For those of you chasing the ultimate all round freerider the Starboard Carve range is a great place to start your search -

These are sold out here in Australia for this year but you MAY still be able to find one at you local shop..

Take note of the Isonic feature question at the end of the review -in the against section- very interesting point considering Starboard's new Freeride concept for 2008 that looks set to Eclipse the already awesome performance of the current Carve range..

Here are some exerpts from the review:

Ride and Handling

On the water the 133 is still a fantastically versatile large freeride board, being easy and uncomplicated for the intermediate sailor, yet with plenty of performance on tap for the more experienced hand. Planing early, it releases quickly as the power is applied, the fin generating plenty of lift to punch the board clear of the water. It has a low planing threshold making it easy to move back to the tail early and locate the straps, with plenty of options to locate the excellent no-twist straps according to rider preference. Once planing the board does tend to ride quite nose high, confirming that there is a lot of rocker in the board, albeit disguised by the fact it starts early and is very progressive. Nevertheless, we didn't witness any major side effect such a windage when using the board in powered conditions, whereas the shoulders are sure to remain clear of any rogue chop. Partner the board with an efficient sail and it can be driven purposefully to reach an impressive top speed, feeling looser and more responsive than we remember underfoot, whilst also easy to trim correctly.

Manoeuvres
In the gybe the Carve is still right up there with the best, offering a great deal of versatility and response to adapt to any rider style of ability. Enter the turn tentatively and the board provides the guidance and support to finish the manoeuvre off, giving the passenger a good chance of coming out of the turn on the plane. Push it in more forcefully and you can feel the rails bite, providing the confidence to tighten the arc up midway through the turn. In the tack the wide nose and flat deck do their part to ensure the transition has every chance of completion.

For: Carving versatility, speed and performance to grow into.

Against: Could the board's range be extended further with the brand's low nose outline as seen on the iSonic?

VerdictWhilst witnessing only minor refinements over recent seasons, the 133 remains right on the pace in this category, being both forgiving for the ambitious intermediate and exciting to ride for the seasoned sailor.

great review but buyers be ware these boards are very soft dont drop your marst on the nose if you do you will be up for costly repairs and dont wear booties cause they will leave dents on the deck beware these boards are soft regards bazz ps you cant buy nose protectors they dont sell them

great review but buyers be ware these boards are very soft dont drop your marst on the nose if you do you will be up for costly repairs and dont wear booties cause they will leave dents on the deck beware these boards are soft regards bazz ps you cant buy nose protectors they dont sell them

Monster, I've owned more Starboards than I care to mention. I've never had the problems you are discussing. It sounds as though you have had a bit of bad luck. I'm pretty rough on kit and since being on Starboard never had any heel dents or any of the drama I suffered on the previous brands. And over the front, hitting the nose hard is going to damage any board. If you are a heavy weight rider the best option is the timber deck version. Aside from being lighter and stiffer they do have a lot more strength than other designes. In the models discussed here I had in Dram Carve 111 x 2, a 131 and 145. All of these were very durable. I now have all wood boards bar one, and they are better again. Was your board new? What happened to the nose? A drop of the rig that wasn't going over the front shouldn't do any damage. I dropped mine many times in days gone by with no problem at all. That was one of the reasons I stuck to Starboard. They are very durable.

hi qldsalty first ride on the carve the nose was smashed i missed a gybe , if it was a catapult i could under stand and the severne sail has a lot of padding and yes the board is new . i am heavy 100kg but my old jp never crumbled like the carve did regards bazz[}:)]

monster, don't mean to 'gang' up on you, I've got a JP xcite (not wave board, but still a board), damaged board on the 2nd, 3rd & 4th time on water at which point required fairly big repairs. I don't see why more boards don't go with the padded nose (starboard go-fanatic cross).

P.S. I don't own any starboard products, but I think i'd like to!

quote:

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Originally posted by Sailhack

monster, don't mean to 'gang' up on you, I've got a JP xcite (not wave board, but still a board), damaged board on the 2nd, 3rd & 4th time on water at which point required fairly big repairs. I don't see why more boards don't go with the padded nose (starboard go-fanatic cross).

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Thanks Sailhack there ya go, I feel so much better now and the whole time I presumed I was being a rough bonehead and shouldn't be allowed to own a JP X-cite ride (2007)
Busted mine first day on nose, again two weeks later, after I got it fixed (then thought maybe I should have stuck to the trusty BIC Techno) got it fixed and busted it again some four weeks later "while" fitted with a hardened nose cap. This time I did own repair until season end then think about getting repaired professionally.
First two times just a mast bang over the nose, last time was a good over the handle bars. But do think they are a soft spot on most boards, and manufactures have the ability to toughen this area up, but elect not too.

mineral 1 your on the money there, but at least you buy a nose protector for jp,s when i enquired abought one for the starboard or is that SOFTBOARD I was told from auswind and i quote we dont sell them because we think they devalue boards. being a shipright i buit my own but the deck is my real concern ; any one else got this problem or am i just to heavy regards and thanks to all bazz