AHD Sealion XL purchase (NJ / Philly)

mraupp · Joined: 18 Sep 2015 Posts: 10

Hello there,

Any tips for a AHD Sealion XL purchase on the east coast (NJ / Philly)? I cannot find any on the internet.

Thanks for your help!

Best regards, Maarten

U2U2U2 · Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2016 9:50 am Post subject:

AFAIK THE only US dealer is in Calif

http://www.windsurfdeal.com/

One in Canada , may be a option.

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20935

I bought mine from windsurfdeal at
http://www.windsurfdeal.com/?link=2 .

Great to work with and CHEAP overnight air freight in the U.S.

If you need a bag for it (or any other board), Midnight Products NAILED a custom bag for my SeaLion. MANY options from sun protection to gorilla-proof, hand-built for any board, the very best materials, and cheaper than the off-the-shelf generic bags.

paulf. · Joined: 21 Mar 1996 Posts: 435

bill bell in nags head may be repping these boards, or at least a big fan. maybe you can contact through his blog, obx beach life.

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20935

Bell, however, believes SLs work only for light-air sailing on glassy side-off waves. That may be their BEST scenario, but it is FAR from the only way to have a ton of fun on them.

wdsurf · Joined: 22 May 1999 Posts: 335

Isobars is right.i got 15 days on it this year so far.suping@ sailing.you can ride the sealion everyday.my wife has the pro she's 110lb.i got the 8-3 very compact lots of fun.i,m not in some warm venue.great lakes water just warmed up to 37deg.

paulf. · Joined: 21 Mar 1996 Posts: 435

so.. does a sealion plane, or just surf and slog fast like other sups?

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20935

Have you checked out the many videos online of it? It definitely planes. In WS mode you cans snap it onto a plane with a pump and a hefty piece of chop, or you can power it onto a plane; in SUP mode you can plane on waves. It planes much earlier than the usual sub-100L wave boards I normally WS on. But it has lots of rocker and is wide, so in rough water it's nothing like a fast-rockered narrow wave board. Despite my surgeon's insistence and my own intent that I keep it on the water, I accidentally got the whole board airborne a couple of times. (I had to deliberately plane slowly when it was windy to avoid jumping, but getting the board WAY up on one swallowtail with the nose up 45 degrees in off-the-lip snap turns and keeping only the fins in the water when hitting ramps was a several-times-per-reach move and didn't require much wind ... much less than my 96L wave boards require.)

mraupp · Joined: 18 Sep 2015 Posts: 10

Thanks a lot for the reactions and information. It's very helpful and a Sealion is coming closer. Keep you all posted when its there and my first sailing / supping impressions.

jpeter · Joined: 18 Oct 2009 Posts: 353

+2 on Windsurfdeal in cali

I have the XL, find it a good surf paddle board and windsup. I bought the XL cause of the centerboard to teach windsurfing to my son. In a perfect world I would own the 83.

It sort of planes, not really, Small chop not at all. As you power it up the drag just increases so youre planning but dragging an anchor. ON A WAVE IT RIPS. So you need to embrace that fact and not even try to plane, just maneuver to where you can ride a wave. It's good in waves from side-on to side-off. Real small wave/windswell dead on breaking in shallow water can be fun also.

I have so many great days out on it when either surfers or windsurfers are out of luck due to a bit of wind.

JP