Thommen have a serious speed pedigree, with main man Bjorn Dunkerbeck
determined to claim that outright record. The SR50 sits at the small end of their
Slalom Race series, and is an extremely small board indeed. It has a very purposeful
look with seemingly no rocker whatsoever, and a very long mast-track to allow a good
range of tuning.
It has a very thin narrow tail and big tail cut-outs, and thus takes a lot to get going; getting the back foot into its strap is pretty tricky. However, once up and running it feels comfortable, very fast and extremely flat. Which made it probably the least favourite in chop, but on really smooth water this is the one that feels the most effortless and ‘top speedy’. Definitely a specialist purchase, but if you do happen to be living by the Ray or West Kirby it would be a fun tool to have in the quiver!
Ease of use: 4/10
Ultimate speed potential: 8/10
Overall Speedsailing versatility: 4/10