At the PWA Wave event in Cabo Verde, Kevin Pritchard used
a stock 2010 Kode 80 and took 3rd place overall. The best
place finish for a production board since Scott’s PWA Wave title
on a stock Evo in 2004.

“The red rocket was a favorite of many testers. Better than
the fleet at: Doing everything well, from free sailing to wave–
riding.” Windsurfing USA, April 2009.

What’s new for 2010?
Kode 74: extra vee was added under the back foot to the tail
end to loosen up the board and allow it to carve a larger variety
of turns and wave ride more vertically, without sacrificing
speed or acceleration.

Kode 86, 94, 103: the tail outlines have been pinned out and
narrowed down at the very end. This allows these Kodes to
carve a larger variety of turns, including tighter, snappier ones.
Extra volume and deck dome was pumped into the rails in the
tail and under the back heel, to provide a more domed shape
and offer more float in the carves: more control, more grip and
more forgiving turns. With the very thin rails along the rest of
the board, the aggressive and fast carving nature of the Kodes
remain.

Kode 112: like the three smaller sizes, extra deck dome and
rail volume in the tail have been added, to give the back foot
more grip and more control. With more rail volume in the tail,
carving and turning becomes more forgiving, with more float to
carry out of the turn, yet the aggressive and fast carving nature
remains thanks to the thinner rails on the rest of the board.

Special features on the Kode 68, 74, 80
Heel bumpers; double insert screws for the back foot.

Special features on the Kode 86, 94, 102, 112
No heel bumpers for a lighter and more direct feel; Inboard and
outboard insert position options.

New fins: G10 is out, polyester is in. The test team of four
riders – Scott McKercher, Cyril Moussilmani, Svein Rasmussen,
Boujmaa Guilloul – were unanimous: polyester versions of the
Natural Wave fin series outperformed the G10 originals, by
providing a more responsive flex that allows the fin to breathe
and deliver more power with more grip.

Technora™, Wood or WoodCarbon?
The Kode 68, 74, 80 and 86 are built in a new upgraded Wood-
Carbon construction that uses biaxial flat-weave carbon layers
and a full Wood bottom for extra strength.
Kode 94, 103, 112 WoodCarbon uses a combination of a
wood spine and ultralight 80g carbon: the composite material
matrix that has set the new benchmark. This technology is the
first board construction in the World to utilize an ultralight carbon
fibre that is flat-weaved for total mechanical efficiency. The
unidirectional flat-weave fibre generates equal tensile strength
as biaxial or woven carbon fibre, yet at half the specific weight.
A layer of 0.6mm Australian pine wood runs along the spine of
the board to provide rigidity, additional structural integrity and
to increase strength.

The Wood and Technora™ versions continue with constructions
that have been refined over a decade to provide the industry’s
leading warranty figures and the most reliable lightweight
boards to date. The Kode 68, 74 and 80 are built to Dur-X
standards: double sandwich construction, oversized reinforcements
and on the Wood Dur-X models, there is a full 0.6mm
wood skin (deck and bottom) for maximum rigidity, strength
and dynamic shape integrity.

Starboard’s fastest growing board range: the Flare. As a
result of the intensive R&D program initiated two years ago, the
2009 Flares quickly become the new kings of freestyle and have
won every magazine freestyle test the last season. For 2010 come
three all-new shapes developed by Starboard’s full freestyle team:
Sven Akerboom, Nicolas Akgazicyan, Taty Frans, Kiri Thode and
PWA Champion Sarah-Quita.

The Flare 98 also has its nose vee reduced to improve on rotational
slides and a finbox positioned further back.
The Flare 88 gains some extra tail volume with heel gutters that are
shallower: more float with more forgiveness to finish off moves and
more tolerance to different feet sizes. The nose has been thinned
down to minimize the board’s moment of inertia and increase the
board’s responsiveness. With the thinner nose, the board’s centre
of gravity shifts back, closer to the rider’s feet, for a more natural
balance. The fin box is also positioned further back.
Other features

Starboard’s trademark freestyle feature remains the heel gutters.
They provide an exaggerated deck dome for more comfort and
more grip. The tail shapes of all Flares pack some extra volume for
more float and tolerance during reverse and sliding transitions. The
back footstraps use four screws instead of the conventional two
screws for extra strength and a mechanically twist-free function.

ProKids Flares
The ProKids Flare 60 and 72 shapes continue unchanged for 2010.
Since 2006, these two models have brought with them a whole
new generation of young windsurfers that today have begun to take
over the top places of freestyle. Many thanks and congratulations
to Sarah-Quita, Kiri Thode, Amado Vrieswijk; and good luck to Bjorn
Saragoza for his first year on the PWA tour this season.

The WoodCarbon Formula
One of the key ingredients to the Flare’s success has undoubtedly
been the unique WoodCarbon technology. It is the first board
construction in the World to utilize an ultralight, pure unidirectional
carbon fibre that is flat-weaved for total mechanical efficiency. The
unidirectional flat-weave fibre generates equal tensile strength as
biaxial or woven carbon fibre, yet at half the specific weight. A layer
of 0.6mm Australian pine wood runs along the spine of the board
to provide rigidity, additional structural integrity and to increase
strength in the most critical areas of the board.
Why does Starboard supply the Crossover fins with the
Flares?