Over the next few weeks, most of the brands will be launching 2011 kit. But British loft Tushingham are a bit different – they run a more orthodox annual product cycle, loosely based on the Gregorian calendar that most of us live our lives by, so are liable to get drowned out by the big global launches around this time of year. We didn’t feel that was altogether fair, so before all the noise starts from everyone else we thought a recap on their wares might be a good way to start the silly season.
Thing is, we all know the brands tend to rattle on a fair bit about their latest offerings. And we wanted to cut through all that to give a concise picture of the range. So, we called 2007 UK Wave Champ John Hibbard – more often seen on a paddleboard these days, the long-time Tushingham rider knows the brand inside-out. But he’s also a proud new dad, which doesn’t leave all that much time for messing about. Stopwatch set, we gave John two minutes to talk us through the range – here’s his essential guide…
Rock
The ultimate wave sail. Redesigned to give more control in gusty conditions. Super-strong, dependable wave sail for all conditions.
2.7m to 6m. From £279
Storm
Freeride performance like no other. The Storm is designed for blasting – stable and easy to rig on a range of masts.
3.5m to 6.5m. From £289
T4
The Thunderbird refined. Test winning and the UK’s most popular freeride sail. Locked-in feel – you’d swear there were cams in that luff!
6m to 8.5m. From £345.
X15
Wanna go fast? More power and more speed gives the new X15 its credentials for speedsailing, slalom and Formula.
4.6 to 10.8m. From £359
XR Race
Basically wins almost every race it enters. Try and catch Rob Kent on the raceboard circuit – the only way to do it is get an XR Race.
5.5 to 9.5m. From £339
Lightning
Twin-cam heaven. Want to hold on to a sail in the biggest wind range? Get a Lighting. I love the 7.8m, it’s a beauty.
5.3m to 9.4m. From £349
Wedge
Want to go switch-stance, back-to-sail, while watching YouTube on your iPhone? No, me neither. But if that’s your thing the Wedge is the sail for freestyle performers.
4.6m to 6.4m. From £315
Express
Need a sail, don’t want to pay a lot, but want something that isn’t old and battered? The Express is the perfect all-round cruiser.
4.5m to 7.5m. From £219
n.b. Time ran out and we cut the line before John got to the Dino kids’ sail (2m to 4.5m ) and Soft Start trainer sail (1.5m to 4.5m)
John Hibbard is sponsored by: Starboard, Tushingham, Lifeboat Tea, ActionVan
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