Novenove Boards, Fin News and Ideal Quiver -1

Hi

Novenove Boards
Juan from Spain e-mailed me about Novenove boards asking if I had heard about them.  It so happens that I have been following this brand since their inception in 2008.  Cesare Cantagalli was one of the great windsurfers back in the 80's and 90's and I always had the feeling that his boards would be special.  Juan pointed out that both Finian and Pascal Toselli have joined the brand.  We may be seeing a shake-up in the usual brand order this season.  I think that I mentioned in an earlier post how I felt that Pascal was unlucky not to have been on the podium at the end of 2014.  This man rocks a slalom course and is capable of winning every single time out.

This is their Carbon Nano Slalom board.  I am always excited to see the word 'nano' in a description but suspect that this is just clever marketing

This is their Revo freeride board.  I like the high tech materials

Local Fins
Robbie Bense was here the other day and we spoke briefly about the line of fins he is developing. He has named the brand Zulu Fins and they have begun to perform fantastically on the water with Robbie dominating in recent race meetings.  He tells me that he has made over 80 fins (so far) in his quest, and finally has something which meets his own exacting requirements.  In the hand, these foils are really stiff at the base (no flex, no bend) and towards the tip they are quite bendy but still with very little twist.  Robbie is one of those windsurfers who combines massive levels of strength and sailing ability with a passion for the sport.  A good combination for anyone making and testing fins!  I will take some pictures of these blades when he is next here (if I remember).




Ideal Quiver 1
Here are some initial thoughts about an ideal quiver.  Boards first -

• Big Board (85 cm wide)                                       JP 85 Slalom           2015

I have the feeling that this machine is going to be excellent - simple, light, fast.

• Medium Board (75 cm wide)                          Fanatic 74 Falcon      2015

 

• High Wind (60-66 cm wide)                       Tabou 3S 106 LTD      2015

                   













For someone of my weight this is the base quiver I would select.  The two slalom models will handle your bigger race sails and the 3S will smoke with your 5.5 and 6.5 soft sails.  The Falcon will surprise you when you try it with the soft sails and a small fin.  Massive speed, easy control and massive fun.

Most of us are restricted to the kit available from our local dealer so here, we would need to substitute equivalent Tabou boards (Manta 85, Speedster75 and the 3S).

I'll talk about some sails in the next post

Good winds