Boardseeker found themselves stumbling around a whole hoard of new kit at West Witterings in the UK recently. What we saw was colourful selection of some of the most advanced toys out there. We only have to think back 10 years and it is incredible how much the kit has developed.

When we really considered what was available and how the prices faired up, it really did seem amazing how board prices have not soared even higher. Looking around other sailing sports you can see the costs rocketing well above the rate of inflation. Don’t get us wrong, we are not saying we like the increase in board costs but before any riffling complaints come firing our way, be sure to check out your next demo day and really take a close look at all the gear.

One such item that might throw a spanner in the realms of logic is that of the brands who are producing a board with 5 fin boxes. A surprisingly new concept to modern day windsurfing, 5 fins might appear to pass the borders of speculation to slightly over the top. Unfortunately this logic got us into a little bit of trouble when we strongly questioned the concept with UK Brand Manager and international Tabou/Gaastra rider Ross Williams. In fact it lead to a heated debate over several beers in the pub that evening, the result of which was a clear reasoning for why 5 boxes is a viable option for a windsurf board, and, we have to say we were sold on the idea.

In our best attempts to convey this hugely informative conversation over to you we’ve since caught up with Ross Williams to get his top 5 reasons why 5 fin boxes should be in your quiver, over to Ross…

FIN SETUP

Perhaps the most obvious reason is the clear ability to have several fin options in one board. The 5 fin Tabou Da Curve allows the user to adopt one of the main two options, quad or thruster setup, in just a matter of seconds. Further to this, those who still wish for a looser feel can easily place in just two fins for the twinfin option or a small fin in between for the trailer layout. Finally the classic, more traditional windsurfers can be content with just a single fin.

This is perfect as it allows us to try out so much all on one board, meaning less is more for the end user. Or just as important is the fact that those getting into the sport can now purchase one board model in different volumes but have that variation through fin choice. This certainly makes the board prices suddenly much more attractive.