1999 Flow, were there any problems?

I have found a good deal on a Flow - the green one, not the blue Custom Flow. I seem to remember footstraps pulling out or something, is this true? Any idea how much more this weighs than the custom version? Thanks!

This is not the signature you are looking for. Move along.

I have zero complaints about my green '99 260 Flow, which I bought new in Nov 99 for $700 (thanks again, Bart). It's not my primary board, but it gets used quite a bit when the wind's just not there for my smaller board. It comes out when it's blowing 6.0, weak or holey 5.0, and very holey 4.2. It sees chopswell up to four feet, occasionally bigger, and because I don't usually come back in until I have to, it gets used when it's time to be on a smaller board. It's been out there under a 6.0 when 180-pound Gorge experts are adding downhaul to their 4.7s or even rigging their 4.2s and have been on their sinkers for half a session. It sees all the air I can muster every chance it gets, which is often because it jumps very easily. It also seems very fast when wound up, readily passing some very good sailors even when the terrain is much better suited to their smaller boards. I crash as often on it as it chooses, and that means it sees plenty of nose whacks from the mast. Both the board nose and the mast are padded at the impact point, but it still takes a Ficking and keeps on ticking.

I jibe both feet at once, meaning my front heel comes down the deck between the straps on every jibe, sometimes pretty hard. That area is now padded, and the deck seems as solid as the day it was built. That was the board's complaint topic

RE/

Mine started weeping at the seams and footstrap inserts after less than 150 hours of use.

The real problem to me was that NorthSports wouldn't warranty it. 'More than a year old or some such garbage'.

After NorthSports chinced, I peeled back some skin around the rear straps and found air bubbles in the styrofoam that were about an inch across...

Just the luck of the draw, I guess...

'Luck of the draw' exactly! Have ranted much about my '98 screamer which was the same construction. Seams bled, one nose whack was all it took to lose that, and the fin box area crumbled only from sheeting in too many times within 13 months, or maybe the occasional 38cm fin was to extreme, but never a single jump. Most wasted $1100 ever. A shame since the shape and handling is quite nice. Very much a lucky draw. Sounds like Mike drew very well. Oh, similar experience with Mistral. They did replace it the first time when the seams were leaking. But what they replaced it with, they wouldn't cover any longer than the original warrantee, which meant they gave me two months on a supposedly new replacement. The finbox area caved in within 3 1/2 months after they gave it to me, and they wouldn't replace it. Good luck to you.

It was tales like Pete's and this one (and good performance reviews here) that prompted me to buy a Flow only because a) I examined some good used ones and b) I got mine new at half price. It definitely seems to be a gamble, one I've won only because I've already gotten my $700 out of it.

Mike m/

RE/

I'm trying to make my own luck: bought a StarBoard Carve 123.

I used to go on and on about how the 284 Flow was the only board I ever needed - and in my limited venue, that was true. Great shape for me but, as you observe, not-such-great construction.

With the Carve, I need a 'big' board for really light days, but the loosness of the Carve makes it worth it. For me, this thing redefines 'Loose'.....

People I trust (the same ones that say Mistral construction is poor....) tell me that StarBoard's wood veneer construction is pretty good.

Only things I'd change if I could get it semi-custom are:

1) PowerBox instead of Tuttle: Much, much easier to insert/remove fins, breaks the fin and not the box if you hit something solid.

2) Longer mast track, same center - so I can take full advantage of the designed range using a two-bolt foot.

Yeah, all luck. Two brothers four green 1999 Flows. One of the four seems to be able to take a moderate amount of heavy sailing, about 60 days. The other three all delammed on the bottom. These guys really know how to care for gear, do not land flat on a regular basis but do sail hard in chop. Kinda what the board should be able to do. Anyway, after 60 or so days the fourth flow is falling apart. Total delam to the seam on both sides and top and bottom. Pieces of *&^% according to these guys. But I know of a lightweight woman who sails hers about 100 days a year and has experienced no problems at all. SO, luck of the draw.

My 276 green Flow had air bubbles under the deck directly in front of the mast base. One tap from the mast and the bubble burst, causing a small depression. Luckily, the outer skin didn't break and it hasn't taken on any water. Other than that, I'm pleased as punch with it, especially in ocean chop and swell where it's shape really comes into its own.