102 SPOTLIGHT
Wave heads apply here
Tabou 3S+ 96L 2019
Buy from: https://tabou-boards.com Price: LTD version: £1,999; CED version: £1,759
WORDS: WINDSURFING UK PICS: JAMES JAGGER
WE’RE NO STRANGERS TO THE 3S CONCEPT HAVING USED A BUNCH
OF DIFFERENT TYPES OVER THE YEARS. IN FACT, WSUK’S VERY OWN
TEST EDITOR’S WIFE USED TO OWN ONE. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME
WE’VE ACTUALLY TESTED A TABOU OFFERING FOR WSUK THOUGH –
IN THIS INSTANCE IT’S THE SUPER CHARGED TABOU 3S+ 96L WE’RE
PUTTING UNDER THE MICROSCOPE.
Whereas the original 3S is more of an
all round freestyle wave, bump and
jump board 2019’s 3S+ is a turbo’d
wave sled that’s more in line with surf
sailing environments. Although we
should add Tabou state it can still be
used on flat water.
Out of the box and we have to say that
construction looks stunning. The
Tabou’s lines are extremely pleasing with
its vivid red livery ensuring it stands out
at the beach. Diamond winger tail, 2+1
thruster fin config and domed deck with
top drawer pads/straps complete this
very refined design.
On the water the 3S+ feels compact
and a tad smaller than its 96L volume
would suggest. That said it responds
instantly to gusts and takes off with
ease. Riding in a very cushioned
fashion across chop the word that
uk
WIND
SURFING
springs to mind is ‘smooth’. For real
world coastal sailors this’ll be a
welcome trait as many spots can suffer
chop at times.
From the straps the 3S+ 96L is fast. It
has a decent amount of nose rocker
which combined with its speed makes
for fun jumping. Connect with steep
lips for efficient boosting and you have
a fulfilling ‘send it’ sled that suits aerial
antics. It’s good for backies in
particular allowing proper height for
reverse apex rotations.
On a wave the 96L grips like stink,
being much more drivey than its
standard 3S sibling. Biting hard off the
bottom, whether sailors are going front
side or back side you’re all set for flat
chat lip belts, fins out action, re-entry
fulfilment or aerial launches.
Conclusion
As a new concept for 2019 Tabou’s
3S+ 96 delivers for wave
heads/coastal sailors on many
fronts. Efficiently booting around
the break it’s a smooth riding sled
that eats choppy conditions for
breakfast. Its real magic is jumping
and actual riding whereby it delivers
a level of prowess that’d put many
pure wave boards to shame. In fact,
with versatile and user friendly
wave toys like this riders won’t
need to look anywhere else for a
surf sailing tool that copes with
both onshore and side shore wave
sailing scenarios.