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Help understanding Slalom
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sergio_k



Joined: 05 Jan 2009
Posts: 60

PostPosted: Sat Sep 21, 2013 10:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

we are having pro-am slalom event in Miami on 18-20 oct, come on down,
and let's see how your freeride /one sail size smaller does in a real situation, could be interesting:)
http://www.miamislalomseries.com/
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dllee



Joined: 03 Jul 2009
Posts: 5328
Location: East Bay

PostPosted: Sat Sep 21, 2013 11:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Would love to, I"m on the West Coast.
Have been riding 8'10" Seatrends since 1983, so you're a newbie.
Had the latest slalom boards from then thru 1992, so might know a few.
Sail with guys on the latest slalom race gear most days I go.
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jingebritsen



Joined: 21 Aug 2002
Posts: 3371

PostPosted: Sat Sep 21, 2013 11:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

the very largest slalom boards now resemble formula boards. they differ in some subtle ways. corners, they are way easier, but one has to be assertive with the carve and sail flip, just like any other short and wide. but, they corner very easily compared to formulas.

they are designed for extreme angles off the wind. once there's a fairly stiff breeze, reaching across the wind can become quite scary. solution, smaller, stiffer fin, and/or more of a formula style of sailing: way upwind and downwind. these are really fun boards that do require a commitment to sheeting in hard and going for max speeds. any compromises in technique, one should seek free rides.

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jfeehan



Joined: 27 Jul 1998
Posts: 156

PostPosted: Sat Sep 21, 2013 12:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

most manufacturers have an in-between line as well.

i have a starboard futura, which sits between the carve and the isonic - it's a very easy board to sail, planes pretty early, and is pretty fast.

mine is a 111 - i mostly use it with a 7.5, and that's my light wind set up now. i tried it with an 8.4, but it didn't work so well. presumably a 111 litre slalom board would easily carry an 8.4, so i guess that's part of the trade off.
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swchandler



Joined: 08 Nov 1993
Posts: 10588

PostPosted: Sat Sep 21, 2013 2:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm with you sergio_k. I've been sailing Mike's Lab slalom boards since 1992, and they are fast, well balanced and very controllable designs. I think that what many folks fail to realize is that the faster you sail, particularly in rough conditions, it significantly ups the ante. Not everyone is prepared for that. That's why more comfortable de-tuned freeride designs are out there.

Also, regarding the issue of strength and durability, slalom boards don't have to be ultra fragile and prone to failure. Mike Z arguably builds some of the lightest and strongest boards available today. That might not be true with the majority production slalom boards coming out of the Cobra factory, it's how one designs and builds the re-enforcement and strength into the board.
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dllee



Joined: 03 Jul 2009
Posts: 5328
Location: East Bay

PostPosted: Sat Sep 21, 2013 3:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

We've had a Futura 111 for a full year now, waiting for an RS-5 to come.
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sergio_k



Joined: 05 Jan 2009
Posts: 60

PostPosted: Mon Sep 23, 2013 11:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

just to clarify... slalom boards changed dramaticly in the last 5+ years,
borrowing lessons learned from formula, new gen. slalom are the earliest planning machine per sq. sail right now, with very wide wind range and they are easy to sail/jibe. Just like formula, I do recomend them for beg./
intermidiate. I don't see the point of freeride boards unless you're over 60 and out of shape and 'want' to move at 70% of potencial speed and lot slower planning. I repeat, I base my statement on what's going on at our beach every day. If you base your opinion on 1992 slalom board/ or
tried new one for a half an hour, you just don't understand the current reality. This is for light/mid wind range; in high winds, the benefits of new
disigns are less noticible.
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techno900



Joined: 28 Mar 2001
Posts: 4161

PostPosted: Mon Sep 23, 2013 1:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Remember that going fast is more sailor skill than it is equipment. Slalom boards are only as fast as the sailor and conditions dictate. An expert on a freeride board will likely blow away an intermediate on a slalom board.

I think that buying just to be fast is a mistake. I have a lot more fun on my bump and jump 105 liter board than I do on my 108 liter slalom board. However, they are used in totally different conditions. They are both the same width = 69 cm.

iSonic 111 (108 liters) - 6.6, 7.6 & 8.4 race sails
HiFly move (105 liters) - 4.5, 5.2, 6.0 RAF sails

Both have identical top speeds - 35.7 mph (I always carry a GPS). I haven't been in a great venue to really get going.
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dllee



Joined: 03 Jul 2009
Posts: 5328
Location: East Bay

PostPosted: Mon Sep 23, 2013 3:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm with Techno....
I often sail my 1999 NaishFreeride99 with guys on less than 2 year old slalom boards. The difference, when we're both powered up, is nil. The difference, when they have a meter or two bigger sail, is they go thru the holes faster, but our topspeeds can be very close, in a 2 mile reach. Maybe in a 4 mile reach, the slalom board always pulls ahead.
As for 1999 boards, no doubt, the old board keeps up easily and can pass the newer wider boards when the winds and chop get tougher and higher.
"Newer is easier"....only if you ride bigger, for more float. If you maximise a 6.5 sail size, and old 54 keeps up with the newest 59's.
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jayturcot



Joined: 08 Mar 2004
Posts: 84

PostPosted: Mon Sep 23, 2013 3:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

techno900 wrote:
Remember that going fast is more sailor skill than it is equipment. Slalom boards are only as fast as the sailor and conditions dictate....


http://jimbodouglass.blogspot.com/2011/06/east-coast-windsurfing-fest-report.html

This POV video of Josh Angulo riding some slalmon gear at the ECWF comes to mind. Posted by d0uglass (James Douglass), Josh probably outweights James by a good amount (them riding the same gear is definitley not just a skill comparison); but that being said.. I don't think I've got as fast as Josh goes on any gear.
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