I sail a JP Super X 116 and I am 85 kg. What would be a good smaller board to complement it ? a FSW ? 90l or 100l ? Mainly for slalom/bump and jump and occasional waves

New or second hand?

Hi,

I'm the same weight as you and normally sail a 105 litre board. I'd suggest an 85 litre board with a narrow tail (I sail an 84 litre JP freeride 2001 model in anything over 20 knots).

Tail width is important, 'cos with a wide tail, you bump and grind over every tiny piece of chop... but with a narrow tail you mush through it which is much easier on your knees. Talking to Haircut today, he reckons that a narrow tail jumps better as well. Both my boards are narrow tails, but the times I've sailed a wide tail I really noticed how much they follow the surface of the water, and jar your knees.

The trouble is that modern freeride shapes have wide tails, so you might have to go secondhand or get a wave shape. Definitely go for a 90 litre over a 100 litre, it's a little bit scary at first when you step on the board and it sinks, but once you get the hang of it you won't look back. In 20+ knots there's no problem in sailing the same number of litres as your weight, and in anything lower you would use your lovely JP.

Windswept, agree with Nebbian re the JP board. Seeing as you have a 115 already, stick with what you like.
I have just stepped down from a 130 X-Cite to a JP freeride 2nd hand 94lt. First go on it I couldn't get the bloody thing to go, pulled up into the wind every time
With a bit of advise from the crew over here, I ditched the "trying to beach start" and went with water start. Mate what a difference.
You will quickly find that any pressure on either rail makes the little buggers turn so keeping it flat at start and when planing is the key. My weight is 88kg,s so went for the 94 until I feel I can step down later this year just maybe.
Tomorrow looks a good day here so more time on it
Mineral

Hey Mineral1,

Have you noticed anything odd when getting the thing to plane?
On my 105 litre you can get it planing with one foot just behind the mastfoot, on the 84 litre you'll slog all day if your foot's there. Put it back near the footstrap and bingo you're up and planing, in less wind than you'd reasonably expect.

Funny thing about windsurfing, the more you learn, the more there is to learn

Thanks all...interesting feedback and food for thought !

Hi!
I have a JP 116 and my small board is a Naish 83lt - I'm about 88-90kgs and I would recommend a Bigger board than my smaller board..I'm looking to sell my Naish and get something around 90lt.

So my vote for you is around 90lts.

Regards,
Taz

Nebbian, sorry missed your post.
You would have spent most of the day rolling about laughing at me trying to get the 94lt to even go, after I came down from the 130
Somebody a week or so back put up a web site in windsurfing, that gave the dimensions for mast track base position and foot straps in relation to the board size. 94lt was base at 130cm from tail.
Also indicated to keep weight middle of board to ensure it came up on the plane quickly, so front foot just in front of strap, and then into to it as move into harness I set it up like that and
Still a messy operation for me, but learning real fast. Have the odd bruise to show that, yep, its not that easy.
Mineral

Tabou 87 3s would be my pick

Windswept, you cant really just go on volume alone, rocker and overall design is also important, I have a 93 litre F2 Axxis, which easily planes in 14 to 15 knts with a 6 m sail, I'm around 80 kg. It has no tail rocker and small 30 cm flat right at the back. Downside is it does bounce over chop a bit, but for an all round high wind board, it aint bad. With 2 boards I would think a wave or freestyle wave in the low to mid 80 litres would suite you. Best of luck.

Slalom, Bump Jump and Occasional Waves is a pretty broad spectrum. I'm the same weight, have had a JP SX116 and usually jumped straight down to a 85L waveboard or a 90L FSW. A JP board that will give you the combination you want is a 2003 JP FSW 91. This board can be dialed in for great speed, but with single rear strap it's good B&J and reasonable for small waves. And if you have a sail around around 6 to 6.4 it makes a great transition sail. When the 116 gets too big you just plug in the smaller board on same sail and go for it.