RRD’s light wind specific board gets put to the test
THIS TEST FIRST APPEARED IN ISSUE #95 IN SEPTEMBER, 2018
TEST TEAM NOTES:
The BS45 is quite a big feeling lighter wind twin-tip that isn’t very long, so it looks quite nice and compact. It’s 145 x 45… get it? Great design with black and orange, looks tidy in its finish and has a feel of quality. Robust in build with a Pawlonia wood core wrapped in biaxial glass, the BS45 is fairly heavy in your hands. Not overly so, but has more weight than we expected for a light wind board. Like an Aston Martin perhaps, big and sturdy, but nice all the time. The outline is quite parallel for grip while there’s a reasonably generous rocker for chop handling and comfort.
The look of the board has good freestyle playa credentials but rides with controlled speed. You have to switch your expectations when riding a wider board like this because it’s not as nimble as what you’re probably used to, but we combined this with bigger kites, particularly the 12 metre Emotion and had more than enough power and speed in 12 knots. The BS45 is also really easy to ride because it doesn’t require a lot of back foot pressure, so isn’t technical. Stiff in the central section, the pick up in speed comes on quite early but then the increased rocker gives you loads more trick options than something flat and straight, like a door.
The take-off for tricks is really intuitive for a basic edge and pop, whether you’re unhooking or going for something like a hooked-in back roll, but landings take a bit more concentration. The increased width means that compared to when landing on your smaller board, you need to think more about the board’s alignment with the water as it’s easier to slip out on landings. The BS45 is certainly suitable for boots and having that increased heel edge influence from boots would work really well.
There’s lots of nice swing weight for a really automatic feeling rotation once you’re into rolls and rotations, and this would come on even more with boots. Although this isn’t a pure freeride board that’s fast and turn-y, for general cruising, pop 180s, carving and slide turns, the BS45 is easy and at the more playful end of light wind twin-tips. Perhaps you sacrifice some absolute low wind performance compared to a pure, flat, straight edge, mow-the-lawn twin-tip door, but with an efficient light wind kite you can do loads more with this.
We had a couple of other riders use the BS45, one of whom was riding a 17 metre with a flatter 150cm board, and he struggled a bit more to get going on this smaller BS45, but he was close to 100 kilos, so if you’re over 90 kilos, the fun might diminish for you in the lighter 12 knot conditions.
The Radpads and straps are soft and comfortable with good feel underfoot and lots of coverage over the foot. They haven’t changed much in several seasons, but work very acceptably with plenty of adjustment in set-up.
SUMMARY:
The BS45 offers playful fun and a very respectable low wind range. You’ll find boards that get going quicker in really marginal winds, but for messing about and trying new tricks the BS45 is lots of fun and doesn’t look like a beginner / light wind board, as many do. You just need to adjust your angle and weight distribution on landings compared to how you normally ride a smaller twin-tip because of the added width.
KW LIKED:
Good looking play thing that you’ll keep in your quiver forever.
KW WOULD CHANGE:
The BS45 is a bit heavier than we expected, but we could still hold it while trying Jesus Walk board-offs, so it’s not overly weighted!
BS45 BALANCE POINTS :
Build quality: 8.5
Fixtures and fittings: 7.5
Speed: 6.5
Pop: 6.5
Drive: 6
Flex: 6.5
Comfort: 7
Looseness: 6.5
Grip: 6.5
Upwind: 7
Slider proof: NA
Boots applicable: Yes
Freeriding: 6.5
Freestyle: 7.5
Ease of use: 7.5
SIZE: 145 x 45cm
BS45 PRODUCT VIDEO
