About Me
- Mike Burns
- Nags Head, NC, United States
- Windsurfing has ruled more than 1/2 my life. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about how it feels to fly across the water, fly through the air, or spin around in circles on my windsurf gear. So to help spread the stoke (and further give in to my addiction) I started this blog. I hope you find it entertaining and a place to go for some useful information.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Fanatic!
After the demise of Mistral in the US I went searching for the next perfect board. It was hard to find to say the least. Along the way I've sailed boards that were lots of fun and others that only a mother could love. (you know who you are) For 2010 I couldn't find a brand that had it all, so I ended up with both JP and F2. I recently was able to try a few of the 2010 Fanatics. Not just the skate but also a sampling of the wave range. The skate was very nice with good pop, nice sliding and decent carving abilities. The wind cranked up a notch and I was able to give the 85 ltr New Wave Twin a shot. That thing has more traction than anything I'v ever sailed, and I could actually picture myself starting to wave sail again with one of these. So with a great all around range I've decided to go with Fanatic for 2011. Not to mention they look sexier than any board I can remember in recent history. I'll be sure and post up my findings of the new boards when they come in. For now I have on order a 2011 skate 90 and 100.
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I hear there is no difference between the 2010 and 2011 Skate other than graphics. Why did you not pick the Skate for your 2010 board?
ReplyDeleteainly, I had tried all the boards, and really liked what my F2 Rodeo offered in the 98 ltr with it's instant planing abilities and great pop. Then the 89 ltr Jp was really good for the carving moves and higher winds. I had the best of both worlds. The problem was switching back and forth between the 2 different boards was throwing me off. If I spent 7 or 8 days in a row on the JP, it would take me all day to get used to the different rocker on the Rodeo. The Rodeo doesn't come in a 90ltr and I would start losing some sailing days with the JP's lack of early planing. The skate is a nice mix of those 2 and I've heard through the rumor mill that it has improved in the areas it was a little lacking for 2010. Keep in mind I'm pickier than anyone you'll ever find when it comes to boards and sails and definitely notice shortcomings of certain boards/sails long before most.
ReplyDeleteNow as for the 2011 compared to the 2010. I know for a fact that it is a different board from last year. I started writing some insider info that was from friends of friends or what a few PWA pros had told me about last years skate and this years skate.
Since most of what I was writing was based on "a friend of a friend says", and "I heard that bla, bla, bla" I erased it. So I'll just state the facts that we know.
-At the very least the 2011 Skate has been beefed up as all the models weigh in about 1/2 lb heavier than last year. At the least, stingers have been added in the durability dept..
-The 2011 Fanatic IS a direct copy of Gollito's custom board. If it was Gollito's board for 2010 that was in production, he wouldn't have been using a custom all last year on the tour. So although it may be slight differences form the production 2010 skate, the differences are there.
You know what, let me make a phone call (actually calling, not being sarcastic)........I just go toff the phone with someone who has owned a 2010 and now owns a 2011 skate. He says it is different for sure. It's stiffer, livelier and the bottom shape is different at the very least. So the rumors I'v heard about the 2011 are true. Different board different feel than the 2010 skate. Same board, same feel as Gollito's custom. Good stuff, can't wait until mine gets here.
Great post! Now that is a review.
ReplyDeleteI thought there were no changes based on what Sabastian said on the 2011 Skate video on the Fanatic website.
I know they said 2010 was based on Gollito's prior custom boards.
I liked that you went with the F2 Rodeo last year. That was not a trendy choice at the time. The Skate was. I know you know your stuff, so I was just curious. Thanks for not holding back on the opinion. Good luck taking it to the next level and keep posting video.
Update: so the guy who owned the 2010 and 2011 said he made a mistake when stating that the bottom shape is different for the 2011 skate. So it looks like the only changes from the 2010 are the obviously new paint job, and the beefed up, stiffer construction. Stiffer=more reactive=bigger moves=happy freestyler.
ReplyDeleteHi Mike, you seams to have some expirience of Fanatic and JP as brands. Have you tried their freeride boards like Hawk and X-cite ride. I try to figure out witch to spend my hard earned money on. Im 70 kg and I usualy use sails in the range of 6-7 kvm and I live in a low wind area. Best regards Olle
ReplyDeletehttp://boardtests.com/2010/11/jp-x-cite-ride-120-test-2009-2010/
http://boardtests.com/2010/11/fanatic-hawk-120-test-2010-2011/
Hi Olle,
ReplyDeleteI usually stick to wave and freestyle boards or of course the freestyle waves. So I'm sorry, but I don't have much input for you for the boards your referring to. I would say that across the entire line I prefer the feel of the fanatics vs the JPs. They usually have that "floating on a cushion of air" feeling where JP boards are more about feeling all the bumps giving you "fast feeling" board. I know so many people that mistake the fast feeling of their JP freestyle waves for actual speed.
I'm sure you'll be happy with either board. If you end up going the JP route, definitely get a Pro-edition board. The difference in construction of the Pro and Full wood is VERY noticeable in the other boards. I would imagine it's the same with the x-Cite ride. The Team edition fanatics are just plain HOT!!! The standard constructions seem to work really well too though. I'd never buy a full wood JP, but if I had to take a standard construction Fanatic I'd still be a happy sailor.
From the reviews on the websites, it sounds like the JP will be a little easier to ride while the Fanatic is faster and higher performance.
Rip it up,
Mike