Mistral Prodigy

Hi All,

I am in the process of searching for my first board, and am thinking about the Mistral Prodigy. I've sailed a few times over the last year on my friends board, and have picked it up quite quickly. I've done mostly lake sailing, but live on the east coast, so some ocean sailing will definitely be along pretty quickly.

I am a big guy. 6'1', ~225 lbs. I've sailed my buddies older long board, as well as a bic techno 283 (which i felt was a little unstable for my ability). I can sail upwind/downwind and perform slow tacks/gibes, occasionally falling in (especially on the gibes).

The guy at my local shop is really pushing the Mistral Prodigy. He is saying that it is by far the best board for me at this time. Partly due to my size, and just due to the fact that he feels that it is such a good board that i will be able to grow into.

What is everyone's opinion of the Mistral Prodigy? I'm a little concerned about the large volume (255 l), which i'm sure will be great to start out with (very stable), but i'm worried i will quickly grow out of it.

Any thoughts?

I heard lots of bad things about the Prodigy. Never tried one myself though.

Phil

Like what?

I just bought one for my wife. They are going like hot cakes in my area. (Lower Chesapeake Bay). They are really easy to learn on but they are short enouh to be sailed like a floaty Formula board. I wasn't about to buy something that she was going to grow out of real fast. We will probably keep this board even when she's sailing high winds and use it as a light wind board or for just cruising around. I think it's the best thing in a long time because it's not just a beginner-only board.

I can't think of anything I don't like about it yet. Be careful of just one bad opinion....and just one good one as well. I'm glad we got it.

says...

For the lake sailing I think the Prodigy will work fine but for ocean sailing I don't think you'd ever want anything that big except for the really light days. With lake and ocean sailing you'll almost have to plan on getting two boards. I'd suggest getting better on the lakes in higher winds, getting down your waterstarts, then get a short board that will work well in both flat water as well as open water.

I have a 96 Mistral Screamer 280 which is a great all around board.

They were telling me it was big and heavy, but those are riders that would expect it to be a performance board. I also heard it's not that good in real light wind, and WAY too big when the wind reaches over a certain speed. They say it's only sailable in a certain small wind range.

Again, I've never tried one myself, so this is only what I heard.

Thanks, Phil

It's big because it's a big board but it's actually pretty light for a big board. I was actually surprised. You can carry it under your arm by holding onto the centerboard knob and it balances very nicely.

In really light wind it works very well. I have only sailed it in light winds so I cannot speak for strong winds but it looks pretty good in higher winds in their promotional video.

Overall, I'd rather carry the Prodigy around than a traditional long board any day.

What do you mean by traditional longboard? I would personally have something like a start or go rather than that. Unless if you mean longboard, like a PanAm or IMCO olympic board.

Phil

Well, i've been poking around on-line looking for information on the Prodigy, and i found the review from Windsurfing Magazine (5/2002):

******************************************************* **** The Prodigy had quite a buzz surrounding it last year during its mid-season release. And after two months of testing on Maui, it's easy to see there's more to this board than just hype. The Prodigy astonished testers with better performance in a broader range of uses than possibly any board to hit the market this year. For first-timers, its thick rails and wide outline provide a stable platform. The large centerboard puts the board on edge with minimal sail power, offering sailors a sense of trustable pressure against which to push, lean, and hook in - ideal for progression. In high winds, kick the centerboard up, move the mast track back, sit back and enjoy. The Prodigy kept pace with far more exotic rivals. But the real beauty with this board is what it accomplishes as a whole. It can take a first-timer farther, in less time, with less frustration than was thought possible. Remarkably, it can also take a seasoned pro, a wind snob, or a high-wind junkie back to a time when windsurfing was just plain fun - no matter the conditions. ******************************************************* ******

Judging just from this review it sounds just about exactly what i'm looking for. But there seems to be a significantly large group of people (earlier responder is a perfect example) who see this board as overweight, bulky, and too floaty to be all that interesting for anyone but the absolute novice. Its hard to know who to listen to..

Exactly. Long board meaning L-O-N-G board. A Start or a Go are also good boards but for a beginner, the extra flotation is nice. They Prodigy's have sharp very rails so they go upwind like mad.

Best would be to contact your local shop (or even better, shops) and go test one out, also try and test out other boards that the shop owners, you, or somebody else may think are suitable. Pick the one that has a good price, is durable, and lots of other ppl think it's good in strong, light, and meduim wind, unless if you have a bulkier budget and plan to quickly buy yourself another stronger wind board.

Thanks, Phil

If you can have only one board, for recreational sailing in a wide range of conditions, I think the Prodigy is the best choice available. In very light conditions you sail it with the centerboard down, and it performs very nearly as well as a traditional longboard (IMCO, Equipe, etc)...you can certainly go anywhere; upwind, downwind...and get home again with no trouble. The large beginner-oriented sailboards with no centerboard (Start, etc) are lighter and cheaper than a Prodigy, and perhaps even easier for a beginner to learn the first uphaul on, but in very light conditions you'll have a hard time making upwind progress on one.

As the wind picks up, lift the centerboard, and a Prodigy will plane up quite a bit quicker than a traditional longboard, and go a lot faster. It starts to rival Formula-type boards in those conditions, though it can't point as high in planing conditions (with the relatively small stock fin). It's heavy, but responsive, and easy and fun to sail in high wind