(Taken from Windsurf magazine Apr 07)

AT A GLANCE

T1 has been around for several years now,founded by Peter Thommen when he left F2 and championed by his partnership with none other than Bjorn Dunkerbeck. The company has the slogan “Fast Man. Fast Board” to which this new Fast-X 117 subscribes to, being the smallersibling of a two board series that is said to have the performance of a speed slalom board, yet the ease and control to make them more than applicable to recreational sailors. Whilst the relatively low rockered wide nose shape is the only thing worthy of note about the 117’s planshape, its bottom shape is anything but straightforward, progressing from single todouble concave to pronounced vee in the tail, with the addition of bevels extending along mostof the rail’s length, being most evident in theshoulders. Supplied with a CNC milled G10 finand standard Velcro straps, it certainly looks no more than its quoted volume in size and is impressively light at 8.38kg.

RIDE & HANDLING

As soon as you get up to speed on the Fast X and begin to compare your speed with others, you realise you are on something quite special. Unquestionably the fastest board in this group, it nevertheless has a more comfortable and relaxed nature compared to a full on slalom board, making it a great deal of fun to use for long periods in challenging conditions. That said,the 117 is relatively small and technical to use, making it most suited to the more experienced rider than the progressing intermediate. Feeling its size, the Fast-X shouldn’t really be partneredwith anything more than a 7.5m sail and takes alittle more power than others in the group to getgoing. Once there it accelerates rapidly, feelingloose and lively underfoot, thriving on being loaded and driven by an efficient sail. In their outboard positions the front strap is situated rightout on the rail, which may prove hard to locate forsome but used in powered conditions is exactly where it needs to be. The back strap enables therider’s foot to wrap securely around the rail, albeit providing a hard solid surface to push against. Fast and slippery through the water, the Fast-X is certainly one of the more involving and technically demanding on test to sail, requiring good trimming technique to keep it skipping through lulls, or on course through heavy chop. But if you’re an experienced rider and are looking for a comfortable yet captivating platform to use for no-holds barred blasting, then look no further.

MANOEUVRES

Due to its speed the 117 requires a good gybing technique to make it commit positively into the turn without bouncing out mid-turn or stalling on its tail. For the best results you really need to get forward into the gybe, which can feel a little peculiar, what with it being a reasonably wide board with the front strap right out on the windward edge. If you hold back and enter the turn nervously, the board almost senses your discomfort and responds more erratically. Get it right however, and the 117 can handle the most confused conditions, gripping aggressively to the inside of the turn before catapulting the rider out of the turn on the new tack.

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