Test Winning Freerace Board
The Futura is Starboard's freerace board. Freerace boards are designed to go extremely fast, like slalom boards, but with more user-friendliness and more comfort. They are the sports cars of windsurfing.
When it was first introduced in 2008, Starboard Futura's revolutionary design redefined the freerace category: its 15% thinner profile and its wider outline, inspired by the evolution of modern slalom boards, offered the casual freerider a board that was very stable at low speed yet extremely fast and powerful throughout an incredibly wide wind range. On top of these benefits, the thinner shape made for better jibing and more control. It was a win-win design leap forwards, without any compromises needed.
After taking two years to get itself established, the Futura has become the clear market leader and the new performance benchmark. In 2011, the Futura won every comparative test it entered: the Planchemag test, the Wind magazine test, the Windsurf magazine test, the Boards/Boardseeker test and the Surf magazine test.
For 2012, Starboard continues to offer the Futura in six sizes and two technology options. The 111, 121, 131 are new shapes.
The 2012 Futura comes with a choice of two constructions, Wood and Carbon. Both constructions include Starboards "ProtectFilm" - UV protection for wood. All constructions are shown in the main pictures above.
Special note on construction: Starboard's Carbon, Wood and Technora technologies have been merged into two technology options for 2012: Carbon and Wood. The Carbon is the lightest and stiffest option. The Wood is a hybrid between last year's Wood and Technora, to offer a blend of high rigidity, high comfort and more value. Put simply, last year's Technora construction price, moves to the Wood construction this year - offering great value.
Wood Construction
Developed by Jean Louis Colmas in 1984, Wood Technology became Starboard's trademark construction in 1995. Starboard's production Wood boards then set the lead in lightweight sandwich technology, weighing in at a kilo under the competition, yet with higher impact resistance. A sheet of 0.6 mm Australian plantation pine wood forms the full outer shell of the board. Wood's unique properties are its natural rigidity, superior resistance to compression and higher energy absorption compared to carbon. It is the construction with the highest dynamic shape stability.
Advantages: lighter weight, highest dynamic shape stability, rigid flex, quicker response.
Carbon
Pure carbon construction both deck and bottom: Carbon Technology is selected on the light wind racing models where the key criteria are acceleration efficiency and maximum hull stiffness. Like WoodCarbon, Carbon Technology uses an ultra light carbon fibre that is flat-weaved for total mechanical efficiency at half the specific weight of regular carbon weaves.
Advantages: lightest weight, stiffest flex for lightwind racing.
The 2012 Futura comes in six sizes. The specifications for the boards are shown below.
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