Sport Today

I'm in the hunt for a replacement bump board for Gorge use.  Needs to fill a
gap for mostly 4.2-4.7 bump sailor at 160#, plus provide a good platform for
a smaller sailor learning jibes.  Looking to expand my short list for a
purchase later this spring.

My criteria is :

80-85 lts volume
~22" width, maybe 22.5?
some bottom vee
durable construction
not current year - budget restrictions ;-)

Reasonably fast, reasonably quick to plane, reasonably slashy.  "A" box.
Tnx

My rec. without hesitation is a 2002 AHD Power Wave 257 or 254. I
bought one from Steve E. a couple of years ago and I will sail that
thing until it breaks.
 They were the last board to be built by AHD in Switzerland, and have
the perfect Gorge shape: quick planing but still slashy, enough nose
rocker to stay up in steep chop or swell, blazing top end, and a pretty
smooth ride.
  I think there was one for sale on iwindsurf recently. Theres also a
nice looking JP freestyle wave 84 on the SF craigslist:
http://www.craigslist.org/eby/spo/137260417.html
 I considered selling you mine, but then I realized I wouldn't want to
go on living without my P-Dub fitty seven.

OH! Now I remember where I saw that 257,  it was on consignment at
Second Wind Sports in Hood River. Pepi from sailworks recently bought
the store, you can call them at 541-386-4464 and see if they still have
it.
  Hell, I may call and see if they still have it!

  Why so wide?
  I"m 150lbs, mostly use 20.5" wide for my 5.3 down to 3.2 board, and
70 liters is more than enough.
  If dying breeze drops below 3mph, I'm swimming, but maybe I should
consider heading in before that.

I liked the PW 257 fine.   Check the mast base position on it though
(maybe a little too far fwd?) A more contemporary board would be the
Exocet Original Wave 85, the RRD Wave one, or the Naish Wave Quest.
All of those were cutting edge back then and can hold their own against
later offerings, especially for the gorge.  Bump and jump type
conditions and that wierd onshore wave type of ride...

I had left this out for the sake of simplicity...
There will also be a second sailor using the board.  She is small, light,
and learning straps/jibing.  Her previous favorite was 8'4" and about 22"
wide, and suited her needs well.  Something that comes close to the original
specs will go a long way towards her confidence level.

I have a Drops 4 Stroke-80L that I bought from Wardog.  Pretty awesome
board in the bumps at Crissy.  Very durable.

  Would you not be better suited just getting a board for each person?
  You don't have to buy new  (newest of my 14 good boards is 1998), and
used boards go easily in the $300 range.
  Besides, a female sailors sometimes likes straps closer together,
possibly smaller fin, and strap hoop smaller also.

I like the Real Wind boards. Sailed a bunch of them, really enjoyed the
ride, but never bought one. (a buddy has one and he loves it). For
Gorge sailing, those sticks rock! They stay on the water, jump well and
you can hammer on the in the turns and they really are smooth. If I
lived out there, I'd own one.

Granted on all points.  However, we're looking at getting just one of those
$300 boards.
Reasons include transport issues, storage space, and other
interests/commitments in life.

14 boards?  You gotta get out more ;-)

Hi Gary,
With your sail size and weight criteria, maybe you should look at a
slightly smaller board for the Gorge...
I've parked a few Exocet Original Wave 75's (and OWave 85's) there and
the owners are very stoked with them...Jay Halford who posts here is one
of them...and just sent an Oregon Coast/Gorge sailor the new ExoWave 75
Pro...under 13lbs...very user friendly , plug & play, comfortable

http://www.surfingsports.com/exocet_exowave.asp
http://www.surfingsports.com/exocet_owave.asp

WARDOG
http://surfingsports.com

  You're absolutely correct, I need to get out more often....
  This year, total of ONE day so far, NewYear's Day.
  Hasn't blown much since.
  Most years, I get only around 100 planing days a year.  I need to
bump that figure up another 50 or so.  I feel bummed I get so few days,
it's kinda hard to progress with such a small figure.
  You guys are lucky, you get to sail in planing 6 meter and smaller
conditions more often.
  Oh well, give me another couple three years, and I'll learn how to
use my footstraps.

What's the deal with the "double density shock absorbers"?  Two layer deck
pad?

http://www.surfingsports.com/exocet_tech.asp
http://www.surfingsports.com/images/exocet_ddsa.jpg
http://www.surfingsports.com/images/exocet_wave_105_pro_tail.jpg

First words out of the mouth after a demo..."smooth ride"...

I tell people all of the time...that I cannot emphasize enough, how
smooth and joint-friendly the DDSA on the Exocets, makes sailing
chop...cushy landings on jumps, too...this gives the Exocets more range
into higher wind & chop... they are definitely a board
improvement...and more than deserve their bullet point on the brochure...

To my knowledge there were ZERO warranties on Exocet last year in the
US...

WARDOG
http://surfingsports.com

Those pads are the BEST I've ever sailed. Super duper comfy ride. ;-)