RRD Freestyle Wave V4 Test – By Simon Bassett 2XS®
In 2016 RRD launched their new “RRD Freestyle Wave V4” the new board that is a carry on for the 2017 season has had some decent upgrades.
The new concept has been to make the boards (84, 90, 96 and 104 ltrs ) more compact, shorter and reduce the width slightly – they have added slot box thruster boxes – so you can get more out of this board in waves and high winds.
The RRD comes complete with three straps; a single fin powerbox MFC G10 fin and if you wish to add the thruster set you will need to buy extra fins. I used the board as a single fin in flat water and it feels fast – I dropped the fin size when it got windy. What I noticed as you pick the board up it feels light – lighter than previous models in both wood and Limited construction. I got the chance to use every size when I went to Club Vass last year, and I have used them here in the UK at 2XS® West Wittering.
You can check out all the specs and prices on the 2XS website here are the links http://2xs.co.uk/product/rrd-freestyle-wave-v4-ltd/ http://2xs.co.uk/product/rrd-freestyle-wave-wood-v4/
When I used the RRD Freestyle Wave V4 what I particularly liked was the speed, control in gybes, ease to jump and it felt compact in the air – it rips through the chop thanks to the double concave and when you got hit by a gust it just went faster, there was no fishtailing off the fin. I weigh about 80 kg and preferred the slightly bigger sizes 96 and 104 – I thought the reduced length of board really improved the feel of bigger models. I think to get the most out of this line of freestyle wave boards drop a fin size when overpowered. The RRD Freestyle Wave V4 has a looser feel with a smaller fin and feels better as a bump and jump board and wave rides really well. For heavy weather or waves use a thruster set with a small centre fin.
The chop nose seems not to cause any issue in fact the added feel of volume in the nose is great when the wind drops and rig weight has much better support than the narrower nose and longer RRD Freestyle Waves of the past.
If you have an RRD Freestyle Wave in an older model this board is a definite upgrade – I have tried the JP Freestyle wave, Starboard Kode, Fanatic Freewave , Patrik F-cross , Quatro Tempo and Goya One as a reference. The trick is if you are considering buying an RRD Freestyle Wave V4 is to consider you’re the rig sizes you own, body weight and location you windsurf in and this will help determine which volume board you go for. If you need a small centre fin or thruster set we can help you with this so give us a call 01243 512552.
We test boards a 2XS® West Wittering, and if you would like any advice please contact simon@2xs.co.uk.
