Saturday, September 13, 2008

Sick stick

As promised, here are some shots of the 2009 RRD WaveTwin 99. Its very compact at 225x62 for its 99 liters.

In the wavetwin board line, its the largest in volume, but the shortest by far. While its technically the big board in the line, I think its a standalone shape purpose built for maximizing "real world waves" found by most sailors outside of Maui/Baja.














The 99 offers surprising upwind performance. I initially was worried about its upwind ability for side-on wavesailing on Lake Michigan where upwind capabilities are needed for survival. Not an issue. ;-)


Volume distribution lends lends to suffering on curve jibes - this might hamper true down the line wavesailing, but makes up for it with amazing tight capabilities that enable the sailor to make the most of ugly, unorganized waves.

The Wavetwin jumps really well - The outline of the board give amazing pop - giving higher aerials and more loft on high jumps.

In summary : This board isn't for everyone. It requires a different stance in getting the board to perform, and you have to your A game on at all times else the board can bite ya in the ass. Sailors who make the commitment will be rewarded with stellar performance in a compact package that will turn any light air wave day into a perma-grin sesh.

3 comments:

Catapulting Aaron said...

pretty... by the looks of it, doesn't seem to have a ton of rocker. I guess the shortness makes rocker less of an issue?

David said...

I put up a side shot - no worries on the rocker, this thing turns and burns. Shortness makes the turning focus more on the outline, and this thing is somewhere in between with a twitchy "over the edge" button when you go too far. Still, a hellish fun ride!

Tomorrow is 30 knots in the backyard, so while its not waves, I'll still give it a go and she how it goes.

Anton said...

Hello David,

I am very interested in wavetwin 99 liters. I am from Galicia (Spain), we have good conditions here, good waves but wind is not strong. Some friends have the RRD Cult 99 and they are very happy with that board in light-medium wind conditions, but this board is not for sale now. I have the RRD FW 102 liters for that days, I am happy but turns are the problem, I changed the fin, but it's not a wave board. I think RRD Wavetwin could be a better choice, but I don't find information about that board. It looks too short, and I think this could be a problem for early planning. What do you think?. Do you have a good experience with no planning conditions ( < 14 knots)? And with medium winds ( 14-20 knots) ?

Thanks in advance,

Anton