HAKA ST

The Haka ST is replacing the Haka. The Haka ST is probably Witchcraft´s most allround wave board. Faster and looser than the Haka, the Haka ST is the best choice for sailors who both sail on and side shore conditions. The bottom shape of the Haka ST was also updated, it now has more V in the nose going into double concave into double concave V in the tail.  The V breaks the chop and the double concave gives grip. The tail was cut off some 2 cm, making the straps and fins sit further back on the board, making it faster and looser. Combined with the rounder rails, a faster rocker and slightly narrower outline makes that it can handle chop very well. With the straps more back, moving the straps back or forth has even more influence on the boards performance. The Haka ST also features our special pretwisted trifin system, giving less drag, handling more power and a wider variety of angles of attack without losing grip. This link explains it all.

In comparison to the Haka ST, the Wave is more riding orientated, it gets more speed out of the wave and has more grip, drive and precision on the wave. The Haka ST, planes earlier, is faster sailing out and absorbs chop better. The riding style of the Haka ST is more skaty with less grip than the Wave but still good grip compared to most wave boards.

In comparison to the Haka ST, the Shaman is less technical to sail, planes earlier and keeps speed better. The Haka ST is the more radical version of the Shaman: turnier, faster and jumps better.

The HDD construction comes in luminous red, the CBC in luminous green and the SDT in yellow.

The test team of windsurf.co.uk tested the Haka ST 90 HDD:

“THE LOWDOWN

Described as their ‘Control Wave’ series, the Haka ST has recently replaced the Haka in the Witchcraft wave board lineup, sitting alongside the brand’s other expansive wave board ranges – the V5 Wave, Reaper and Shaman. Rather than conforming to the usual annual or bi-annual cycle, the brand’s boards are developed by Bouke Becker and his team through continual R&D out in Fuerteventura – the home of their custom centre. The CAD / CAM production boards are then produced in a factory in Eastern Europe, using a semi-custom process. And as with all the other wave board ranges, the Haka ST is available in three construction options, the most reputed of which is Heavy Duty Dyneema (HDD), as tested here. Producing full Dyneema boards since 1995, Witchcraft have long been advocates for the material’s impact resistive qualities, so despite it being a difficult material to work with (since it highlights the weakness of any other material used), perseverance has brought a greater understanding and knowledge base. With a full wrap of Dyneema on both deck and hull (overlapping on the rails), the boards are said to be tough from the inside out, capable of withstanding knocks in the most abusive environments. So much so, that all HDD boards come with a 24 month guarantee.

The design of the Haka ST itself is as interesting as its construction, with plenty of features worthy of note. Its outline is described by Witchcraft as ‘drop shape’ – a sort of reverse teardrop, with the wide point well forward of the board’s mid-point, before tapering to a narrow swallowtail. This is put into context by the Haka ST having one of the wider max widths of the 90s we have tried this season, yet one of the narrowest one-foot-off measurements in the tail. Said to possess a “parabolic medium rocker” (for smoothness, early planing and tight turning), the rails of the Haka ST are incredibly sharp in the tail, the hard edge witnessing minimal tuck until the front straps, whereupon they tuck quickly and disappear into soft rails by the board’s shoulders. You also get the sense that the fittings on the Witchcraft are thoroughly scrutinised and deliberated upon. The mast track length is short, saving weight and mitigating the chance of a poor setup. The dual density deckpads incorporate a lovely raised wedge, which fits perfectly into the arch of each foot (and can be easily felt through boots), providing extra traction and making it easy to ascertain that your feet are properly located. The Witchcraft branded Velcro straps supplied are easy to adjust, with each one fixed to the board using four screws to eliminate any twist. They also encourage the rider into a wider stance as standard (some 5-6cm wider than on most other boards), making it easier to move weight from the front to back foot. Capable of being used as a single fin, the Haka ST is supplied with Witchcraft’s self-stated unique tri-fin system, using pre-twisted CNC milled G10 fins. There is a wealth of information on the brand’s site, providing the background to the extensive research done on the fins and the toe-in determined by the thruster boxes. Suffice to say the belief is the pre-twist and shape of the fins provides more drive and less drag, allowing for larger side fins and resulting in better upwind performance, improved manoeuvre potential and earlier planing. With an exhaustive fifteen sizes in the Haka ST line-up, from 57 to 115L, the amount of work and dedication to their product is very tangible.

BRAND CLAIM

“The Haka ST is probably Witchcraft´s most all-round wave board … the best choice for sailors who both sail on and side shore conditions.”

PERFORMANCE
With certainly no more buoyancy underfoot than its quoted volume would suggest, the Haka ST nevertheless responds superbly as soon as power is delivered. Turn it off the wind and it releases early, offering plenty of traction and stability as you shift rearwards, despite the narrow tail and small central fin. Accelerating smoothly, it has an impressive turn of speed particularly off the wind, yet cruises through lulls and tracks upwind exceptionally well. Whether it be the fin system mentioned earlier, the board’s rocker-line, rail shape or geometry, there are undoubtedly a number of factors that make the Haka ST’s performance greater than the sum of its parts. It just feels so balanced and controlled, cutting through the chop effortlessly on the way out, providing the ease for the rider to settle into their wide stance. With its speed and alertness, it came as no surprise that the board was a great deal of fun for aerial trickery on the way out, its wide nose and shoulders seeming to catch the wind instinctively once airborne and provide an extra boost. We often found ourselves taken aback by the extra height achieved in our jumps, without any additional effort to do so! Coming back in and riding on the Haka ST is also a delight – it is wonderfully confident on its rail, adapting to any style whether front foot or back foot biased. In fluky winds and large open faces, it can generate drive through the tail and surf through the turn, transitioning smoothly from rail to rail. Enter powered cross-onshore conditions and it is no less capable, animating an otherwise tricky session with its speed and tenacity through the turn. Ride it passively and let the Haka’s thin rails do most of the work, or dominate it with an aggressive and proactive approach, it will respond willingly. The wide stance may take a little time to get used to, but the benefits soon become apparent, offering control in challenging seas, and the ability to transfer weight fore and aft quickly whilst riding. At the top turn the tail of the Haka ST releases easily for redirection down the face. Get your timing wrong and it will slide out, but with time spent understanding the grip available, it can help you to complete your top turn or cut back with more fluidity, bringing extra flair and mastery. With its capacity to plane early, yet feel compact in challenging seas; at home in cross-onshore or offshore conditions and with incredible adaptability in the turn, the Haka has a massive range, giving it plenty of user appeal.

THE VERDICT
With so much thought and passion going into the Haka ST, the board simply oozes quality both in terms of versatility and performance on the water, as well as its make-up.”

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Production HAKA ST

Since march 2008, all the boards are being produced by our new, highly innovativ CAD/CAM production system. This allows us to step away from the model by year system, since any changes can be put through quickly without any further costs. We no longer have to wait till the new models are due NOR do we have to take hasty decisions if we would like to test a little longer………  We have the same system in our R&D centre and custom board factory on Fuerteventura as well as the production board factory in eastern Europe. All boards are built by hand like a full on custom board but the CNC system makes sure that the shape, reinforcements and inserts are always perfect. Together with the small steps in size they are half way in between serial production and custom: semi-custom.

PERFORMANCE IN FLAT WATER

EARLY PLANING

80%

CONTROL IN CHOP

80%

UP WIND ABILITY

80%

GRIP

80%

PERFORMANCE ON A WAVE

TURNING

75%

GRIP

70%

SPEED & KEEPING SPEED

85%

EASE OF USE

EASY

TECHNICAL

40% 80%

RANGE OF USE

FLAT WATER

BIG WAVE

30% 100%

ONSHORE

CROSS OFFSHORE

30% 90%

WIND RANGE

BOTTOM END

TOP END

30% 90%

BENEFITS

TRI FIN

Early planing, upwind ability, manoeuvrability, drive, control at overpower. Higher average speed when you need it most. To give the highest performance.

Read more about Trifin

SINGLE FIN

Slightly higher top speeds, old school lean back sailing.
Inverted V bottom shape

WIDE STANCE

Responsiveness, control and drive
medium pin tail.

PARABOLIC MEDIUM ROCKER

Good mix of early planing, tight turning, smoothest behaviour

PROGRESSIVE RAIL SHAPE

Manoeuvrability, speed, early planing, control, total grip, acceleration through the turn.

DROP SHAPE OUTLINE

Planing, control and manoeuverability

SIZES

Haka STAllround wave
ModelVolumelengthwidthTailwidth OFOconstructionweight SDTweight CBCweight HDDPretwist CNC Fins G10 SDTPretwist CNC Fins G10 HDDSail rangeSDT in €CBC in €HDD in €
Haka ST572023510332SDT/CBC/HDD5.45.25.610,5+12,510,5+12,52.3-4.22,536 €2,840 €2,840 €
Haka ST622094516332SDT/CBC/HDD5.65.45.910,5+12,510,5+12,52.5-4.52,561 €2,867 €2,867 €
Haka ST662110527338SDT/CBC/HDD5.75.5610,5+14,011,5+12,52.7-4.72,580 €2,838 €2,838 €
Haka ST702128538343SDT/CBC/HDD5.95.76.211,5+14,011,5+12,52,9-4,72,600 €2,860 €2,860 €
Haka ST742154552351SDT/CBC/HDD6.15.86.411,5+14,012.5+12,53,0-5,02,619 €2,881 €2,881 €
Haka ST782192564355SDT/CBC/HDD6.266.512,5+14,012.5+12,53,0-5,02,639 €2,903 €2,903 €
Haka ST822222575360SDT/CBC/HDD6.46.16.712,5+14,012.5+14.03,2-5.22,658 €2,924 €2,924 €
Haka ST862247584365SDT/CBC/HDD6.56.36.912,5+15,512.5+14.03,2-5.32,678 €2,945 €2,945 €
Haka ST902276596370SDT/CBC/HDD6.76.4712,5+15,513.5+14.03,5-5.52,697 €2,967 €2,967 €
Haka ST942298605372SDT/CBC/HDD6.96.67.212,5+17,013.5+15,53,7-5,72,717 €2,988 €2,988 €
Haka ST982320615377SDT/CBC/HDD76.77.413,5+17,013.5+15,53,7-5,72,736 €3,010 €3,010 €
Haka ST1022342625381SDT/CBC/HDD7.26.97.513,5+18,513.5+17,04,0-6,02,756 €3,031 €3,031 €
Haka ST1062365636386SDT/CBC/HDD7.377.714,5+18,514,5+17,04,2-6,22,775 €3,053 €3,053 €
Haka ST1102376646390SDT/CBC/HDD7.57.27.914.5+20.014,5+18.54,5-6,32,795 €3,074 €3,074 €
Haka ST1152393658395SDT/CBC/HDD7.77.48.114.5+22.014.5+20.04,7-6,42,819 €3,101 €3,101 €

*All boards have in principle the same shape but they are not simply scaled up or down proportionally. The smaller boards have been designed for both stronger winds and/or smaller sailors, the bigger boards for lighter wind and/or bigger sailors.
Deck graphics:
As standard, the SDT construction will come in yellow deck graphics, the CBC in luminous green and the HDD in luminous orange/red. On the CBC and HDD a color change is possible against a fee of 50 euros per color. Custom designs are also possible upon request with a minimum fee of 100 euros. 
**Weight +/- 5%
***When ordering a board you have the following options of Tri Fin set-up: SDT.) The Standard Fins are an entry level Tri Fin set up. Comes as standard with the SDT construction but can be chosen freely. HDD.) Pro Fin set up. Intended for the same windrange as the standard but for a modern upright sailing stance and more experienced and/or lighter wave sailors with who want it looser. Comes as standard with the HDD construction but can be chosen freely.
 
****All prices incl. 3 straps and 3 G10 fins with pretwistet side fins.
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