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4.0 or 4.8 Aerotech WindSUP?
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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Tue Dec 16, 2014 9:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

jingebritsen wrote:
i am just baffled by the huge push back from windsurfers, wave sailors, surfers and esp former windsurfers that will kite or SUP, but refuse to acknowledge that windSUP'ing offers way more wave rides than paddling....

Those same WSers/kiters, etal, were amazed what a windSUP can do even under an ordinary sailor all summer, but it still required wind of 20 or better because without it, our water is flat.
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brynkaufman2



Joined: 10 Sep 2002
Posts: 383
Location: Kailua Oahu

PostPosted: Tue Dec 16, 2014 10:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

jingebritsen, excellent point. When I first bought the 5.8 WindSUP sail I took it out with my small board and found out the hard way it is not a good match.

I felt like a beginner again, yet I was on a board I had used for many years and was very comfortable using it with various sail sizes.

I then decided to buy the BIC 10.6 WindSUP Board, and when I matched it up with that everything went much better. I had a big smile as I rode a nice wave and realized that this WindSUP setup is going to work out after all.

I think part of the problem convincing others to try it is the marketing from the manufactures.

You can't grab this setup at your local shop and try it out, at least where I am. So you have to do as much research online as possible, and with very few users and a lack of information online, you end up risking around $1,500 to see if you will even like it. Most people won't do that.

For example, the Aerotech WindSUP sail has just one video on YouTube showing it in action, and it is just a little over 1 minute. The wave sailing part is less than 4 seconds, where he says you can catch waves easily.

To buy something in this price range sight unseen most people will need more than 4 seconds of video to convince them.
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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Tue Dec 16, 2014 11:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You got that right! It took dozens of videos, plus a good salesman, plus a bud with one, plus its length, plus its being designed to use w/o straps, plus desperation to get on the water safely, to seal my choice.
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jingebritsen



Joined: 21 Aug 2002
Posts: 3371

PostPosted: Wed Dec 17, 2014 5:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

i have offered my gear, time and again, to lots that won't even try it. that's my gear, at the beach in what i consider optimal times to demo. and still lots refuse to even try. did i mention for free?

BTW, another fundamentally sad issue: refusing to use foot straps. if nothing else, they make launching and landings far easier. yet, there's this push back about them too? but that's a whole planing vs surfing issue besides. fashion can be so frustrating. why does fashion supersede function in the windSUP world? crazy.

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www.iwindsurf.com
http://www.epicgearusa.com/
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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Wed Dec 17, 2014 9:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

OTOH, at least on my Sea Lion, the rider is constantly walking all over the broad deck (30" at the very tail) to trim and maneuver the board when working the terrain. Straps would just get in the way of all the footwork. I also know many expert Gorge and Baja sailors who work the terrain the same way on sinker and bobber wave boards, out of the straps most of the time as they carve up the swell or waves. It's just another skill.

I far prefer straps; I can't think of any reason to ride my SL again unless another leg injury precludes straps and jumping again ... or I choose to work on that other skillset ... or I get too old and/or frail to manage a WS board (but not yet so frail I'm forced to take up golf or kiting). Very Happy

I've also seen (and/or put) many boards on the beach with signs like "For Sale; Try it out". I've never seen even one person take 'em up on it. A free demo of well-suited gear ready to plug and play in its ideal conditions, but no takers. Go figure.
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boardsurfr



Joined: 23 Aug 2001
Posts: 1266

PostPosted: Wed Dec 17, 2014 9:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Interesting to hear that you encounter a lot of rejection about windSUPs, jingebritsen. I have seen almost the opposite at ABK camps in Hatteras, where almost every windsurfer who was past the beginner stage wanted to go windSUP. But Andy Brandt has a lot of credibility in this group, and he thinks windSUP is the most fun you can have on the water. Coming from a guy who can have an awful lot of fun throwing loops, Spocks, Shakas, and more on a windy day, that works to make people want to try. Many who do try become regular windSUPers. All those who say "no" to your offer to try it miss out big time.

Around here, we do see a few windSUPs, even on the non-wave spots. The most open-minded windsurfers will use whatever give the most fun on a given day - shortboard, sailable SUP, SUP, surfboard, or even kite. But many will still stand on the beach and complain about "no wind" while others are out having fun on longboards or windSUPs.
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brynkaufman2



Joined: 10 Sep 2002
Posts: 383
Location: Kailua Oahu

PostPosted: Wed Dec 17, 2014 4:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

many will still stand on the beach and complain about "no wind" while others are out having fun on longboards or windSUPs.

boardsurfr, your quote above is very true. I just went out with my 5.8 Aerotech WindSUP sail and the BIC SUP. The wind was averaging 8 mph to 11 mph.

At that wind speed all windsurfers and kiters stay out of the water. I used to too because I knew I would just plod along.

However, with the SUP, it was a blast. I was actually planing on the way out sometimes, which really surprised me because on my regular board I would not be planing even with a 7.5 Ezzy sail, so to get some speed up on a 5.8 in this light wind was surprising. It was not fast planing, but it sure got me out past the waves where I wanted to be faster than paddling.
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jingebritsen



Joined: 21 Aug 2002
Posts: 3371

PostPosted: Wed Dec 17, 2014 5:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

mr fick likes ignore some big issues like my point launching and landing long boards without foot straps to at least be available as handles.

some sessions i use the foot straps while only riding waves. sometimes when i am planing out. sometimes not at all. every time to launch and land through the surf. sometimes the shore pound makes this very tough for those with no straps. imagine push back on this issue from someone sailing in a river with side shore launches....

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www.iwindsurf.com
http://www.epicgearusa.com/
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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Wed Dec 17, 2014 6:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

jingebritsen wrote:
mr fick likes ignore some big issues like my point launching and landing long boards without foot straps to at least be available as handles.

imagine push back on this issue from someone sailing in a river with side shore launches....

What pushback are you imagining? I simply mentioned the other side of the coin, ignoring absolutely nothing at all. And my SL has a mid-deck sunken handle.

You'll have to try harder.
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GURGLETROUSERS



Joined: 30 Dec 2009
Posts: 2643

PostPosted: Thu Dec 18, 2014 4:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Brynkaufman - Those of us who surf see exactly where you are coming from.

When windsurfing (that new fangled carryon) first hit our shores, us surfers took it up on the big early (Hi-Fly 555 - like a giant surfboard, or modern S.U.P.) boards of the day, with those 'table cloth' type non battened rig in an instant, sails of the day. We did so for the very reason you describe - pick up more waves, earlier on, and no need to sit in the line up, cursing at the crowds who pinch your wave.

Of course the sails are unstable, but so what! We simply bought SMALLER unstable ones, which adequately powered us out through mellow type surf, and gave us endless rides back in in conditions which made paddle surfing a pain in the ass. Hours of FUN, and no paddling necessary.

Have fun sir, and forget the high tech ballyhoo and bullshit, at least as far as S.U.P surfing is concerned.
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