Freestyle Board for Freeride/B&J?

[Brian.bigfella@gmail.com]

Does anyone have any thoughts about putting a decent size wave fin on a freestyle board and using it as a general freeride and bump and jump board? I've run across some good deals but I'm always hesitant to pull the trigger because, hey, it's a freestyle board and I can barely jibe.

Thoughts?

[U2U2U2]

You will find , probably equally divided opinions .

I tried this, looking for a freestyle that would plane early on a 6.0 in marginal wind, yes a bigger fin I used. It did nothing over a 97l FSW.
MINE WAS A 100 l custom, it's long gone.

I think the freestyle won't jibe as nicely, there have been several that seem to crossover nicely, Skate being one

[wsurfn1426]

Freestyle boards are great for freestyle and they can be a lot of fun for just about anyone in flat water conditions. I have never stuck a big fin in one (I personally think it is a good skill to learn how to be less back-footed and have more MFP when going upwind), but I have seen others do it. If you are not planning on doing very much freestyle, I personally would rather have a thinner tailed FSW board for windier B&J/choppy conditions. I sail flatwater 95% (50% lake, 50% ocean bay) of the time, and if limited to only one board, it would be a freestyle board without question. My other 5% is in the waves. So, my wave board is a total luxury.

[isobars]

1. Borrow one (small, if preferred; mine range from 16 to 30 cm) and try it.

2. Older FS boards generally ride roughly in chop.

3. There must be a reason so many people use (fast) wave boards for maneuver-oriented B&J sailing. They're hands down my first choice, but then I've never ridden a dedicated FS board for comparison.

[boardsurfr]

It depends a lot on the board and fin.

I have often used relatively large weed fins in my Skate 110. It works great, gets me going in relatively light winds, and the Skate jibes very nicely, even with a 30 cm weed fin. I'm around 195 lb.

However, the Skate is known as one of the best freestyle boards for freeriding. Other freestyle boards are more specialized towards new school freestyle. That's even true for the "Team Edition" Skates.

Also, the quality of the fin matters a lot. A lot of the fins you can buy in stores are close to garbage, IMO. Put in a poor fin, and you loose a lot. No clue about how a wave fin would do.

All that said, I now typically sail with a small (22 cm) fin. Takes a little getting used to, and a few technique adjustments, but makes for a much easier ride once you get the hang of it. No more sore back legs .

One issue would be size and chop. If it get's choppy, I switch to a 3S above 20 mph. If it's flat, I keep the Skate until 25. The bigger FS boards can get a bit bouncy in chop.

[Brian.bigfella@gmail.com]

Thanks for the replies. Sounds like I'm better off spending a little more and getting a FSW board. Also explains why used FS boards are less expensive, the hardcore FS market is pretty small.

[dllee]

I find freestyle boards great for light wind freeriding, ripping jibes, chop hopping, and remedial moves like shove it's, jump jibes, willy skips, and heli's.
Some older models offered outboard strap positions, so they were as fast as fast freerides, but the mast tracks tended to be back, so only smaller sails would work...under 6 meters mostly.
If you bother to look at the rocker of freestyle boards, you'd find something very similar to the newest slalom board rocker's, so they're pretty fast shape wise.
Remember, a freestyle board that barely float's you is a LIGHT wind freeride board. Say, 175 lbs rider on a 99 is light wind sailing.
That same rider would use a 84 FSW or real world wave for high winds.

[NOVAAN]

THE DO IT ALL KINDA OF BOARF IS THE TABOU 3S. MORE FREERIDE AND B&J. OK FOR FREESTYLE AND PRETTY GOOD IN THE WAVES. DEMMO ONE IF YOU CAN...

[NOVAAN]

I REALLY NEED TO GET A NEW KEY BOARD...

[spennie]

Brian: I have a LOT of Powerbox fins you can try, lemme know when you're going.