Looking for some advice on the purchase of a new board. I'm looking for something that can provide a smooth and stable ride in bay chop ( sth westerlies Mordy thru to stkilda) approx 110 ltrs if it's possible in a board of that great a volume . Weight 75-80 kg

Good morning,

You might consider the Tabou 3S 106 available from SHQ. I prefer the CED construction over the more expensive carbon LTD construction as the CED gives a better ride in the chop, IMO (and I have both constructions in boards I own). More info available here: http://www.tabou-boards.com/boards/2015/boards/3s.

Bonno and Dawson Ave are known Tabou haunts, so you might talk to the owners.

Hope this helps.

Thanks windman, been back into it for about 12 months , I've got a 136 ltr board which I love in flatter waters. I've taken it out in the short onshore chop and I can sail it but it feels more like hanging on and hoping rather than a controlled ride .

I can vouch for the 3S, although as a big guy - mine is a 116lt. Looking forward to some Southerly chop-hopping tomorrow.

i am 75kg and have the JP FSW 101 and the tabou 3s 86l. i have also had a go on the tabou 3s 106 litre.

they 3s is slightly better than the JP. the foot pads are really comfy. both are excellent bay boards.

freestyle wave boards are definitely the BEST for the bay!! not wave and not free ride.

the board i use the most is my 101. from non planning mucking around to 25 knots it is superb.


as another comparison, my friend has a jp all ride 106. its a dog to jump. feels gigantic. awful for the bay

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Yuppy said..
i am 75kg and have the JP FSW 101 and the tabou 3s 86l. i have also had a go on the tabou 3s 106 litre.

they 3s is slightly better than the JP. the foot pads are really comfy. both are excellent bay boards.

freestyle wave boards are definitely the BEST for the bay!! not wave and not free ride.

the board i use the most is my 101. from non planning mucking around to 25 knots it is superb.


as another comparison, my friend has a jp all ride 106. its a dog to jump. feels gigantic. awful for the bay

I've heard that JP boards are built sturdier than Tabou. Hearsay or justified?

Thanks for bothering to reply , looks like tabou 3s 106 is the first board I'll look at .

I love the tabou boards. They should steel Subaru moto "all for the driver". No major issues either. At your light weight maybe 101 is a more useful size similar to yuppy. Then keep a bigger board for really light winds.

Didn't see your last post. Yeah 106 is great or even 96 might be good size for you in 3s.

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cameronil said...
I love the tabou boards. They should steel Subaru moto "all for the driver". No major issues either. At your light weight maybe 101 is a more useful size similar to yuppy. Then keep a bigger board for really light winds.

The larger board is fine up to 30 knots on the peninsula as it's mostly offshore not to mention shifty and gusty.

What would be the best size sail on a 106 in a 20-25 knot southwesterly?

I have 86 and 106 3S's and can vouch for everything these guys have said about them. I also picked up a 2015 Fanatic Hawk 113 during easter and I got out on it in a 15 to 20 knot southerly on Thursday. Fanatic claims the new hawks are easier to ride than the old hawks and a least as fast. I would say that they are at best, as fast as the old hawk but they aren't kidding about the easy to ride bit. The smoothness through the chop is excellent, even smoother than the 3S 106 believe it or not. In fact, The new Hawk is smooth almost to the point of boring. some slalom sailors might say it is boring. Me, I ****ing love it lol. It does exactly what I wanted, it goes fast in rough water without blowing out my knees. Gybing is ridiculously good. The new hawk will do any gybe you want, beginners gybes or powered up laydowns. The thing I really love about laydowns on the new hawk is that the radius stays nice and wide even if you jam the rail in pretty hard. This gives some actual time to enjoy that laydown gybe feeling rather than whipping around in a neck snapping radius.

I bought the hawk to run 8.0 and 7.5 NCX's on it until it's windy enough for the 106 3S. I would run a 7.0 on it as well but not with the 38cm fin. Fanatic claims you can run a 5.0 on the 113. I'll pass on that scenario thanks. So yeah, the hawk does the job until it's windy enough for the 106 3S or if I feel like using my NCX's but then it's the 3S for sure. The 3S's have a smooth and yet lively and exciting ride I haven't encountered on any other board. I might do a video and review on the hawk if I get the chance but it's early autumn which on the east coast mean no more wind for a while.

To summarise, Tabou 3S = best boards ever but the new hawks are worth a look definitely.

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MrCranky said...

Yuppy said..
i am 75kg and have the JP FSW 101 and the tabou 3s 86l. i have also had a go on the tabou 3s 106 litre.

they 3s is slightly better than the JP. the foot pads are really comfy. both are excellent bay boards.

freestyle wave boards are definitely the BEST for the bay!! not wave and not free ride.

the board i use the most is my 101. from non planning mucking around to 25 knots it is superb.


as another comparison, my friend has a jp all ride 106. its a dog to jump. feels gigantic. awful for the bay

I've heard that JP boards are built sturdier than Tabou. Hearsay or justified?

Mr cranky.
From personal experience I have dinged the nose of my 3s badly. (I did a thread on the repair). I catapulted the mast into the nose.

I also put a hole in my Goya quad from the mast hitting the rail in a wipe out.

I have had the JP for two years longer than the Goya and 3s and never dinged it. It's a carbon version. So maybe that's why. Or maybe dumb luck?

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33frupus said...

cameronil said...
I love the tabou boards. They should steel Subaru moto "all for the driver". No major issues either. At your light weight maybe 101 is a more useful size similar to yuppy. Then keep a bigger board for really light winds.

The larger board is fine up to 30 knots on the peninsula as it's mostly offshore not to mention shifty and gusty.

What would be the best size sail on a 106 in a 20-25 knot southwesterly?

5.3m to 5.5 My most common bay board and sail is my JP 101 with a 5.5. I'm 75kg

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Yuppy said..

MrCranky said...

Yuppy said..
i am 75kg and have the JP FSW 101 and the tabou 3s 86l. i have also had a go on the tabou 3s 106 litre.

they 3s is slightly better than the JP. the foot pads are really comfy. both are excellent bay boards.

freestyle wave boards are definitely the BEST for the bay!! not wave and not free ride.

the board i use the most is my 101. from non planning mucking around to 25 knots it is superb.


as another comparison, my friend has a jp all ride 106. its a dog to jump. feels gigantic. awful for the bay

I've heard that JP boards are built sturdier than Tabou. Hearsay or justified?

Mr cranky.
From personal experience I have dinged the nose of my 3s badly. (I did a thread on the repair). I catapulted the mast into the nose.

I also put a hole in my Goya quad from the mast hitting the rail in a wipe out.

I have had the JP for two years longer than the Goya and 3s and never dinged it. It's a carbon version. So maybe that's why. Or maybe dumb luck?

I have a 2014 Tabou Rocket 125 L (standard construction). I just tried a friend's Naish Nitrix 125L. That thing is a dog in comparison. Feels really heavy and dull. But the Rocket's light weight comes at a price. I have had 2 professional repairs on my Rocket. (Many small dings before that I fixed with putty). The last time they put a boat-load of glass in the nose. (Still had to patch it up recently).

I also have a 2006 Mistral Syncro 90L. It feels a lot more solid.

Checked out the tabou today, to me looks like double concave v to flat v to flat to stepped cutouts in rear. What is it about the shape that makes it so good in the chop? I though the bottom looked like a skinny version of my supersport so do they go like the clappers in flat water also? Cheers

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33frupus said..
Checked out the tabou today, to me looks like double concave v to flat v to flat to stepped cutouts in rear. What is it about the shape that makes it so good in the chop? I though the bottom looked like a skinny version of my supersport so do they go like the clappers in flat water also? Cheers

Beats me, I'm no expert. But the 125 L Naish felt really dull in comparison (like an old Bic 133), whereas the Tabou just wants to take off... like a Rocket. My friend immediately noticed this as well. But he flies on his Naish, whereas I do my absolute best to keep the Rocket a lead sled. I used to second guess the board, thinking the rocker is not flat enough, and those double concave Vs stop me from planing. Well it's clearly my lack of skills, because the Naish Nitrix has a simpler, flatter rocker, yet feels dead. I had considered selling the Rocket, but now I think I will keep it forever as a light wind board.

Anyway, AFAIK SHQ has the 2014 version steeply discounted.