Looking to get a board to allow extra sailing when less than 15kts around Port Stephens area. Also some 10 and 11m rigs. Considering Formula bds and purchasing as a second hand package complete.
Are they any good to use ? Or should i consider somethimg different.

i would say the difference is this,

longboards are like an automatic bentley.

very comfortable to ride,
clean smooth take off and very smooth through the gears.
top end not that good but the ride is worth it.
tight turning takes a bit of experience but we're in no hurry.


formula boards are as their namesake like a f1 ferrari

exhilarating ride
incredible acceleration
no gears to speak of just go or stop
excellent top end for a lightwind board
turning very grippy and directional

it really depends on wind range too. the lonboard will be good from 4 knots and up where the formula needs about 8 knots to plane.

As much as I hate to say it. You should just get a windsurfer one design. Easy to rig, no bulls**t with cams and carbon and IMCS issues. Just 20kgs of rotationally moulded polyethylene warming nicely in that long grass in your backyard. Who has time to rig up 10m sails when their is so much grass to mow!!!

Yeah.

A traditional long board with a pin head sail is probably the most efficient combo in light winds of around 10 km/h. Plus you can do freestyle which is fun. I would have one but I have no place to put it.

have you thought about a SUP for a longboard, because you can sail it or surf it in winter.

yesturday i was out at dutchies on the mistral pacifico in less than 15 knotts and a 5.3 it was good fun got plaining a few times, and great for practicing helitacks, duck gybes and its realy good for catching the ocean swell wich you can do a turn on come off the top and catch the one right behind it.

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hinch said...

Looking to get a board to allow extra sailing when less than 15kts around Port Stephens area. Also some 10 and 11m rigs. Considering Formula bds and purchasing as a second hand package complete.
Are they any good to use ? Or should i consider somethimg different.

I use a formula setup in Port Stephens and when the wind is light, its pretty good fun. If it's too light to plane, then I guess you can cruise around with a smaller rig if you just want to tool around.

The only problem I have with the Formula setup is that you get planing in the slightest gust, and it's only when you stop a long way away that you realise the wind is so light. Wait for the next gust and you're away again.

Of course, when there's no wind to speak of, you aren't going to be planing, but what is?

The only scary part of using the Formula rig in Port Stephens is when a pod of dolphins surfaces in front of you when you're planing. They move fast when they want to, but it still makes you worried about hitting them at speed.

You should be able to pick up second hand Formula kit pretty cheaply as a lot of people want to offload their kit each season and there's not that much of a second hand market.

Lots of good answers, especially Gestalt's. Longboards, as said here, don't have the incredible medium-wind pace of a Formula board, but in unless the FW board is planing the longboard is also miles faster. Top speed isn't miles different; over Christmas one of our guys scored 32 knots or so on his longboard. I think the question of which is faster from about 6 to 9/10 knots depends a lot on the sail and sailor and on the gust pattern.

The FW may need more guts and give you more of an adrenalin rush; the Raceboard is arguably very "technical" in some ways. FW boards are obviously very technical to sail well, but if you're just cruising around I don't think they're too different from another shortboard, whereas the Raceboard sailor has to know how to sail upwind with the centreboard and downwind with the board up and the track back which is a totally different style. Whether that is a challenge or a hassle depends on the individual.

The longboard is (in my opinion) better for cruising around a big bay most of the time because you'll use a smaller sail so you can handle big winds, and you've got the length and centreboard to handle light winds and light/medium upwinds. But it's nothing like as quick in 10 to whatever knots as Formula.

Personally I like the fact that the Raceboard moves well off the plane and has a very smooth transition, but then again some FW sailors relish the acceleration as they go from schlogging to flying.

I tried a Starboard SUP and just could not get it going. It only had a small fin but even under a nice three-camber 7.5 it was not good upwind or on reaches; nothing like as quick as a standard Windsurfer One Design.

The Wally is much more nimble than a Raceboard (it tacks sooo quickly, and can gybe pretty well) can be surprisingly quick all-round, but it doesn't have anything like the reaching speed of other boards in medium winds. Top recorded speed is 25+ knots. It's incredibly fast to rig, but doesn't feel like more modern boards. Oh, and the second-hand boards are needed for the racing scene!

The Kona is slower than than Raceboards and a bit slower than a One Design in light winds, but is a really fun board to throw around in a breeze and has much better light wind speed and feel (I think)than any hybrid.

I've recently been through this issue and decided to buy a raceboard.

The deciding factor for me was that with a raceboard, I am certain of being able to sail, regardless of what the conditions. With a young family, time is a premium: I can't go to the beach and wait half a day for enough breeze to plane.

Sailing a raceboard in sub-planing conditions is very satisfying: racing and cruising are very rewarding. In a moderate breeze, they can provide a satisfying slalom-like ride. When the wind gets really strong, I've still got my waveboard.

I've sailed formula, and they are dogs when they aren't planing.

The website below has a lot of good information:

www.lbws.com.au