Mistral Ecstasy Still Rules!
F. Scott Shine
I recall several readers recently criticizing the Mistral Ecstasy
as a high-wind wave board. During Hurricane Bertha’s visit
to our area, I had several excellent sessions on this board and
continue to be amazed that people think its a crummy wave board.
Is it because you Hodads don’t actually sail waves, so you
criticize the Ecstasy because you don’t like how it performs on
you favorite lake in Iowa??!! Or, is it that the design is over
two years old and anything that didn’t come of the production
line this year sucks? Give me a break! Ecstasy still rules, and
you teckno posers need to learn to sail your equipment and
stop fantasizing that new equipment will improve your shitty
performance! Get a life.
Shine
Colas Nahaboo
In article <323617...@jax-inter.net>, "F. Scott Shine" <sh...@jax-inter.net>
writes:
|> I recall several readers recently criticizing the Mistral Ecstasy
|> as a high-wind wave board.
I owned a Mistral Ecstasy, and it is not a high-wind board.
It is actually a very nice fast WAVE board, but its problem is that due to
its very low nose rocker and wide outline, it has difficulties handling
chop (you can pearl at high speed in steep chop). however it is great for
glassy wave faces with not-too-much wave power, with more than a 5.0.
Its low nose scoop is a hassle to get through whitewater underpowered,
however... my current board has a 30cm(1') front scoop, and it is MUCH
more confortable pushing trough swells.
It also doesnt' have the spontanbeous exhilarating feeling of modern wave
boards. You have to plan more your moves in advance.
But it is a good board, a bit like the Tiga 257 (but I think a tad more
wavy than the tiga). Still good for ocean swell with light winds. But if
you plan to sail in high-winds with choppy wave faces, other boards are
much more fun. A perfect beginner board, if it had a bit more front scoop.
--
Colas Nahaboo, Koala/Dyade/Bull @ INRIA Sophia, http://www.inria.fr/koala/colas
Pete Burak
Hi,
I have an ecstacy for Gorge sailing. Although I've used it as low as 3.5 at
Roosevelt (pretty glassy swell, nice ride) and 4.o at Rowena (a little choppy so the
board was a little all over the road), I think its best range is 4.5 to 5.5. It's a
fun board to sail. Jibes real easy, nice and turny in Gorge swell, ect. I'm
having the nose turned up by a local custom guy. I think it needs a little more
rocker like an eruption. I think this board would please a wide veriety of sailers.
Sail on,
Pete
NLW TFW NM
Colas' comments are right on, but I gotta make an observatio: No board (or
sail, or fin, or venue) "rules". There are almost as many great pieces of
gear as there are places and ways to sail them. This "rules" attitude
sometimes leads to obnoxious sailing styles, which helps nothing. I was
ready to buy new sails a couple of years ago, and asked a friend how he
liked his new Northwave RAFs. His only answer was a useless, arrogant, "It
rules". I wanted to know what it did, how well it worked, its strong and
weak points, how it compared to its competition in different conditions
and maneuvers (that model doesn't have a lot of competition, in my book).
What the hell good is "It rules"? It surely doesn't rule on a course race
board or course. And he owns a windsurfing gear test magazine!
I hope Shine's attitude on the water doesn't reflect his commentary
attitude. But his attitude that older style boards still have a lot of
performance to offer is also right on.
Mike \m/
Never Leave Wind To Find Wind
F. Scott Shine
> I hope Shine's attitude on the water doesn't reflect his commentary
> attitude.
Ok,OK!,
I have to confess that I posted this note last night in an inflammatory manner to draw
your flames. While I do honestly think the Ecstasy is an excellent wave board for
“waves” and much of the criticism of this now aged board is a sailor technique problem
-- not an equipment problem, my purpose in this post was somewhat self-serving.
I remembered this “Ecstacy” discussion from a few months ago and knew some of you boys
would get your panties in a snit if I brought it up with again in such and opinionated
manner. Why? I used your comments in a lecture I presented tonight on the Web,
newsgroups and threads -- is that smoke I smell??!! Just what the Doctor ordered! You
have my sincere thank -- but, this post might piss you off even more. So, feel free to
keep shooting.
rules vb a: are ment to be broken.
hugh
hmmm,
well folks, it looks like we've been fooled by f.scott shine. he
really had us going - eh?
mind you - i wonder if f.scott shine is giving lectures at a remedial
college for bad spelling, bad manners and incomprehensible nonsense. i
quote "you have my sincere thank" - "are ment to be broken" and "i
posted this note last night in an inflammatory manner". i have to
wonder what he was doing when he posted the note - burning the US flag?
[i can imagine someone posting an inflammatory note, but not posting a
note in an inflammatory manner].
all i thought when i read the first note was that it must have been
written at 4am after a bad night on the booze and that f.scott shine was
simply on a bad day. now i have less of a good opinion of him.
hugh
--
__________________________________________________________________
Hugh Sheehy
these opinions are my own, and not necessarily those of my employer
------------------------------------------------------------------
Steve
Gee whiz - you are SO clever.