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- Starboard -- the original developer of the first dedicated Formula windsurfing boards -- has been winning more world championship titles and national titles every year than any other brand.
This year Starboard is encouraging young people to join Formula racing through the newly created Junior and Youth Formula windsurfing classes, by creating state-of-the-art designs for each of these classes in durable and affordable ASA technology.
- How is Starboard able to completely dominate the racing field, proven by taking the first 6 places in the Worlds 2000, winning 3 out of 4 gold medals in the Worlds 2001, winning the Euro Cup Manufacturer' ranking in 2001 and winning it again in 2002 ? Can Starboard continue with this blistering pace in 2003?
The answer to both questions lie in Starboard's comprehensive R&D program.
We have pushed our R&D program to new boundaries by testing more shapes, more structures and more features than ever before. Over 35 different designs have been built and tested to tailor each model to suit a particular sailor's weight. The remarkable results are Formula boards as short as 223 cm, introducing a whole new world of control, acceleration and stiffness response. By radically shortening the board's nose we have eliminated unneeded area and mass and reduced the board's swing-weight, adding greatly to its agility, responsiveness and speed. The main challenge was in refining nose rocker to provide the correct amount of lift for the hull to ride high enough even in choppy conditions.
The Zero-V hull shape concept is moved all the way back to enable the rider to push harder upwind and the increased depth of double concave gives greater acceleration and a silky ride. The thickness in the nose area is increased drastically to provide enough volume for quick tacks, and the trademark Starboard nose chamfers remain for a forgiving ride both upwind and down wind.
Art-work, inserts and excess materials used for creating a cosmetically nice finish are kept to a minimum bringing down the board weight. These boards are designed and built light to win races and may not withstand the impact resulting from masts and booms hitting the nose and rail area.
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