We decided to give the board a serious test in proper wave conditions. The board's stability at rest is good due to its volume but slightly less than previous versions. It will easily support heavier sailors and rigs up to 7.0m. It planes earlier and handles much better than the previous Cross.
The board reacts well underfoot and its rail to rail transition is notably better than it's predecessor, this makes sailing much more lively and responsive and the movement is fluid giving you the impression that you're gliding. Even if the Cross III doesn't provide as much stability as the Cross II, its more spirited, edgy and generally more fun, the more wavier the conditions.
This is a great board in waves and bump and jump conditions and although not tested on flat water it has very good potential as a freeride board for flat water sailing.
The reason?
The board's edge to edge movement responds more instinctively under foot which enables better prep for a jump should the situation arise. It's light and easy to ride - maintaining good speed for high jumps and surfing the waves. It's an excellent board for side riding the on- shore waves or even for heavier guys in light winds. In the surf you can do shorter turns or extend into a full tack and the board maintains stability throughout - and has a smooth ride both in small to medium size waves. All in all it's perfect to ride in on- shore waves, allowing sharp back turns to carve up the foam.
Its Strengths: stability from the off, early planing, speed, glide, manoeuvrability, ability to surf, wind range, ability to support larger sails.
Weakness: slightly more technical for the intermediate sailor, a slightly looser edge than the previous Cross II.
PM tested the 114 litre version of the Sting 114, which gains it's heritage from the famous SCross range.
It was clear that this was a pre-production version of the board and was nearly a kilo over the speciofied weight. This was a handicap in a comparative test but gives more hope for the potential of the production boards, which when down to correct weight will be more lively and have even better performance.
In spite of the weight drawback (pre production board) the test model was still a very fast planning board with very strong acceleration and speed. It shows a more sporty character than a lot of its competitors and offers great performance and easy upwind abilities.
Despite the high level of performance, this new freeride board from Exocet is still an easy board to handle, with excellent stability - both static and in motion. It is extremely comfortable and easy to control even in strong winds.
The Sting is easy to gybe with great stability in the turn and easy exit from the gybe. It is a super versatile board which suits a wide range of users, and at the same time giving the speed sensation of a freerace board.
Strengths: Versatility, planing, speed, upwind ability, stable and easy to gybe, fin quality ( Select SL7)
Weakness: A little less responsive underfoot than some competitors.
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