The Starboard Futura is designed alongside Starboards full blod slalom board, iSonic. Like the iSonic the Futura has gone through some fine-tuning for 2011. Starboard claims that the new version has improved the Futuras ability to maintain top speed in lulls, improved planing ability and improved exit speed when it comes to jibing.
The Starboard Futura comes with high quality foot-straps and a Drake Venom 40 cm designed by C3.
The new Starboard Futura 111 holds its position as one of the fastest, if not the fastest, boards within the freerace segment. The Starboard Futura will give you slalom performance that is easy to access and it is also really easy to get around the corners.
Hard facts – Starboard Futura 111
Manufacturer: Starboard, star-board.com
Length: 240 cm
Width: 68 cm
Volume: 111 L
Weight: 6,62 (Wood Carbon) 6,98 (Wood) 7,78 (Technora)
Sail range: 5,0 – 8,0
Fin range: 32 – 42 cm
Windsurf (UK) May 2011 – Starboard Futura 111
Starboard Futura is designed alongside Starboard iSonic slalom boards as a high performance free racer though less technical than the iSonic to sail. On the underside it has a subtle vee double concave into vee in the tail, with large cut-outs.
The Starboard Futura is a very quick board, especially in rougher conditions where the comfort and control of the ride allows you to generate more speed than many other boards, even race boards. In the corners the narrow tail makes it excellent for cranking round fast carves, the Futura can turn tight or wide and holds great speed for the exit.
Board Magazine UK) May 2011 – Starboard Futura 111
The Futura takes a lot of its design characteristics from the iSonic, and the similarities in performance are evident as soon as you get it wet. On flat water the Futura is instantly likeable. The Futura was the fastest board of this group on flat water, and impressively one of the easiest to get the best from. You really don’t need much technique to go fast on this board, and it rides so comfortably at speed as well.
In bigger chop and waves, it isn’t quite so controllable. We found the low nose can get knocked around a bit by the waves, sometimes sending the board off the wind, but most of the time just tapping the water enough to slow the board down a bit.
Early planing is very good on the Futura – best in the group in fact. The Futura is also really nice in the gybes. Advanced gybers and racers will be impressed with the ease at which you can change the arc of the turn mid-gybe.
Leave a Reply