Boards UK::2008 Exocet Kona One:: This is the original Kona that was introduced three years ago. It’s advertised as “a stable and manoeuvrable board that has natural wave abilities”. Character & Performance: In light winds the Kona glides very cleanly through the water, railing well to windward as you stand on the boxy rails with the daggerboard engaged to cruise upwind (it points higher than any board on the test). Indeed, with its high level of vee under the front straps the board will actually happily cruise upwind without the daggerboard. The large amount of board in front of the mast makes tacking easy. Gybing, however, is a bit more technical as the board doesn’t pivot on the tail as snappily as some shorter boards. This does mean that it tends to keep more speed through the turn, albeit through a wider arc. As the wind picks up, the Kona accelerates fairly slowly onto the plane (compared to the shorter, wider boards on test). We found that the sail needed to be sheeted out slightly in order to lose pressure on the daggerboard and disengage it. Once planing, the board frees up and the effect of the duck-tail is clearly noticeable, making the board feel more alive and turny than you might expect from something of this size. Despite its length and volume, it is actually surprisingly controllable in rougher water: the extra weight helps holds it down, as does the vee in the underside. It can also be carved surprisingly well around a turn (for such a big board), and the large tail gives you plenty of room for clumsy footwork. In waves the Kona can be manoeuvred fairly well, but a lot of input and energy is required from the rider to get it into the right place. The lack of a single back strap option means that any riding has to be done with the back foot out. Fittings: The deck and rails of the board are covered in soft, non-slip EVA – as well as making the board comfortable for beginners it makes railriding far less scary. The daggerboard is non-removable, fairly stiff and protrudes 62cm. The fin is a Kona 46 and fairly freeridey in shape; those learning to beachstart should use something a little shorter. (A screwdriver with a very long shaft is needed to change the fin, due to the very thick tail.) There are plenty of well thought out footstrap positions, and our test board was supplied with DaKine Primo straps. The board is fairly heavy at 15.5kg, but balances well on the daggerboard pedal when being carried. Popularity: The Kona was enjoyed by all, partly because of the novelty of sailing it, but most were surprised by how well it performed considering its size. Strengths: Light wind performance and upwind pointing. Weaknesses: Manoeuvrability and weight. Overall: A great all-round longboard that can be used in pretty much any windstrength, and thus great for any half-decent sailor who wants to get out there whatever the weather. The best cruiser in the test due to its very handy upwind performance and comfort, and for this reason also could work as a one design racer. It was actually our least favourite in the test for throwing about, so take this whole waveriding / back-looping marketing strategy with a major pinch of salt. The Kona is simply a nice all-round longboard. 
Isthmus Sailboards Staff Review with Gary Stone ::2007 Exocet Kona Style:: 
I had the opportunity to ride the first Exocet Kona in the country recently at the Windfest in Cape Hatteras. It was long and narrow in comparison to what I'm used to riding (350cm x 70cm, 220 liters of volume) though it had good initial stability and was effortless to get underway. With an 8.5m2 sail cruising was very nice and the board was quite responsive to any kind of puff the sail caught. The board would rail up just like an old stock windsurfer the moment a puff came through which made it very fun to ride in light conditions and with its full EVA deck it was remarkably comfortable. I bet I could finally learn to rail ride on this board too! (at 49 years old). As I got farther from shore and more into the breeze I found the board has multiple personalities. It would come up on plane easily and as the puff eased the gliding was was fun too. The big shock came when I got out to the wind line and got powered up and back in the footstraps: the Kona became a very capable freeride board with tons of speed! Surprisingly, it felt much smaller than its 350cm length when ripping along in the flat water with offshore winds-and while its responsiveness to foot pressure for jibing was not on par with a freeride board I had no trouble jibing it. In comparison to other boards of this volume, the Kona has a combination of performance and fun that is unrivaled! 
The Kona was designed to offer supreme versatility and is based on a “longboard” surfboard shape, so if you live on the coast you can remove the daggerboard assembly with 4 screws and go surfing too! The reports I have heard back indicate it is a blast in wind conditions under 10 mph in the surf-riding waves on it is supposed to be a riot!: check out the specs : |
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