One of the best-known brands in windsurfing, Mistral, had been very quiet for a few years. Changing owners and strategically questionable decisions such as cheap SUPs at German discounters have severely tarnished the brand's once noble image. For some time now, Mistral's fortunes have been managed from the Netherlands, with the aim of gradually restoring the brand to what it once was.
In addition to SUPs and wingfoil boards, Mistral is now gradually launching new windsurf shapes on the market, including the "Hookipa" wave model. We tried out the board extensively and tested whether it can offer more than pure nostalgia.
On land
Originally, the test model was developed from shaper Gianni Valdambrini's plane under the name Chameleon SX, but just in time for the release, the decision was made to use the name Hookipa - a homage to the brand's former cult model. The design also inevitably creates a sense of deja vu. Fortunately, the old name Hookipa is not an old hat, but a shape that meets modern requirements and is available in four sizes - we tested the Hookipa with 93 litres. At 224.5 x 59.5 centimetres, the board is quite compact. Five US boxes have been installed in the tail, which enable all fin setups from single fin to quad. The Mistral Hookipa is delivered with two sets of fins, so it can be ridden as a quad and as a thruster. It would have been nice to have plastic covers for the free boxes, but these should be organised in the surf shop.
On the water
The Mistral Hookipa is quite balanced and stable in the water when bobbing. Equipped with the thruster setup, it converts sail pull into speed without delay, so the board planes perfectly. When powered up, it runs sporty and free over the chop, but still offers good damping. Even in rough conditions, the chop remains soft and the riding comfort is impressive across the board, helped by the comfortable straps. Smooth turns can be made with the board over the edge. Regardless of whether you are jibing against a swell wave, or laying into the bottom turn in front of a breaker, the edges grip securely and with a lot of control. When riding waves, the board is best suited to long and medium radii, where it can fully utilise its variability and control on the rail and also picks up speed well up to the lip of the wave. Very tight, short hooks over the back foot are only possible to an average extent with the 3 fin set-up; a little more power is required to slash radically tight cutbacks.
Switching to the quad setup can therefore make sense, especially in powerful, big waves or on Baltic Sea days with very strong winds. Due to the shorter centre fins, the board loses some of its sporty, free planing position and runs deeper and more rail-like through the water. On the other hand, the turning potential can be increased slightly, which expands the range of use. Even in this setup, the board primarily provides a lot of grip - the shape supports powerful turns carved over the rail better than slid turns in skate style.
Mistral Hookipa - the conclusion
Mistral immediately gets back on track with the Hookipa model and proves that there could be more behind the cult brand in the future than just a greying surf dinosaur. The Mistral Hookipa scores as a controllable and easy-to-ride waveboard in the Baltic Sea chop as well as on good days on the North Sea and also offers very good wave surfers sufficient potential for carved turns and wave moves.
Technical data Mistral Hookipa 93
- Volume: 93 litres
- Length: 224.5 cm
- Width: 59.5 cm
- Weight (surf measurement): 6.43 kilos
- Finns:
- Price: 2699 Euro
- Available sizes: 83/88/93/98 litres
- Contact: Mistral website
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