Jesper Orth (AUS 10), 20ème en PWA Slalom 2009, a quitté Starboard pour rejoindre en 2010 Finian Maynard, Julien Quentel, Tine Slabe et Andrea Rosati chez RRD.
Jesper présente la gamme RRD Slalom Xfire 122, 112, 102, 90 et 80 2010 :
Declaration: Yes I am sponsored by RRD, although I know this might be seen as biased by some, I’d like to share my thoughts on these boards and some tips for tuning them, seeing as they are quite new to the market here.
Without going into the very details of the shape, I can say the front rails are nicely rounded which gives you a lot of comfort and effortless jibing. The tail of the board is a little narrower in comparison to some of the other brands, which allows a more comfortable ride. Normally the trade off is that some of the pointing performance is compromised- but not in this case. These boards points very well indeed. The narrower tail also makes the boards use smaller fins, which are more efficient and greater control in stronger winds. The boards sit really nicely in choppy water and never seem to tail ride.
I think the boards looks great with the black/ white graphic look. Don’t be scared of the black colour absorbing too much of the nice sunny WA weather. I had no problems with the boards getting too hot.
Like many slalom boards this year they are supplied without a fin. This means you can chose from a lot of good brands exactly the fin you want.
This is what I found best in all round size for the boards.
122 = Canefire G10 42, 44.
112 = Canefire G10 40, 38. Canefire Molded 38
102 = Canefire G10 36, 34. Rockit 34, 36.
90 = Canefire G10 30,32. Rockit G10 30,32
80 = 28 for slalom, smaller for speed
I’ve also tested with weed fins and as much as I normally dislike them these boards handle them surprising well.
There are many options to set the foot straps (comfortable Dakine straps) on these boards. For me the board has felt best with the mast track in the back half of the box and using the outside settings for foot straps, 2nd last from the back. The stance for me is the most comfortable I have experienced on any slalom board. There is no excess back leg pressure and your foot is on very comfortable angle. I never have the sensation to “loose” the front foot out of the front strap.
Sailors often ask me what is my favourite size, but truth be told I can’t pick one. They all have the same feeling through out the whole range and I like them all.
I have no doubt that the boards are fast, and am looking forward to racing on them this year in the PWA and to get some more PBs on the speed days.
Bottom line I would say, “easy and fun is back in slalom with those boards”. – Great
If anyone has questions regarding the set-up of these boards please feel free to contact me.
Jesper Orth /
http://www.seabreeze.com.au
c'est parce vous n'aurez pas une 80 sous les pieds 
