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luke
2010 WINDSURFING Board Tests: Light-Air Flyers |
| Find out which four windsurfing boards scored best overall in WINDSURFING’s 2010 Light-Air Windsurf Board Tests. |
Best Overall Light-Air Windsurf Boards: |
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Naish Grand Prix 128 Windsurf Board |
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The Naish Grand Prix 128 windsurfing board offered the ultimate blend of do-it-all performance — 78 cm of width for early planing, and plenty of top-end speed for an exciting ride that was just enough of a challenge to make sure every session was fun without being scary. Full Naish Grand Prix 128 Windsurf Board Review |
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JP-Australia Super Sport 74 Windsurf Board |
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Love. Fast. Epic. Awesome. Ass-kicker. Rocket. All words used to describe the JP-Australia Super Sport 74 windsurfing board. Negative reviews were few, and tended to deal with small details. Everyone’s overall assessment of the JP was as an entertaining, exciting ride that left them wanting more. Full JP-Australia Super Sport 74 Windsurf Board Review |
Other Overall Favorites: |
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RRD FireRide 125 Windsurf Board |
| Friendly for newbies and veteran players, the RRD FireRide 125 windsurfing board impressed in light wind or high wind — no easy feat. “Light and easy, pretty speedy!” said WINDSURFING editor Josh Sampiero. Full RRD FireRide 125 Windsurf Board Review |
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Starboard Carve 121 Windsurf Board |
| The Starboard Carve 121 windsurfing board was easy to use and offered guaranteed delivery of fun. We’re glad the Carve line is back. “I was overpowered but always in control,” said one tester. Full Starboard Carve 121 Windsurf Board Review |
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With the release of the new JP Super Light Wind folks are starting to maybe think that getting the right gear to cover 90% of their time on the water probably makes a lot of sense. There is an alternative which may actually start attracting more and more riders. I like to call it "free formula". The idea is to use a formula board with a much smaller fin and a free ride sail set-up which gives all of the advantages of early planning, blasting top-end speed and great jibing capabilities without the hassle of over-technicality, long fins and humongous sails. My preferred set-up right now includes a starboard formula experience with a 42 curtis weed fin and a 9.0 Hot Sails Super Freak. I would be curious to know how many people out there are starting to gear-up in that direction.
absolutely! my fave light-air set-up is a Starboard 155 "pre-formula" (only 85cm wide) with a 7.5KA Koncept and a 48cm fin. Planing down to about 12kn (I am 148#)
oh.. well.. my old formula board is 100 cm wide… LOL…. .. I mostly use my Kinetic Gladiator 135 with 77 cm width. Depending on the wind (and the flow of Han River since it can be pretty fast during the rainy season especially when the dam gates are open), I use either 46 cm or 50 cm fin. My sail size with this board is 8.0 - 9.0….. (this is truely light wind !! eh? )
I'm using a 70mm Drake fin on m Formula 160, sailing with a 12.5 Aerotech and will barely plane with about 8 to 9kts. I'm 200#.
And looking for something that will plane out slower…. ideas?
We have a LOT of light wind here on the west coast of FL, St. Pete area.
wow… 42 cm fin for formula board?… well.. I often windsurf in Han River, Seoul, Korea…. I do not think that I will ever be able to make it back home with the East wind…. My fin for formula board is 72 cm.
I use a 2002 Starboard Formula wood. I have the weed fin 90% of the time, Sails 8.0 and 9.5 Sailworks retro
works well in the midwestern summers.
people are schlogging w anything smaller
How many knots of wind does “light air” mean exactly?
I'd guess based on the liters and widths of the boards they are in the range of 15-25 knots? Maybe even a bit more with smaller sails, but not above 30 knots. Sail range between 7.0 - 10 sq. meters.
I even cannot imagine using a big board when I can have so much more fun with a "sinker" as soon as the wind reaches ~20knts and more.
For me light wind means 15knts and less.
Sail a 2005 starboard Formula and 40cm Lessacher duo weed fin (shallow water spot) with light 10.0 and 11.0 Sailworks Retro`s and Gulftech Maximum wide boom for stability …just love this combo .
Its basically that enormous incredibly early planing slalom that you always wanted!! .
It just needs careful trim,for instance the mastbase needs to go way back to get the sail centre of effort over that raked fin ,but the control is awesome,without the worry about what that 70 cm fin is gonna do next!
And yes it jibes on a dime and rails up when needed and flies up and downwind too.
I guess these boards are tested in at least 15kn gusting 20kn??
Jeff, with this set-up the wind range to plane goes from 8 knots to 25 knots. With the right downhaul / outhaul set-up the super freak 9.0 has an amazing range on a formula board is is just soooo much fun..
Timbo, Eva it sounds like we have the same approach. This formula board / smaller fin / smaller sail combo is just so much fun…
I am trying to push the envelope and just purchased a Lessacher duo weed 36cm which is sold to work up to a 9.5m sail….will try it this week. The other set-up I have been hoping to see hit the market is a formula board with a twin weed fin…which would work in any depth really without spinning-out…this could be a ton of fun also
herve , ( funny i know a guy here we call herve too and he windsurfs LOL) now no i dont have the setup you have and as such cannot compare.
but while big baordsa are retro they are fun.
but take this example, the other day i was out, kiters upwind in the windline blasting. So get my old starboard formula 155 and maui sails ms2 9.5, 58 cm fin cannot plane, I am 195 lbs.
I put the 9.5 on my old f-2 lightning daggerboard down, beat up to the wind line and basically start ripping.
yeah its longboard but it is not slow ! and probably as manuverable as a free formula and it gybes nicer. nicer then the old starboard 155 which nowadays is not EVEN considered very wide.
my tip on the longboard is this. there alot of good ones out there at cut rate prices , that perform brilliantly, unused and forgotten.
get one it will expand your range.
Part 1 .
I think windsurfing magazine is doing windsurfing a disservice by producing this article.
it concerns me that light "wind flyers" are ONLY represented by "shortboards" .
Windsurf magazine falling into the high wind trap that many industry insiders said killed this sport in the 80s!!!
Barry Spanier saw the writing on the wall for windsurfing when the shortboard high wind blasting attitude was created in maui. An end to the lightwind relaxing attitude that shortbaord only and high wind imagery would create!
Folks get a longboard and feel the glide !!
One has many options. There are alot of old ones out there, Mistral superlights, Equipes, IMCOS, less common F-2 lightnings, fanatic cats. The bigger volume the better unless you a lightweight. As always check ebay or criaglist ( kijiji in Canada)
Also if money is no option there are many new updated models.
A longboard in subplaning conditions and the ability of these boards to "glide" give one options that a kite of any size cannot.
Some great examples , you can safely sail in offshore winds. You can get around that pesky headland into that windline in no time , and you can go way downwind and get back! you can ride swells when the wind is still light!
Things that a shortboard only user or even kiters cannot do in lower wind ranges ( or at least should not do ) and while you arent planing the subplaning speed is remarkable.
Attach that big old formula sail or any of the newer big no cams , put the centerbord down for more lift and you can be suprised at the speed a longboard can achieve.
Now at this point one could say my formula can plane , true but in the lulls the longboard keeps gliding.
Take my advice.
An old longboard will make you a believer !
Its an aspect of the sport which judging from some aspects of this article is still quite ignored.
Sad
shredulato
Hm, I have to say: I am using a Lorch Breeze M, 152lt freeride board with a select 46 and a 7,m North Crossfire (a quite simple and easy sail) and I am planing at 9-10 kn wind. I am 80 kg. I tried a Lessacher wed fin 36 on it and it did,nt work at all. In our Bali spot we have extreme shallow water, seeweed and other unpleasant things in the water but I better clean up the fin sometimes than using the antiweed fin. My wife (50kg)using a Lorch Breeze S (132lt) and she is planing with her 5,8m2 North Duke (light) and a 40cm Lorchg Fin. Usually we are muche faster in light wingds than all the rest of the bunch here in our place.
Hi, I use the same old Starboard Formula 155 as Eva (the stone age formula, dating back to 2000, if I'm correct one of the very first, if not the first at all) .
Combined with a no cam freerace sail, the Hot Sails SpeedDemon 9.7 and a 65 cm Curtis fin, I think I start to plane in as light as 8 to 9 knots. The board still behaves well in small chop, I was surprised. Much less technical to sail than a recent Formula at 85 cms width, it basically behaves like a big freeride board. Even easier to get into the footstraps than on my recent Futura 133, the aft footstraps are just a pain in the *** to get into.
Formula Twinser 159 ! see http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/album.php?aid…
check this 10-11 knots and planning with only 9m2
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=241313132...