After 8 months of waiting my Futura Carbon 71 is finally here. It is the replacement for the oh-so-very-old Isonic 111 from 2008! Board design has gone a long way, just looking at the most apparent measurements at roughly the same volume the board is shorter (228 vs 234), wider (71 vs 68.5), with a VERY recessed deck starting before the mast track, ultra-short mast track (about 8 cm, no double bolt, and it is inclined backward). Much thinner in front, thicker in the back, narrower tail ... and very complex cut outs compared to the simple ones on the old Isonic.

It looks bigger than the 111 and at my weight (69 Kg) and with a 7.5 it might put the final nail in the coffin of my lukewarm attempts at foiling ... although ... it got a foil box! Very curious to try it but for the last 2 months the biggest sail I rigged has been 5.4 ..

This season, so far around 80 days, I have used my 109 Supersport once, my Isonic 111 zero, my Skate 110 once, and my Speedster 100 3 times.
Which means over 50 days combined on 84-92 liter boards and no sail bigger than 5.7, with 5.0 used at least 25 days.

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LeeD said..
This season, so far around 80 days, I have used my 109 Supersport once, my Isonic 111 zero, my Skate 110 once, and my Speedster 100 3 times.
Which means over 50 days combined on 84-92 liter boards and no sail bigger than 5.7, with 5.0 used at least 25 days.

Glad to know that you are using your boards. This year January to March my Isonic has been around a dozen times with 6.5 or 7.5. Early April to now (mid June) the western Bay Area has been exceptionally windy, I sailed once with a 6.0 but otherwise always below 5.4. For more than a month I was on 3.7-4.7. The Futura, like the 111 it replaces, is my light wind weapon. Prime season for it is September to early March. I might be able to use the Futura next week, in a patch of low wind, and maybe post some commentary on it.

Below is a comparison of the cut outs. Quite a change! I am curious about the low end of the Futura versus the old Isonic ... We'll see.

I honestly think there is at most, a tiny difference in the various cutout shapes from all the different companies through the past 15 years.....or so.
As long as cutout exists, somewhat similar in size, it does the same thing as a different cutout shape.
Of course, you can't compare tiny cutouts to extremely huge cutouts. Here, there is a difference.
My old '10 Futura 111 cutout was totally different shape than my '10 Isonic cutout. Following years, now 11, cutout shape changes every year. As does exact size.

I'll be keen to hear how the two boards compare. I used to have a 2009 iconic 111.
I still have a 2012 futura 94 which is a great blasting board in rough water, smooth and good turn of speed.

Great looking board duzzi, i beat its a little rocket .

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Tardy said..
Great looking board duzzi, i beat its a little rocket .

After 2 and half months of sub-5.4 conditions, finally first time out in a unusual south-westerly in the 8 to 15 knots range. I do not have the 7.5 with me, and so I am out with a 6.5. Everything is out of wack, including the boom that is too low because of the recessed deck, but little by little I adjust things and the board feels very well balanced with the straps all the way back.

At my weight, 68 Kg, this is a very stable platform, even more so than the Isonic 111 (2008 model) due to the volume distribution. After more than a decade of use getting in the straps of the Isonic is easy, but on the Futura it is clearly easier to get in. It has a modern shape with a narrow curve on the tail and this, together with the slightly recessed strap position, seems to make the foot find the straps with no thought involved. The shape of the deck in the back is great and the foot can be positioned right on the rail with good strap support.

For the first runs I am lightly powered, and I am a bit suspicious of her passage over chop, that is particularly steep in the southwesterly. But eventually the wind kicks in around 15, maybe 20 knots in the gusts, which is plenty for being nicely powered up, and I am in for a treat. Take off is quick, the ride quiets down (!) and the chop disappears. It is very impressive. I am still not used to the board, but I just load it and there she goes, cruising over the saw-toothed chop and the small swell. I do a couple of broad reaches and the sensation of confidence just increases, I am still very new to the board but this is just cruising! It feels very much calmer than the Isonic that is very good at flattening confused seas but has a clear edge to it and is rough in chop.

Not so sure about the Drake 38 fins it comes with, but it is the first day ... next time I'll try with my Tectonics 40 to compare.

Speed? I did not even bother to GPS, but on this board it might be a secondary issue for me. At my weight this is my light wind board and with the local conditions I never broke the 10" 30 knots with the Isonic. The board would need to be loaded with 7.5-8.5 and doing so in the gusty conditions we get is above my skill level or desire. I expect the Futura to be in the same speed range, easily above 25 but sub 30, but for what I seen today this board seems to be a real improvement in terms of enjoyment compared to the old I-111. Highly refined is what comes to mind.

Of course this comparison does not apply much to current Isonics. They too have evolved significantly in the last 12 years.

That review jibes with my experience with 2010 Isonic 111 and 2010 Futura 111. Sold the Futura in '19.

Jives

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duzzi said..

Tardy said..
Great looking board duzzi, i beat its a little rocket .

It looks like it has a good pace but ... so much for the foil killer I just had a painful encounter with the truth. Out with 6.5 I am on the other side of a local bay slogging and my friend Robert arrives with his Starboard 177, F4 foil and 7.0. I am 68 Kg he is 100 Kg.. We turn around, I slog, he accelerates, gets on the foil and disappears at the horizon, comfortably up with massive angle to the wind. I slog back for about 2 miles, with the exception of 200 yards of planing.

True, I should have been on 7.5, and maybe I should have bought the next size up Futura. I am not so sure has a better low end of the 111 any longer ... too late. Still ... that foil run ... the starboard is a ship, 91 wide, 177L, if it were a fin one would need a 10 to make it go, but it took off in seemingly nothing with just a 7.0.

Sorry to give you more bad news, but I don't think any board would be a foil killer. Most of the time at my local, if the slappa's are on 7m sails and 110L boards, they'll still be slogging when I'm easily foiling away on a 4.8m wave sail, and I'm not using a big foil.

Luckily you have a foilbox

For sure, in breeze below 14, almost any foil gets going sooner than 7.0 and 110 slalom boards.
A 7.5 narrows the gap a tiny bit.
In SF Bay, this year, that is about 4 days out of 95 so far. And 80 of the 95 days, a 6.0 sail with a smaller board is the call.
I think I have 50 days this year on 92 liters and smaller, with sub 5.2 sails, at Berkeley Ca, the lightest wind spot that is considered "windsurfing" in SF Bay.

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swoosh said..
Sorry to give you more bad news, but I don't think any board would be a foil killer. Most of the time at my local, if the slappa's are on 7m sails and 110L boards, they'll still be slogging when I'm easily foiling away on a 4.8m wave sail, and I'm not using a big foil.

Luckily you have a foilbox

At 68 Kg is not that bad, I can count on the fingers of one hand the rare occasions when go down to slogging with 7.5 in the Bay Area, and a 4.8 foil will not work on those, as it would not have worked yesterday for my friend with his 100Kg. It was the performance of the racing foil that was stunning. But the Futura does have a foil box ... I even have a Flikka foil board. If the wind does not come back it might be time to give it a second try ... help me gods!

Lots of smaller guys tried and gave up foiling in SF area.
Just too few days that need foil.
At 200 lbs......foiling makes sense.
At 73 kg., I do enjoy foiling somewhat, but about 1.7 meter smaller sail than windsurfing...with a 1220 foil. Slow is made up for with upwind and down angles, cutting up windswells, and less load on the body. Leg workout..about the same as powered up slalom, but less intense and more adjustments more often.

Finally the wind is getting a bit less and in the last couple of days I have been able to take out the Futura 71 with my 6.5 ACX. Conditions from powered to well powered up to eventually, when I gained more confidence in the board, overpowered.

A 6.5 is not the best size for the Futura but nonetheless what a treat this board is. I am used to the old (2008) Isonic 111 that can become quite of an handful, but the Futura seems to go around the pond with complete confidence. Today I was out doing deep runs in overpowered conditions when I would generally be on my smaller slalom board, choppy and with some swell I was in complete easy control. Only at the jibe I was reminded that for my weight it is a boat of a board.

Love the outline of the board that seems to be the new standard for so many modern slalom boards: wide curve toward the nose, parallel rails in the mid zone, and a narrow curve to a rather narrow tail that makes the board feel soooo much smaller than on old style slalom "wide tail". It takes a bit of getting used to because the board can really turn if one pushes on the tail. Takes actually very little pressure to make the board turn.

It is a technical board, and I need to install longer harness lines, but after a little fidgeting it is very easy to keep in asset. Plenty effortless runs when the board just cruises along. It goes fast downwind, and can be railed effectively , and it is impressive upwind. Can't wait to try it with a more proper 7.5 ... and I am thinking to get a twin cam ACZ: for some reason I suspect this board would love more sail stability.

The stock fin, a 38 black G10 Drake/Deboichet is very fine, never spin out, seems fast enough and I mentioned the upwind capability. But I wonder what else one could try. Suggestions?

Anyway, very happy abut this board. 12 years of development really pay off, and it would seem that we are at the pinnacle of slalom board development. The many wings out today were quite in owe of the performance of the Futura: same upwind, twice the speed, wider range of use

Ah, forgot the negatives.

Strap position: they could be another centimeter or two out and it is really not clear why one would need a second set of inserts on the inside ... put straps there and you would probably kill the board ...

Weight: this is the carbon version and it is light but not ultra light. The foil box and second set of straps probably add 150-200 grams

Displacement sailing & uphaulng: I know it is silly, but it happens. It is very low on the water but floats my 70 Kg with no problem. Add 10 Kg to the pilot and the 77 would certainly be a better option.

Tack: this is harder than the Isonic 111. Maybe it is just the look of the board but the front has VERY little volume! A terrible tacker like myself is not too happy!

You really need to change the title of this post mate, theres not one futura built that gets near foils for light wind performance. This is what they call false advertising.

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duzzi said..


The stock fin, a 38 black G10 Drake/Deboichet is very fine, never spin out, seems fast enough and I mentioned the upwind capability. But I wonder what else one could try. Suggestions?

I thought the Futuras came with the Drake Ready to Race carbon fins. I've got 2 Downwind (36 & 46) and 1 Slalom 8 (38) fin and they offer decent performance for the money. They arent 100% carbon, guess round 60%.

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Maddlad said..
You really need to change the title of this post mate, theres not one futura built that gets near foils for light wind performance. This is what they call false advertising.

Foil Mythology. And no false advertising: at my weight the only foils that have lower wind threshold than my light wind boards are full on racing foils. Sure, a 208 liters Starboard Race Foil windsurf.star-board.com/products/foil-race/ will have a lower threshold than my 109 liters Futura, dah!

Nothing new, a 180 liters Formula board with a 10 or a 280 liters Phantom race have the same advantage.

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duzzi said..

Maddlad said..
You really need to change the title of this post mate, theres not one futura built that gets near foils for light wind performance. This is what they call false advertising.

Foil Mythology. And no false advertising: at my weight the only foils that have lower wind threshold than my light wind boards are full on racing foils. Sure, a 208 liters Starboard Race Foil windsurf.star-board.com/products/foil-race/ will have a lower threshold than my 109 liters Futura, dah!

Nothing new, a 180 liters Formula board with a 10 or a 280 liters Phantom race have the same advantage.

8-10kts can you get it going? Maybe it's not that light where you are. I've gotten my slingshot going somewhere around there....but either freeride or race foils will also give a lot more angle to the wind. Race foil angles are obscene compared to a fin. I was recently reminded of this when using a 9.5 on a 145L w/fin in 10-14kts. I could pump over the threshold and hold it for reaches, but when I tried to get just a little more wind angle, it was barely anything compared to my race foil. I'm also probably about 15kg heavier than you...


It's fine if you want to just do a bunch of reaching but it's also really fun to go hard upwind and then scary to come back hauling downwind at full speeds at pretty big angles

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aeroegnr said..

duzzi said..

Maddlad said..
You really need to change the title of this post mate, theres not one futura built that gets near foils for light wind performance. This is what they call false advertising.

Foil Mythology. And no false advertising: at my weight the only foils that have lower wind threshold than my light wind boards are full on racing foils. Sure, a 208 liters Starboard Race Foil windsurf.star-board.com/products/foil-race/ will have a lower threshold than my 109 liters Futura, dah!

Nothing new, a 180 liters Formula board with a 10 or a 280 liters Phantom race have the same advantage.

8-10kts can you get it going? Maybe it's not that light where you are. I've gotten my slingshot going somewhere around there....but either freeride or race foils will also give a lot more angle to the wind. Race foil angles are obscene compared to a fin. I was recently reminded of this when using a 9.5 on a 145L w/fin in 10-14kts. I could pump over the threshold and hold it for reaches, but when I tried to get just a little more wind angle, it was barely anything compared to my race foil. I'm also probably about 15kg heavier than you...


It's fine if you want to just do a bunch of reaching but it's also really fun to go hard upwind and then scary to come back hauling downwind at full speeds at pretty big angles

I am not sure about the minimum wind speed that would get me going, but I doubt that it is below 10 knots. I do not have an anemometer and around here light winds are VERY erratic, so hard to judge. But in very light winter days I am going at about the same time that freeride foils are. They might have a marginally lower threshold but nothing to speak about and are of course slower. A racing foil is a different story. It flies when I am on/off a plane.

If we had more steady lighter wind the right board for me would probably be a Futura 77, or similar but around 120 liters. Still with a 7.5, or bit bigger, it might add a couple of knots of low end ... but we don't have steady light breezes so it is kind of moot ...

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PhilUK said..

duzzi said..
The stock fin, a 38 black G10 Drake/Deboichet is very fine, never spin out, seems fast enough and I mentioned the upwind capability. But I wonder what else one could try. Suggestions?

I thought the Futuras came with the Drake Ready to Race carbon fins. I've got 2 Downwind (36 & 46) and 1 Slalom 8 (38) fin and they offer decent performance for the money. They arent 100% carbon, guess round 60%.

Yes, the fin is surprisingly good. I thought it was in "black G10", still a fiberglass laminate but with black pigment in it ...

But besides the material I am curious about something with a bit more lift for marginal wind conditions. Maybe just a Tectonics Raptor? tectonicsmaui.com/products/raptor-pwa-slalom

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duzzi said..

Maddlad said..
You really need to change the title of this post mate, theres not one futura built that gets near foils for light wind performance. This is what they call false advertising.

Foil Mythology. And no false advertising: at my weight the only foils that have lower wind threshold than my light wind boards are full on racing foils. Sure, a 208 liters Starboard Race Foil windsurf.star-board.com/products/foil-race/ will have a lower threshold than my 109 liters Futura, dah!

Nothing new, a 180 liters Formula board with a 10 or a 280 liters Phantom race have the same advantage.

There's nothing mythological about foils getting going in 8 knots as we do it regularly. You are taking some good drugs if you think your futura is planing in 8 knots haha. :P

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aeroegnr said..

duzzi said..

Maddlad said..
You really need to change the title of this post mate, theres not one futura built that gets near foils for light wind performance. This is what they call false advertising.

Foil Mythology. And no false advertising: at my weight the only foils that have lower wind threshold than my light wind boards are full on racing foils. Sure, a 208 liters Starboard Race Foil windsurf.star-board.com/products/foil-race/ will have a lower threshold than my 109 liters Futura, dah!

Nothing new, a 180 liters Formula board with a 10 or a 280 liters Phantom race have the same advantage.

8-10kts can you get it going? Maybe it's not that light where you are. I've gotten my slingshot going somewhere around there....but either freeride or race foils will also give a lot more angle to the wind. Race foil angles are obscene compared to a fin. I was recently reminded of this when using a 9.5 on a 145L w/fin in 10-14kts. I could pump over the threshold and hold it for reaches, but when I tried to get just a little more wind angle, it was barely anything compared to my race foil. I'm also probably about 15kg heavier than you...


It's fine if you want to just do a bunch of reaching but it's also really fun to go hard upwind and then scary to come back hauling downwind at full speeds at pretty big angles

Correct.

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Maddlad said..
There's nothing mythological about foils getting going in 8 knots as we do it regularly. You are taking some good drugs if you think your futura is planing in 8 knots haha. :P

8 kn on a Futura is normal using a 9m sail.

There is no reason to be insulting.

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Maddlad said..

duzzi said..

Maddlad said..
You really need to change the title of this post mate, theres not one futura built that gets near foils for light wind performance. This is what they call false advertising.

Foil Mythology. And no false advertising: at my weight the only foils that have lower wind threshold than my light wind boards are full on racing foils. Sure, a 208 liters Starboard Race Foil windsurf.star-board.com/products/foil-race/ will have a lower threshold than my 109 liters Futura, dah!

Nothing new, a 180 liters Formula board with a 10 or a 280 liters Phantom race have the same advantage.

There's nothing mythological about foils getting going in 8 knots as we do it regularly. You are taking some good drugs if you think your futura is planing in 8 knots haha. :P

Relax ... I am taking drugs daily but they are not the fun variety!

I just said that I doubt that my 109 liters, 71 cm wide Futura would plane in sub 10 knots, especially with a 7.5. The poor thing is a small low wind board! It only works as well as it does in weak breezes because I am 70 Kg. But a Futura 77 or 86 with a bigger sail would be a different story.

And to re-iterate: where I sail I do not see any freeride foil (or wing for that matter) do any better in the same low winds. And this, mind you, even if they are all actually bigger than my Futura or Isonic 111. They are Slingshots and JP and Naish, all in the 120-135 liters range. This might be because our "8 knots winds" are really 0 to 10, and so unreliable that they make windsurfing or windfoiling a tricky proposition. But again the only foil that around here have an advantage are the monster: 91-100 wide, 170-220 liters race foil with a big 7.8-9.0 sail. I see them frequently because the F4 guys train and test at one of the locations I sail at.

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duzzi said..

And to re-iterate: where I sail I do not see any freeride foil (or wing for that matter) do any better in the same low winds. And this, mind you, even if they are all actually bigger than my Futura or Isonic 111. They are Slingshots and JP and Naish, all in the 120-135 liters range. This might be because our "8 knots winds" are really 0 to 10, and so unreliable that they make windsurfing or windfoiling a tricky proposition. But again the only foil that around here have an advantage are the monster: 91-100 wide, 170-220 liters race foil with a big 7.8-9.0 sail. I see them frequently because the F4 guys train and test at one of the locations I sail at.

No joke, it's a lot of kit on the race gear, especially when you know you can just slap a fin on and get going. The Blast is 77cm wide and holds a 9.5 but I need to use my biggest 47cm weed fin (which is huge compared to the stock 44cm) to extend into the lower range. A lot of people don't like to pump freeride foils either, I've noticed.

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mathew said..

Maddlad said..
There's nothing mythological about foils getting going in 8 knots as we do it regularly. You are taking some good drugs if you think your futura is planing in 8 knots haha. :P

8 kn on a Futura is normal using a 9m sail.

There is no reason to be insulting.

Relax mate, i'm just having a laugh. As far as your "8 knots is normal" comment goes, i've never seen a futura of any size on the water in under 10 knots planing along with any size sail. Its only ever foils that are out and flying in those conditions, hence my skepticism of the op's comments and the title of this thread. To each their own though.

Remember....70 kg., experienced windsurfer, fit enough to pump, and located where winds are likely to exceed 18 knots 200 days a year, and where 7-13 is only somewhere else not located here.

Finally a few days with 7.5 and as a result some possibly useful info for others looking for a light wind finned board.

As I was a bit afraid after taking it around with 6.5 the board turns out to be on the small side with respect to the old Isonic 111. When I ordered it I thought that the dimensions were similar. Same volume, but strongly piled in the back on the Futura. Isonic 234 long, 68.5 wide, 49.9 tail, the Futura 228, 71 wide and 45 tail. But at the end of the story the Futura is smaller, not much, maybe a quarter size, but it is enough to loose some crucial pick up going from slogging to planing in 7.5.

The moral of the story is that the board is great, but at 70 Kg I need at least 10 more liters of volume for this to qualify as a "foil killer". Heavier guys take note!

Futura 77 or Isonic 72 at the horizon ...