What's the fastest and best lull-killing freerace board in 2024?

Hello all!
I'll soon have to replace my trusted 2018 Goya Bolt 125l and would love to get something about as large and as fast (top end at or above 34/35kn) and as easy to get moving and gliding through lulls as this board (Nothing with too much Vee in front though!).
Anyone with some experience on the water with the newer 2024 JP Supersport 122 and 2024 SB Futura 120? What else?
Thx.

They all look nice ,but if you want to go 34-35 knots have you thought of the 123 x 71 starboard Isonic ,I have not found it challenging to sail ,nice control and will do 38 , I haven't done 38 Matteo has .

My recommendation goes to Goya Bolt 127 (2020-2023 model). I've owned both old 125 Bolt (2018 model) and the never 127 version. They are quite similar, but 127 flies a bit higher and overall feeling is more free/loose. In top speed this has at least for me converted to 1-2 kts more compared to 125. Compared to some shorter freerace/slalom boards it's easy to get passively plaining and glide through lulls.

Goya has still 127 in stock with big discount as Bolt Carbon 4 came out this year.

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Mark _australia said..
MOzCustoms

Why stop at 35kn?

Ha! Good one! I know my skills and reaching 35kn on a freerace/freeride kit is the best I think I can do! But hell yeah! if I can push harder, I'll go for it! ;)

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WhyNoWind said..

Tardy said..
They all look nice ,but if you want to go 34-35 knots have you thought of the 123 x 71 starboard Isonic ,I have not found it challenging to sail ,nice control and will do 38 , I haven't done 38 Matteo has .

I thought about that but I think I don't have what it takes to take advantage of a full-on race board: I'm 60y-o and can use the gym room a bit more! I like riding for extended sessions, and I'm reading that slalom boards are quite physical to ride for extended periods of time. True?

I'm also 60 .Depends how much chop you have to deal with but without a doubt a freerace board will be more favourable in choppier conditions thats why I have both ,but if your looking at increasing your speed a full slalom board will always kick a freerace boards arse in speed pointing abilities early planing to name a few .Ever time I ride other boards I always look for the slalom board capabilities ,so I'm always riding slalom boards now .They really are not hard to ride ,the extra speed you gain is well worth a little sacrificing a bit of comfort in riding .The speeds you are talking about 34-35 knots you should be looking at a slalom board .You also may like to keep your 125 litre board and look at a smaller say 115 -118 litre board ,I have done 34.8 knots on my 77x 127 litre slalom board and it is scary stuff if you hit a bit of chop doing those speed as they get airborne and it bloody hurts coming of at that speed ,if speed is your mission I would be looking at a smaller size slalom board and the 115 Fanatic falcon ,116 Tabou Manta ,for instance does carry sails up to 8,5 .and their top end speed will blow your mind .

And Mark can build a board for you ,One of the best shapers in Australia

Making a board that is fast and goes through lulls is easy. Add a foot to the length and an embarrassing 20 l and 2kg. Works for me and still turns OK. Fitting it into your car is a little harder. Who wants a 2.7m board?
I do

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WhyNoWind said..

Tardy said..
They all look nice ,but if you want to go 34-35 knots have you thought of the 123 x 71 starboard Isonic ,I have not found it challenging to sail ,nice control and will do 38 , I haven't done 38 Matteo has .

I thought about that but I think I don't have what it takes to take advantage of a full-on race board: I'm 60y-o and can use the gym room a bit more! I like riding for extended sessions, and I'm reading that slalom boards are quite physical to ride for extended periods of time. True?

If you are doing 34-35 knots the physical challenge is kind of unavoidable!

I am 65 and a couple of years ago I had the same thought: get a freerace, you are getting old. I got a Futura 107, but, coming from an Isonic 111, I found it "sticky" and actually harder on my body. Maybe it was supposed to be sailed with bigger sails to really work, but it had definitely less pick up than the venerable 111, and made my life harder. The AV Slalom 98 that took the place of the Futura has similar low end, and it is easier in chop because of its size, and for low wind I inherited a Patrik Slalom 122.

But I am with sboardcrazy, eventually, if it is not happening already, slalom above 20 knots in chop will become quite unfeasible!

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duzzi said

But I am with sboardcrazy, eventually, if it is not happening already, slalom above 20 knots in chop will become quite unfeasible!

If you want to get a unsticky combo that is particularly smooth in chop, get a Tabou Rocket 105 and pair it with a carbon fin of around 35cm.

Put a sail no bigger than 5.5m on it. I tried my 105 Rocket with a 6,3 but i noticed i could not maintain the lift over the chop and swell. I only now use my 105 with a 5m and 5.4m. With my 5m i use a 33 Tribal G10.

A smaller sail is lighter and needs smaller lighter components. A lighter rig will lift the board higher over the chop and it is much easier to maintain the lift for longer periods.

Rig should be around 9 to max 9.5kgs.

My 5.4m 3 cam race sail including all components - mast base, extension, boom and mast weighs 9.0kgs probably 2kgs lighter than many.

Put your mast base as far back as possible for increased lift.

Put your boom as high as you feel comfortable with. A higher boom increases lift.

All of the above should help make it more comfortable sailing in choppy water.

All great comments. Gives me plenty to think about.

I confused everyone with my initial post when saying I want something that can go +35kn. I was thinking in mph, not knots! oops, silly-me! Still, 36mph (31kn) is my fastest 2sec run so far (carbon fin) and I'd be ok if it stays at that. I don't really need anything faster unless it has airbags.

I'm 88kg/6.2, riding in freshwater 90% of the time, in gusty on/off conditions. Wind can be 30kn and suddenly drop to almost nothing in less than 10 min. This has made me exclude anything I cannot uphaul, cause a couple of times, I got stuck a few hundred yards out and had to do unpleasant swim back (in sub-10 degree C!).

Freshwater makes it harder to take off. I tested for real: 120l in freshwater seems about the same as a 110l in saltwater at my weight. I also own a 115 Tabou Fifty (mainly for windfoiling when there's nothing else to do!) and a 117 Goya Bolt, and with a shorter length on both, lots of Vee at the front and minimal flat surface below the feet, they tend to come off the plane too quickly. Makes it for a stop & go session that I'm not a fan of. I'll probably get rid of the Fifty at some point.

I gave up on wave/freewave gear - even in windy conditions (Still have a small Kode that hasn't seen water in 3 years). Don't like the feel, don't like the ride off the front foot, the upright stance and the bouncy nature of this kind of sessions. That's just me. If it blows above 30kn and I can't handle my 5.4 2-cam, then I get a beer, a sandwich and I watch.

Anyhow, I did a bit of research, and it looks like the trends with freerace boards calls for shorter and that's not helping with keeping me planing through lulls and marginal conditions. They also tend to want a lot more down pressure from the mast to get moving. I wish every brand would publish the width of their boards a foot off the back to compare - the wider the better for what I'm looking for it seems. And of course, I can't check this out in person as I don't have a fully stocked shop around the corner.

So, back to my initial question: Quick/easy to plane and stay on plane and relatively fast board (31kn-ish)? I'm scared of putting +$2000 in a slalom board I won't be able to handle more than 30 minutes at a time (Don't they get more physical?). I ride NP V8 (2-cam) and that seems to work ok, although, I tried a 4-cam race sail a year ago and while a bit sticky initially, I can feel the thing has unlimited power and speed once going. Maybe race sails might be the trick to go faster on a freerace?

Used market on my side of the world is not great so I can't just commit a few hundreds to buy a cheap something to try. I know what I'm gona do: I'll go buy that pretty purple-colored board that will go so well my sail! Problem solved.

You say you own a bolt 117 (so the version that's 238 long by 69 wide)?

This is already known as a board thats on the longer side that goes through the lulls pretty well . Can you share more about what you want relative to this?

-do you wan at More racey / less racey board than the bolt?

- what do you think of the bolt 117 for comfort when it's in its range?

-How much smaller do you think you can go, a step down board from 69 wide would be 63 wide (100 ish litres) . Think you an uphaul that at your weight?

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Awalkspoiled said..
You sound like the ideal candidate for the Patrik lineup, which are longer and narrower than boards of comparable volume. The F-Ride is very fast for a freerider and I enjoyed trying it very much. Smooth through chop because it's thinner and mostly glass not carbon so it's got a little flex to it. You don't notice the board flexing but you do notice not getting pounded.

I haven't tried the F-Race but if top-end is the big goal that might be the call instead.

I didn't think of the F-Race. Thanks for suggesting. Specs look good and pricey! I would think the closer match to my 125l/76cm Bolt would be their 130l/75cm.

I have the 2024 SB Futura 120 wood and I am very impressed with it. Performs better with race and freerace sails. I use it with 7.8 M4 and 7.0 overdrive M4. It goes easy on the plane and and carves the jibes nicely as well. It really favors the planing jibe, dew to the fact the carries more volume in the back under the footstraps It's maybe about 10% slower than my isonic 117, but it handles chop better as well, up until the moment chop becomes a 2 foot swell, with no more than 3 feet in between the chop. Then I really can't describe the feeling, but you guys get the picture. I have no comparison with the JP Super Sport 122 wood, I do want to try that one.