91
setting will improve the Vogue’s
already exemplary manners. If
control’s what you need then
control’s what you’ll get.
Hardcore Wave 88L
At 88L RRD’s Hardcore Wave will
be perceived as on the larger side.
But as is the case with many types
of board dimensions don’t really
give the whole story. Look aft and
it’s immediately apparent how
tapered and thinned out the small
swallow tail actually is, which
should give any experienced rider
an indication of what to expect on
the water. For an 88L it’s also only
58.5cm wide.
MK8 board and sail
Moving forwards and thickness
increases with more volume under
the mast track. Rocker is ample,
especially just off the nose and
fixtures and fittings are suitably
RRD esque and high end. Flip the
HCW 88 over and sailors will be
able inspect the hull. A big tick in
the box is having five fin boxes to
play around with fin configurations.
Riders will need an assortment of
Slot Box types to achieve this but
at least the option is available.
Supplied with thruster (2+1) fins,
with two blanking covers, there’s
plenty of room for tweaks to find
that optimum positioning.
ON THE WATER
Vogue Pro 5m
RRD’s Vogue Pro 5m has a pretty
grunty bottom end – unsurprising
with it being a four batten. On the
minimum setting it’s a sail that
delivers a hearty dose of vroom that’ll
unstick even the most stubborn of
boards. It’s also super reactive and
responds well from rider input –
pumping in marginal winds will see
the power switch on instantly.
Once up and running it’s a
composed ride, especially across
chop and confused water states,
feeling light in the hands. Taking
each run in its stride the Vogue Pro
can be thrown at a variety of
windsurfing scenarios – from flatter
water to waves – without issue.
Even though it’s billed as a full on
wave sail there’s plenty of versatility
ensuring it finding favour with a wide
variety of sailors and styles.
Through moves the Vogue retains
its manners perfectly. Round
corners there’s enough drive to
power smaller boards through each
turn without losing momentum
whilst in the air riders will discover
oomph for big boosts and whip to
swivel through inverted rotations
without issue. For those of a new
school, freestyle orientated bent, it
also scores highly on this front. The
key thing though is just how
Price: Hardcore 88 ltd £2080 Vogue Pro 5.0 £640
Solid construction, but with typical
Italian styling and aesthetics, make
the Vogue Pro one eye catching
piece of gear. Rigging on the
brand’s Vogue Pro mast it sets
easily with minimal fuss. A unique
part of the concept is the way the
clew has been engineered. Or
rather how the eyelets have been
integrated. With an outer and inner
clew fixing point sailors are free to
set outhauls according to how
much control they need. For most
the outer loop will suffice but if
conditions start to ramp up then
affixing the outhaul at the inner
uk
WIND
SURFING