SLALOM
MAXIMUM EFFICIENCY
The iSonics are back, faster, leaner and more efficient than ever
before.
At the start of the 2009 development cycle, Dream Team riders Kevin
Pritchard, Julien Quentel and reigning double World Champion Antoine Albeau sat
down with the R&D team to go through a full iSonic debriefing. The boards are
the most advanced slalom boards on the market. They win the tests, win the races
and they are considered the benchmark for the industry. What to do next?
The riders were clear: the iSonics already had the edge on the start line. With
their wide tails, they had the power and upwind capacity to give the rider the
edge to gain pole position off the line. For overtaking, the same power and
upwind ability allowed them to capitalize on the board's speed advantage. As a
rider like Antoine proved time and time again, the iSonics allow you to
constantly position yourself in an overtaking position, either to leeward or to
windward.
As for control, the trio was unanimous: the slim shapes and low nose rockerlines
provided impeccable control. The square nose effectively increases the boards'
average length without physically making them longer, allowing for a lower nose
rocker. A low nose rocker generates less aerodynamic drag, less lift in the
gusts and provides a shallower angle of attack for the water as the board flies
over chop. A key breakthrough in the development of the iSonics since they were
first introduced, this low-nose rocker concept was the start of the maximum
efficiency concept.
In the jibes, the iSonics already had the instant response and the fast exit
speed with extra power to gain yet a few more meters. As German Surf magazine
puts it: "the board offers all the requirements needed to win a race and with a
great control. Not only that, but at the jibe mark the iSonic 122 can gain some
meters too. It doesn't really matter how rough the conditions are, the board
always finds itself into a stable position on the edge and carves into a
self-adjusting turn. It can be pressed into narrow turns surprisingly well too,
where it keeps a lot of speed to give an advantage coming out of the jibe and
into the next reach".
So by the end of the debrief, Kevin, Julien and Antoine's wish list was
clear: simply some more speed. And so the R&D team got to work.
The breakthrough came with the double winger concept. Last season, the iSonics
introduced a hipped outline concept that made for a more efficient planing
surface. And from that concept, the double winger idea was born.
The theory behind the concept: where the water first touches the board, this is
where lift is greatest. Where it leaves the board, this is were lift is minimal
yet drag is still strong. So effectively, you want more width at the leading
edge of the planing surfac and less at the trailing edge of the planing surface.
Based on this idea, the concepts of cutaways (Starboard innovation 1999), side
cuts (Starboard innovation 2004) and tail wingers (Starboard innovation 2007)
were already born. For 2009, Starboard introduces double wingers.
More width between your feet and less width in the tail and you have a more
efficient planing surface. Kevin has a preference for conservative, smooth, even
lines. He was the most skeptical when the first prototypes were made, but after
weeks of testing in all conditions across all sizes and with various sails, the
extra speed and acceleration the double winger concept created was undeniable.
The result: a new generation of 2009 iSonics - incorporating double wingers from
the 86 size and up. More speed, quicker acceleration and more efficiency.
- Thinner noses
and deeper deck concaves lowers the boards' centre of gravity and shifts it
backwards: sharper response, more control and a more natural, neutral balance.
- Wood technology
construction provides the most dynamic shape stability.
- Wider-tail designs
for higher planing surface efficiency, more power and more leverage.
- Cutaways
reduce wetted surface area to provide higher efficiency and improved fin drive
- Tail side cuts and wingers
for improved water release and fin drive
- Double wingers
increase width between your feet but reduces width behind: for a more
efficient planing surface
- 2 fins are
supplied with the iSonic 101, 111 and 122 to maximize wind range
- Inboard and outboard insert settings
adapt to various riding styles and feet size
iSonic 76, 86, 94: front foot and back foot are adjustable (inboard,
outboard, angle)
iSonic 101, 111, 122, 133, 144, 150: back foot only
- Squared-off nose shape allows
for a lower nose rocker: creates a lower aerodynamic and hydrodynamic angle of
attack for maximum efficiency
Further design evolutions
Deck concaves and thinner noses - with extra deep deck concaves and a
slimmer nose, the board's centre of gravity is lowered and shifted back. This
improves control and provides a more neutral, natural balance.
Lighter - with a new PVC grade on the bottom, the iSonics shave some
weight while maintaining an all-wood construction that continues to provide
superior dynamic shape stability over its carbon rivals.
Summary:
-
New double winger concept - more
efficient planing surface
- New
deeper deck concaves and thinner nose - more control and a more neutral,
natural balance
-
Lighter construction with a full wood skin - superior dynamic shape stability
What is dynamic shape stability?
It is the board's ability to maintain its shape while sailing. Flying at high
speeds over water, the board is subject to distortions in all directions:
bending, twisting and compression. This distortion is greatest where you can't
see while you're sailing: on the bottom of the board, in the area in front of
the fin box. Shape distortions in that area reduce the efficiency of the planing
surface. With full wood construction and its superior dynamic shape stability,
the iSonic's construction is simply more efficient.
2009 iSonic Speed Special
Over the past seasons, Starboard has dominated the competitive scene using
only production boards.
Formula World Champion, Formula European Champion, PWA Slalom Champion,
Raceboard World Champion, PWA Constructor's Champion, Speed World Champion, PWA
Wave Champion, PWA Freestyle Vice-Champion, PWA Supercross Champion.
More than a question of proving the quality in innovation, competing and
winning has been the drive of the Starboard Dream Team since day one. Speed
remains the final frontier.
50 knots and a new Speed Sailing World Record are the next challenge and
Starboard has risen to the task. On March 5th 2007, Dream Team rider Antoine
Albeau takes a Starboard-built custom board to break the record and set a new
benchmark in the world of wind-powered sports.
For 2009, Starboard is proud to introduce a collection of three new iSonic Speed
Specials, exact replicas of the boards Antoine used to take home the World Speed
Champion title. Designed by Christophe Fiorentini and Antoine Albeau, these
three speed boards are simply the fastest production boards in the World.
Christophe Fiorentini: "I have been working actively on the shape of these 3
speed boards since 2005. In the course of events I have improved the design of
each of these boards. To define the ideal characteristics, we tested boards in
the South of France (a spot with very irregular winds and with both flat and
choppy water conditions) but also in Fuerteventura (150? angle with light wind)
and in Namibia (square conditions with 100? angle). Under your feet, the boards
accelerate with a great feeling of ease. The boards have a neutral trim so that
wind lulls and gusts can be coped with effortlessly and with maximum efficiency.
The great special feature of these boards is that they keep the speed generated
by a gust of wind for a very long time. The double concave is tailored
individually on each model to blend acceleration on flat water and comfort. See
the next page for our recommendation for what fins and sails to choose."
Summary:
- iSonic Speed Specials: the World's
fastest production boards
- Three models: W44, W49 and W53
- Designed by Christophe Fiorentini and
Antoine Albeau
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Catalogue
The
Ideal sail range to complement any