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Board advise for a 205lbs
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KBack



Joined: 21 Apr 2010
Posts: 40

PostPosted: Fri Aug 21, 2015 10:20 am    Post subject: Board advise for a 205lbs Reply with quote

Hey Everyone looking for some advice on a new used board..
I’m 205lbs intermediate to advance sailor mostly just a BAFer.. I currently sail 2008 Fanatic freewave 95 which I love sailing with 5.3 – 6.1, but when the wind ramps up to 4.2 -4.7 range the board gets a little hard to handle especially going through gnarly chop at my local sailing area where I do 90% of my sailing… I’m just looking for a comfortable ride that will soak up chop, which will keep me from white knuckling my rig when things get a little harry… Would a quad, thruster, or twin fin board be of any help or just stick with a single which I've always used…
Any advice would be greatly appreciated
I look forward to hearing all of your comments, thanks again for your time…
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johnl



Joined: 05 Jun 1994
Posts: 1330
Location: Hood River OR

PostPosted: Fri Aug 21, 2015 10:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

You didn't say where you live. But here in the Gorge I have been happy with Realwind boards. They are a narrower board which IMHO makes for a smoother ride. I tried a variety of boards and fins before coming to this conclusion.

A bad ankle and voodoo chop led me to this choice. Prior to that I was happy with the freestyle wave designs. I weigh 185, not your weight but fairly close...
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adywind



Joined: 08 Jan 2012
Posts: 665

PostPosted: Fri Aug 21, 2015 11:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Surely a multifin wave design with double concaves in the hull and lots of rocker will smooth things out. It's up to you to decide-taking the conditions into account-whether to go hardcore down the line shapes /typically quads/ or the faster onshore ones /usually tri; twin/.
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cgoudie1



Joined: 10 Apr 2006
Posts: 2597
Location: Killer Sturgeon Cove

PostPosted: Fri Aug 21, 2015 11:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quads are mushy under a heavy back foot, and Tri fins are much more
locked in, in gnarly chop (if the center fin is larger). I'm a fan of caves
(and some vee also). Tail rocker will smooth out the ride, and stick to
the water, but it makes planing somewhat difficult, and particularly so
for a heavier weight sailor. On a lake, singles, or tris with small side bites
are my preference.

.02

-Craig

adywind wrote:
Surely a multifin wave design with double concaves in the hull and lots of rocker will smooth things out. It's up to you to decide-taking the conditions into account-whether to go hardcore down the line shapes /typically quads/ or the faster onshore ones /usually tri; twin/.
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jingebritsen



Joined: 21 Aug 2002
Posts: 3371

PostPosted: Fri Aug 21, 2015 2:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

i have a simpler idea that may work for less money: a smaller/stiffer fin.

on the east coast, at 212 lbs, i have been happier to simply go with a smaller fin and stay on a larger board. for instance, i have had an onshore wave board, the x-wave 111 lit up with a 4.7 sail. handed it over to a fellow 200 lb guy and he loved it too. same with the x-cross 108.

multi fin boards require butt loads of wind for not much better performance unless one is actually on some pretty fast breaking waves.

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MalibuGuru



Joined: 11 Nov 1993
Posts: 9293

PostPosted: Fri Aug 21, 2015 2:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I agree, Exocet have built in shock absorbers. I'm even heavier and use the xwave 111. You could also use the 101.
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NOVAAN



Joined: 28 Sep 1994
Posts: 1544

PostPosted: Fri Aug 21, 2015 3:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

At your size, if you go to a much smaller board, it will take a lot of wind to get you going. The first thing I would do is try a smaller fin. My Tabou 3s has super thick pads which really help smooth out the ride. Nsi sells nice pads so you could give that a try...Tabou 3s 85 is a super smooth board but your talking big bucks vs. how much a guy your size will get it on the water. Borrow a fin and give that a try....
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jingebritsen



Joined: 21 Aug 2002
Posts: 3371

PostPosted: Fri Aug 21, 2015 5:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

the freewave hull is pretty sound. the fanatic design team makes fin decisions based on the lightest of wind app's. cheers to them for keeping their designs grounded. all you really need to do is get a slightly smaller, molded, therefore stiffer fin.
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boardsurfr



Joined: 23 Aug 2001
Posts: 1266

PostPosted: Fri Aug 21, 2015 5:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Trying a smaller fin is definitely the first thing to do.Thicker pads may also help.

Perhaps you have amazing technique, and the following does not apply to you. But I think that > 90% of windsurfers can improve their technique to deal much better with heavy chop. I like to sail a lot - 4 or 5 hour sessions are my idea of fun, mostly BAF. Up until a few years ago, I'd alway feel the sessions in my hip and knee joints afterwards (I'm mid-50s). I tried to take smaller boards in chop & strong winds, down to 76 l (at 195 lb).

All this changed rather dramatically after taking a private lesson with Matt Pritchard on Maui. My only goal for the 2-hour lesson was to sail more comfortably in 30+ mph winds at Kanaha and Sprecks. Matt delivered better that I could have hoped for.

He gave me a bunch of things to do differently, but perhaps the biggest thing was seeing him sail in these conditions. I probably outweighed him a bit, but he was on a 20 l larger board, a larger sail, and a larger fin. He was also always in perfect control, faster than I was (and I thought I was fast), and did not get the slightest bit tired during the lesson (unlike me), despite sailing just as much as I did. That was definitive proof that there was lots of room for improvement in my technique.

A lot of the things he mentioned were not new to me. A big one was "trust your harness". I thought I had decent harness technique, but I was using my hands and arms way to much in chop. That's something I still often work on - concentrating that I keep all weight in the harness. Even in voodoo chop, the fingers should be able to play piano on the boom most or all of the time. Another thing he suggestion was twisting the hips forward. But the one "new" thing was to bend the knees (and to bend them more). Think of them as shock absorbers - but the ones on a sports car, not the ones on your grandma's limo.

These things go together and complement each other. I'm probably forgetting a few more things that I am (hopefully) doing better now. But the effect of all these changes was quite pronounced. My joints do not hurt anymore after long sessions (even if I use my freestyle board, is is a tad bouncy and hard). The smallest board I use if a 96. We still have a couple of 76 and 77 l boards, but I now prefer the 96, even if it's blowing 35+. It helps that the 96 is oriented towards comfort (it's a 3S), but the same ideas can be applied to other boards as well.

If you have taken ABK camps, you may notice that the "bend your knees" advice goes somewhat against ABK teachings. I love Andy Brandt and the ABK guys, but on this issue, I disagree and follow Matt's advice. My body has sent very clear signals which way it prefers in chop - it's not straight legs. Of course, they all agree that you should keep the harness fully and evenly loaded all the time. GoPro videos with a clew view mount can help as a little check here - any flexing in the lines while sailing along indicates room for improvements.

Just some food for thought. Together with a smaller fin, maybe thicker foot pads, maybe a lower boom and maybe longer harness lines, you might just find it much easier to have fun with your current board when things get gnarly.
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jingebritsen



Joined: 21 Aug 2002
Posts: 3371

PostPosted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 5:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

classic, "sitting in a chair" bending to knees. not a ton, mind you, just enough to transfer as much weight as possible into the harness.

blasting over chop is controllable fully sheeted in if you just dare to. those that throttle back feel the chop far worse. just sends the sailor into that death spiral of seeking control at the cost of everything else.....

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http://www.epicgearusa.com/
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