Editor's Notes: Shortest and narrowest board of the fleet at only 234 centimeters long and 55.3 cm wide. Squared squash tail and snubbed nose enhance its compact appearance, which looks powerful and as one board tester just commented, "fast". A considerable amount of its 84 liters of volume is carried through its relatively thick rails. Comes with Exocet's proven Double Density Shock Absorbing foot pads, and a 1/3 length deck pad. One of the more unique shapes of the fleet in that it narrow outline appears rather speed-biased. Must ride.

Features: Inset and outset insert foot strap options up front, with the option of a double foot strap configuration in the tail for bump and jump and free-riding. Power box fin setup; Cross 26 cm fin looks especially well suited for bump and jump and free-riding. Mast track has indicator markings for easy reference. Exocet-original.com


Tester Comments
Ian Mckee
Level: Advanced
Weight: 200
Sailing style: Aggressive and fast in flat water; relative newcomer to the surf. Landed his first forward loop during the board test.

Ian: My favorite board by a big margin. Number 1 for me in everything but early planing. Most aggressive board – you could carry a lot of speed and go flying through the surf with great control. Best wave board for me. Turned on a dime. A board for a guy like me for sure. My only snag is that I'd probably get more use out of a 90-liter sizing. The 84 model meant I had to be lit up with a 5.3 and 4.7 to maximize it – conditions that don't happen very often where I live back home.

Dan Thomson
Level: Expert
Weight: 170
Sailing style: Hard-charging freestyle and wave ripper who teaches windsurfing as well as he sails. He can tell who these boards best suit.

Dan: Unbelievably fast – had it lit on a 4.5 and super controllable in rough chop. Shock Abosrbing heel pads were extremely cushy – perhaps a bit too much so in that they sacrificed a bit to a direct, responsive feel. Liked the foot straps. Small fin wasn't enough for the 5.5, but made up for it while using a 4.0. Wouldn't own it – too speed oriented and I like freestyle and waves. Best suits slalom blasters looking for speed and control.

Caroline Buckler
Level: Expert
Weight: 125
Sailing style: Flips, tricks and hits the surf with no fear factor; reports on which boards do (and don't) work for lightweights in high winds.

Caroline: Took it out on 5.0 – super soft ride. Like the heel pads at times and at other times they felt a touch too squishy. Good planing and straight-line sailing, but not a board I would own for freestyle or waves. I felt it best suited middle and heavyweights, and the board seems more biased for back-and-forth sailing.

David Combe
Level: Advanced
Weight: 200
Sailing style: WindSurfing's publisher slashes waves and bump conditions; a part-time board tester offering a heavyweight's perspective.

David: My comments mirrored Ian's. I loved it in the waves, thought it planed early. In the past those heel bumpers deadened the ride too much for me, but this round I loved 'em. Thought the board was awesome. Thought the speed was insane. Jumping was awesome. Great Gorge board and Oregon Coast board. Mad p