds. The well defined
planing area between the foot straps, in combination with the channel, increase
smooth running at higher speeds.
"Handling"
These small and compact tail shapes work with small sails and fins. Narrow
tails don’t need big fins and the wide board center transfers the sail power
into forward lift. Handling and maneuverability are simple and the range of
the boards is vast. The more the wind picks up the more evident this advantage
becomes. Wave sailing and control at the upper wind limit can be further increased
by tuning with smaller, wave oriented fins.
Speed
Due to the smooth sail and increased control you may sail these boards in an
active style, pushing the board to more speed, higher jumps and more radical
maneuvers. The rocker line is a mixture between wave and freeride boards. Thus
the boards sit higher on the water running smoother over heavy chop than slalom
oriented freeride designs. The Freestyle Waves may be a tad slower upwind but
in return they are easier to sail and offer more control in higher winds. Thus
they are faster downwind and in over powered conditions.
| Board | Length | Width | Volume | Fin | Sails | ||||||||||
| cm | Foot/Inch |
cm | Inch |
liters |
name | system | ideal | recomm. | |||||||
| Freestyle Wave 78 | 252 | 8′ |
3” |
55 | 21.7” |
78 |
Freestyle Wave | 23 | Powerbox | 4,0-5,4 | -5.8 | ||||
| Freestyle Wave 86 | 254 | 8′ |
4” |
56.5 | 22.3” |
86 |
Freestyle Wave | 25 | Powerbox | 4,4-5,8 | 4,0-6,0 | ||||
| Freestyle Wave 94 | 256 | 8′ |
5” |
59 | 23.4” |
94 |
Freestyle Wave | 27 | Powerbox | 4,7-6,2 | 4,4-6,4 | ||||
