The low down
The iSonic is the dedicated slalom race-board range from Starboard. Built for high speeds, these boards were highly successful in 2011 with both the men’s and women’s PWA Slalom World Titles decided while using the iSonic. They are available in either wood or carbon constructions and the range has nine different sizes.

At a glance
For 2012 the 107 has had a few tweaks compared to last year’s shape, the rails in the nose have been slightly reduced in thickness and the cut-outs in the tail have been redesigned to reduce drag. On the deck it has a concave shape in the nose, which reduces volume and lowers the rig into the board, while the footstrap area is raised to give the rider more leverage and the best riding position. The full carbon construction is very light, extremely stiff and looks great under the thin layer of paint. It has a Deep Tuttle fin box but doesn’t come with a fin. Starboard recommend a Drake Slalom Pro 400 to go with it.

Performance
It has very little volume in the nose, so the sooner you can get back into the straps the better although this is not an issue as it accelerates extremely quickly. From the straps the ride feels great, the elevated deck and dome under your feet makes you feel engaged with the board and enables you to really lock it down and push hard. It rides very flat and copes well with chop, making it fast in all conditions, as well as on all points of sail. It points incredibly high and carries a lot of speed up-wind, which is very useful for positioning yourself in the fleet or executing overtaking manoeuvres. Around the corners it is a very rewarding board to gybe, it can be cranked into carves at warp speeds, it holds its line well and rockets out of the exit.

The verdict
A very fast board on all points of sail, the iSonic is slightly more technical but by no means tricky to ride. In a straight line, it is blisteringly quick and devastating in the right hands around the racecourse.

www.star-board.com