I'd like to get a smaller board (used) and I know this is the place to get the right advice.
I am under 60kg and currently sail a 95 litre Bic Vivace (which I love) but I need something smaller for high wind days and venturing into the ocean.
I'm mostly into flatwater blasting and gybing (which I am working on but not very good at) but I enjoy a bit of chop hopping.
I'd like to do a bit of ocean sailing but I don't aspire to full on wave riding.
Jumps other than chop hops are not on my agenda.

Board suggestions please...

Small waveboards can be a bit slow to plane, so really as an alrounder you want a FSW or something......but it is really hard to get a 60 - 70L that isn't a waveboard.

Old Starborad Acid 66 (and similar) from about 2004-5 are very cheap as not many people want something that small. Eg I think Auswind have a brand new one for $500

^ acid +1

After looking at pics of acids I can see the major problem will be wresting it away from my son! Too cool.

jp real world wave 69 but only if ya rekon the jp freestyle wave 77/78 is too big.

you could also look at a board like the jp young gun 70. it is basically a scaled down freestyle wave for smaller and lighter riders.

I'm not sure what volume I need.
Suggestions here range from 66 - 78l.
66 seems like a big step down (from my 95l board). 78 sounds a lot less scary.
But in practice, for a light sailor, what would the difference be, other than the 66 will sink a lot more?

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Windxtasy said...

I'm not sure what volume I need.
Suggestions here range from 66 - 78l.
66 seems like a big step down (from my 95l board). 78 sounds a lot less scary.
But in practice, for a light sailor, what would the difference be, other than the 66 will sink a lot more?

Hi Wind,

it's also important to look for a narrow board with a pin tail. that will help the board sit in the water better.

If you can afford more than one board I think your smallest should be under your weight. That is for an advanced ish sailor in waves and hi wind B&J like Crazy Waves in 35kn.

I am 100kg and have 85L pure wave / 100L FSW / 115 FSW. However if this is your first little board maybe mid 60's as I suggested is a bit small.

Just geta 70 and go to Gero for a week in December.
You'd get that 95L going in next to nothing after you get used to a 70L ish!!!

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Mark _australia said...

If you can afford more than one board I think your smallest should be under your weight.

Do they make boards that small?
I will keep the 95l. Apart from anything else my son likes it.

That is for an advanced ish sailor in waves and hi wind B&J like Crazy Waves in 35kn.
I would call myself intermediate, and strong wind for me is anything over 25knots.

I am 100kg and have 85L pure wave / 100L FSW / 115 FSW. However if this is your first little board maybe mid 60's as I suggested is a bit small.
Acid 70?

Just geta 70 and go to Gero for a week in December.
Sounds good!

You'd get that 95L going in next to nothing after you get used to a 70L ish!!!
Is it a steep learning curve from a 95 to a 70? or not so different?

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Windxtasy said...

Mark _australia said...

If you can afford more than one board I think your smallest should be under your weight.

Do they make boards that small?
I will keep the 95l. Apart from anything else my son likes it.

That is for an advanced ish sailor in waves and hi wind B&J like Crazy Waves in 35kn.
I would call myself intermediate, and strong wind for me is anything over 25knots.

I am 100kg and have 85L pure wave / 100L FSW / 115 FSW. However if this is your first little board maybe mid 60's as I suggested is a bit small.
Acid 70?

Just geta 70 and go to Gero for a week in December.
Sounds good!

You'd get that 95L going in next to nothing after you get used to a 70L ish!!!
Is it a steep learning curve from a 95 to a 70? or not so different?

Hey Windsexy what about this :
www.seabreeze.com.au/Classifieds/Windsurfing/Boards/~rj2i-/2004-Starboard-Acid-246-cm-74-litres.aspx?search=EjQ0DoWvNYhMATbaVqCO%2bA%3d%3d

+2 on the acid...

<shameless plug> Here's a photo of me jumping on mine at Exmouth:



Fantastic board. Mine's 5 litres less than my body weight, and I'm not that great a sailor... Easy to get going in anything over 17 knots...

guys she's not interested in wave riding so pimping a full on hard core wave board is not the go.
an easy to gybe and nice to ride in chop kind of stick is the order of the day. To me this screams freestyle wave, but alas i dont know of any brands that make one less than 75L. For somebody who mainly sails on the river a fast rockerline board, that is early planing is a must. To me the acid is the antithesis of this.

IMO a Starboard Carve is what you are looking for. I weigh 85kg and have a carve 99L which works a treat for me i all bump and jump, flat water, small waves and speed sailing.

Mine is not for sale but there is one for sale at 2nd wind, saw it the other day and there must be others around...

oh also a JP freestyle board is good for what you want. A mate of mine used to ride one and it rides similarly to the carve.

Good luck with the decision.

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Bertie said...

guys she's not interested in wave riding so pimping a full on hard core wave board is not the go.
an easy to gybe and nice to ride in chop kind of stick is the order of the day. To me this screams freestyle wave, but alas i dont know of any brands that make one less than 75L. For somebody who mainly sails on the river a fast rockerline board, that is early planing is a must. To me the acid is the antithesis of this.

i think the problem is the only boards other than the pro kids boards that are that small are wither wave or speed. i always thought the acid was a farily quick wave board? another fast wave board was the yellow F2 wave (can't remember the name).

i had a look through the second hand pages and you WA people are lucky. windxtasy could buy 2 wave boards and throw one in the bin if she doesn't like it and still spend less than us on the other side of the dirt pond.

p.s. a lot of guys in qld use full on wave boards for high wind bump and jump on flattish water

an old windtec 270 prolite. its fast,small,great control in hi/winds and superlight. i bought one a few years ago for $200. should never have sold it.

I weigh about 65kgs & use an 86ltre 96 model caveman waveboard for over 20kts.I suppose its outdated & modern boards would be better but my use is similar to yours.I find it a pain in gusty conditions ( wobbling around in the lulls) compared to my 105ltre B & J board but it gybes beautifully & control is heaps better in over 20kts.I suppose a smaller board would probably be good in over 30kts & big chop but Ive had mine out in 30kts + with 50kts gusts & sail overpowering was more of a problem than the board. So assuming modern boards arent that much different for 20 -30kts in chop an 80ltre board should be ok.The caveman is narrow with a squared off tail.

You could ask 20 people and get 20 different responses, it's horses for courses really - what works for some might not work for others. It has been said in another thread (Mark?) that *board Evo is no good as a bump & jump board. However, I use one for just that as my smallest board. It's great - why? Because if you are after your smallest board, you will be using it in the highest winds you go out in - plus choppiest conditions. Compared to my slightly bigger FSW board, the Evo is sloooow - on the FSW I'd be blasting along at a blistering pace bouncing into and off wild chop, and be basically out of control and waiting to eat it. The slowness of the Evo (and probably other "real world waves") provides control, is really comfy in the chop (plus enough speed to enjoy getting some "in control" chop hops in), and gybes are easier in those conditions than my FSW. Anyway, that's my course for my horse.

I agree Easty..although Im no expert when I was talking about my caveman I thought later that it is probably pretty slow compared to modern boards.But as you say that can mean more control + in those conditions Im more interested in gybing control & jumping possibilities.

Just get a 80L FSW and an Acid 66 and be done with it

Hmmm. Plenty to think about.
Would someone answer this question for me please...

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Windxtasy said...


Suggestions here range from 66 - 80l.
66 seems like a big step down (from my 95l board). 80l sounds a lot less scary.
But in practice, for a light sailor, what would the difference be, other than the 66 will sink a lot more?
Are the smaller boards harder to sail? Bigger learning curve?

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Mark _australia said...

Just get a 80L FSW and an Acid 66 and be done with it

Oh to be living in WA.

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Mark _australia said...

Just get a 80L FSW and an Acid 66 and be done with it

That seems the obvious solution
Given unlimited funds and storage space, but in the real world...

its a no brainer 79L Starboard Kombat. i had a 2005 95L it was a dream to gybe and ride in choppy conditions and was great for flat water and was ok in waves

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Windxtasy said...

I'd like to get a smaller board (used) and I know this is the place to get the right advice.
I am under 60kg and currently sail a 95 litre Bic Vivace (which I love) but I need something smaller for high wind days and venturing into the ocean.
I'm mostly into flatwater blasting and gybing (which I am working on but not very good at) but I enjoy a bit of chop hopping.
I'd like to do a bit of ocean sailing but I don't aspire to full on wave riding.
Jumps other than chop hops are not on my agenda.

Board suggestions please...

I checked out the report on the vivace on the Boards website and while a freind of mine has one and loves it Boards were a little underwhelmed. If you buy a 77l FSW I think the Vivace is just going to end up sitting in the shed forgotten. I ride Acids 68 and 74, for flat water use you would want a larger fin than the one supplied.

From Boards on the Bic Vivace

"Overall, this board disappointed more than all the others. It offered little to those looking for agile manoeuvring, and also offered little to the speed freaks (we all became speed freaks again while doing this test). The best thing to say about it is it’s reasonably easy to sail, nowhere near as easy as current boards, but far less demanding than the 268 or Sputnik. It clearly takes its place in the overall evolutionary map of windsurfing board design progress, but was not really a standout in any way."

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Al Planet said...
If you buy a 77l FSW I think the Vivace is just going to end up sitting in the shed forgotten.
Possibly, but I will keep the Vivace for lighter wind days, and for my teenage son who will need something bombproof I think.

I ride Acids 68 and 74, for flat water use you would want a larger fin than the one supplied.
68 and 74 are different enough to warrant having both?

From Boards on the Bic Vivace

"Overall, this board disappointed more than all the others. It offered little to those looking for agile manoeuvring, and also offered little to the speed freaks (we all became speed freaks again while doing this test). The best thing to say about it is it’s reasonably easy to sail, nowhere near as easy as current boards, but far less demanding than the 268 or Sputnik. It clearly takes its place in the overall evolutionary map of windsurfing board design progress, but was not really a standout in any way."

Well I have a lot of fun on mine, until the wind gets over 25kts.

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Windxtasy said...

Hmmm. Plenty to think about.
Would someone answer this question for me please...

Windxtasy said...


Suggestions here range from 66 - 80l.
66 seems like a big step down (from my 95l board). 80l sounds a lot less scary.
But in practice, for a light sailor, what would the difference be, other than the 66 will sink a lot more?
Are the smaller boards harder to sail? Bigger learning curve?

depends what your technique is like.

a smaller board is only really very noticable in a negative way when beach or water starting or in marginal conditions. but you forget about it after a couple of sessions.

gybing takes a little more finesse also.

positives are more control in chop and better handling when airbourne as the wind doesn't blow you around.

my regular board of use is 10lt less volume than my body weight. include the rig and i'm probably loosing 15lt.

only time i really notice the board is small is when i hop on a board 30lt less than body weight. i'm certainly not a pro.

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Windxtasy said...

Well I have a lot of fun on mine, until the wind gets over 25kts.

^^ I think that there is your key filter. Are you having trouble finding a demo to see if you enjoy it? The JP young gun range does sound like what you were chasing, or there is this chart that may help your decision making process easier:
http://www.jp-australia.com/2010/index.php?id=55

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Windxtasy said...

Al Planet said...
If you buy a 77l FSW I think the Vivace is just going to end up sitting in the shed forgotten.
Possibly, but I will keep the Vivace for lighter wind days, and for my teenage son who will need something bombproof I think.

I ride Acids 68 and 74, for flat water use you would want a larger fin than the one supplied.
68 and 74 are different enough to warrant having both?

OK so the 68 and 74 are kind of similar but there are people out there with a lot more equipment than me (I am not addicted, I am not.....) OK so I also have a very nice evo 70,a Fanatic fsw, some longboards and some other stuff that hasn't been out of the shed recently.

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Al Planet said...

Windxtasy said...

Al Planet said...
If you buy a 77l FSW I think the Vivace is just going to end up sitting in the shed forgotten.
Possibly, but I will keep the Vivace for lighter wind days, and for my teenage son who will need something bombproof I think.

I ride Acids 68 and 74, for flat water use you would want a larger fin than the one supplied.
68 and 74 are different enough to warrant having both?

OK so the 68 and 74 are kind of similar but there are people out there with a lot more equipment than me (I am not addicted, I am not.....) OK so I also have a very nice evo 70,a Fanatic fsw, some longboards and some other stuff that hasn't been out of the shed recently.

Sorry, I didn't realise you were a collector...

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HowlingDog said...

Windxtasy said...

Well I have a lot of fun on mine, until the wind gets over 25kts.

^^ I think that there is your key filter.
Meaning....

Are you having trouble finding a demo to see if you enjoy it?

I thought I'd ask here so I'd know what lines to think along. So many boards and types these days! I am a bit mindboggled, but it seems to be shaking out to Acid, Kombat, FSW (not necessarily in that order).
I haven't gotten as far as a demo yet, but I guess that would be the next step.
How do I go about organising one?

The JP young gun range does sound like what you were chasing, or there is this chart that may help your decision making process easier:
http://www.jp-australia.com/2010/index.php?id=55
Very useful chart. Thanks.