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A friend of mine is going to buy a F2 Sunset. Is it a good choice?

--
Hallvard Berg                   Postboks 10

http://www.sn.no/^greb          NORWAY

: A friend of mine is going to buy a F2 Sunset. Is it a good choice?

Yes! I bought one last year and am very happy with it, although it
depends where you are sailing. It is very fast, but at the expense of
easy handling - the rails are very sharp which along with the low volume
in the tail, so your jibes have to be pretty fast. I sail mine in bump
and jump conditions, and can generally get a lot of height due to the
speed, and it lands on the tail reasonably well. They are prone to cracks
in the side-rails near the footstraps, but aprt from that, it seems pretty
good. I generally sail with a 4.8 to 6 m, although it gets a bit bouncy
in strong winds. Have a look at

http://www.windsurfer.com/review-sunset.html

Cheers

Leon
--
Leon Miguel  
Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture (CLIMA)
University of Western Australia

suggest you do a search of " F2 Sunset" on this newsgroup.  Three was a
lot fo discussion about this several months ago.  We have one in our
collection.  It was our first short board.  Very easy to jibe.  A good
choice for a first short board especially if the price is right.  

The consensus last time this topic caame up here seemed to be that it is
a good board to learn to jibe and b & j on.  I don't know how the model
years differ, ours is a 1988 and was used extensively until we bought an
8'11" Accelerator.  Windsurf Magazine included it in their list of the 10
all-time classic boards saying that the design is still valid today even
though it is old,  etc. etc.

Re: F2 Sunset - A good board?

My Sunset Slalom  is 10 years old, I'm sailing it since 89,  the shape
has been changed a little since then. F2 still sold it two years ago,
only then they managed to build even better boards regarding alround
features.
The sunset is a middle-wind slalom board shape, glides early, gets very
fast and is easy to jibe. Only in very high winds (>7 bft) and big waves
you need a smaller board.
I say: a great choice to buy, if it's no more than US $ 400, but the new
F2 Xantosses are as easy to surf but faster...

Hang loose, Wieland

The F2 Sunset is a classic shape and dominated the slalom/race circuit for
a coupla years in the late '80s.  It is not as fast as the modern shapes--the
Sunset has  volume forward and spreads in width toward the front of the
mast track.

Not mentioned in previous posts is the versatility of the Sunset.  It can take
sail sizes from 4.2 to 6.4.  It handles especially well when overpowered,
and I find I can blast by newer boards by*** my weight off a huge sail
and keeping the board flat.  The Sunset is very forgiving when learning to
jibe.  Get a good pointer fin, go into the jibe with lots of speed, and don't be
afraid to lean on the leeward rail.

I bought mine new in 1988 and consider it one of the few choices I made
that didn't go quickly into obsolescence.

No doubt you can make anything work no matter how old it is and it's true
that in it's day, the Sunset Slalom was a great board.  However, when you
compare design trends such as mast track positioning, volume distribution,
rail and bottom shape, rocker, and outline, you'll see that the Sunset is
is an antique, a relic compared to modern boards.  

Windsurfing Magazine made a similar observation when reviewing the Sunset the
last year it was produced. (I think 1994).  Personally, I know what it's
like to ride a board that which makes you think you're progressing but is
really holding you back.  The only way to understand this feeling is
to try different boards before you buy and you'll discover which one works
best.

Unless you are using the Sunet to make a simple transistion from longboard
to shortboard (e.g. learning waterstarts).  My advice is to retire the Sunset
and get something newer.  You'll be happier in the long run.

-Gary

-Gary

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|> Re: F2 Sunset - A good board?
|>
|> My Sunset Slalom  is 10 years old, I'm sailing it since 89,  the shape
|> has been changed a little since then. F2 still sold it two years ago,
|> only then they managed to build even better boards regarding alround
|> features.
|> The sunset is a middle-wind slalom board shape, glides early, gets very
|> fast and is easy to jibe. Only in very high winds (>7 bft) and big waves
|> you need a smaller board.
|> I say: a great choice to buy, if it's no more than US $ 400, but the new
|> F2 Xantosses are as easy to surf but faster...
|>
|> Hang loose, Wieland
|>  
|>

Ok, here comes another praise for the F2 Sunset :)
I've got one as well, for 5 years now, and am still very happy with it.
Very nice board, I'm looking forward to using it a couple more years!
I only replaced the standard-fin for a better quality-one.
This solved my problems with spin-out [Ofcourse I should have worked on
my technique to solve this:)]

Having said this, 2 years ago I tried out 2 other boards: the
F2 Xantos 258(?), and a Mistrall ?? (approx. same size, build for speed).
IMHO these last 2 are better than the Sunset, but with different goals:

The F2 Xantos looked more like a slalom-board, an improved version of the
Sunset. If you want a slalom-board go for this one, instead of the Sunset,
like Wieland said, it's faster.

The Mistral (sorry, forgot its type:() was a board build for speed,
a lot faster than the Xantos. If all you want is speed, this is a
good choice.

Lack of money was the only reason I didn't buy one of these boards.
If I had had the money, it would have been a difficult choice though

The only good advice I can give you is: try out these (and other) boards,
and see which you like best. (Other windsurfers on the beach; the shop
you plan to buy your stuff).

Have fun,

Andries
--
------------------------------------------

Geco-Prakla  
Kongeveien 79, N-3196 Horten (Norway)

These opinions are my own, not necessarily
those of my employer
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What do you mean the Sunset can take sail sizes 4.2 to 6.4?   I've
routinely sailed a 7.4 on it at 150 lbs.