Light wind wave sailing gear

[jamesschmitt]

thanx again for the discussion,
I have a motor home and carry 7 boards around: 64 ltr jp wave ,75 ltr naish wave pro,85 ltr naish pro,95 ltr naish pro,103ltr exocet wave pro,117 ltr exocet cross and a shaun ordenez 11'3" sup. I even leave some boards behind in the garage.
Over the years(windsurfing since 1985,wave sailing since 87) I've learned to play to my strength: the young guns can have crap for gear and with all their kinesthetic ability do wonders on the wave face( I admire them);-I throw money at the sport. It evens the playing field. (yes,I am sponsored-by myself)
The exocet 103 ltr is great for moderate surf (logo high wave faces) and up to 6.2 sail size conditions. With sails bigger than this it feels unbalanced and I switch to the 117 ltr exocet cross on which I use a 6.8 and 8.0 wave sail(severne).This works well in down to 12 mph hr of wind, again in moderate surf. The only difficulty is that in these light winds after going down the line I have to spend quite a bit of time slogging back up wind.
Thus in winds less than this I've tended to use the sup.
I have yet to try this board under powered in moderate to big surf for fear of the carnage that would result($3000 worth of gear destroyed) and possible injury,-as I have yet to recieve my government bailout.
I have seen guys on 85 ltr boards and 5.3 sails wave sail in big surf and 6-12 knots of wind slogging and water starting their way out, planing only on the wave face and do it well (Jerry Punt ,Brian Peters at Pistol river where I frequently go); but the evitable result is exhausting swims, long walks, rare injuries, and occasional broken gear.
I want to be all I can be; I( as was said in the most recent star trek movie) am searching for something more.
I appreciate all your help.
Thanx and
cu on the wave face.

Jim

[HeyYou]

Depends on your weight. But it sounds like you want a board with 140 liters or more? I used a Drops Bomber 140 in the waves a few times--it was surprisingly nice. Usually, I can make my Aero 117 work, but if not the 140 does the trick.

[d0uglass]

On the East Coast / FL I know some people who are nuts for the Kona 11.5 and 10.5, which apparently windsurf and waveride really well in planing or non-planing conditions. I've ridden them before, only in flatwater, but I could tell they were really fast and turny and able to cut upwind easily. (They just don't SUP that great.) If you're not using your SUP for SUP, you could swap it for one of the Konas. The AHD sea lion looks cool, too, and might be a better bet if you're worried about damaging a longer board in the surf. Post a report when you get something and try it for the first time.

[jamesschmitt]

the kona, for me, is a transportation hassle (as is my 11'3" sup).
The sealion looks interesting; any one try one (not connected with the industry)? How does it perform in 6-10 mph of wind? How is it as an sup?
Thanx again.
Jim

[hemmy007]

[laci]

Socalsail wrote: