interesting read though i get the impression its a bit like the high cost of F1 racing cars.. does not exactly translate to our 'everyday drivers'.
nice to see those brits debate passionately about pressure valves too!

Master debaters those Brits!

now to top things off theres trouble afoot at the cobra factory..

http://surfermag.com/features/onlineexc ... ut-bass08/

I just got back from Maui.

From my observation kiting has taken a big dive in numbers while windsurfing numbers seem pretty steady.

The biggest increase is an increase in the number of Stand Up Paddle Boarders. I've been Stand Up Paddling for over a year now. It is a great crossover sport for windsurfing when the wind is not happening.

I talked with one of the suppliers of SUP boards on Maui. They tried to get their design manufactured by Cobra but the price was sky high and the delivery time was 2 years! It seems that the Cobra factory can't keep up with orders.
They ended up getting there design manufactured in Mainland China for a reasonable price. We will probably see the price of boards drop or remain steady. The average price that I saw in Maui was about $1200 -1600 US for a new board.
As for the Starboard Evil Twin, my guess the pricing might be an sales experiment or gimic just to see what the market might buy. Kind of like putting a Rolls Royce of Boards out there.
If you have to ask the price then you can't afford it.

The other alternative is to build your own board just to see what the cost really should be.
It is a lot of work!
Personally I don't mind paying $1200 for a board because that is probably what it is worth in development and design time, labour time, tools and material wise.
Ask Tom Sullivan or Tom Vandall or Perte Joke how much work goes into making a windsurf board.

rkwave wrote:
Personally I don't mind paying $1200 for a board because that is probably what it is worth in development and design time, labour time, tools and material wise.
Ask Tom Sullivan or Tom Vandall or Perte Joke how much work goes into making a windsurf board.

Agreed. $1200-$1600 is reasonable. A custom will run near +/- $2000 USD. If a board, production or custom, will stay light and tight after at least 2 "Canadian seasons" of mixed sailing I'll happily fork over $2000. Unfortunately, it seems hit or miss with both customs and production boards whether or not your hard earned cash gets you a board that lasts any reasonable amount of time or sees a board maintain any value in the used market.

One easy way you can get many more seasons out of a board is to have a kid or two! You will only have to worry about it going out of style.. not the deck going all soft and squishy like your once ripped abs. just kidding sort of

http://www.geocities.com/reystos/board_building/ worst case scenario you end up with a nice chair, even if the deck goes soft