Testing out a mint condition 1996 Mistral Electron to compare it to more modern type boards. At 88 liters, 263 cm long, 54.3 cm wide, 16.7 lbs, Power Box & four strap setup, I don’t have a modern board to compare it to.
I tested this board at Sherman Island on a flood tide in winds barely approaching 20 knots with a Sailworks 5.5 Retro. The forecast was for mid 20’s so I was hoping to give this board a proper testing with sub 5 meter sails.
Slogging: This board slogged well up wind, you just have to stand farther forward than with modern boards.
Getting on a plane: This board is slower to get on a plane. There is much more drag and a greater potential for catapult. I had to point farther down wind to get the board fully on a plane before heading up wind.
On the plane: The board goes up wind well & carries plenty of speed. The ride is harsher probably because of the super thin pads.
Tacking: The longer nose takes much more effort & time to push through the wind making tacks more difficult than on a 20 to 40 cm shorter board.
Jibe: This board prefers a more back foot oriented jibe. If I tried to jibe off my front foot with the sail forward the board bogged down & lost too much speed. Jibing more off my back foot with the sail farther back kept the nose higher, shortened the water line & helped the board keep speed though the jibe.
In summary, I think this board would be happier being sailed fully to overpowered. Sailing in marginal powered conditions is much more work than on a modern board.
Негізгі бет 1996 Mistral Electron
No video
Пікірлер