Rider: 90 kilos,Level (advanced)
Style: Freestyle
Weather:
Build Quality: 10/10
Satisfaction: 11/10
Disclosure: (I own a shop and school)

My Comments: Just to let you know, I picked up a shipment of boards today including the FS Pro. I took it to the beach and strapped and finned it. It sat on the rack for about 2 minutes before my team rider on XXXXX boards sniffed it out. He took it for a quick run in 20 knots before the wind died and he came in frothing about the board. Now he doesn't want the XXXXX anymore :-(

It is lighter than I expected and still has the 2 year warranty. I reckon it's the sickest board Airush have made to date. You can see the quad carbon stripping running diagonally through the deck. This is one sweet looking board! I'll give my rider feedback once I ride it tomorrow for myself.

Graphics look way better in full size and real life than the catalogues and pictures suggest. I reckon it will be the board I will be riding this season . Such a nicely finished board! Sick!

Only anomoly was the sizing. The catalogue, website and box it came in say it's a 132, however, the board has printed on it and measures at 131. Even Better I say!

More to follow tomorrow. Entire first shipment is sold already, but there is another shipment due in a week or so.


Yes we have one for demo!

Good winds,

Hi interested peeps,

I had a ride on the FS Pro 131 today in powered conditions on the 12m Eclipse Thruster. The water was choppy and the wind around 18 knots and gusty.

The board has a lot more flex than I would have thought from a hard core freestyler but this feels good when you ride it. I kinda thought it might be a bit harsh in chop but that wasn't my experience. What I did notice was a bit of spray in the face on one tack and not the other, this is due to riding a board a bit shorter than what I am used to and having to ride the board more on the back foot than even weighted. Having nana legs after winter my dominant leg being stronger allowed me to keep my weight back and hence no spray on that tack. This should be easily rectified with a little more riding and HTFU!

The board has 40mm fins which makes it feel a little more loose and fun than the 50mm that I am used to. It allows the board to be easily slide if you push the back leg out a bit.

Now down to business; The flex is mostly in the tail and when you load it and pop, you really get sent! It flexes nicely on landings to absorb the shock of kiteloop landings and throws mean buckets when you load a fast carve.

I think this will be my board of choice for freestyle riding. I can't wait to ride it in butter smooth conditions ..... sweet!

The board is lighter than the X-Pact too and also carries a 2 year warranty.

A great board which suits my style of riding. I recommend demoing one to see if it suits your riding style too.

Good winds,

Hey Kitehard - you seem to like the FS and protoy a lot - could you compare the 2? what would you advise for someone if they can only get 1 board. i'm 6'6'' 215 and have been riding and loving 135 protoy for years, but am now thinking about the FS.
thanks!

M.

Hi Darren,

Have you managed to get out on the FS anymore? More info from riders / demo'ers would be good.

Rich

im 70 kg
hav ridden it in all winds from 13-23 knots
mainly for freestyle tricks
affliated with other brands not this one
rode the 131 in heavy and light chop

i found this board to be one of the most impressive bords for freestyle i hav ever ridden... has the most amazing pop and flex in the landings which is perfect for the freestlye tricks and is so light u barley no its on ur feet...

i was expecting slightly less flex as airush described the board as stiffer than all the others which is bull@#%$ but it did not really take anything away from the performace...

i did also cop a bit of spray to the face but i always do with freestyle boards in heavy chop and would luv to take this baby down to woodies flats and giv it a wip...

all in all looks sick has pretty good standard in footstraps so if ur in the market for a freestyle machine def giv it a try u will be very impressed!!!

Hi Guys,

Jees it's getting really tough with the Airush lineup this year, such an awesome array of boards. I've also recently tested the new X-Pact and yes, it's damn sweet too!

Now to compare the three boards.

PROTOY 135 x 40 - The Protoy is a very decent improvement on the 08 model, I actually like it a lot. It's an easy board to ride and has a little more weight than previous years model (I'm thinking due to the wood as opposed to foam core). The weight isn't noticeable when you ride only when yu pick up the 08 and 09 together.

It is stiffer than the X-Pact and FS Pro and a bit wider too so has better bottom end, but still has a decent amount of flex to allow solid freestyling. With it's additional stiffness it feels quite solid and flat when riding and you definately feel the board working to get you upwind probably better than the other two but these are pretty minute observations. It's still a smooth ride in the chop due to the double concave and I get a little bit of spray from the front foot (back leg muscles still getting in shape after winter) as I don't give enough back leg weight to get the nose up (only on one tack so I know it's me and not the board).

FS PRO 131 x 39 - This board has the most amount of flex of the three boards and surprisingly feels good even in the chop. The board is very comfortable to ride and has an insane amount of pop when you stand on, and load the tail.

The FS Pro has a looser feel to it than the Protoy and the X-Pact mostly due to the smaller fins (4cm as opposed to 5cm). This kinda gives the board a more radical feel and will suit riders with the experience to enjoy this characteristic. Awesome for carves and funnny enough pure freestyle . A board that likes being ridden powered.

X-PACT 132 x 39 - This years X-Pact, although looking quite similar to the 08 offering, is quite different in bottom shape. It has the smallest amount of concave ~1mm and has a reverse bevelled section about 3cm wide along the bottom of the board running against the rail (like as if it had "V"). Not sure what this actually does but I get less spray from the board than the FS PRO and the Protoy.

This was my board of choice for last year and it has a similar ride to last years but ever so slightly smoother. The X-Pact remains a great board and now I have too much choice to really decide which board I like the most.

I would suggest that the board to choose would greatly depend on your riding style and water conditions at your local spot. Here's my breakdown (just my opinion, don't take this as gospel) I urge you to test ride the boards for yourself.

Protoy - Best for riders (beginner to upper intermediate) in choppier water who ride general freeride and freestyle.

FS PRO- Would be totally insane at somewhere like woodies in the butter! For powered riders of intermediate to very advanced. Best suited to flat water but handles chop nicely too.

X-Pact - For intermediate to advanced riders in all conditions - good for general freeride and freestyle. An easy and fun ride.

Pretty hard to make a bad choice but still a demo ride is your best bet to decide for yourself which would suit you. When you get on a great board that perfectly fits your riding style, you'll just know! It's like pulling on your favourite old jumper. It just feels great.

I hope this helps.

Good winds,

i just got my Fs and have been riding it for the last week or sooo... and this board is AMAZING, it is the best board iv eva ridden. im not going to start talking alot of **** about this board as i think it will do all the talking when you ride it!!
FS=AMAZING!!

bellz, what's your view on how it compares to protoy 08?
thx

Id have to say the FS has alot more flex but more pop and soaks up hard landings alot better, i found on last years protoy that if i did a kiteloop i would slide out on landings thats why i chose to ride the xpact last year. The Fs litterally for the type of riding that im doing its perfect i dont think theres anything i do not like. Dorian if you have a Airush dealer around you grab a demo, i dont know where you are based in Aus but there should be a dealer around you!

anyone who LOVED 2008 (and earlier) protoys can comment on FS?
I ride/love protoys, but not fan of them breaking quite frequently...so interested in the hopefully more durable FS. That being said, i would love to understand how the 2 boards differ as preciselly as i can before pulling the triger. (i can not demo)
thx

Hey mate,

You will find this years protoy should be a lot stronger as it has now gone to the woodcore, although the FS does have a 2 year warranty.

It would be worthwhile trying to demo the boards, if you enjoyed the previous years protoys than the 09 protoy wouldbe a good place to start.

Regards
Matt

Hi Dorian,

I didn't like last years Protoy, too slow from a lousy water release edge made through the moulding process. Always felt like there was weed stock on the fins to me.

This years Protoy is much faster as they are now hand finishing the release edge after the mould and press. It ensures a clean release and less drag. I've always found the Protoys a bit stiff but this years has a bit more flex in it.

Vishy is right, the wood core will make the Protoy much stronger than the foam core so hopefully an end to the breakages although they still dont have an extended warranty like the Switch, X-Pact and FS.

The FS and Protoy couldn't be more different and it really would be good if you could grab a demo. If you are in WA, let me know as we have demo's of all the boards available.

I find the Protoy is more of a freeride board and is good for freestyle too, whereas you probably wouldn't ride the FS as a freerider, but then again.....

Good winds,