Have recently started GPS sailing with Steve & Shane down in Albany, really enjoying it but want to close down the speed at which they disappear off into the distance. Currently the 2 combos I'm using are, Ezzy Cheetah 6.5m + Tabou 3S 96l or Ezzy Tiger 5.5/4.7m + Starboard Acid 80l. Yeah so not fully optimised speed gear...

I'm a bit of a lightweight, about 70kg & an ok'ish sailor I guess. Steve has given me a bit of advice about what equipment he uses most often down here which I've found very helpful. Currently I'm thinking to get a sail size either side of the Cheetah & maybe replace the Acid. Conditions most often sailed in during Summer are quite steady winds ranging from 13-25+knots strength & flat water with heavy weed.

As I already have Ezzy RDM masts 430, 400 and a 370 base it would be great to be able to use them. If I stay within the Ezzy range I'm pretty much limited to a 5.5m Cheetah or a 6m Lion. Both have cons in that the Cheetah are no cam (how much of a speed penalty?) & the Lion is probably too close to my current Cheetah sizewise. A 7.5m Lion or Cheetah will require another mast & the second hand market is pretty bare for Ezzy gear.

The Unifber table suggests that quite a few other brands like Gun, KA, Loft, North etc should work with my masts but if there is any direct experience that would be great. Of particular interest to me are from looking through the Classifieds & Gumtree are a 2015 Ka Koncept 5.8m & 2012 Loft Racing Blade 7.0. Also seen a 2013 Ka Race 7.1 but would need to buy a Ezzy 460 top or bottom to rig that & I'm not sure it would work.

The other option is to go outside what I currently have & even though they are different curves Severne & Neil Pryde seem to have the most 2nd hand gear available especially Evo & Reflex but I wonder about the long term durability of race sails.

Speedboards seem to be few & far between so I was thinking a smallish slalom board like a sub 90l Isonic or the below link. Open to suggestions on other boards

www.seabreeze.com.au/Classifieds/Windsurfing-Boards/~v9u5j/JP-Australia-54-Slalom-Racing-240-cm-70-litres.aspx?search=MsVd7Fn$$IrhqHytluWcH0wFtBuyQW12

Apologies for the tl;dr length of the post, probably a bit much for a Sunday morning. Thanks in advance for any advice offered about what may be the best way to go.

G'day Morts

Go the outer foot strap holes on the 3S plug your weedy in and that should get you mid 30"s quite easily down there. best thing is to follow Steves lines then you get an idea on how far to bear away which will most likely be a bit interesting to start with

Having the right gear helps but a lot of going faster is technique, which comes with time and practice - especially with the GPS numbers to guide you. Trying to follow faster sailors and copying their stance and lines is a great starting point.
Typically it takes a couple of years of speed sailing to get near your best, so do not fret, you are just starting.
I have been GPS sailing for many years and I am still improving. Maybe I am a very slow learner?

Thanks for the replies Elmo & Windxtasy & yes definitely my technique needs work, lots of it!

I've followed Steve up to the NM spot & back, yes the depth of angle you sail was a surprise & takes some getting used to. Hasn't been many good Easterlies down here lately unfortunately, my joining the Mandurah Mob seems to have killed them

Just want to get an idea of what to keep my eye out for before next summer arrives so I can grab any suitable & well priced gear should it happen to pop up.

Morts to sail deep, you need a sail that keeps it's shape without much wind pressure, (the more you go downwind, the less wind pressure you have), this is where cambed sails help. If the sail looses draft, then it will probably stall unless you really sheet out, but then you loose drive.

My PB is at Lilacs with a 5.0m KA Koncept sail on a 43cm board with a 19cm 45deg weedy. At the time I was around 70kg, and the wind would have been over 25kts.

I love my 2015 Koncept, it's a great sail, and the one I use most of the time, 18 to 25kts would be fine for you.

Hi Mort's .
I have the same JP 70 litre is a very good hour and alpha board and can cruise across the wind all day above 30 and will do 40 peaks. I've only ever used mine on flat water with 4.4 koncept and 4.9 loft blade on mine with biggest fin a 25 weedy. I'm a good 18 kilos more than you. They are way light like 4.9 kilos.
I'll have an add out next week with this board and a 52 litre missile (ive done 42 but board has done 45) plus small speed sails heaps that would interest you as moving on all my speed gear as going back to basics and the sea mostly.
Your sail quiver you have now is about what I'm going back to. Still love my old ezzys.
A 5.8 and 5.0 koncept would be good for your masts. Can't go past the loft blades that size as well.

Thanks Decrepit Koncepts are on my list to keep an eye out for & I do remember feeling like the sail was stalling at times & having to sheet out.

Cheers Jimbob the JP does sound like it would be a suitable board for what I'm after. FYI if your looking at buying Ezzy Tigers the design has not changed since 2013, so if you can find a store with older stock you may be able to get a good price.

I use the ka koncept and race sails with ezzy masts and they seem to work OK. I have a 460 and 400 mast and mix them to make a 430 and that rigs from my 5.0 to 7.3

I use the same masts with my ezzy wave and panther sails as well.

Am looking forward to sailing down your way sometime, hope not too long away

This isn't about equipment used but some useful information: www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Windsurfing/General/Wanting-to-go-faster/
Cheers
Marty

The cheetahs are fun crosswind sails but run out off puff deep off the wind. I found using really good fins added a couple of knots straight away, even on fsw and crossover boards. I recently discovered how much faster thin fins were with low powered sails like these. Get some good quality thin fins for an instant and noticeable upgrade.

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ikw777 said..
The cheetahs are fun crosswind sails but run out off puff deep off the wind. I found using really good fins added a couple of knots straight away, even on fsw and crossover boards. I recently discovered how much faster thin fins were with low powered sails like these. Get some good quality thin fins for an instant and noticeable upgrade.

There's only one problem with this idea, Mort's sailing in heavy weed.
Unless it's a delta type with very low aspect ratio, thin fins tend to flex.
And flexy weedys just don't work!

Haha! Scratch what I said Mort! Only works in weedfree QLD!

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ikw777 said..
Haha! Scratch what I said Mort! Only works in weedfree QLD!

Our commiserations, you don't know what you're missing.
How about a potential 40kt NM course, with the only chop, little finger sized ripple and parts of it mirror smooth.

I've used my 460 RDM Ezzy mast on Lofts 6.8 Blade, 6.8 Switchblade, 5.8 Switchblade and 5.9 02, they all worked fine on the 460 Ezzy. I can't see any problems using the Ezzy on the KA's either which is now what I'm using. My 6.6 Koncept rigs on my Loft RDM mast and to my eye the same as my 7.5 Koncept on a KA RDM mast so I would think the Ezzy would work on the Koncepts also me thinks. I'm fairly sure Ezzy, Loft and KA use constant curve

But Morts, guys can do 40 on wave gear, don't stress over it, chase Steve and improve your technique. Do get better gear but don't throw good money at the GPS thinking that's the cure, it ain't. Just saying

I used wavegear for my first few years of GPS. 68 ltre acid got about 31.5kts , beat up old tabou pocket wave with freemove fin got 32.99kts ..It is easier with slalom gear- much easier to get upwind + they track well gybing and faster..but to start out you can get by with wavegear. I only weigh 64kgs so top speeds with a heavier person using them in stronger winds would be higher.
wavesails are gutless off the wind..

Thanks all for the info especially on those sails that have worked well on the Ezzy masts & have definitely been reading the go faster thread Not planning to buy all at once, just pick up bits & pieces as they come available. I figure that between now & next summer there will be suitable gear popping up.

sboardcrazy before I joined the GPSTC I had the Logit app & managed a 29kt with the Acid/Ezzy4.7 combo

Even old gear (over 15 years old) works fine as per below video. Nothing special from board/fin/sail or water conditions. However it helps using a cambered sail to lock in the power as you head off the wind (real wind angle verses apparent angle). I'm still getting the hang of it myself and like you find it addictive. What I learnt from this day is I could hold the power upwind which meant on my couple of slingshots there wasn't enough sail area to stay powered up for more speed. Rig bigger than you normally would BUT you you need a stable cambered sail. I think there is more benefit in buying a good sail over board type at this point.
Cheers
Marty

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decrepit said..

ikw777 said..
Haha! Scratch what I said Mort! Only works in weedfree QLD!

Our commiserations, you don't know what you're missing.
How about a potential 40kt NM course, with the only chop, little finger sized ripple and parts of it mirror smooth.

Ya killing me Mike.

Morts, If you are after some small Koncepts, Windforce has a couple of second hand 2011 ones A+ condition. I think they were 4.5 & 5m?

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Windxtasy said..
Morts, If you are after some small Koncepts, Windforce has a couple of second hand 2011 ones A+ condition. I think they were 4.5 & 5m?

Thanks for the heads-up