09 Phantoms hit Aussie shores
July 3, 2009
At last the 09 replacement Phantoms have arrived in Australia. In accordance with the warranty instructions my friend and I took our 08 model Phantoms to our local Starboard retailer to pick up our new boards. With much excitement we swapped over centreboards, foot straps and mast tracks from the old board to the new.
Ok so I have not used the new board yet but it looks good. I really appreciated the new shape and lines that appear to be more subtle than the previous. In particular, I liked the ridges on the deck that travel for a good portion of the length. While these were perhaps a weight saving and strengthening feature I think that they will be great for light wind railing as a foot hold.
On first inspection the reduced rocker appears interesting as does the increased vee that runs through the board. It is quite pronounced particularly when you compare it to the original phantom. No doubt this will be advantageous for railing and reducing wetted surface area up wind?
Starboard claims a completing new construction method for this years board….
The new 2009 Phantom Race 380 is built deck and bottom in full PVC sandwich and unidirectional 80g carbon. Flat-weaved and unidirectional, the UD80 carbon iber is the most eficient iber ever used in the construction of a windsurf board, weighing a mere 80g per square meter and providing extremely high stiffness. A new oversized side-plate holds the 78cm daggerboard, spreading the load evenly and ensuring total reliability, durability and functionality.
I hope that all of this means that the boards will be more robust and last for many seasons as Raceboard sailors generally tend to keep their boards for many years. All of the old Equips out there is evidence of this.
While it is winter in Australia at the moment my local club has a winter race this weekend. So I will get some better photos of the board in action and give you my feedback. I would love to hear from others who may have used the new board. What do you think?
Starboard’s website is www.star-board.com
UK Raceboard Class launched
January 30, 2009
The successes of our Olympic sailors has inspired many new windsurfers to take up windsurf racing. ‘Raceboard’ is already an official class with very simple kit rules based on length, width and production registration. Quite simply the board is a performance longboard - a true racing class. One that is not inhibited by wind strength or location. It is also provides the fairest racing when considering a sailors size/weight or age. At National level the class has been a little dormant primarily due to board manufacturers being focused on the development on ‘planing’ boards’ (like Formula) and the media spotlight being on RSX (the Olympic Class). These racing divisions now have their niches – the Raceboard class has the opportunity and desire to once again thrive and become the biggest National and International windsurfing racing class.
Australian Longboard Festival
January 13, 2009
The Australia Day Weekend, 23rd-26th January, will see the inaugural Longboard Windsurfing Festival happening on the East Coast of Australia. This event includes the Raceboard Oceanic Championships, which will be held at Illawarra Yacht club and the National Windsurfer One Design Championships which will be held at Port Stephens Sailing and Aquatic Club. On the East Coast of Australia seabreezes prevail from the North East consistently and a cool Southerly change usually once a week in the month of January. It’s a fairly safe bet that we will see a daily average of 12-15knots at both locations, however this summer the ‘Black’ Nor-easter (25-30 knots) has reared it’s head on a number of occasions which could make things interesting. Both of these events will cater for all levels from elite to beginners and will be a heap of fun. If your local, make sure you grab your longboard and get down for a sail and join in the fun. If you can’t make it, enjoy an online experience through LBWS.com.au, showcasing results, photos & video. Further information on the Festival and the two locations can be also found at LBWS.com.au.
Design and construction of a longboard windsurfer
November 26, 2008
Recently the LBWS team was alerted to an impressive project on building a raceboard. Malcolm works as a researcher in aerodynamics and has a background in mechanical engineering. As you could imagine he has an avid interest in the hydro and aerodynamics of windsurfers. Malcolm says, “theory can only get you so far in the end you have to do the experiments or proto-testing to improve designs”. Below is the outcome of Malcolm’s experiment into building a Raceboard, it’s an impressive read.
Design and construction of a longboard windsurfer by Malcolm Jones
For a while I’d being toying with the idea of building a board to replace my ageing longboard which was taking on water. I’d started repairing my old board when I decided I’d be better off starting with a fresh slate.
Raceboard and Mistral OD World Championships 2009
November 10, 2008
2009 will see the Raceboard and Mistral One Design World championships held in Germany on the Baltic Sea at the seaside resort town of Warnemünde. The World Championships are scheduled to run from July 7 - 11 with the German Raceboard and RS:X Championships occurring just prior between the 4 and 6 July.
Event organisers have informed LBWS that there will be the following divisions.
• Raceboard 9.5 m2
• Raceboard 7.5 m2
• Mistral One Design
• RSX
• Woman
• Youth
• 35+
• 45+55+
• 65+
While this is a World championships, event organisers
Phantoms Recalled
October 14, 2008
Starboard announced today that they are recalling all Phantoms with a serial number above 40. See the comments from there designer, Tiesda which appeared on the Starboard forum today.
To owners of the Phantom Race 380 serial numbers #040 and above,
Our manufacturer has advised us that a number of boards have been produced without the specified layer of PVC reinforcement around the critical area in the daggerboard box. This may result in cracks and water intake. We feel that it is the correct action for the World’s number one Windsurfing board brand to make a full recall on this model, to be replaced with the new 2009 version of the Phantom Race 380, scheduled for release this coming spring.
On a positive note, this new 2009 Phantom Race 380 shape has been tested to be quite a bit faster both upwind and on the reach compared to current, World Champion, Phantom 380 of 2007/2008. Racers will get even better kit, and Starboard will thus bring into the market a board that otherwise would not have seen the race scene before 2010.
We apologize for all the incident and we hope that by offering to replace the board with the new and faster model in spring, we would continue to keep all Starboard raceboarders happy and ahead of the game.
For those of you who are not currently on the Starboard Phantom Race 380 and considering to purchase one, production has been discontinued of the current model and the new 2009 model is available from Spring onwards.
Tiesda, on behalf of team Starboard
LBWS has asked Tiesda a few questions about the recall and the design of the new board. As soon as we hear anything further we will let you know.
Phantom Review – Part 2
October 7, 2008
This short “Part 2” article follows my previous review of the Starboard Phantom titled “Phantom Early Thoughts”. Since writing this article, I have had further opportunities to use the board in light, moderate and big breezes and have grown more comfortable with the board and its capabilities. I have also made some modifications to the gaskets to get them working.
In my previous article my only concern was that the centreboard gaskets where too tight and required that I stop sailing to adjust the centreboard. In response to this I have undertaken two things which now mean that the centreboard now works relatively well.
Phantom - Early Thoughts
September 19, 2008
Regular readers of LBWS would have seen that the first shipment of Starboard Exocet Phantom 380 to Australia in the middle of our winter. As a consequence there has only been limited sailing of these new boards in typical Sydney Winter conditions (read light winds). While the board generally performed well I have been reluctant to put pen to paper to write a review of the board given the limited sailing that I and the other new Phantom owners in Australia have had on this new Raceboard.