Free-Ride board choice

acalhounguy · Joined: 25 May 2013 Posts: 57

I am looking for a smaller board for higher wind days locally. I live in Minnesota and usually windsurf at Lake Calhoun but also in northern MN. My current boards are Ultrasonic (93cm width and 147L), Gecko 120 (77cm width), Xcite Ride 145 (75cm wide). Not surprisingly the Gecko and Xcite are pretty similar overall.

I am looking for a board that handles chop well and gybes well - next up would be jumping performance and lastly would be speed (the chop is particularly bad at times at Calhoun so too much speed can get hairy). Goal is to use the board in conditions where a 5.0 - 6.5 sail would be ideal.

My candidates are:
Naish Starship 115
Tabou 3S 116
Futura 104
Fanatic Hawk 113
Exocet Cross 114

What do you guys think about these boards for my requirements? I think they are all appealing boards and all would probably be great fun.

U2U2U2 · Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2016 9:38 pm Post subject:

I would consider the Goya One, Fanatic with 3 fins, both in smaller than your looking at.

Off the list a Naish Starship, but 100liters.

LeeD · Joined: 12 Jun 2008 Posts: 1175

5.0 to 6.5.
From the two smaller boards you already have, looks like you favor good handling, especially jibing, over speed.
Smaller Gecko, or MagicRide in that sizing, or Atom in that sizing.
Imagine you weigh well over 200 lbs., as all your boards are big.
Futura is the fastest, by far, and not great for bigger chop.
Hawk and Starship next in speed.
Cross and 3S should handle steep confused chop the best, but of course, not plane up as quickly, nor go as fast as the 3 above.
Pick your poison. Geck, MR, or Atom would help you jibe the most, and allow for smooth curving arcs.

acalhounguy · Joined: 25 May 2013 Posts: 57

Why smaller, why 3 fin for lake sailing? I am hesitant to go below 110L as a typical 20 knot day is 5 gusting to 30+ so there can be a fair bit of slogging and for me 110 is the comfortable level.

acalhounguy · Joined: 25 May 2013 Posts: 57

Right - the gecko / magic ride / atom etc free-wide boards are ideal for our wind conditions which are up and down but a little rough in chop which is why I'm considering a traditional freeride or FSW shape for my next step down. I weigh 185. I'm becoming a better sailor which is another reason to have a smaller board.

I'm thinking V bottom and double concaves for comfort and gybing in chop - correct? I'm intrigued by the starship in this regard but I still think it would be pretty fast if not an early planer.

LeeD · Joined: 12 Jun 2008 Posts: 1175

At 185, you'd be considering the freewide boards at 105 liter sizing, as the width of a 104 Magic is 69 cm., and plenty of float for anyone under 200 lbs.
The narrow tail of Atom and Magic Rides allow trim well to the tail, so most of the board is gliding over the chop. Width up at the mast track area is usually OK because it's well clear of the water when planing.
We have a Futura, Magic Ride, and SuperSport now, and a Speedster coming in a week.

Arrgh · Joined: 05 May 1998 Posts: 864 Location: Rio

I have a Cross 104 and a new 3S 96. The Cross is pretty cushy in chop; the 3S annihilates chop. Plus, the 3S is waaay faster. It was a little unnerving at first, going that fast into steep chop, nose just above the waves, but the 3S just takes it in stride without any concern. Both boards jibe quite easily.

acalhounguy · Joined: 25 May 2013 Posts: 57

Right. Thanks all. I like my Gecko 120 a lot and would probably like a 105L also in higher wind so good suggestion. I'm thinking the 3S or the Starship might be smoother which is why I am favoring them.

I have learned that equipment rarely solves my problems anyway, usually the problem is technique. In the end, probably anything in the 100-115L / 65-70 cm range is going to be fine and the differences will ultimately be small. I'm looking for comfort/control/something I can jibe through confused chop. We get reflected waves due to concrete shoreline in some parts of the lake depending on wind direction.

I have never heard a single negative thing about the 3S, everyone seems to love it. I was thinking that would be my next board until I read about the starship and it seems to have the design elements I'm looking for as well. I enjoyed the hawk 113 in Bonaire - it was better over chop than a gecko used side-by-side which was the genesis of this thought process. I got to try a bunch of boards there and, for me, below 110L was about where the slogging got a lot harder.

boardsurfr · Joined: 23 Aug 2001 Posts: 1266

U2U2U2 · Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2016 8:55 am Post subject: