I'm looking for a fun & fast freeride board that I can uphaul a 8.5 sail. Anyone have any board recommendation?

Bob, the choice in this category and sail size is overwhelming and the definition for a fun board can differ greatly among us. I'll give you some examples of arguably the more popular and consistently high scoring boards from different categories .
-if you prefer longer, narrower "old school" freeride boards -Tabou Rocket, Starboard Carve come to mind
-also old school but faster -Fanatic Hawk and Naish Starship
-still relatively longer but not so narrow anymore-the freerace category like the very popular Starboard Futura
-much shorter, wider and also thinner /extended wind range but slower/ -the new freemove boards with the RRD Firemove as a benchmark /I own a Starboard AtomIQ 110 myself/
-a bit less wide , but generally even shorter and much thicker / so much so in the tail area/, with sharp rails throughout, flatter rocker and less footstrap positions -the significantly faster slalom boards like RRD XFire, Starboard Isonic etc.
-extremly short ,wide AND thick -the light wind early planners-Starboard Ultrasonic; JP Super Lightwind
As you probably know the perception of a "fun" board changes dramatically with chop increase - the more of it and especially the higher it is -a narrower , slower board starts to feel more fun then a wider and faster one . This issue is more of a concern in coastal areas /including the Great Lakes/ and almost irrelevant on smaller lakes.
A carbon construction delivers a significant performance boost in the bigger board sizes and is highly recommended.
Personally for the this sail range I like the freemove boards like the Firemove and the Atom the most for their allarondness in the water and compactness out of it- not too fast or too slow, easy to slog and uphaul onto , huge wind range and forgiving in rough chop . On the other hand some may find them a bit more complicated to get planing and losing speed in jibes quicker /as Reid mentioned/ -demanding more active sailing style compared to the longer and narrower boards of the past. Like the fsw boards in the strong wind and waves categories -they are great allaround but not the best performers in anyone specific discipline. A 2 board combo of a 120+L freemove and a 100+L fsw will be able to cover a 190 lbs person nicely from 5.0 to 8.5 sail range IMHO.

In the pic: Greetings from Tikiman !

Ady, Why did you get a Starboard AtomIQ 110 & not the RRD Firemove?

My intention was to buy any one used freemove board I can find. I didnt have the money when Reid was selling his and then ended up paying a lot more for a board in worse condition from Big Winds. Just bad timing/planing from my side and somewhat bad luck with used stuff persistent in my life.
Thanks to my friend Bob I've tried the 110 L Firemove on couple occasions and it felt like the more playfull and fun board of the two. The Atom with its more subdued nature will probably have a slight edge with control in rough , very powered conditions , a side in wich you -like me -are probably not too much interested in. So yes, in the fun department the Firemove wins!
One reason could be that unlike the Firemove Ltd full carbon construction the AtomIQ has a hybrid one-carbon deck and wood hull -which makes it a bit heavier and less stiff . When I asked about this on the Starboard forum I had a response from the top designer himself praising the merits /of course/ of the hybrid construction /which they use on their fsw board-the Kode-also/, but I think it just allows them to be more competitive pricewise and I wonder if they give those same boards to the Windsurfing magazines for testing
Anyway for 2016 the shapes, sizes, construction AND price seem to have changed for better or worse but there are still 2015 boards under 2000$ available at Isthmus and elsewhere so its not too late to snatch a good deal.
I would also look around for 2015 Fanatic Geckos still in stock. That brand has been very consistent in quality and performance thru the years and there is something very German about their boards-not much glitter , drama and exitement but rather precise , well designed or shall I say engineered products that are build to last /and win competitions/. I think that the Gecko name is a bit misguided -like some kind of a kiddy toy or something -a bit of a turnoff for the typically older and male windsurfing customer base, just my opinion.
www.isthmussailboards.com/Freemove-Winds...Boards/products/364/

Thanks for all the info!!!

Can you uphaul a 8.5 sail on your Atom IQ 110? What is your body weight?

Bob Mechtly wrote: I sure can. I even sailed a 9.0 on my former 112L slalom board a few times after I sold a 136L board , but I'm around 168 lbs and it wasn't fun - just a lot of work. I'm done with sails bigger then 7.5 for the time being and with the Atom I now have the control that I didnt have with the slalom board in rough Lake Michigan swell. On the other hand I lost some of the low end which is felt stronger when I sail in the gusty winds on small lakes. You just cant have it all!
Btw Bob, if you dont mind, whats the back story? Why do you want the smallest volume possible for your 8.5? This is what people on the coast normally do -because of all the chop and swell, but not if you sail on flat water and definitely not in the gusty, unreliable midwestern winds .
Do you want to add another board, or are you replacing an existing one?

I just want a fun & fast freeride board that I can uphaul a 8.5 sail with wide wind range & early planing & jibing, and learn how to bump & jump when the conditions are right. I think the 122 L RRD Fire Move Ltd V2 may be the board for me to get or the AtomIQ 120 L.

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I think you may get disappointed. Your tread made me do some analyzing and I reached the following conclusion regarding the purpose of the freemove boards: In my mind they serve best only 2 groups of riders. First one -newbs - because of the stability they provide when not planing /narrower boards wobble more/ and the freedom to step around on the wide, flat unclutered deck in maneuvers . Second group- more advanced riders sailing in rough coastal conditions. This is the group where I beling because of my sailing on Lake Michigan. The slimmer the board the lower it rides on the water surface delivering more control in high chop and swell. I feel much more confident now that I'll be able to make the scary downwind leg at Calumet in most conditions /some may call me a sissy of course /
I dont think you belong to any of those 2 groups though, so a freemove may not be a good choice.
I have a better idea for you to take into consideration , presuming you'll be sailing exlusively on the lakes around Saint Luis and taking your 190lbs in to account.How do you feel about a 2 board solution? Lets say a 120+ L freerace board-Futura; Firestorm; Speedster; Supersport come to mind-to give you a realy fast and exciting ride with 8.5 and 7.0 sails in 15-25 mph of wind-any one of this freerace boards will smoke a similar volume freemove board in top speed and will plane earlier aswell. There is not much to do in this wind range besides funracing, so why not having a decent board for that?!
Then for the 25-35 mph winds I suggest a 100+L fsw board with a 6.2; 5.7 and 5.2 sails / or a different quiver choice/. The 3 footstraps setting and compactness of the fsw board together with maneuvre oriented sail will give you the freedom and confidence to learn new turns and jump off every ramp without the negative consequences of a deck too wide.
The notion of having one board to do it all is good I know, but it is not very realistic at the current state of affairs in the windsurfing business IMHO.
In the picture below is the board that was making me smile on Wolf lake, but scaring the...out of me downwind on Lake Michigan: RRD Firerace-discontinued in 2012 but resurected again in the latest incarnation of the Firestorm /which was in identity crisis for a while/. Its essentially a detuned older version of the XFire -why let good things die right?! Check out the promotional video -Roberto says it all: speed is what matters in the big sizes ! Get yourself one of these or similar and leave the freemoves for the newbs and chickens
www.isthmussailboards.com/2016-RRD-Fire-...roductinfo/RRD16FSL/

Ady wrote: I have a Mistral Flow 115 L for 25-35 mph winds that I use my 5.5 to 6.0 sails at Bird Island TX & Clinton Lake in Kansas.

I do like the idea of getting a 2015 or 2016 Starboard Futura 124 L or 134 L board.

www.windsurf.co.uk/2014-120-litre-freemo...est-reviews-reports/
www.windsurf.co.uk/120l-freerace-board-test-2015/
2 tests in the 120L freemove and freerace category that can help you with your choice. Some of the shapes have changed for 2016 , some not so much . The general findings and overall picture of what both categories represent still stands more or less.
PS: Unfortunately those magazine tests dont include many brands -even big enough ones like Exocet, Naish and Goya who have great freeride boards. Smaller brands like Angulo, Patrik and others also may have good offerings wirth considering a look at once you have a general idea what you want.

Thanks! I like the 2015 or 2016 Starboard Futura 124 L more & more. I wish I could find a used 2015 Starboard Futura 124 L Carbon.