Big thanks to my wife Christina, Ace, and Dima for shooting!
Cape Hatteras 2016 from Mike Burns on Vimeo.
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.
Monday, May 30, 2016
Phil and Mike in Cape Hatteras 2016
We had another great trip to Cape Hatteras again for 2016. It's not only my favorite place to windsurf, but also my favorite place to just chill out and relax. Phil and his brother Tom were there for a couple week with us and we had wind 6 days a week which isn't uncommon for Cape Hatteras in April. The first 5 days of the trip were a consistent 30-35 knots, so 4.0 and 3.6 was the call. I also had some fun with the 3.6 on my 81 liter Starboard Flare. Perfect for when the wind is cranking and the 93 liter is just too big.
Big thanks to my wife Christina, Ace, and Dima for shooting!
Big thanks to my wife Christina, Ace, and Dima for shooting!
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Wow!
ReplyDeleteGeez nice vid there Mike. Especially like your slo-mo burner around 2:20.
DeleteWas just about to sell my 2016 Flare 93 but watching this gives me second thoughts. I've heard reports from my mate in Jeri of this board not getting a good reputation and so I'm suss about mine (even with the new Makani fin), but still looks totally fine for you and Phil in this vid. Do I take the plunge and upgrade to 2017 (with the US box) or switch back to the Skate like you did?
Decisions decision...
cheers
Andy
Hey Andy,
ReplyDeleteIt's a tough call.... I don't think there's wrong answer unless you need a weed fin. I feel like the 93 liter Flare gives you a little more room for error than the 93 Skate, but the 93 Skate lets you go bigger... It's a trade off... The 93 flare is a bigger board even though they are the same volume. It's almost splitting the difference between the 100 and 93 Skate. I honestly don't prefer one 93 over the other. I would imagine that the 2017 Flare in the Ultracore reflex construction is amazing being 2 pounds lighter than the 2016! But, I can't put a weedfin in it because it's not a standard U.S. box which is why I switched to Fanatic to begin with.... I do like the the 86 liter skate better than the 81 liter flare with those extra 5 liters and the 100 liter skate is boatloads, and I mean lots, lots, lots better than the 103 Flare. It's faster, planes earlier and jibes better. But there's something about that 93 liter Flare that just rocks! The 93 liter skate rocks too though! With those two 93 liter boards it comes down to the fin box...... Skate is powerbox and Flare is a 5.5 inch U.S.box. And in the U.S. the retail price for the 2017 Skate TE is $2,300.00 and Flare Ultracore reflex is $2,800.00....
Mike
Thanks for all the cool feedback Mike. Well I sold my flare 93 as just not working for me. Now I'm considering getting a skate 93 and I already have the power box makani 18 so should work well. I got a Kode freewave94 for more freewave sailing too and upgrading to makani fins in that one. The Kode will need a good 20 knots+ and ramps so could just use the skate in flatter conditions. Could maybe get the 100 instead of 93 as I'll be using it more in 4.8 to 5.2 sort of conditions. U think that would work better than 93?
ReplyDeleteCheers
Andy
Hi Andy,
ReplyDeleteI think for 4.8 and 5.2 the 100 would be the call, especially if you're using it for flat water condition. It's so much more alive and ready to pop with the 5.2 on it than the 93 Skate. I'll be using the 100 every time I use the 5.2 and split the 4.8 between the 100 and 93 depending on how much jumping there is compared to sliding moves.
Mike
Mike,
ReplyDeleteI have enjoyed your reviews and comments while I have been pondering new gear. I am in my late 50s now and am trying to learn a shove it and shaka. I don’t do any switch tricks but I do pull off the occasional spock 540. I have a 98L 2010 flare and 4.8 and 5.6 2015 Severne Freeks so I am wondering if newer gear will help an old fart like me. Last session I tried the 101L 2016 and 2015 Flares. That was interesting. The 2015 seemed easier to carve for the shove it initiation on flat water than the 2016 because I found it hard to dig in the rail going fast when riding the 2016. I can initiate ok on my 2010, but it is not easy. I wanted to get your opinion on a few things. First, I mostly sail on my 5.6 as that is what gets me planing in our winds here, but it feels pretty big compared to the 4.8. I was contemplating getting one in the low 5s. So I wanted to know if you think there will be a significant difference between my 2015 choices and a 2017 5.2 freek?
Secondly I am looking for some board input. I have a line on a 2017 100L skate and a 2017 93 L Flare. I want to be able to go fast enough to carry speed through a shove it but still able to initiate the shove it carve. Your insight on board options would be appreciated.
Hi Joe,
DeleteFor the Freeks, they gained significant amounts of power for 2017. They've remained basically unchanged for 2018 and I'm really happy with the design. Compared to the 2015 5.6, you might just get planing at the same time with a 2017 5.2! Shuv-its and shakas definitely get easier when the sail sizes get smaller and lighter so it might be something worth thinking about.
For the board.... I've owned all the boards in question :-) The 2015 Flare101 is VERY different from the 2016 Flare 103. The 2016 Flare 103 felt too bulky for me. It seemed slow and didn't plane as early as I felt it should for it's large size. The 2016/17 Flare 93s are great boards! Very forgiving and easy to initiate all the moves. The 2016 still has a power box while the '17 has a weird short version of the a-box, so you've got to be careful about fin choice as not all fins will fit in the box on those. The 2017 Fanatic Skates are really good and it's what I went with for 2017. I own all 4 sizes and the 93 and 100 are my favorites. The 93 is just magic! I think the best board for you though for 4.8 - 5.6 is the 2017 Skate 100. It rides and carves very similar to the 2015 Flare that you liked only it planes up earlier. I know a few people that have bought them and I've heard nothing but good feedback. I'm about to start some things up business wise with Ocean Air Sport here in Cape Hatteras. We've got new 2017 Skates in 93, 100, and 108 in stock and ready to ship just incase your board falls through. www.oceanairsports.com They hardly have any of the stock on the website, but they're in the shop. (This is hopefully where I'll be coming in)
All the best,
Mike
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThanks for your super prompt response! It was windy enough for the 4.8 yesterday and it is was nicer being on a smaller sail. Perhaps a new 5.2 is in order. Nice to hear from someone who has sailed a lot of different gear and I appreciate your perspective as you are able to mention good points about a product you don’t sail anymore. That is refreshing! I will definitely check out Oceansports if the boards here fall through. Keep on sharing the stoke! Thanks again! Ps.. My daughter was logged on when I made the comment so it defaulted to her profile .... oops!
DeleteMike, I just checked out www.oceanairsports.com (spelled it wrong in my last response) What is the difference between the team edition and normal Skates?
DeleteHi Joe,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the kind words! I just love windsurfing and getting people on the right gear helps windsurfing as a whole. I'm always more than happy to help!
Short version is.... get the 2017 TE Skate.
Long version is...... the 2011 Skate was a pretty revolutionary board in the freestyle market. It was a board for everyone, not just a freestyler. Most folks that tried any of that version of the skate liked it more than the freeride counterparts. Fanatic decided to keep the 2011 design as the regular construction as they further developed the TE board to suit the newest moves. The two boards (TE and Standard edition) moved in different directions over the next few years. For 2017, the moves being preformed again require traits that everyone will enjoy. Early planing, fast speed, lots of control and good sliding. All this combines into a board that again works for the masses. I've been putting everyone from folks learning to jibe and get in the footstraps to guys going for the big air tricks on the 2017 Skates. EVERYONE across the entire rang of users have been really into the new skates. I had a feeling, and I found this out about a month ago, that the new 2017 TE boards are so successful and well rounded again that they actually discontinued the Standard (non-team edition) version of the Skate for 2018.
I have a 2018 93 liter and 100 liter coming next week :-) The only thing that changed for 2018 on the TE boards are the colors.
All the best,
MIke
Thanks once again!
ReplyDelete