Test : Kona One

The weather has been very, very good for more than 2 weeks (2 may till 14 may) in Belgium. With temperatures of 27°C Belgium was the warmest place in Europe! The downside was that we only had some thermal winds during this period.

I got a Kona One from the shop to test. At least I thought I was going to test it but it turned out I had to wait for my turn.

In the morning there was no wind at all and the kids used the board to peddle and play. The soft deck is great for this.



In the afternoon my wife took the board. I rigged an old Saber although it had been 2 years since she last surfed she
was cruising around immediately without any problem.



Then I took over, started with some light wind "freestyle". (have to get rid of that JP sticker)



Then suddenly the wind went to 12-14 knots. I rigged my RS6 8.4 and went out. With the dagger board out you can go really good upwind to prepare for
the good gusts. I collapsed the dagger board and the board gradually accelerated onto the plane.
Once you step into the foot straps the board rides flatter on the water. From that moment the board actually feels smaller because on the reduced water contact.
This is the effect of the ducktail. Then the board accelerates a second time. The board also jibes good. Again the effect of the duck tail.





Conclusion. Very versatile board.

Test : Exocet Warp Slalom 73 at the Wild Games

Sunday 27th of April I went to the Kabbelaarsbank to join the fun slalom event called The Wild Games. This event is one of three events called the The 3-games. Since I already sold my Sonic 125 I didn't have a light wind slalom board. My local surf shop Zwemer managed to get a Exocet Warp Slalom 73 which I could pickup directly from the distributor.




In the morning the winds were very light. Together with the RS6 8.4 and Select RS7 45 cm I went out. In the beginning there wasn't a lot of wind. The board floats very well for my 86 kg. When the first gust came the board quickly jumped onto the plane. I immediately felt at home. The foot straps at the correct spot. “Very comfortable footpads with heel bumpers.”



Then the fun slalom started. During the first 2 manches the wind was so light that I could hardly plane. There were some guys using 12m2 sails and formula boards!!! The start was always a full fleet start (40-50 competitors) which made it difficult to get a good start. Since I was on a test board I didn't want to risk damage during the crowdy starts so I started a bit later. Light guys or big sails got the advantage.




Later on when the wind even increased a bit more I started to feel the difference. Because of the comfortable ride over the chop you gain a lot of confidence which allows you the push the board harder and get better board speed. The board feels light and sporty.





During the next 2 manches I managed some better starts and I was overtaking some guys. Overall results here.

Exocet is now introducing their new Slalom range. These boards will be lighter and stiffer and will still have the famous DDSA (Double Density Shock Absorbers). They are using the same technology as they did on their new Formula, "The Black Beast".



I'm already on the list to test one of these.