Anyone had any experience and pass on comments about the 2007 and 2008 F2 Slalom boards SX Medium

Great boards, really quick and I think it was the winning board in the Ledge to Lano last year.
My only whine is the raised curved back deck over the pipes.

I got an 07 SX Medium to have just 1 slalom board and one that would last me a while so construction was important. Build wise a big improvement in strength over the earlier F2's with mine still not having a single ding but it does come at the expense of a bit more weight over say the fanatic falcon.

They are fast, i'm yet to see anywhere near the limit on these I know of one sailor here that has done 37 knot peak on one. The tail for being quite wide feels very free through the water, they also prefer a bit smaller fins. They are a bit fin critical, i've found that the right fins make them ride at best trim. The fins to get the most out of them seem to be the standard f2/meanline & I think choco shapes though I haven't tried the usual fast fins such as tectonics or C3.

For 105 litres it feels pretty big due to it being put into a relatively compact shape. Although shorter the wide nose helps you drive through the chop as it refuses to bury. Double concave in mid section and rounded rails make the ride pretty good, due to this the SX's don't plane quite as early as other boards but remain controllable for longer. Some people claim spinout with them but i think it is more that with such large cutouts you shouldn't load the fin until moving.

I do love this board, it is a technical board if you want to get the most from it but it does reward. Did I mention the gybing... i'm not such a good gyber but this is the best slalom board i've ever been around a corner on. It's sweet spot sail wise is 6.5-7m I wouldn't put anything larger than a 7.8 on them fins 32-42 (if you get the 36cm fin keep it ). Try the mast track from middle-back.

Graceman what are you doing stepping between the back straps?

Agree with MK. But need to add, whilst they say then can carry a 7.8-8, in marginal conditions, you need to be very good at getting them on the plane. My pumping is crap and i struggled with the short waterline. Once planing - they hoot over the chop.

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mkseven said...


Graceman what are you doing stepping between the back straps?

I had a problem extracting my foot from the rear straps going into a gybe, the upward curve under my feet was like a fox trap, never coming out.
Needless to say back with the F2 straps and all is good.

MKSEVEN - with the fin range of 32 - 42 and assuming I get a 36cm what set up/ conditions would you consider a 42 fin and what set up/conditions would you consider a 32 cm fin?
When you say a more technical board to ride are you referring to the way the board is driven eg feet position/weight or set up eg sails/fins
thanks for your input guys - keep it coming

Salty,

I used to run a 40 with 7.8 in marginal conditions. 36 powered up 6.5-7.5 and you could drop to a 32-34 if overpowered with 6-6.5 ( I never did this as i would change down boards), as i mentioned earlier my success with a 7.8 in marginal conditions was not so good my weight then was around 80kg.

Generally, i found you could run slightly smaller fins than say the falcons, but i guess it all comes down to sailor preference and technique.

For allround use fins and sail range 42cm with 7.8, 36cm with 6.7, 32cm with 6.0. As soon as I get flatter water i drop to smaller fins due to wider boards having alot of lift. I am a fair bit heavier than DAM71 at 95kg.

Technical in that to get the last 10% of the board. They are easy boards to step on and go fast with straight away, but you get this feeling that the board always has more to offer (and it does) you just have to find it.