Windsurf MagazineSTARBOARD CARVE 119L TEST REVIEW 2024

STARBOARD CARVE 119L TEST REVIEW 2024

The Verdict

Control is the overriding theme with the Carve, you are the master of your own destiny. The Carve breeds confidence in the rider thanks to its easy-to-use personality, comfortable ride and its ability to adapt to a spectrum of flatwater conditions. This combined with its easy gybes will make the Carve a popular choice for any flatwater warrior.

The Lowdown

The Carves come with Starboard’s signature board sock, which not only helps to protect the board, but also reduces packaging, which a nice touch with a welcome eye towards eco-friendliness. The Carve is available in two constructions – Starlite Carbon construction, where performance meets price, and Starboard’s trademark Wood Sandwich construction, which we were provided with for the test. The deck pads, just like the straps provided, are of premium thickness to provide ultimate comfort. The rear deck pad spans the width of the tail to match the more user-friendly footstrap placement options, which are positioned more inboard. This also provides an excellent reference point for the rider as the back foot moves around the board – allowing you to feel your way into the straps. The overall design of the Carve screams efficiency combined with control. A concave deck in the nose leads to double step tail cutouts, which are taken from Starboard’s iconic iSonic range, while the Carve benefits from an improved rocker line this year with the flatter section moving forwards. All of the above, plus a shorter mast track, assist with improving the Carve’s planing performance, acceleration and control. On the underside of the Carve, a vee double concave is present throughout before morphing into a vee at the fin. The rails remain relatively sharp, even as you move forward towards the nose of the Carve, while the nose kick comes in a touch later than some others on the test, but remains more than ample to help you avoid any unruly chop, while the aforementioned flatter rocker line provides even earlier planing than previous models. All of this is packed into an attractive looking board – with its stunning natural wood finish upfront combining beautifully with a classy blue on the underside and hips of the deck – before finishing off with a bold red tail.

Brand Claim

“Easy planing. Confident control. Autopilot gybes. The 2024 Carves deliver big on effortless planing, autopilot gybing and a controlled ride in any conditions.”

Performance

Providing a solid platform when off the plane, the Carve is instantly user-friendly, making you feel comfortable and at ease. Delivering smooth acceleration onto the plane, the Carve gives you plenty of time to work your way into the straps, which present themselves before you. Once in the straps, the Carve provides a comfortable ride, delivering immediate control as you drive the board via the extremely comfortable straps. The Carve is also more than capable of being pushed, while if you loosen its reigns slightly off the wind you will be rewarded with impressive speed. The Carve really comes alive as you accelerate through the gears and lift off the fin, while still offering that crucial element of control. When tracking upwind the Carve feels secure and locked in with decent pointing ability, while it handles choppy waters with ease, possessing an innate ability to handle everything from a rolling sea to shorter and sharper chop. Through transitions the Carve possesses enough volume upfront to make tacking with a larger sail possible, while as its name suggests, the Carve is an absolute pleasure to gybe and this is where, unsurprisingly, it truly excels. It’s just easy, naturally wanting to carve with even the slightest initiation from the rider, giving the more experienced rider the option to alter the radius of the gybe. The Carve carries plenty of speed through the entry and exit, making gybes feel, and appear, simple. The Carve keeps the sailor in control, breeding confidence throughout the ride.