STARBOARD 10’5 WIDE POINT TEST REVIEW
STARBOARD 10’5 WIDE POINT TEST REVIEW
Verdict:
New and improved for 2017, the Starboard Wide point looks great; one of the most desired boards from all of our testers viewpoints. With more rocker than the rest of the pack, it’s really light and nimble on the water if not a little springy under foot. A classy looking board that paddles well in a range of conditions from one of the giant brands of SUP.
Overview:
The improved Wide Point 10’5 comes with a tweaked lightweight roller back pack and Starboard’s own two way switch V8 Pump with removable base for easy storage. It’s got super stiff, heavy duty rails and a reinforcing stiffening belt around the top and bottom of the board. It also has a round neo’ padded handle and cargo bungees on deck, and was the only board with a paddle holder on the tail and leash. A very well finished product with great shelf appeal.
Brand Claim:
Optimum glide for cruising, fun performance in small surf and extra stability for riders up to 95kg to cruise with friends. We use inverted EVA deck pads to avoid waste, thus every second board will have a reverse color combination from what is featured. Available in Zen and Deluxe Technologies.
Performance:
Very light to carry around, this new Starboard felt slightly springy on the water but that soon became unnoticeable. The board cuts through the water well and had pretty much the narrowest nose and tail, with three iFINS in a cluster. It handles great; very manoeuvrable but tracks well. In our glide test this light board came in mid fleet. Starboard really have done a lot of work over the years on their inflatables, the mouldings all look refined over previous years’ boards, the deck pad is comfortable on bare feet and the multi-layer rails are made of a really tough stiff material giving the impression of a hard board when you drop it on its side. All of our testers loved the look and feel of this board and rated it as one of their favourites of the bunch. No doubt the most wave ordinated of all the boards in test, although we didn’t test them in the surf. If you turned up with one of these at the beach would all of the iSUP riders want one? Hell yeah, and your other half wouldn’t mind carrying it down the beach either. It’s also great to see Starboard putting a basic light weight leash with this board as standard for no extra cost. A very desirable board.
OTHER BOARDS IN THIS TEST:
• FANATIC FLY AIR PREMIUM 10’4