Sport Today

The wave board does exactly what I need. It's easy to ride, very maneuverable,
and as one would expect from a wave board, not super fast, but it is great fun.
It also needs quite a bit of wind to make it go, and I find it gets used much
\more often on the ocean than lakes or Coyote.

My Seatrend seems to have almost the same wind range. It is difficult to jibe,
falls off a plane easily, and flies off the top of Coyote Point chop.

I recently tried a BIC Adagio which though only 8'10" seems much easier
to sail than my SEatrend and it goes a hell of a lot faster. No wonder
my friend was outsailing me consistently, I had no idea how much better the newer
boards are.

I want a new board, primarily for 5.0-6.0 conditions. I weigh around 180 lbs,
I can sail OK, can manage extreme conditions pretty well, but I'm not a
refined sailor, having not developed true high speed, am not that good at
pointing, and can only halfway jibe.

So I want something which will still be fairly small and light so it can
handle ocean and Coyote chop, but I want it to have good speed and upwind
ability, and yet still maintain a plane in marginal winds. I will use
it at San Luis, at Coyote, and any time ther is not enough wind for my
wave board.

I think the BIC Adagio is pretty close to it, but Windsurfing Express tried
to sell me a BIC Presto (9'2" 19 lbs). I am also interested in the newer
bulb tail Seatrends, perhaps a 9'0" or even a 9'2" but no bigger than that. I
have even beed advised to look at teh Electric Rock.

Wahat do you guys think of these (and other) boards. Comments please.

Jim Munro

Although I haven't ridden one, I have heard glowing reports about the F2
Sputniks (both 270 and 280).  Right now you can probably get one for less
than $900.  They are really supposed to scream.  They are fairly flat, so
I don't know how well they handle chop.

Bob Poortinga  (6'0", 180 lbs)      It's a hard wind that's gonna blow...

[O'Brien 8'8", Bic Hard Rock 9'3", O'Brien GS Race 12', North & Waddell quiver]

Board           Conditions

Presto          anything above 5.5
Adagio          4.7-5.5
Mistral Ecstasy 3.5-4.5

If I had to choose one board for all conditions, given the fact that you
are already an intermediate, I would go with the Adagio.  I have sailed
it with a 4.5 in 4.0 conditions, and I can survive on it.  I have also
taken it out on a 6.5.  The Presto is a big board with
125 liters of flotation.  I can't imagine it doing well on the ocean in
big swell on a 4.0-4.5 day.

 Hi,
        I have this problem too (losing control by getting bounced off
chop) Anyone offer any advice?

Thanks,
        W.
--
VitSea 292, Tiga Slalom, Baxter 270 wave and half a Fanatic Bee,
6.2 Topsail 5.1/4.6 Tushinghams 4.2 sShokwave & half a Gaastra 3.2 :-)
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

--

AT&T Bell Labs       {  att!mtgzz!felixc  }       a rad board, rad waves,
Middletown,NJ        {    (908)957-5081   }       and a company sickday!"

I had this problem last year. This year it disappeared, but I have a
new fin and an almost totally new quiver of sails. The fin makes a
big difference in all conditions and the sails really help when I'm
sailing overpowered (I'm beginning to enjoy sailing overpowered).

I'm not sure if I'm a better sailor than last year, but at least I'm
now having a lot more fun than last year.

--
  Juri Munkki                                          Windsurf: fast sailing

 This sounds like good advice- I was sailing last night (4 Sq m weather)
and had the same problems again. I asked a guy on the beach and he
suggested pre-jumping too. I think my main problem is losing it when
I get airborne- I don't know how to blast out over the tops of the
waves and keep control.

 Is this where I need to twist the board downwind with my feet when in
the air? What should I do with my weight? Keep it on the rig? Down
through the mastfoot?

|> overall physical condition can make a big difference to.  Conditions that
|> give me grief when I'm tired are a challenging playground when I'm rested.

 Yes- I manage a lot better after a rest on the beach than when I've
been bounced around in the waves for half an hour!

        W.

--
VitSea 292, Tiga Slalom, Baxter 270 wave and half a Fanatic Bee,
6.2 Topsail 5.1/4.6 Tushinghams 4.2 sShokwave & half a Gaastra 3.2 :-)
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

Its alot like skiing bumps!

Bill Martinson
US-940

I recently got the chance to try my brothers new equipment.  He just
got a Mike's Lab board with blade fin, Windwing monofilm sails, carbon
mast and boom.  I believe this stuff is generally believed to be some
of the best equipment available.  I had lots of trouble getting bounced
off the chop and my brother, who is a very experienced sailor, has the same problem.  

Sailing on that equipment was incredible.  When I first started it was
difficult to waterstart, and once up I felt slow and awkward until I
finally got settled into the harness and straps.  Then I was suddenly
off like a rocket, careening out of control, going faster then I had
ever gone on a sailboard, weaving between other sailors as I flew past
them.

My brother said it took awhile to get used to this stuff and he felt it
would always be harder to control in chop then equipment that is designed
more for control and a little less for raw speed.

When the chop was real big I was actually able to go faster then my
brother when I was on my board that is usually pretty slow, but is heavier
and stays on the water a little better.  My brother is a better sailor then
me so I think it was the equipment that made the difference.

So you can't just say get 'better' equipment.  Different equipment works
better in different conditions.

Lynd

kirk out

   If you rig your booms fairly low for these conditions,  you'll be sailing
   more upright and have more control.
--

----------
Trouble is, you're also going much slower so it is easier to keep the board
on the water.  There is a trick to sailing fast at Coyote and other
choppy sites and I think practice.....^12 is what it takes plus very
strong legs which one gets with practice.  I can almost keep up
with some very fast sailors at Coyote, but my legs seem to melt after a bit
and I have to back-off.  When I get tired with my new epoxy board and blade
fin, I almost always spin-out which I believe is due to not absorbing
the chop with my legs or quickly carving through the path of least
bumping.  Remindes me alot of skiing moguels (sp?).

Also, with a low boom in big chop, you can get a hard knock in the side
when you are going fast.

Kirk out

I learned an interesting thing in the Duke of Nuke High Wind Clinic last
summer about chop/white caps.  When looking for the steepest chop to either
jump/avoid, the wave that FOLLOWS cresting chop(white cap) will be the
steepest!  There will be a deep trough behind the white cap, which then sucks
out a steep ramp on the next one!  This was Pat Dougherty advice, and he
certainly enjoys a lot of air time!  Check it out, I find it to be true!

Jim Paugh
ICL, Inc.
Irvine, CA