I think I have made an eager school-boy error by going too small, or am just not skilled enough yet.

Kitted-up I am 80kg in winter and have been very happy learning the trade of slalom blasting on a user-friendly Freerace 125L Exocet S-Cross (78cm wide). Sail use roughly 70% 7m, 15% 5.5m, 15% 8.2m.

In anticipation of some stronger winter winds I just got myself a second hand Futura 100L (63 cm wide) to try out the next level with 5-7m range. This choice was based on the comfortable buoyancy of my Dyno 105L (also 63 cm wide), and Starboards sail sizing chart. For slalom cravings having a 125L/78 + a 100L/63 in the garage seemed about right with hopefully some overlap, if it floated.

I am in a gusty location and had assumed that the Futura 100L would carry me in lulls, as the Dyno does easily, with a 6 or 7m during in-between conditions. So the overlap assumption seemed to hold.

Well I just stress-tested it in shallow water, light rig, low wind and the Futura sinks nose-first then all of it pretty quickly. The Dyno would float me easily here.

I appreciate the volume distribution is much more to the rear in comparison and so some ninja gymnastics is needed, and that its not designed to float me when hardly moving, but still, this seems a big difference for only 5L less and I recon will hold me back from venturing out on it in lully 7m conditions.

Any suggestions on what Im missing or any tricks ? am I consigned to only using it in under 6m well-lit and lull-free conditions (which is what its really designed for, right?) or will better skills help and so worth percevering? am happy enjoying a well-lit 125L too so not the end of the world.

As always, appreciate any guidance. Trying before buying was not an option.

Did you have any forward momentum?

My guess is a combo of you needing to ninja a bit more and needing a few knots of speed versus being dead in the water (if you were).

I am 80kg and when I slog my lower volume boards (85, 89L) I find that if I am not moving at all they will sink a bit, but they tend to equalize, maybe with my feet getting wet, but then as I start moving a few knots they seem to become more buoyant.

I'd try again and try to keep the nose from digging. At 95kg and on 115 dyno or 115 freestyle, the dyno keeps its nose up better but the freestyle will dig if I let it and that acts like a big foil to sink the board. So angle it up to stay on the surface. Takes some practice.

Ah nose digging rather than sinking makes sense. Especially its very spoon shaped. Didnt give it a chance to resurface. So will persevere thanks.
I get that if Im in this situation then I probably shouldn't be on this "high wind" board anyway and that slalom boards arnt made for slogging home at dusk as well as a wave board.

Starboard seem obsessed with their wide and thin concept. As you have discovered in the nose it means not much volume so it sinks, and doesnt pop up if the nose goes under. You just need to get used to that and work on where you stand on the board in lulls. If its a carbon board, dont catapult. I've seen those boards have 30cm cracks going from deck to hull after a catapult.

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Jasonwave said..
Ah nose digging rather than sinking makes sense. Especially its very spoon shaped. Didnt give it a chance to resurface. So will persevere thanks.
I get that if Im in this situation then I probably shouldn't be on this "high wind" board anyway and that slalom boards arnt made for slogging home at dusk as well as a wave board.

Yeah but it's a useful skill to have in case you get caught out in a lull. And the smaller boards are also a bit easier to waterstart because they sink more and let you lever up onto then earlier. But uphauling takes practice...

At a certain point I switched from my 2008 Isonic 111x69w to a 2020 Futura 109x71w thinking it was going to cover the same ground. No luck. It sailed smaller ... an expensive miscalculation.

The usual rule for minimum float is 20 litres of volume over your weight, so it should work, albeit some ninja gymnastics is required. Starboard may have also overstated the volume of the board. My 63 wide slalom board is 97 litres. Forward momentum is the key. Note that a board with straps weighs 7kg, a sail 6 kgs, boom, 3 kgs, mast 2 kgs and extension 1 kg. That's 19 kgs, add your harness and wetsuit and your over 20kgs

Starboard can be a bit creative in their interpretations of volume

^^^ well they all can... what they think the consumer wants to perceive

more mental marketing gymnastics than the required ninja gymnastics perhaps

Have picked up a few wise phrases off this forum in the past which I seem to have ignored but they are now starting to sink in, so to speak :

- "dont go out further than you are prepared to swim"
- "choose your board for the lulls and the sail for the gusts".
- "buy according to the local conditions you actually have rather than the conditions you wish you had".

Oh well at least I bought second hand altho seems the consequence of always buying at 1/3 of price is a garage with x3 more stuff, half of which is the wrong stuff. Another phrase comes to mind "all the gear and no idea". Enjoying the learning curve tho.

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Jasonwave said..
Have picked up a few wise phrases off this forum in the past which I seem to have ignored but they are now starting to sink in, so to speak :

- "dont go out further than you are prepared to swim"
- "choose your board for the lulls and the sail for the gusts".
- "buy according to the local conditions you actually have rather than the conditions you wish you had".

Oh well at least I bought second hand altho seems the consequence of always buying at 1/3 of price is a garage with x3 more stuff, half of which is the wrong stuff. Another phrase comes to mind "all the gear and no idea". Enjoying the learning curve tho.

And then there is the most important wise phrase
"He who dies with the most gear wins"