😲 I tried the OLDEST WINDSURF BOARD I could find

Thanks. Very interesting to me. I am a 75 yr old windsurfer who is considering upgrading my old gear and buying the latest, greatest board. After watching this, I am more likely to do that. And, as a photographer, I have to say that fin-windsuring is still the most photogenic windsport. Yes, foil-windsurfing, kiteboarding and winging are cool. But to me, fin-windsurfing is still the most beautiful.

I'm 25, windsurfing for 6 months and personally the older boards have always been more fun and responsive to me coming from a surfing background Personal favorite board is an old, yellow F2 277 A beautiful board, looks like a racecar and when matched with an old 3.7m Neil pryde core... it comes so alive in anything above 15knots Just climes out the water and flies like a bird

The advantage of the older narrow shapes would not be experienced in the flat water conditions that Nico was sailing in. Carrying speed in rough, choppy, bumpy conditions is where boards like that old JP really shine. My old F2 Axxis 258 was a similar shape that really excelled in high wind choppy conditions.

I read the 15 first comments and will write basically the same : 54, windsurfing since 1979, riding an 94 Naish Vector (250€ online) and riding also JP, Fanatic, the things are more complicated than being obviously in favor of newer boards. Older boards are more responsive yes often, and once you have the speed, they jibe more easily. Narrow boards behave better in chops yes, and I remember talking with a windsurf shop manager looking at me like if I was totally out of my mind saying the old Naish Vector jibes "better" (effortless) than modern large boards, even if you loose planning quicker on the outter curve for sure. So all in all, for average riders, buy these old boards for 10 times less money than newer ones, they're built like tanks and still get you on the water for nothing. Maybe the rule would be to take 10 liters more than you would on modern boards, but otherwise, they still rock big time !

I still use old boards for the simple reason, they are cheap. I have only just got back into windsurfing after a 35 year break. New boards are so expensive. To me it’s all about getting on the water and having fun. And the old boards certainly are fun 🤙🏼

Nice to see many of us ‘older’ windsurfing people about and still being enthusiastic about our sport after the diversion to kite surfing, wing foiling, windsurf foiling. 😁👍

I still love my Sunset Slalom I bought when I was 16. Now I’m 52 and it looks still brand new. 😊

I am 52 and have been windsurfing for last 40 years so I have tried all kinds of boards. Used to sail f2 bullit 115 and that board was so versitale and I had great fun with it for years, then I have switched to f2 axxis 261 85l and it was fantastic bump and jump slalom board for middle and high winds. After that f2 sputnik 270, very fast and very tecnhical and then I got to more modern slalom boards which are quite easier, more comfortable and have broader range of use for sure.

Comparing those 2 boards is like comparing a road cycling bike to a mountain bike. You're not comparing apples to apples. The older 85 liter board size is where wave boards begin. That size of board needs a lot of nose to keep it from catching, have more rounded rails, and have a lot more bottom rocker to make it work in the waves. All of those traits will definitely make it slower. No one is going to take a 110 liter slalom board into waves that the 85 liter board would be perfectly happy in.

Hi Nico, nice video and idea. Just 2 years ago I changed from a 1999 Fanatic Bee 260 (85L) to 2021 JP FSW 94. Honestly the Bee is mich lighter than the FSW, even the FSW has been the lighter version. My impression ist similar, the new board is easier and has more control, but If you habebthe skills the Bee is even better in jibes, especially If you want to keep planing. Also early planing the Bee is Not worse than the FSW, even with 10L less and using the same sail. The benefit for me with the FSW is the width which allows me to use larger fins and sails. So at the end the range gets wider. For your test maybe a flater sail would have worked better with the old board. Good luck for Pozo now. Jochen

For me, 66 yr old guy JP is a "new" brand. And any board with the term 'Freeride' printed on it is kind of the new generation. When was the term Freeride introduced, around 2000 ? Windsurfing started around 1976 ? In the mid 90's there was the most stupid period in windsurfing ; new "No Nose" designed boards with fatty backs and pointed noses (menhir shape), and the widest part of the board way back of the mast position... Luckily, that fashion went away.... Did I see a Mistral Screamer in the rack? That was my favorite board, around the 2000's, me thinks.. THE most succesful board of the late 80's early 90's was the F2 SUNSET of course. The original all around slalom board. Love your vids, Nico!

Well-produced and fun to watch, thanks for that. Although for an actual comparative test I think the conditions were too easy. Anything sails nicely at 25-30 knots on super-flat water. Taking it out in the chop or small waves would reveal more differences. Ideally you would also allow the rider to get used to the board and adjust his technique. But I understand that would take way too much time of course. Funny to see how close the measure speeds actually were!

48 years old and I always use my fanatic mega ray 276. Very old shape like me 😅. Pure "no nose" slalom. Construction carbon sandwich. I agree with you, modern shapes should be easier but so expensive. Always a pleasure yours videos 👍

I used to have that f2 Sputnik on the museum rack. It was awesome - fastest thing on the water at the time. Would love to see a comparison with a modern slalom board.

“Oldest board he could find” 😂😂😂 He should come to my house. I don’t have my old “Windsurfer One Design” from 1984 anymore. But I definitely still have a “Mistral Stinger” from 1992 up in the garage rafters. think there might be an old “Mistral Ecstasy” from the mid 90’s behind a couple old motorcycles in the shed. But it would be like a game of “Jenga” to get back there. 2 old JP boards…why I keep old delaminated boards is a mystery. I probably have 20 old windsurfing boards under the house. I think the centipedes have built a civilization in there. When I die, my kids will probably just burn the place down and start from scratch. Easier than cleaning up.

When I was 18 my first board was a Fanatic Bee 294. It was fun !!

Fahr mal an den Stausee Bautzen surfen, da siehst du Rentner auf Brettern und Segeln rumfahren, dagegen ist das Board hier brandneu :D.

Hola Nico, tengo 59 años y he navegado todo. Creo que la condicion de test no era la mejor. Y no veo la comparacion de una tabla de 85L a 111L . La tabla para testear era la Sputnik F2 100L o 110L o simil. La sputnik 280 era la tabla buscada en esa epoca, era la tabla top de Bjorn ganaba todo. Ahi vi una 275, tal vez esa era ''la tabla''. Muy rapida. SIn duda la evolucion del windsurf ha sido tremenda, para bien. Pero con mucho chopy no son tan malas. Rukovsky en otro video ha corrido con slalom antiguos y comparado lo moderno. Saludos de Argentina.

You need to try the sputnik. They were really really quick even held the world record for a production board

Interesting video Nico. I sailed similar boards and have a Copello 270 slalom which is heading to a new home tomorrow. Good fun but as you say the modern kit is so much more balanced.