I've been sailing for almost 12 months. I'm at a point where I'd like to try something other than bay sailing (which I still enjoy). I'm by no means good enough to ride waves, but would like to try ocean sailing for small chop to try jumps etc.

I don't have the room to have a board for each scenario and willing to compromise by having a board that would be ok for both. Looking for something around 100lt.

What do people think? Can you recommend some boards to consider for this purpose?

Definitely a freestylewave

They are better for blasting than a waveboard as waveboards won't track straight (designed to turn, always hunting for a curve) and plane slowly.

However a FSW turns a helluva lot better than a freeride. Top pics RRD and JP IMHO

Try to get one size bigger than the standard 28cm ish FSW fin which is pretty much like a freeride fin with a tiny bit more rake, and get a 25 - 26cm wave fin for it and you will extend the dual use capability even more

Definitely a free-style wave. A freestyle board will work, but not as well.
FSW boards are designed exactly for what you want.
The JP Single Fin Thruster will work very well too, marginally more wave oriented, but still planes very nicely and is a bit livelier on a wave. They are very nice boards. The largest size of 99L will suit you very well.
THe FSW has a powerbox fin though, with a better selection of larger more upright fins available to you to optimise upwind drive in marginal conditions.
If you get a lot of good wind where you sail, go the SFT. If you get more marginal days, consider the FSW.

I have a 105L Thommen Class X (the 2008 freewave model), the board blasts great and I've tried it on 1.5m wave (on shore wind conditions), it carves well (I haven't ridden a wave board so I can't compare)... can do an Air jibe easily on it, it pops pretty nicely and handles bumps perfectly...So for allarounder and until you figure out whether you like flatter or wave conditions, the FSW type boards are definately a way to go, or small freerides can serve you well too...

Thanks for all the opinions so far. FSW I'll look into.

How much slower is a FSW board to get planing compared to a pure free ride board? If you can hit 20knots top speed with a freeride, would you top out at say 18knots with the FSW? Do they accelerate about the same?

GusTee said...

Thanks for all the opinions so far. FSW I'll look into.

How much slower is a FSW board to get planing compared to a pure free ride board? If you can hit 20knots top speed with a freeride, would you top out at say 18knots with the FSW? Do they accelerate about the same?

If you want the board for sailing in chop you're probably not likley to be able to find the max speeds of either a fsw or a freeride anyway. The chop will be the limiting factor, not the shape of the board (IMHO).

sideskirt said...

Acceleration should be good since the board are freewave a.k.a. freestyle wave... the freestyle part of hte name should cover early planing... top speed is a different question, I had a 2008 fanatic eagle 113L it was a very fast board, but now with thommen class X I can get planing earlier (at least it feels that way), but can't say about the top speed... probably slower due to strap setup (middle on this one, but more towards outline on eagle)... they aren't the slowest boards for sure and they handle chop perfectly...

This sounds really good, exactly what I was hoping for.

I have an outer strap option too on thommen, but I like the straps in freestyle/wave setup...

Rad Lad said...

as an alternative to a FSW you could go for a new (post 2008) freestyle board. Most of the newer ones handle bump and jump very well.

Since Freestyle trics needs carving, it's true, they are good board to freeride, quite fast, jump on a plane very quickly.and you can go wavesailing a bit with them...so they are way more all around than most people think. Freestyle Wave doesn't freestyle properly..and doesn't wave sail properly also... But I think the shape is easier to master for an intermediate sailor and also a lot more easier to sell than a freestyle board!!!!
Good luck!

GusTee said...

ikw777 said...

GusTee said...

Thanks for all the opinions so far. FSW I'll look into.

How much slower is a FSW board to get planing compared to a pure free ride board? If you can hit 20knots top speed with a freeride, would you top out at say 18knots with the FSW? Do they accelerate about the same?

If you want the board for sailing in chop you're probably not likley to be able to find the max speeds of either a fsw or a freeride anyway. The chop will be the limiting factor, not the shape of the board (IMHO).

What I meant was how much speed would you give away if you were using the FSW for flat water blasting, as I think this would be the use 75% of the time.

I doubt you will be much slower, most of the newer fsw's have a 'fast tail' design so its not got alot of rocker, but carries more V through the centre. If you've been sailing for a year then I doubt the speeds you get will be constrained by the board alone. Comfort and confidence in your equipment will be of bigger benefit. If your hard core into the gps scene you may want a second board for those pb's. I reckon cracking out some solid carve gybes and small wave manouvres will give more fun than an extra 1 knot on your top speed anyday.

Might want to check that box. A tuttle box will have fewer options for freeriding, you sure it is not a power box?

Just read you requirements of board, and a FSW would suit, but what you are saying is that you will be in the flats 75% of the time. Get a freeride/ freecarve board. Eg Fanatic shark / hawk, Tabou rocket, They will ride just as smooth, have more speed in the straights and the corners. They can be jumped with ease, and due to having more speed, you may find it easier to jump. Which IMO is a huge help as a novice.

The FSW style board is really dependant on the shape of the board, I've had some, and to date am not really impressed except for my mistral Syncro style, which i love. Its the problem of making a board try to do too many things, its ok, but not really good at either. So like you said 75% flat water with a little bump and jump, get a freeride board - youll have tonnes more fun.