Mike,

North of the river in Ossie Park. At the moment Windsurfing Perth are looking at stocking AHD for the 2009 - 2010 season. I had the Sealion and Seal brought in to show Reg as I believe there is a good market for them in WA for the larger guys and the guys who want to wave sail in lighter winds.

Pete

so are you cracking out the sealion today pete??

Hi Some great reading here, Have recently moved to less windy NZ from Perth and have been looking into a Kona 10.5, had a go on one in 10knts cross/off with chest high waves and was amazed, counld'nt believe the feel, still quite snappy, anyone any thoughts on the Kona, or simlar style boards,did'nt realise the were so many options in this size,
Cheers

Bertie,

Yeah hoping to hit Meets at 4 / 5pm depends on work.

Pete

Those sealions look so much fun... think im gonna have to get one!

Hows the deck grip go? pretty sticky?

i got to mets just as you were launching pete.
I figured with the low tide and all the seaweed in the launch spot and the lack of waves i'd give it a miss with a demo board.
It looked like you could have used a little more volume at times out there.
Just a real pitty the swell from the begining of the week has gone away

That SeaLion is an interesting concept, pretty lateral thinking.

a-h-d.com

www.a-h-d.com/goodies/index.wrd?album=2009-sealion


also the Seal - 6'10" (213cm) - bloody hell I'd keep stepping off the back

Bertie,

Yeah started with the Seal 102 with my 5.7 seemed ok alot different to sail I ended up comming in and changing overe the centre fin to a bit bigger and stiffer and moved it back and also moved the mast base forward which is different to the user manual but it seem to work better for me this way, but the wind was getting lighter and the waves were very small. I then decided to change to the Sealion for a quick rap as I did this the wind did pick up so was planning on the Sealion and the 5.7 now fully planning with out foot straps is a hoot. One thing I did notice was the Sealion seem to prefer more powerfull sails like the Aplha over my Combats. Well I am down South this weekend so should get to try it as a SUP but must admit I still prefer to surf my short boards down that way.

Pete

i've organized a ride on this at caloundra on the sunshine coast in a fortnight.

should be fun.

Regarding the request for info on the Kona boards. I take my Kona One out in waves and light winds. Some pics thanks to Susie Burgher.

www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=50099

These were taken in 5 knots for so.

Need a bit more wind and a bit more cross-shore than this (maybe 8 knots) to ride frontside and pull off some top turns and bottom turns, which appear to happen in slow motion :-). But it is way more fun than sitting on the beach and you will almost never be skunked.

The length and narrow width of the Kona is the secret to getting out the back in these conditions, and the non-planing speed of the Kona is the key to picking up a wave. I don't think short and wide is the way to go.

It would be great to try a Kona 11.5 or 10.5 or 9.5, but I don't think they would be as versatile on flat water.


Dr Duck

Select to expand quote

Dr Duck said...

>>>>
Need a bit more wind and a bit more cross-shore than this (maybe 8 knots) to ride frontside and pull off some top turns and bottom turns, which appear to happen in slow motion :-). But it is way more fun than sitting on the beach and you will almost never be skunked.

The length and narrow width of the Kona is the secret to getting out the back in these conditions, and the non-planing speed of the Kona is the key to picking up a wave. I don't think short and wide is the way to go.

It would be great to try a Kona 11.5 or 10.5 or 9.5, but I don't think they would be as versatile on flat water.


Dr Duck

Think it depends on your cut off wind speed, my 237 is fine at 12kts, can still hit the lip hard and fast and don't have to pump on to the wave unless a fair way out the back.
But at 10kts it becomes more of a struggle. I certainly wouldn't consider 8kts on it.

Hmm seems the lightwind windsurfing community is divided.
Short and fat
vs
Long and skinny

Select to expand quote

Rider5 said...

Hmm seems the lightwind windsurfing community is divided.
Short and fat
vs
Long and skinny

We are so much more confused than that...................to some of us colour is really really important!

Select to expand quote

Rider5 said...

Hmm seems the lightwind windsurfing community is divided.
Short and fat
vs
Long and skinny

Yep, I think it boils down to short and fat is more manoeuvrable, and to fans of the slashing style, more fun above 10/12kts, long and narrower is faster at subplanning speeds and gives a lower wind range.

me want short and fat, now (tantrum)

less than 12 knots, and I'll be happy to be paddling

i'm gunna try short and fat next. 120L sittin in the shed atm.
Will report after the first session

Select to expand quote

Bertie said...

i'm gunna try short and fat next. 120L sittin in the shed atm.
Will report after the first session

How short how fat ?

ok it not that short. 250x67.5

forecast aint looking too good either. swell aint coming to play
might be a little while till i can test it out.

i had a go on 9'10" x 30" sup (kinetic energy board in the photo above) today with a 6.4m KA kult at the caloundra bar.

swell was tiny and wind was only 5-8 knots.

what an awesome time , i wanted to compare a sup against a 120lt wave board to see what the difference was but the wind was so light that the 120lt stayed on the roof of the car.

i can really see the value of the longer board.

compared to short boards the sup's pop over the wave without losing direction or snaking in light wind. somehting a short board can't do.

catching waves was also a lot easier than what a short board would have been. the acceleration on small waves was insane. the glide ability of the longer boards is a winner when taking off.

the other thing that impressed me with the longer board was that the extra tracking ability when heading back out was well worth it. side chop wasn't even noticable. on a short board i would have been in the drink.

unfortunately the waves were very bad so i can't comment much more than that. i'll hopefully try again in a couple of weeks time in some better surf, or at least something where i can string a few turns together. thinking neil st.

my initial reaction is that the length is definately worth it in the light winds in the conditions we usually get in qld.

but the sup was so much fun, and with one i would never miss a days sail. today the formula kit would not have planed but i spent 1hr riding waves/swells then heading back out through the break with a 6.4m sail.

at a guess the shorter large style wave boards may be better in classic, point break conditions where the rider is wanting to be more dynamic on the face and in the air. i'm happy with the sup......

I took the kids down to Metts to watch the sunset.
Took my camera and snapped a few.
I had it on rapid fire but the best part of the wave was when it stopped between shooting 10 frames at a time. Doh!
Anyway was this you Pete?

that was pete on his 6.2 and the sealion.
I've stolen the sealion to take to rotto 2moz. we'll see how we go then eh!

How much wind was that? I reckon it looks a bit too light. Maybe better off going for a surf or sup. That set up looks like it would be fun for about 12 knots though.

Yeah it was me on the Sealion. Hit the water at 4pm and the wind was reading 10knts gusting to 14knts and it was perfect wind for the SUP as it was cross off it made wave sailing perfect and as the swell was up a bit the apprant wind comming up the face of the wave made it even fell stronger. I got a couple of great waves early on sorry to all the surfers out there but when I hit the water there were only 3 guys out and I was sharing waves. The photos Greenroom took were right towards the end of the seasion as the sun was setting the wind died right off to about 8knts gusting to 12knts. I was lucky to get that wave in as I had very little wind in the sail.

Hoops yes normally would be surfing but wanted to know the lower limits of the Sealion. As it is I agree 12kts seems to be the magic number but for down wind wave riding but you want the wind to be cross to cross off to get the best out of the Sealion. I believe that for cross on or on shore you either need alot more wind or just do up wind wave riding. Anyway I came in after the sail and grabed my little 6.0 fish and had a few good waves as well surfing it was a good afternoon.

Pete

Hi Pete, How you finding the Sealion? I am a surfer and windsurfer in Byron Bay. We get good wind (20+ knots) for 4 months of the year. For 8 months we have many days of 10 - 14 knots cross on to cross of with many point breaks and beach breaks. With the right equipment Byron could be a windsurfers paradise for that lighter wind period. I have been trying to find equipment to sail in the 10 - 14 knot range and have been inspecting the sealion for months. It really looks good and it appears to be a reasonable wave riding board...with good float and glide for lulls.

The long boards don't suit my wave riding and I don't like many of the so called light wind wave boards...from what I have seen the sealion looks like it could be the goods for the conditions I have mentioned.

Pete I am 80 Kgs, and prefer to sail my 5.4. Would you have any idea what wind speed would the sealion start planing in (or at least gliding)? I also have a 6.1. What wind speed would get that planing of gliding?

I know you loved the board when you first got it. Do you still feel that way. Any feedback you give me would be appreciated. As you now they are fairly expensive so I am really trying to do my research. Thanks.

Hey Perry , you're definately right about Byron. I lived there for 3 years but that was in the polyester board days. Spent most of the time hoping for just another 5 knots. If you had the right gear these days you would get heaps of sailing in and around Byron.

Perry I do love the Sealion and have played around on alot of boards to find the right light wind board for me and now I am happy with the sealion I weight 95kg so I am a heavy weight. I believe that for point break waves the Sealion would work so so good as you know on point breaks you can head back out in the channel so no need to head out to much through the waves. As for planning I had the board planning with a 5.6 in about 15knts compared to a SUP which can be sailed the Sealion can plane and planes well, it is fun planning with out footstraps, but must admit I did not get it to plan with more just to putt out to the back and surf in. The boards I would look at are the following:
Kona Mini Tanker
Kona 9'5" or if you can get your hands on the old F2 New Move I had one and sold it to a mate these are a board ahead of there time. The only problem with all these is that if you want to SUP they are not ideal.

Pete

Thanks Pete, that helps me a lot. Based on what you are saying and with my weight I can probably get the sealion planing in 13 knots. I too am mostly looking for a board that will get me out the back just so I can wave ride in. I am not into the SUP thing (yet anyway) but even just used as a sailboard the sealion looks better on the wave than the Kona. Wouldn't you agree?
Would you consider the F2 new move a better board for light wind wave sailing?

I am not really interested in sailing when it is under 12 knots - just go surfing and when it is over 18 knots just sail my normal waveboard. But when there is 12 - 15 knots the sealion looks more stable and better for getting out through the waves than the lower volume light wind wave boards. In your experience would you agree with this?

To be honest I think there is a whole world of wave sailing that could be opened up to us all (especially on the east coast) if the board companies opened their minds to design possibilities for this wind range. And I think short, wide and thick (with thinner refined rails) is the answer for these lighter non maui non WA conditions.

As a surfer I now have options to ride a whole host of craft in even the most abysmal conditions and they all perform incredibly well due to the carefully thought out designs (designs that came from a lot of experimenting). As a wave sailor I don't see any board that caters for the 10 - 15 knot conditions that still wave rides well AND remains enjoyable on the way out due to its float. From my observations the sealion comes close...but maybe someone else knows of a more suitable board.

Anyway thanks again Pete. And yes hoop...your right...I have been watching perfect crosshores for years in the off season saying to myself - "if there was just another 4 knots" ...that's why I want the right board...then Byron will be a wave sailing paradise.

Perry,
I think you will love the Sealion it is light and small fits in the car which is great. I like you if it gets over 17knts I will go to my large wave board to ride waves but for that 12 to 16kts the Sealion is great. At first I was put off a bit about no foot straps but now I am loving it, it is so much more like surfing but with a sail than before so you get to move your feet around to suit the condtions or wave like a surfboard. One thing I did notice yesterday was it was fun to do light wind freestyle on while waiting for the sets as well, like sailing back winded, tail first and some other classic moves. I think you will have the best conditions over in BB long point breaks what I was also suprised about yesterday was even though the wind was light I was making sections I could not or would not make on my surfboard so waves which are close to a close out for a surfboard now become more open to sailing as you get to make it around sections alot quicker and easier.

Hope this helps,

Pete

Hi Perry,

at 80kg your almost a lightweight compared to some of us. i think there must be lots of boards around that would work in 12+ knots for you.

Starboard Kode
Exocet cross
JP freestyle wave
Kona Mini Tanker
Tabou 3s

Pete, I got your drift. I am getting one. Thanks for your great info.