Starboard was founded in 1994 by Svein Rasmussen, a well known racer that entered his first Windsurfer board in 1979. Svein won the Mistral Worlds in 1983, was a Gold medal candidate for the 84 Olympics and spent 10 years on the PWA pro- circuit. He is also the first and only sailor to win all disciplines in the IFCA Production Board Class Worlds, which he won in 1991. In 1994/95 Starboard developed the unique Wood Technology in co-operation with Jean Louis Colmas, and were able to produce significantly lighter and stronger boards than any other producers. One of the early concepts were also to make larger and more user friendly boards, which instantly recognized Starboard as the innovative trendsetter among the board manufacturers.
"The windsurfing world would be a lot less interesting and a lot more difficult, Without Svein Rasmussen, Starboards founder."
American Windsurfer 2/2000.
The company philosophy is simple; To make windsurfing easier, and help more people enjoy the sport, yet still being involved at every level. Starboard is concentrating heavily on the Formula Concept, as windsurfing today is rapidly turning towards fast 'easy to sail' boards. The Formula 155, designed by Jim Drake, won more events in 2000 than any other board.
As most of you know, Jim is the "Father of Windsurfing. He created it 34 years ago, but you may not know that he was also the first man to design an airplane - the X-15 among others - on a computer.
Rasmussen-Drake creations such as the revolutionary GO concept, as well as the Formula and Fish series have made serious impact on the world market due to their radical shapes and stunning performance. The Star Fish introduced last year was voted the best new board concept of year 2000 by the American Windsurfer magazine.
Simultaneously Starboard introduced the Diva Series. The first ever board line especially developed for woman. This years PLAY is the worlds first real fun board for youngsters.