Hi Hendrik,
I’ve sailed the 250 quite regularly and the 242 a few times. I personally think that the 242 is best suited to kids and maybe lighter adults. It’s considerably narrower than the 250 and 280 and while it has loads of volume it is definitely less lateraly stable. The other thing is that it comes with only one rear fin and this is not a problem in light winds, but I feel that as it gets close to planing winds there is not enough lateral stiffness with just one fin to make it plane well for me (78kg) It will work if I have a lot of power and accelerate way downwind, but the 250 works better in my opinion. If I sail any of these in planing winds myself I tend to use the 250. Feel free to get in touch if you have any further questions.
Regards
Dave

I’m actually intersted in either the 242 or 250 for me to have some fun as older experienced windsurfer and for my young son to learn it.

Have you already tested the 242 for some times?

I’ve sailed the 242 with a 7.0m2 STX sail. I’ve not really gotten planing on it properly yet, but my feeling is that it is best suited to lighter riders and children as a learning or playing around board. The board still has huge amounts of volume, but the length is not really there to get it moving forward in sub-planing conditions and it’s just not quite stiff enough to plane any earlier with a 7m sail as opposed to a 6.5m. I will be testing it again soon though and will hopefully have some more solid feedback then.

Thank you for the comprehensive answer, much appreciated !
I’m still puzzled though… If I find a good second hand NeilPryde or GA and carbon mast, I’ll probably go for it, otherwise I’ll give a go withe HD2 rig…
Cheers,
Jerome

Hi Jerome,
I use the boards for teaching and also occasionally go for a blast on them myself. I pay for the boards and went after them myself as the fitted the concept of what I want to do which was have a mobile setup which I could use to try and get more people into windsurfing. I’ve thought peopel from complete beginners to getting in the footstraps on the STX equipment. They suit my needs well as I don’t have space to store hard boards and I can have a mobile setup with these boards to get them to the beach/lake.
The boards or the sails cannot be considered “high performance”, which I think I say in my review, but they do work. I think of them in terms of value for money. The STX250 with the HD2 6.5 rig is definitely on the lower end of recreational in terms of performance, but having said that I’ve gotten that kit up to 19 knots board speed, which I don’t think is bad for an inflatable board. You feel more drag when doing fully planing than on a hard board, but it’s also a fraction of the cost of a hardboard.
The HD2 Rig is heavy if you are used to using high-performance rigs. It’s a considerable difference between the 6.0 HD2 and my 6.0 Goya Banzai, but the mast alone for my Banzai rig costs more than the entire HD2 rig. It all comes down to what you are looking for. The STX boards and HD2 rig are a good low price entry to windsurfing, easy to store, easy to transport and they it is possible to get them planing and sail them in stronger wind, but you can also take them out on a summers day in light wind and just play around on the water. They are very stable platforms for practicing things like helicopter tacks, but the swing weight of the HD2 rig is relatively heavy.
I would not compare the HD2 rig to a camber-induced rig in any way. They are completely different concepts. The rig is an entry-level recreational setup. It does get a bit backhanded when overpowered but you can sheet in and keep it centered if you drive it. I’ve sailed the 6.5 on the 250 board in over 20 knots of wind and I wouldn’t say I was fighting with the rig, but I could definitely feel my backhand. When sailing like this you notice that the board also has no rocker as you drive it flat when sheeting in. If you are looking for performance then you might consider a second-hand wave or freeride sail, but if you want a cheap new sail which works (but is a little on the heavy side) then the STX is worth considering.
Hope this helps
Regards,
Dave

Wooo !!! That’s what I call a fast and useful answer !!! Thank you very much !!!
The 250 was my first choice, but even more now with your feedback !
Cheers !
Jerome (I’m from France, so sorry for my bad English !)

Hi Jerome,
The 250 is better for an experienced windsurfer. There is not a huge difference, but the 250 has a rounder plan shape and is shorter. The rounder plan shape makes it a little bit more gybable… although you won’t do a proper carve gybe om any of these boards. With the 250 you can gently foot-steer in and then flare the board to finish the gybe. I usually use the 250 myself (when I did the original test the 250 didn’t exist) and use the 280s for teaching beginners.
Hope this helps.