I've been wondering lately about what determines a particular board's maximum possible speed (let's assume in ideal conditions).

Is it purely board design as in; rocker line, rail shape or tail shape or does it have more to do with what sail you put on the board or what fin is used with a particular sail or is it a combination of all the above?

The reason I have been thinking about this is that I have recently purchased a 2003 JP FSW 98l and am wondering how fast it will go as I am into a bit of gps speedsailing.
Now I know it's horses for courses and you will probably think why not just get a small slalom board or dedicated speedboard but these boards are not the most fun boards to sail on anything other than fairly flat water and not all of us have the financial freedom to have a separate board for every type of sailing we do.

I will be keen to see what sort of speeds I can get out of the fsw in the winter westerlies we get at lake Illawarra. I am hoping to get up to 35knts (this may be totally unreasonable).

Thoughts?

Ill leave it to the experts to comment on design etc but I think Matthew Robertson from the Pit Crew has got his FSW (I think) well over 40 knots at Sandy pt.

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markdemol said...

I've been wondering lately about what determines a particular board's maximum possible speed (let's assume in ideal conditions).

Is it purely board design as in; rocker line, rail shape or tail shape or does it have more to do with what sail you put on the board or what fin is used with a particular sail or is it a combination of all the above?

The reason I have been thinking about this is that I have recently purchased a 2003 JP FSW 98l and am wondering how fast it will go as I am into a bit of gps speedsailing.
Now I know it's horses for courses and you will probably think why not just get a small slalom board or dedicated speedboard but these boards are not the most fun boards to sail on anything other than fairly flat water and not all of us have the financial freedom to have a separate board for every type of sailing we do.

I will be keen to see what sort of speeds I can get out of the fsw in the winter westerlies we get at lake Illawarra. I am hoping to get up to 35knts (this may be totally unreasonable).

Thoughts?

The fastest board design is the one which suits your skills & abilities in any given water and wind conditions. If you've never ridden a flat rocked speed board, and you have your first go at it in windy choppy conditions, you'll probably find it unsailable, and be much faster on a board you are used to sailing.

As a rule flat rocker for about 90cm at the back with slight tail kick is the rocker line that is considered fastest for dead flat water and windy conditions.

On the JP fsw around 32 would be around the mark but 35 could be done.
I have done that speed on a 09 92 pro edition on very flat water, had a select weedwave fin and an old 1997 4.2 ezzy wave sail.
Must say I have tried a 5.0 and 5.8 KA Koncepts on this board and it is crap with race sails as they have too much forward drive and low ce and just push the rocker down and is very sticky, actually faster with a wave sail with the ce a bit higher to lift the board more.
35 would have been possible on it here in Beachport last thursday as we had a solid 35 knot wind with very flat water.
Best to stick to bump and jump as this board is great for that and just buy a second hand slalom for a couple hundred bucks for some more speed.

Seems to me that whenever someone who really knows how to sail fast, just for a hoot, gets on a board that is not meant to go fast at all, they're not all that much slower.

If you were fast enough to get sponsorship it probably wouldn't be wise to hoot about like this though.

How fast did Mat go on a FSW?

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Ian K said...

Seems to me that whenever someone who really knows how to sail fast, just for a hoot, gets on a board that is not meant to go fast at all, they're not all that much slower.

I can't recall exact details but I think Spotty got some very impressive speeds on a wave board in the open ocean between swells and also at SP but I think he had a speed / slalom fin in.

In response to the OP (although not that I can really speak from experience) aside from sailing technique, the fin is one of the most critical pieces of equipment to going fast confidently without fear of it letting go or creating too much drag. Correct me if I'm wrong but there's not much wetted board surface when hitting those really big numbers so as long as the board doesn't become uncontrollable through lift or create too much drag then it could go fast. Sails of course create the drive and size selection for the conditions is important as too small wont give you drive going deep, too large they become uncontrollable and inefficient.

Will try to find Spotty's sessions on some wave gear.

Hey Mark,

Welcome to Seabreeze forums. I've hit 36knots at Sandy Point in an easterly on a small Naish wave and JP 26 wave fin, using a 4.7 wave sail. Scary ride though as the fin at that speed is very loose. If you tried a more stable speed fin, 35 knots should be no problem with some practice and sailing quite broad. Good luck.

It is possible to go 35 knots or more on boards that were not made with that in mind, but conditions must be out of the ordinary as well:

A small wave board, a flat..ish speed strip, a 3.7m wave sail, 30-35 knots of manic wind and a BIG bear-away. Peak speed 40 knots! Been done.....

A big 115L wave board, a big strong sailor who has been 50 knots and knows what it is about, a flat speed strip, 30+ knots of wind, Smallish speed or freeride sail, a BIG bear-away, well over 40 knots! Been done....

A old guy doing a one hour on a 90 lit slalom board with a 5.8m Slalom sail and 30cm fin. Just cruising up and down at Sandy Point. Just started down the speed strip when...WHAM... a 35 knot squall slams down the course. All the poor guy can do is hang on and hope he doesn't get flattened. Further and further off the wind. Faster and faster. Water still flat because the wind just arrived a minute ago. Right around to 130 degrees off the wind and more until he finally gets behind the sand dunes out of the wind and can bail out. GPS shows peak of over 41 knots! Been done....

The moral of this story:
Ya just gotta be in the right place at the right time!

Really flat water = your potential speed coming easy. Sailing in chop shows the genuine fast from the slow! Slowy still cranks 40's when the guys who have reached 40 are showing 36, 37's. Understanding what max efficiency feels like and what factor is slowing you down is the most important. I think equipment, hides ability imperfections. Look at what the fast guys achieved on the gear you have. I sail a 2009 board,56 wide that had done 41 knots. I've only taken it to 35.4. I'm not getting rid of till I hit 37. Than if I buy the latest and greatest, I should fly.

PS::: Fin Fin Fin Fin Fin Fin

So, just an update. I did a session with the 98 FSW and a 6.6 koncept a few weeks ago in about 25-30knts and the best I could get was a 33.8kt peak. It definitely wasn't as fast as my other board, an F2 axxis 267, wich I compared it with on the day but the FSW is really comfortable and easier to ride which would help with going fast.

33.8 is quick. I have an FS2 92 and my fastest peak is also 33.8. Mine was in pretty flat water (for NSW) at Canton in a nice gust.... but it had more in it with more wind. At the top end after bearing off, I felt underpowered. The fastest guys that day on speed gear and bigger sails were doing about 2 knots quicker than I, but they probably have better technique than me also as I am still a speed noob.

mark i like your way of thinking and ill be first in line to congratulate you when you crack the 40 more than likely ill be there