Im in research for a new 100 lit +/- slalom board.
i used to ride old shape boards, my first slalom was a polyester 89 lit NewWave back to 1987,
next years i had many other like f2 thommen small and starboard hypersonic 105.
In 2007 I learn to kitesurfing and I continue until today. All my windsurf boards now are most wave boards under 85 lit and also i have one custom FSW board and a speed board, Naish sp60 2008 that need specific conditions

I miss windsurfing for fast blasting ride
For sure i like that the new slalom shapes are really new and better in every point and this is not marketing.

Even if I found some informations for which are the top slalom boards, (speed, control, jibe)
like isonic, falcon, fmx invictus, patrik, rrd x fire
I didn't find much for the strength and durability over time for these blasting weapons
i need your thoughts about your favorite slalom board, for performance and durability
Usually i ride in flat or small chop water
thank all of you

Don't get me started .

Just be aware that most new slalom boards have a concave deck, as a result there is a ridge running around the deck that the mast can hit and dent easily because the mast is hitting an only 1/2" x 2" square area on the raised ridge, instant dent that will most often spring back to normal but you now have a cavity below it. I shimmed my mast base 3/4" and added deck padding so the mast stopped damaging the deck.

I've owned 2020 model Fanatic Falcons 115 & 97 since June 2020. I sail mainly at flat water locations in SE Qld, northern NSW and one week at Lake George SA. I use with Tribal Mk1 Slalom and Tribal Weedspeed fins. I weigh around 90kgs and pair the boards with 2020 Duotone Warp sails - 7.7, 7 & 6.2

Stats for each board are as follows:
F115- 47 sessions, 1768 kms sailed, best 2 sec 38.5knts
F97 - 24 sessions, 844 kms sailed, best 2 sec 39.2kts

When set up properly, both boards sail above the chop, the F115 is noisy and a little harsh in medium chop. The F97 is more forgiving and comfortable. Both are controlled, fast and gybe well. My best alphas for both boards are 25kts in flat water and 22kts in chop.

Durability so far is good with the only damage to the nose of the F115 from a catapult. A number of other sailors in SE Qld also use Falcons and their durability seems good too. The Falcons are around 0.5kg heavier than the equivalent sized Isonic

Hope this helps.

I suspect manufacturers and designers expect sailors of state of the art slalom boards to hardly ever fall, never get launched, and never allow the board to hit hard objects.
Otherwise, Fast Freeride.

Don't go for the Slalom boards of your choice of manufacturer. Look at the next model down the line for more comfort, user friendliness and maybe durability. I have patrik Slalom & F-Race. F-Race plenty fast and a little easier on the body. Both fly on the fin very well. Ie Starboard Futura. Etc.

Don't go for the Slalom boards of your choice of manufacturer. Look at the next model down the line for more comfort, user friendliness and maybe durability. I have patrik Slalom & F-Race. F-Race plenty fast and a little easier on the body. Both fly on the fin very well. Ie Starboard Futura. Etc.

You'll get 101 recomendations, food for thought read this thread www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Windsurfing/General/Cobra-Build-quality-?page=1
Personally I love my Carbon Arts, custom made in New Zealand and you can talk/email James who builds them if you're going new.
Cheers and good luck.

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LeeD said..
I suspect manufacturers and designers expect sailors of state of the art slalom boards to hardly ever fall, never get launched, and never allow the board to hit hard objects.
Otherwise, Fast Freeride.

Same reason you can't drive F1 car around town.


I agree look at freerace, they are all fragile compared to wave or FSW, if you find something with a full carbon-innegra deck and hopefully also wood reinforcement somewhere you would be doing well

Windtechs are very well built but he only has one 90 ltre left ( profile pic) and after that you won't be able to get them any more..

www.surf-magazin.de/boards/freerace/test-2020-freeraceboards-gegen-worldcup-boliden

Thats a good read for slalom v freerace options, but they cant comment on long term durability.

Garry here uses Tabou Manta, 61, 71 an 85 sizes, with GA slalom sails, 100kg, sails whenever its windy, goes out for long sessions and does a lot of miles. He sails mainly in Poole harbour, so flat to choppy, or Portland now and then which is flat. He has the weight and skill to just keep going in 30 knots of wind and chop without slowing down, unless he crashes. He had that crash in chop at Weymouth Speed Week around 2014, if you have seen it on video.
He keeps his boards a couple of years and I've never seen an issue with construction with his boards. IIRC, just 1 minor crack on the nose after a catapult. I cant recall him having construction issues like soft spots and the like, if anyone was going to, it would be Garry, he breaks loads of kit I think Tabou changed their construction to make the decks stronger, double PVC layer or whatever, quite a few years ago, maybe 2014??
Then its down to random Cobra board construction issues. His foil board needed a nose repair and the repairer sanded the paint back to repair and noticed there wasnt much material there before the PVC sandwich, when making the board they had sanded too much off. The board was over a year old so no warranty (not sure if he asked them, I didnt ask).
www.gps-speedsurfing.com/default.aspx?mnu=user&smnu=sessions&uid=18265
The other slalom board sailors I know are sponsored so have new boards each year or dont rack up the miles like Garry.

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LeeD said..
I suspect manufacturers and designers expect sailors of state of the art slalom boards to hardly ever fall, never get launched, and never allow the board to hit hard objects.
Otherwise, Fast Freeride.

I've never understood why they make slalom boards so light that you can pick them up with your little finger, and you only have to look at the nose and it will break, yet rider's connect rigs onto them that you need two arms and your back into it in order to lift up ??

Yes 101 options on go fast boards, so I'll add my 2 cents for Carbon Art boards and James's great work. I spend most of my time running small sharp chop, flat and doing lots of distance stuff. My oldest is a 2009 SL 52 which is still charging hard and pulling 41,s on the right days. Yes it's had a bit of repair work but it's still part of my quiver for those big distance days.
Got a few of his latest designs and they are just as good and fast. The SL 120 is a light wind weapon but can still go fast and it's still teaching me how to sail better. There's a reason that you won't find many of these boards available on the second hand market. We love them like our children, they work and they don't break.

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jn1 said..
I've never understood why they make slalom boards so light that you can pick them up with your little finger, and you only have to look at the nose and it will break, yet rider's connect rigs onto them that you need two arms and your back into it in order to lift up ??

Carbon, has very high tensile strength, but inferior to glass for when it comes to impacts. A typical carbon deck on slalom board, from top to bottom, will be Sytrofoam, then glass then, then high density foam, then carbon. The carbon mainly works in tension so has great strength to resist the bending force say between your mast foot and your own feet. It has little impact strength. The laminate on the bottom of the board resists bending in the other direction. They could put several of glass layers on on top for impact purposes like the do with less than 100% masts, which would make it heaver and considerably more ding resistant, but not necessarily resist snapping.

Or you do a carbon/kevlar deck that has the same tensile strength but with much better impact resistance, for not much extra weight. This is what all the top freestyle boards seem to have, or you could design it like a wave board, but in the bigger sizes 140L or so, it would not be as nice.

If want to keep these boards for a long time, learn how to repair the deck, with a vacuum bag. It not hard to do, unless you want to keep the cosmetics perfect.

For sure the durability could be improved, but with production volumes, and the constant development that goes on slalom, which may just be going around in circles... It is not likely to happen anytime soon.

New Slalom boards are a marvel. The "standard shape" now in place, "parallel lines in the mid zone, narrow curve on the tail and wide curve toward the nose", heavily scooped deck in front, thick tail, makes boards that are super easy to ride. In my experience a huge improvement in control not only with respect to the 2007-2010 years you refer to (my Isonic 111, and especially Carbon Art 58, the 52 was ok), but to more recent boards (my Patrik 100). I have now a Starboard Futura 71 (109L), and an AV Modena 60 (88L), and thinking to get an AV Modena 72.5 (118L).

Durability has never been a problem for me, I am 68 Kg, and the only board I ever damaged was a Starboard FSW 81 that got a broken nose after I "catapulted" while slogging at four knots in big chop! The Carbon Art were ok, although mine had strangely "soft" and easily damaged rails, a friend of mine (80Kg) suffered a soft deck at the rear straps after one season.

But those are anecdotes. I bet you cannot go wrong with most slalom offerings. Starboard, RRD, AV are sure bets.

And at 80% of current windsurfer skill level, slalom boards are out of reach.
Since you've been out sooooo long, your skills are way down, just get a freeride board.

You will figure out what you like eventually. So, for now, just get a durable freeride board and catch up your skills and experience on it.

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LeeD said..
And at 80% of current windsurfer skill level, slalom boards are out of reach.
Since you've been out sooooo long, your skills are way down, just get a freeride board.

Last September i find a windsurfer on the beach and when he finish his session i ask for a beach start. Was like a bike that u cannot forget. I put the harness and try for a jibe, everything goes well except that I couldn't get on the harness easy and i need more strength in my arms than I excepted.
was too much powerful for me now. But the technique for the jibe was almost ok. i miss the noise when the water hit the board.
To be honest i am lil disappointed cause the weak durability about general slalom boards.
So i have to check maybe for custom boards, or another thread for super fast freeride freerace boards that are durable also.
please if anyone else have any suggestion let me know
By the way, you help me realise how nice are the twin tip kiteboards that u never have any problem of this..
when we talk about directional boards of course is the same as windsurf boards

The good news for buying slalom boards +/- 100l is that they are relatively cheap second hand, as the market for small slalom boards is small. Most people just sail the larger slalom boards, and wave/FSW for smaller boards. If you live somewhere which is generally light winds, if a sponsored rider gets a set of 61/71/85 then its likely the smallest wont be used that much.
And if the board is a few seasons old, all the better. Because slalom boards generally are updated every year, it will be perceived as 'old', but will still be very fast.
eg in the UK, a very little used 2019 Tabou Manta 106l and he wants GBP850. New they are over 2000.

www.facebook.com/commerce/listing/636658657662151

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Ermis said..

LeeD said..
And at 80% of current windsurfer skill level, slalom boards are out of reach.
Since you've been out sooooo long, your skills are way down, just get a freeride board

...
To be honest i am lil disappointed cause the weak durability about general slalom boards.
So i have to check maybe for custom boards, or another thread for super fast freeride freerace boards that are durable also.
please if anyone else have any suggestion let me know...

Unless the custom, or semi-custom, or smaller-enterprise board builder let you choose a stronger build, there is no guarantee at all that the board will be stronger. All the talk about this maker is better than that one, is just talk. It all boils down to weight. Do you want a 5 Kg 100L slalom board? It will be fragile, no matter who builds it.

If strength is so important to you, get a Slalom or Freerace board from somebody who actually gives you build choices. For example Flikka flikkaboards.com/boards/slalom/. They can build it any way you want, and they have stronger-options lay ups available.

I guess this also refers to the cobra thread too...

Slalom boards have to stay light, if you dont like it go freerace or find a brand that does a second "sturdier" construction.

I wonder what some people do to their boards, do they catapult in such a way that they hold on & sail chops down onto nose? Abandon ship or get some rotation on your catapult will mostly save nose & rails. If you're sailing some sort of surf/dumpy shorebreak spot then I get the crunched rails. Another thing I used to see often is guys axe kicking their board in water starting or instead of falling away from board dropping down onto board with knees. No board will survive these things.

I started sailing in 90s, since then i've had nearly 80 boards at last count (im sure i've forgotten a few), approx 2/3rds have been slaloms or speed. About half have been purchased new & in all those i've only had 1 warranty claim (touch wood), this was actually the very first new board I bought when I was 16, a cobra built strapper slalom which had the paint peel off the bottom but more dire the fin box delaminated.

I used to sail more & further for a long time im not a distance person, but I'm heavy & do like to push boards hard through the chop. Quite a few have started to go what I feel is a bit floppy (but those that purchased them have had many more years) or get some negative v but i've been happy with pretty much all of them.

I think only real damage has been snapping 2 boards (waiting on another not far from it), very occasional nose from hitting wildlife/sandbanks/rocks, heel crushing under footpads, fin through board, sailing into rocks or being careless & dropping board when putting up on rack. I do tend to hold onto boards for a few years until I see a change worthwhile changing for.

The majority of those slaloms is fanatic falcons (16) & isonics (11). Some of the old grey falcons of various years where a bit lightly built but I did a hell of alot of sailing on them particular old falcon 131 which felt no where near as solid as new falcons. Isonics the carbons always seemed a bit too light but aside from some of the early carbons snapping due to design & the 2017 & after debacles most have been great.

For those nostalgia guys sorry but alot of fibreglass boards sucked & so did the plastics compared to even freerides today. I preferred carbon to every plastic model ive ever sailed... thommens/sputniks, vivaces, fanatics, mistrals, tigas, hiflys always imo the carbon was nicer. Yes there were some nice boards in plasticy construction- the first non slalom board I learnt to love f2 Air, those blue/greeny mistrals but they'd be much nicer in modern carbon (& imnegra for those type of boards).

All boards fail including carbon arts ive seen die, not because there was anything wrong with the build but from receiving a ton of use. Until starboard went all hippie all cobra boards seemed to be pretty similar longevity wise (there have been a few constructions which seemed like a great idea which weren't). & from what i've had & seen in the vietnam built boards they really dont last much better. Warranties exist for a reason & unless it's poor material choice no brand is sitting above each worker watching them put down the laminates.

Wood I liked in some boards & it does seem to hold up well but it ages bad compared to a painted/tinted board. I've seen flexy boards last a long time & solid super stiff boards fail quick & vice versa on both, you just can't pick it & have to trust the make. Personally I prefer to stick to standard constructions... carbon, carbon/glass, carbon/innegra, carbon/kevlar or wood. No eco resins, no eco foams, no fancy carbons or other cloths (though I do have some basalt here to try out), bamboo don't know & be wary of nose protectors & deck eva foams they hide cracks & leaks.

& i think nostalgia guys also forget how many australian built "customs" ended up in landfill because they fell apart.

That all said I think my current 13 boards will probably be my last production boards & time permitting i'll start making my own. I've been saying this for ages though & get distracted by something shiney with new production boards . Nothing much has or is likely to change with fin boards for some time, just changes getting tuned around sail/fin/pro riders or for yearly fashion/change for sake of change.

& carbon or glass nice & easy to repair, cant say same for plastic, innegra, kevlar, bamboo or wood.