My Reviews

This board is a lot of fun. It works very well with 6.8 metres and with my largest sail, a 3 cam 8.1 metre (AHD say maximum sail is 11sqm but the 8.1 is big enough for me). The extra stability of the board enabled me to start getting round on my gybes and after a while I could do six or seven on the trot. With all that practice under my belt I started to get round on my smaller boards but the foundation for that success was the FD77. When people talk to you about the board they seem convinced that it's too wide to cope with chop and what if the wind gets up they say. Well, it copes very well with chop giving a cushioned ride that flattens out the bumps and on the occasions that I have been caught out in stronger winds it doesn't threaten to bury its nose, the only thing I worried about was how fast I was going!

Mistral Flow 284 (1999 Model)

I have owned this board for 4 years now, its been to Egypt twice and I have to say I still enjoy sailing it. In Egypt I use it with 4.7 up to 6.8 so its a good 'one board' especially if the place you sail has many lighter wind days. In the UK I also use it with a 7.4. Mistral say it will take up to 8.0 but my 8.1 feels too big for the board. It's a great board for blasting with a good turn of speed, coasts through the lulls and it turns beautifully. I think the reason I have kept it so long is that the ride is exciting and it does plane very early for a 113 litre board. The thing I'm not so keen on is that it is quite tippy when its stationary. The volume is down the centre and it has thin rails so I find uphauling difficult with a big sail and you have to be very nimble to tack it. With my 79kg the nose sinks if I take too long getting round the mast but so long as you can keep it moving forwards you're OK. Mustn't grumble though because it does so many things well.

F2 Ride 277

I bought the Ride in June 2003 to replace the Flow 284 as my biggest board. I wanted just enough volume to be able to uphaul my biggest sail which is currently 6.8 but could in future be 7.0-7.3. I also wanted it to be a 'one board' for those trips to Egypt. (The Axxis 267 is slightly too small to fill this role). I found that it planes just as early as the flow but is much more stable at low speeds and therefore easier to tack and uphaul despite being 10 litres smaller. Thus far I have sailed it with 6.8 and 5.0. It was really good with the 5.0 on a gusty day when the extra volume over the Axxis 267 allowed it to plane through the lulls and it showed itself to be a great blaster. The Flow has a tendency to bury its shoulders in the troughs coming back to the beach over heavy swell but the 277 rides higher in the water and keeps its nose clear like the Axxis does. I went from the Ride straight onto the wave board when the wind strengthened.

F2 Axxis 267 (2000 Model)

I tried an Axxis 267 when I was on holiday in Egypt. The wind was very strong and I didn't fancy going out on my Flow 284. I set off on the Axxis and although it was fast it rode high in the water and I never once felt in danger of burying the nose and catapaulting. In fact it was really fun to sail and coming back to the beach you could sheet in and blast it. I bought one the weekend that I returned to the UK and wished I had bought a '265' years ago. I have three fins I use with this board, 24cm, 28cm and 38cm. This could be a 'one board' if you sailed at a windy venue because it takes a 6.8 well and at the other end of the scale you can use 4.7 or smaller with a matching small fin. But when it blows a top end force 6 it just goes too fast (for me any way) and that's when you need a wave board. In light winds it doesn't have enough volume for me to uphaul my 6.8.

I really rate this board. I bought it secondhand and was able to sail it straightway. Not very well I hasten to add but I could at least take it out, waterstart it and return to the beach. I had to learn to keep pushing the nose off the wind to prevent it luffing up and was pleasantly surprised that I could limp home on it when the wind died. I use it as a high wind board since we don't get real waves where I sail. Its such a nice board to sail in strong wind. The under hull shape with 1cm tail rocker needs a lot of wind to drive it but that means you can sheet in and sail it properly and it's no slouch either. In a top end force 6 you're sailing comfortably with a good stance, not overpowered or out of control much like having a 6.0 on a slalom board in a force 4.