I'm returning to the sport after a 5 year break. My current gear is an AHD maxxride (110 litre) and 6.3 north volcano freeride sail. This gets me going in 15 knots (I'm 198 cm / 102kg), but we get a lot of seabreezes around here in the 10-15 knot range that I'd like to be able to sail. I'm also more interested in doing big upwind/downwind runs and speed than free-riding nowadays.

Would appreciate any feedback on the following:

1) Board - I'd like a board predominantly for 10-15 knots, but able to handle 15-20 knot days. Should I go formula or slalom? Not interested in racing, just general blasting, ability to go upwind is important and also controls well when fully powered on a downwind run. Would something like the isonic 144 be a good option?

2) Sails - What size would I need to get planing in 10 knots and still be comfortable at 15knots? I am thinking maybe a 10.0 for 10-15knots and a 7.5 for 15-20?

3) What's lightwind gear like in general to sail? When I did slalom in the 90s the boards were long and narrow, how do the new short/wide boards feel on the water? Are they scary to sail well powered on a broadreach?

Thanks in advance.

Ive got a 125l ray 2009 I use as my lightwind board with a 46cm C3 venom fin..goes like the clappers and flies upwind.....pretty forgiving too when you mess up a gybe or something...will take sails to approx 9m...is a good option to check out.....

I have a 09 140lt Fanatic Ray with a Severne Overdrive 8.5 which is my light wind gear.It is one sweet ride and is very comfortable.140 might be a bit big for some people but I do use it on fresh water lakes so it suits me fine,goes well to windward and is very controlable.

Tabou Rocket 74, 140L. It too is a sweet board. My biggest sail is a 7.8m North Warp which is a race sail. Thats about the biggest sail that can be rigged on a 460cm mast, I don't want to buy a longer mast. With the North sail or a 7.4 its so comfortable and a real cruiser in winds of 10 to 15 knots. I think of it as my big blue cadillac.

It would take a bigger sail, no worries, something up to about 10 square meters.

Edit: Relating older long thin boards to the newer short fat shapes, they look really weird and its strange to see a board 2.4m long that has 140 litres of volume.

However as Windxtasy says, the new style boards are much more stable and probably excel in these lighter winds through having larger planing areas and handling bigger fins and sails. They are not scary to ride but as the wind picks up a thinner shape would be more controllable.

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zen2 said...
3) What's lightwind gear like in general to sail? When I did slalom in the 90s the boards were long and narrow, how do the new short/wide boards feel on the water? Are they scary to sail well powered on a broadreach?

Speaking from limited experience last weekend where I swapped my old slalom board for a modern slalom board of comparable volume - the new board feels like an aircraft carrier in terms of stability and width but really early to plane and comfortable and stable to ride. Not scary at all. Quite the opposite.

At your weight I wouldn't go any board under 80cm wide or 130 Litres. For general Blasting an 85cm Slalom Board would be ideal. For deep into the wind and down wind more on the edge sailing, then 100cm Formula board.

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[b]zen2 said...[

I would appreciate any feedback on the following:

1) Board - Would something like the isonic 144 be a good option?

Yes. Very good!

[b]zen2 said...[

2) Sails - What size would I need to get planing in 10 knots and still be comfortable at 15knots? I am thinking maybe a 10.0 for 10-15knots and a 7.5 for 15-20?

9.3m (2010) or 9m (2008-9) KA Koncept should be good. For your size the 7.5m (2008-9) or 7.3m (2010) KA Koncept should work really well in the 15-20 knots range.

[b]zen2 said...[


3) What's lightwind gear like in general to sail? When I did slalom in the 90s the boards were long and narrow, how do the new short/wide boards feel on the water? Are they scary to sail well powered on a broadreach?

Not scary. Very nice to sail.
They don't glide up onto the plane quite as easily as the old longer boards, purely because they have less displacement length and therefore non planing speed. You sort of need to bump/ pump them to pop them up onto the plane (not hard to do) but one there they stay planing more easily and longer, go upwind better and feel easier, especially with a larger fin which helps light wind performance as well

Hey Zen, hopefully soon those 10-15 knt breezes will grow into 15-20 knoters! It's been a bit average so far this summer. Well I suppose it's still spring actually. Where will you be sailing?

Thanks everyone for the feedback. It seems like a slalom board will be best for me.

The KA Concepts look real nice. My current mast is an Ezzy Sails Hookipa Wave Mast 460, IMCS 25, 90% Carbon. Will that be ok for the 7.3? It would be nice if I didn't have to buy 2 new masts.

Easty - my local is sandy bay point, can't beat it in a nice south easterly. There was a nice strong seabreeze a few weekends ago, looking forward to more!

I rig my 2009 5.8 Koncept on an Ezzy 430 RDM (Hookipa mast). Looks sweet rigged up.

The RDMs are probably a bit softer than the equivalent SDM, so the sail may set a bit fuller. You'll also need RDM cams to get the most from it, which you can get from KA.

I'm similar size to you, and I'm considering a 141 Starboard Futura for my light wind board. I've got a 111 Futura and I love it. If you're sailing on the ocean or in open choppy water look at the Futura's, they are a bit narrower than the equivalent iSonics, so probably easier to sail in choppy water, and perhaps have a bit more range? I don't reckon they give much away in top end either.

Sail-wise I'd go around 9.5. I've got a 7.5/8.5 Koncepts, and I reckon for light wind I could've gone for a bigger step up from my 7.5. The 8.5 doesn't seem to extend my range all that much, but then my largest board at the moment is 120L, whereas 140L is more in the range you need for light wind if you're a heavyweight.

from what I hear and read, difficult to go past a Tush Lightning (8M+) and a JP exite (130L+) for light wind cruising...happy shopping!