Sport Today

by **J. Sollende** » Mon, 08 May 2000 04:00:00

I have been out of windsurfing for over ten years. I tried a new Hypertech
board last year and really had forgotten how much I enjoyed the sport. So,
it is time to start getting into it again...In the mid to late 1980's, I
used to race Mistral long boards (Equipe and Ultralights). The Hypertech I
tried last year was clearly a much shorter board, but it had a lot of
flotation, probably around 175 liters.

I am roughly 180 lbs (82kg), live in San Diego, so the wind is not so great,
really like to speed sail (Mission Bay, etc.) and need advice...I have tried
waterstarting and just am not quite there yet. I can jibe, but not a
serious "power-jiber" by any stretch of the imagination. I certainly want
to learn waterstarts and powerjibing but also want a fast board that is
flexible for my skills now and in the future. It is possible that I will
buy two boards, one possibly being an old-fashioned race board (Mistral Pan
Am, which I think is the 2000 model year replacement for the Equipe). and
another of the new short-wide race boards, although I am open to suggestions
on all boards. I have thought about the RRD boards, specifically the
"Monster" which I have just heard about (with this, I am not sure I would
need a long board, but maybe another shorter board for higher winds
instead), or the Avant Race 280...Others that come to mind would be Drops
(FL-11, FL-12 (not available yet), J One XL), Mistral (RTX-CR, Vision
150-170), Starboard (Formula), AHD, Maui North Shore, F2 (Thommen 295, 305,
Course Race) etc. Advice please...

Also, sails, masts (If I buy Sailworks, are the Sailworks masts really the
best complement, the XR-460 & 490, or are other Carbon Fiber masts better?),
booms, etc...advice appreciated (Sailworks seem to be pretty popular down
here and I was thinking about the XT-2 for larger sails in my quiver and the
Retro for the higher winds, if we ever get them in San Diego!).

Thanks to those that respond...
--

J. Sollender

by **duboi** » Tue, 09 May 2000 04:00:00

If you are interested in the RRD Monster, I can suggest another board
which is suprisingly fast. The Starboard GO is one of the fastest
light wind production boards. When I mean light wind I am talking about
6 to 15 knots. Above 15 is medium wind and anyone can sail just about
any board size.
The GO is truly amazing, I regularly burn off people on F2 Thommen's
with full-on race sails. I usually sail the GO with a 9.0m Neil Pryde
Supersonic or when the wind is above 15 knots I use an 8.0m camless Hot
Sails (can't remember the name right now !!!).
The other board which you should consider is the Starboard Formula 155
if you truly want to dominate in lightwinds.
However, if you get such a wide board of any brand you should consider
getting a second smaller board for the windier days.
On the other hand, the Bic Techno 273 which has 120 liters or the AHD
Free Diamond 65 with also about 120 liters could be a good 1 board
quiver. At a 180 pounds you can easily hold a 5.5 race sail in force 5
to 6 with such a board and they will also be comfortable in 11 knots of
wind with a 8.0m sail.
If you want to get a super wide board such as the Monster or the GO you
will need a super big sail (8.5m and above). Without a large sail you
won't be able to benefit of the potential of this type of board in
lightwinds and in stronger winds you won't feel comfortable with such
wide boards. These boards are exclusively designed for sailing under 15
knots. If you don't plan in getting such big sails than it is better to
downsize the board to something like a Techno 283 or a Fanatic BEE 289.
But I personally think that with our weight (I weight the same as you)
and wind which is most often between 10 to 20 knots the ultimate
allrounder is a board around 120 liters (Techno 273 or Free-Diamond 65.

Hope this helps,
Francois

Quote:

> I have been out of windsurfing for over ten years. I tried a new Hypertech
> board last year and really had forgotten how much I enjoyed the sport. So,
> it is time to start getting into it again...In the mid to late 1980's, I
> used to race Mistral long boards (Equipe and Ultralights). The Hypertech I
> tried last year was clearly a much shorter board, but it had a lot of
> flotation, probably around 175 liters.

> I am roughly 180 lbs (82kg), live in San Diego, so the wind is not so great,
> really like to speed sail (Mission Bay, etc.) and need advice...I have tried
> waterstarting and just am not quite there yet. I can jibe, but not a
> serious "power-jiber" by any stretch of the imagination. I certainly want
> to learn waterstarts and powerjibing but also want a fast board that is
> flexible for my skills now and in the future. It is possible that I will
> buy two boards, one possibly being an old-fashioned race board (Mistral Pan
> Am, which I think is the 2000 model year replacement for the Equipe). and
> another of the new short-wide race boards, although I am open to suggestions
> on all boards. I have thought about the RRD boards, specifically the
> "Monster" which I have just heard about (with this, I am not sure I would
> need a long board, but maybe another shorter board for higher winds
> instead), or the Avant Race 280...Others that come to mind would be Drops
> (FL-11, FL-12 (not available yet), J One XL), Mistral (RTX-CR, Vision
> 150-170), Starboard (Formula), AHD, Maui North Shore, F2 (Thommen 295, 305,
> Course Race) etc. Advice please...

> Also, sails, masts (If I buy Sailworks, are the Sailworks masts really the
> best complement, the XR-460 & 490, or are other Carbon Fiber masts better?),
> booms, etc...advice appreciated (Sailworks seem to be pretty popular down
> here and I was thinking about the XT-2 for larger sails in my quiver and the
> Retro for the higher winds, if we ever get them in San Diego!).

> Thanks to those that respond...
> --

> J. Sollender

Sport Today

Advice On New Board(s) Please!!!

Advice On New Board(s) Please!!!

Advice On New Board(s) Please!!!