Witchcraft Chakra V2.0

The Chakra is Witchcrafts cross over from FW into on shore wave. A very versatile board that can be sailed both in tri fin mode as well as a single fin for flat water blasting.

Basically the shape is a FW with 2 main differences: the Witchcraft Trifin and sharp rails in the back half. Ever since it´s introduction in 2008, it´s been setting new standards in the FW market finding more and more followers and other brands copying the concept. 

V2.0: For 2012 the Chakra V2.0 is entering it´s 3rd year. The only Change is the design which now has the  Wave V3.0 design in silver (HDD) or blue (SDT)

The Chakra is the most versatile board for all coastal waters and even inland lakes. For occasional coastal water sailors, wave beginners, bump & jumpers, wave intermediates, and for those learning to wave ride. The Chakras are excellent on shore wave boards and the smaller sizes are very good for high wind onshore jumping too.

As Witchcraft boards have been designed to last many more years, the design is kept mainly white for easier touching up.

Features:

• Fast tail rocker with a higher nose
• progressiv V bottom shape.
• Harmonical average plan shape for a more forgiving behaviour.
• progressiv rail shape for better and smoother turning.
• Planes as early as a FSW + much better upwind and wind range
• It turns better than some real wave boards.
  Tri fin convertible into single fin
• By playing with the fin set up, the range can be extended from a full on on shore wave board to an easy going FW.
  
  
• Low drag multi fin set up with flow optimised fin toe in angles through CFD research. Another area where Witchcraft is world leading.

• There is much less need to change the fins according to wind strength.
  The trifin has enough fin area to use with the biggest sail and have enough control for the smallest sail

What people said:

"I would describe the Chakra as a large fast (free)wave board with a big range of use. I was as happy waveriding on it yesterday with a 5.7m in lovely clean head high waves as I am putting on a 6 batten free-ride 7m sail for marginal blasting."

"Well last year I had a quick go on a Witchcraft Chakra 106 (on a day when I was on my 102/6.5m combo and it was mighty impressive. Ok it was just a short go on flat water but boy did it crank upwind and turn soooo smoothly (even though it was so big)."

"I just got myself a new Whichcraft Chakra 82 liters, it's their "FSW". It planes like a FSW but it turns better than quite a few waveboards I've tried.
I also have a Goya One 77 but my Chakra 82 actually behaves better in strong winds. The Chakra is also better at pointing high, which is important since I have mainly on-shore winds. It seems like the Chakra might become my one and only board."

"• the way it gybes - particularly on a wave / swell ... sure the JP gybes well, but the Chakra takes it to another level in terms of tightness, precision etc. One thing though, you have to be a fairly good gyber already as otherwise it will just surprise you with how fast it wips round.
• waveriding ... this is the real point of this board imho. It's like a big waveboard or freewave. Once you get it onto wave and turn frontside it performs miles better than the JP - particularly the top turns. Loads of grip from the fins, but very loose for a FSW.
• jumping - not a priority for me, but I love the way I can land it badly and not spin out 
• upwind ... it absolutely stonks upwind - I can outpoint the kiteys on a 5.7m day - vital here as they tend to dominant the wave break on light wind days otherwise.
• the construction seems bullet proof (and I have the standard build - not the total bomb proof dyneema (?) version)."

"float and ride - great
fun in small waves - you bet
bump and jump - great fun, they aren't super light so they aren't "jump rocket ships" but then again you could go through 3 or 4 such boards in the lifetime of a Witchcraft. 
flat water - it is fully freestyle capable but I'm not, doesn't have a sizzeling top speed but thats not what its about.
General every day chop - its a board that lets you use your imagination on what chop and slop is around you, carving off the chop, knocking the top off little waves, the board might be in Hastings but your mind can be in Hawaii."

"for me, it (Chakra 100) performs like a waveboard when on a wave ... bottom turns in cross-onshore I initiate leaning forward then tighten up with back foot, goes clew first / switch stance well and keeps speed - the test of this is that you can slow right down and still keep both feet in the straps. Top turns are just as nice as my twin, maybe not as 'slashy' but very grippy, secure and powerful. And the rest of the time it performs like a FSW ... eg it's fast, planes early, goes upwind really well, jumps great ....."

"I sailed the 2011 goya 102 for a while today when the boards owner wanted a go on my Witchcraft. As I expected from enjoying the ride of the goya one 85 I liked the board. Fast and fun, carved rail to rail quite easily. Gybed nicely, quite manouverable in the air. its the board I'd have if I didn't have a Witchcraft."

Boards UK tested the Chakra 88 V1.0 in august 2009:

WITCHCRAFT CHAKRA 88 SDT V1.0

The Chakra is the second line of boards to be put into production by Witchcraft. It supposedly has more of a classic freestyle wave rocker line, but due to the progressive rail shape and tri fin system it also crosses over nicely into wave territory, hence its inclusion in this test. Witchraft tell us that the Chakra is the most versatile board for all coastal waters, and that it excels in onshore wave conditions. Six sizes are available from 76L to 106L.

Design: With a maximum width of 59.5cm and a quoted volume of 88L, It is one of the largest boards in this test. It has 7mm of tail rocker, which is an average amount for a wave board of this size, and it has a relatively long planing flat with the 2cm point at 148.5cm. It has quite a lot of vee in the tail, with a subtle double concave that flattens out as you move towards the nose. It also features the progressive rail shape synonymous with Witchcrafts.

On the water: As soon as you jump on the Witchcraft you are up and planing and about to hit your first ramp - this board was without a doubt one of the earliest to get going, making it an absolute joy to go jumping with in gusty onshore conditions. It wass not as loose as some of the other boards in this test, but was super smooth with plenty of drive in the bottom turn, and just as nice off the lip. It went upwind like a rocket and was always a favourite for sailing round to the upwind breaks, making it perfect for any tidal waters in the UK where you constantly feel like you are having to sail upwind. It was better suited to the bigger guys; some of the smaller riders said that it felt a little bit too large for 5.3m weather. It seemed absolutely bullet proof, and although it topped the scales at the weigh-in it never felt heavy on the water or in the air.

Fittings: It comes with an 18.5cm G10 central fin with US box fitting, which is quite stiff throughout, plus two 13.5cm thrusters with mini Tuttle box fitting. It was fitted with Pro Limit kiteboard style straps which proved very comfortable, and thick, comfy deck pads. The Chakra also featured a very small mast track, giving little room for adjustment.

Overall: A very good board for coastal blasting, jumping, and riding. The tri fin system worked really well, giving great upwind performance and extra drive through turns. If you're a big guy and worried about snapping boards, then this would surely suit you 're positive that you'd never break it, even in the standard construction that we used!

For more sailing reports see also this thread in the boards.co.uk forum

Sizes

             Chakra HDD

Distribution

Use the map to find a distributor nearby. If there is no suitable dealer in your area, you can also order direct by sending us an email. Contact us if you have a question about distribution.

Pricing includes World Wide delivery to your closest airport. For deliveries outside of the European Union deduct 19% VAT. Local VAT to be paid upon arrival. If there is a Witchcraft dealer in your country, we advice to order through them.

Details

Rider: Will Ward, Photo: Bouke Becker

Our constructions are another part of the revolution for production boards:

• Inner strength. Buying a board is investing in a good time on the water, in the healthiest drug in the world, in stress-relieve and not to cause stress. We want your board to last. This is why we pay as much attention to making the inside of the board as strong as the outside to avoid invisible internal damage or fatigue
• A board is only as strong as its weakest component. All of our constructions are very efficient by carefully choosing materials and lay-up with a similar elasticity so they all work together in harmony. We have developed and fine tuned our constructions over many years to try to avoid practically all damages as much as technically is possible.

All boards are semi custom build with overlaps on rails and single, double or triple sandwich depending on the area, all tapered into each other to avoid weak points. With the introduction of our new CNC CAD/CAM production system, we can prepare and produce all EPS and sandwich parts necesary to produce the boards, down to the 0.1mm exact for a perfect fit, ready to be assembled. Even all inserts are cut out by CNC.

There are 2 constructions available:

• SDT. Single, Double, Triple sandwich.
  -H-glass (50%), Carbon (15%),Dyneem® (5%)-epoxy-Single-Double-Triple sandwich.
  1 year guarantee*. With full H-glass on top and bottom, overlapping on the rails.
  H-glass is a new fabric with patented hollow glass fibres. It is 40% lighter and more impact and pressure resistant as normal E-glass. Witchcraft is the first brand to use this material in production boards. H-glass based composites are more efficient in shock absorbing as normal E-glass. After Dyneema we found this material has the best price/quality ratio for use in wave boards.
• HDD. Heavy Duty Dyneema
  -Dyneema® (60%)-Carbon (15%)-glass-epoxy-single-double-triple sandwich,
  Our famous Heavy Duty Dyneema® construction with 18 months guarantee*. With full Dyneema on top and bottom, overlapping on the rails. Another first from Witchcraft, the specialists in full Dyneema boards since 1995.

When in doubt between these 2 constructions, in our 15 year experience, for about 40-60% of all wavesailors should choose the HDD right away and another 30-40% would certainly benefit from its strength, impact resistance, longevity, safety in off the water handling/transport and resale value. The SDT construction is roughly about as strong as any normal production board, which is, to be honest, under- engineered for most wave use. Like many of you will have experienced.......

Remember that a board does not break when there is no wind, each repair is a lost of time and money, and a slightly heavier board still sails a lot better than a light board that is damaged.

Also the boards are short and the centre of gravity of our boards lies much further back which on the water makes them feel some 400-800 grs lighter as conventional boards.

The SDT is available because there still is a small group who do not really need an HDD. But for those who buy an SDT for economic reasons but should really need an HDD to handle their sailing style, should handle it with more care and take a shorter lifespan into account. Or look for a used HDD.......

About Dyneema

Since 1994, under the tough demands of the conditions on Fuerte, Witchcraft started using Dyneema® fibre  as the main fibre in their boards. Dyneema* is the strongest fibre on the market. It is very light, even lighter than water but has a very high tenacity and energy absorption. Still it is stiffer than Kevlar and glass fibre, being slightly more flexible than carbon. It also has a long flex life and is not brittle as carbon or glass.

Comparison of technical properties of different fibres used in wind surfboards:

*) DSMs registered trademark for High Performance Polyethylene Fiber

Apart from the price, the problem with Dyneema is that it is hard to work with, hard to cut, to sand and to laminate. It requires high quality workmanship, since irregularities cannot be corrected afterwards.

With Dyneema it is practically impossible to puncture the board. On impact there may be a dent which can be heated out with a hairdryer or hot air gun, since the sandwich material we use has memory and returns to its original shape over 70° C. On heavy impacts, the thin layer of glass fibre covering the Dyneema for the finish, may crack, the Dyneema will usually still be intact to stop water penetrating the board.

Check out the impact resistance of Dyneema in this video

We have also developed various secret construction "tricks" on the inside, to make boards stronger and to prevent fatigue, that are quite simple but very effective.

We don not use T or Delta stringers, our solution is much more efficient and stronger.

Wood is in principle not a bad material for weight/strength/price ratio however it also has a few flaws which is why we don not use it:

• It is only strong in 1 direction so when pressure is applied it will just break along the weak line.
• It is also a completely different material with a different elasticity than the other materials used therefore losing a lot of its efficiency.
• It can it be bend around the rails.
• And it can absorb water, inch or start rotting.

But, as we do not want to reveal too much here, you will have to take our word for it and let our guarantee conditions convince you. We are also the first company to actually reveal the amounts of different fibres we use in our boards, just like is common with masts for many years.
All this results in a superior board with the highest strength to weight ratio possible, truly ``Witchcraft``

*Functionality first: All boards are equipped with G10 Witchcraft Trifins, one colour ergonomic pads, Pro Limit ergonomic straps; four screws per strap, sidefin boxcovers.

Downloads

• Series Guarantee Conditions (pdf)
  
• Download PDF Brochure (3MB)
  
• Download User Manual
  

Other links

• Testimonials
  
• The story behind the Witchcraft Trifin
  
• Read all about the 2007 Models