Mistral Explosion 1 versus 2
Paulr353
I am thinking about replacing my rather ancient Tiga 275 102 l volume .
Looking for a board with a bit more volume/lighter/earlier onto the plane
- predominantly for flatish water /occ inland blasting but also sailing
Hayling.
Does anyone have experience of explosion 1 v 2, I have heard that 1 has a
low nose rocker creating problems with nose trip
Paul Robinson
PS looking for 2nd hand tush series7 6 to 7 m
Keith Meder
Paul, the 1995 Explosion doesn't have as much flip in the nose as the
1996 Explosion II does. So the 1996 model should handle much better in
the chop. I am riding a 1995 Energizer that I really like. It is 9'2"
and 110 liters. I mainly use it with a 6.7m, but it will handle a 7.5m
and I have sailed it with 5.3m with no problems. It will plane a lot
faster than the Tiga. I got mine at my local dealer on a close-out
price about 6-8 months ago. It's the XR version which only weighs 15
lbs. You might look around, there might still be some 1995 CHS models
out there for a really good price. The CHS model weighs about 17 lbs
and is more durable than the XR. Check out the April 1995 issue of Wind
Surfing magazine, they gave the 1995 Mistral Energizer a very good
review. One of the guys at my local shop has sailed the 1995 Energizer
and the 1996 Explosion II and he said the Energizer planed faster than
the Explosion II. Also the 1996 models have the scooped out deck that
got mixed reviews in all the board tests. If money is no object you
might wait and check out the 1997 models. Mistral will have an
Explosion 288 and 298 and from what I've seen they have a very custom
board look. You can barely see the seam on the rails and the nose is
rounded. Which ever model you decide on you can go wrong buying a
Mistral. I now own two, a 1995 Energizer XR and a 1995 Electron CHS,
and I've been very pleased with both.
Keith Meder
Plano, TX
AaronKiley
Paul, I have the older Explosion and I've tried the '97 Explosion 288.
The 288 looks really nice. Unfortunately, I didn't get that much time on
it and the conditions were a bit off. It did fill a lot less clunky to
me. I'd be a bit careful about the ding resistance. My older Explosion
was a bit delicate, but not too bad. Of all the boards I've seen
looks-wise, I think the new Explosion is tops. It has a very simple clean
look. I'm personally getting sick of all the graphic "attempts" on
baords. Even some of the Mistral stuff. ... Aaron