Early planing boards

[jingebritsen]

grant, try a kona one

[gregnw44]

[grantmac017]

A proper Kona test drive is in the agenda this summer for sure. Likely a few in a variety of conditions. I like One Design concepts on principal.

The 320 is an odd duck and mine isn't the greatest example. I'm struggling with some tuning but it's all related to light wind upwind performance, tacks and on-plane gybing. On a planing reach the board is fast and stable but physically demanding.
Generally if I have enough wind to be blasting on the 320 then I have enough to be having more fun on smaller gear. If I had more local access to racing this would be a different story.

[gregnw44]

Your 320 is kinda heavy... and if that makes it durable, then it's a good thing as you've been learning this sport. But it's wide... so width and heavy weight are NOT a good combo for high performance. Novices don't need to worry about high performance. But you've advanced fast... and you do think about "that performance" now.

If your heavy longboard was a narrow round bottom Div 2 board, then the weight wouldn't matter very much... it would rip around up and down wind, and exploring bays, really well.
But a heavy weight, wide board is not high performance (which you've come to desire).

Yes, the same wind that gets your 320 up and planning will plane a big shortboard (that's light). And the light, shortboard will handle easier with less mass. The 320 will be heavy and hard handling with all that mass flying around in choppy water at speed. so your observations make sense.

A Kona One is probably lighter than your 320 (we can find out this summer). And it's certainly narrower and a foot longer... so it will travel easier for you through chop at 15 mph than your 320 does. And a good 90's raceboard would do it even a bit better.

[Brian.bigfella@gmail.com]

[NOVAAN]

When you get up on a plane and move back in the straps, the nose of the board starts to lift. As you get to top speed less and less of the board is in the water. This frees up the board reduces drag and allows you to "ride the fin" Thats when you get the free feeling like going down hill. If all things are balanced you can let go of the boom and go for a ride. Long and heavy boards while they do plane never or rarely lift and ride the fin. I met two guys while I was at SPI this April. They where practicing for a big Kona race later in the year. I don't know how big that sail is but it was at least 6.5. We got to sail several lite days together. Me on a 6.5 and a 116 3s. In non planing conditions it wasn't even close. They where all over the bay. looked like fun. As soon as the wind picked up a bit, I flew by them. It looked like that long hull although it was planning, was pushing a lot of water with nose slapping the small chop. Side by side getting up and going i had a big advantage. My board jumped up to speed while the longer heavier Kona sort of took its time. I'm not saying who was having more fun. They where very good on that board. Made think about getting one until I picked one up.

[grantmac017]

Greg,

The 320 is the same width as the Kona and 2kg lighter by spec. Less nose rocker and obviously no step tail but the mast track takes care of the waterline length.
The bottom is nearly flat and rails are round. Not ideal for efficient planing but I've done a mile at 18 kts so it's quick enough.
I doubt the board holds me back at our races (dropping sails is a slow way to race).

Never going to plane up as soon as something 30% wider and 60% of the weight. Just look at our jetty races on nights when the FW guys can plane up wind and they walk away from the longboards.

[gregnw44]

[jingebritsen]

from my experiences the kona one and some of its derivatives are faster than traditional racing long boards in everything but the lightest of wind. FW gets really tricky in strong wind when one is trying to reach.

step up fin and sail, and kona one gets pretty sexy even in light winds

[joethewindsufa]

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