Board suggestion

[Overpowered]

I've broken my current board, again, so it's time for a new one.

I broke my last three boards (custom slalom, Kintetic el nino 57, F2 Sytle 250) I love to jump very high and they don't seem to take it. I weigh 165lbs, so I don't think it's my weight. Nose landing, tail landing, I've broken them all ways.

I LOVED my Style 250, unfortunately it's discontinued. It had good top speed, early plaining, great acceleration, turned ok, loved to jump, and felt very nimble in the air, was freestyle-able, and had an outer strap option. Great all around board. It didn't ride waves too well, but I will get a dedicated wave board for that purpose.

Any suggestions out of this years line up should I check out to replace it?

Happy Jibing!
ave-

[Spennie]

I'd check out the Tabou 3S, it's a good "Do Everything" board, and Tabou had 0 warranties on the West Coast for 06, they're strong! Another very strong board is JP--Don't really know the line-up this year, but JP has had consistently good shapes to go along with their strength. Finally, there's Exocet; I have had an Exocet Universal Wave 88 for several years now, jump the crap out of it, and I weigh 205! Look at the "Cross II", or perhaps the "U-Surf", which is the replacement for my UniWave.

[Mystery Bob]

Don't buy a production board. Get Richard Greene (V2Max), Keith Taboul (Quarto) Bill Foote (Hi-Tech) Jimmy Lewis, Karl Hill or any other top Maui shaper to make you your shape and have it glassed well with the latest carbon/epoxy technology. Hand built is better..........

[Spennie]

Hand built is better? What a crock! The guys at Cobra know better than anyone in the world how to make great boards, the difference is the specs each company gives them. Custom boards are great for performance, and I agree that Richard Greene is one of the finest shapers in the world (I have one of his shapes), but as far as strength goes, production boards are right up there, if you choose the right brand.

[jakethesnake]

I'm a professional windsurfer who likes to jump big as well. I've been riding on Quatro production boards for the past 3 years with great success. I personally ride on the 63ltr and 68ltr wave production boards. They're fast, plane quick, controllable and predictable, and STRONG!! You will have a very hard time breaking these boards. I would also suggest the Goya's which have the same construction but different shapes. Both brands are lighter and stronger than other brands. If you would like to talk more feel free to email me.

[Mystery Bob]

Hand built is better? What a crock! The guys at Cobra know better than anyone in the world how to make great boards, the difference is the specs each company gives them. Custom boards are great for performance, and I agree that Richard Greene is one of the finest shapers in the world (I have one of his shapes), but as far as strength goes, production boards are right up there, if you choose the right brand.
You called customs being better "a crock" but then you say the production model depends on what specs Cobra got. If someone goes to a top shaper/builder, the chance for crummy construction would be taken out of the equation. A custom design being made for you, your sailing conditions and your personal style is superior to off-the-shelf shapes that are made with compromises. Ask top golfers and they all use custom clubs. Ask top surfers and they all use custom boards.

[Spennie]

Mystery Bob is talking about shapes, I was talking about construction. He implied before that custom construction is superior, I disagree. You can certainly get a LIGHTER board via custom work, but then you'll sacrifice strength. There's lots of very good and very strong production boards out there that don't cost $1800.USD, do your research and you'll be happy.

[Overpowered]

Sorry guys, didn't mean to pick a touchy subject! :00ps:

I found the solution, buy multiple boards! :) ... that should make everyone happy 8)

-High wind/B&J/speed/slalom: Exocet Cross II 84 (on it's way here)

-Freestyle/wave/slalom: (87-92lts) ???

-On shore wave/B&J(faster rocker): (87-90lts) ???

-Massive wind/air board(fast-ish rocker): (60-80lts) ???

We'll see how the Cross holds up. If it doesn't, I'll post the results. Trial by fire, and I'll be the AXE MAN :twisted:

Failure mode in the past has been delam of bottom, followed by the top, then the final crushing of the rail... sometimes the deck loosen up between the straps first. I'm about to disect my three broken boards to see what happened on the inside.

ave-
-the board abuser-

[Overpowered]

The Cross 84 came in and I got a chance to ride it in some flat water, I LIKE it! It's fast, can hold a rail like CRAZY in a hard turn, doesn't bounce out at all. I had to carve obscenely hard to finally break it loose(stock fin), everything just exploded when it did because of the forces, FUN!!! It seems to jump good, not used to no lift from the nose(what nose?!?!). I pulled off all my tricks frist time, that's a good sign. One day I rode it in light 5-20mph winds on a slalom 5.5m2 and it shlogged fine down to 5mph, I was even able to uphaul the sail(I weight 165-170)! Took more agressive pumping to get planning vs the Style 250. The construction seems average/light duty to me(easy to heel dent forward of mast track), but time will tell.

I'm shooting for two more boards instead of three to finish off the quiver.
I'm thinking an RRD FSW 86/95 will cover freestyle/BJ/onshore wave. Anyone know if the RRD CK construction is stronger than the GW? I know it's lighter, but doesn't mean stronger...?
Then a wicked small board for big wind, no ideas yet on that one, suggestions?

...the style 250 has been replaced(partially)... she's DONE! :cry:

http://home.comcast.net/~avemr2/DSCN2236.JPG
http://home.comcast.net/~avemr2/DSCN2231.JPG
http://home.comcast.net/~avemr2/DSCN2232.JPG
http://home.comcast.net/~avemr2/DSCN2233.JPG
http://home.comcast.net/~avemr2/DSCN2234.JPG

[Anonymous]

Stuck a fork in it, eh!

That gave me a chuckle :lol:


I think you'll like the Cross lineup - I've got that board's bigger brother.

Nice to see some new board stoke!!!

Anybody else get any new toys recently?

[Spennie]

Josh, did you get the 94? I'm about to order one myself. Hearing how "Overpowered" loves his 84 has taken away my last reservation, gotta make some calls.

[Anonymous]

Nope, I've got the 118-liter, big-boy FL version, cuz, well, I'm a big boy and I live in Florida. I'm stoked on it.

I've ridden the 94 quite a bit in the Gorge - it's also a great board.

[rrd280]

if your looking for a low litre speed and jump board then look for the roberto ricci designs edtion of the rrd 200 series and youl be on to a winner.

[Overpowered]

The RRD CK FSW 86 came in, looks HOT, like an Italian sports car or something!... paint all buffed out glass smooth. The board is CRISP, when you knock on it it sounds stiff and hollow, the knock echos around the hull. The Exocet is more like a thud, the RRD must use more carbon and/or crispier epoxy. I can't wait to ride it! I wish the 86 came with a power box, but oh well. This is going to be my freestyle/onshore wave board... I'm riding the straps in the middle for the first time ever... ack, should I switch from a seat to a waist harness?

One more toy to go! Need a 60-80L hotrod for B&J in massive winds(40mph+), still taking suggestions...

http://home.comcast.net/~avemr2/DSCN2247.JPG
http://home.comcast.net/~avemr2/DSCN2248.JPG

[Swiftsailor]

Ask top golfers and they all use custom clubs. The best golfers have their favorite clubs, but they don't always have them custom built. I worked in the Golf industry and have never seen that claim of yours before. In addition a good athelete will be able to use a wide variety of equipment well, whether it's custom or not. In this guys case, he's looking for a board that won't break as well as one that he likes. In that situation, I would think a custom built board would serve him better.

[Duncan Adam]

One more toy to go! Need a 60-80L hotrod for B&J in massive winds(40mph+), still taking suggestions...

I went for a 74ltr RRD Hardcore Wave as my nuclear wind board, at 175lbs, so you could try the 66ltr.

HARDCORE WAVE 2007 XS


Dimensions: 236 x 52.5 Fin: Maui Fin 20.5cm Wave Fin
Volume: 66ltrs Fin Box: US
Weight: 5.6 (+/- 6%) Technology: CTK
Sail Sizes: 3.3 - 4.7


I also have the RRD FSW 95 CTK, which in one instance has proved to be bomb proof in the shorebreak for 10 minutes, while I had to catch up with it.

[Swiftsailor]

Instead of sticking a fork in your broken boards, have you ever considered repairing them? I would think that someone who is always doing such damage might have found a way to make a good repair. This might cut down on your costs. Even if they aren't up to your standards once fixed, you could prabably sell them off. What actually do you do with them once they are broken? This is a serious inquiry as I have done a number of repairs and would like to access boards to work on.

[Overpowered]

SwiftSailor, there is a lot more damage to the F2 than a few cracks you see in the pics. The top/bottom sandwiches sheered along with the core. The core absorbed about 5lbs of water, a couple pounds have flowed out on my garage floor just sitting there.

I've gone through the hassle of repairing boards in the past, for the time/effort(or money if you pay someone to do it $$$$$$$$$$$$) it's totally not worth it to me given the extent of the damage in this case.

I've blown fin boxes hitting floating 2x4's, 50lb+ spawning carp , running a ground, and hitting other flotsam. I've also blown noses off with the boom, crushed the zone between the straps jibing, and delamed the bottoms and tops from jumping high/hard(flat landings, in the harness, ouch!)... I fixed them all or paid someone(VERY expensive!!!) to fix them. Sometimes they held up, a lot of the time they didn't. Anything with major delam damage and/or water absorbsion always failed again within a short time(yes, I dug out all the wet stuff and made sure it was dry) This is also using good epoxy(West System or Pro-set), vacuum bagging with high quality materials, and building it back stronger than it was. For the minor fixes, that's fine, anything involving delam or absorbtion of a lot of water, I say forget it now. YMMV.

I'll give you the F2 if you want to try fixing it... you pay shipping :wink:

[Overpowered]

Feedback on the RRD FSW 86 CK....

I rode it in some dead flat water one day, not super fast with the straps in the middle, and that flat of water is not much fun for freestyle, but I noticed it didn't want to turn off the tail/back foot very much.

I took it out again yesterday in ok-ish conditions on a 5.5. It has a nice feel to it, light, and solid. Freestyle rocks on it!!! It loves to catch air! It has a lot of V up front I think, it tracks kind of strange sometimes, wandering a bit. I didn't feel it planed exceptionally quick, perhaps slightly quicker than the Cross from a stand still. It does not turn well, with the stock fin or the weed fin I tried, you have to drive the front rail in to get it to turn, and then it comes around slowly. Reminded me of the time I frist rode a formula board... turning... turning TURNING... crap, dive off leeward rail... splash... ok, not quite that bad, but compared to the Cross 84 it turns like a formula board, kind of disappointing considering I was going to ride it in waves.. now it will just be my freestyle/B&J board I think, the Cross will be more slashy/turny in the waves, opposite of what I expected!

I only rode it twice, so I'm not passing full judgement just yet, this is just my initial experience with it. I like the board, but so far it feels lacking in a few of areas, mainly turning, top speed, and going up wind. Once I get an overpowered 5.0 day I'll be able to say more. Another thing to consider is, this is the first time I've ridden straps in the middle/forward(for freestyle), that could have a lot to do with how it is feeling so far.

[Swiftsailor]

Overpowered, thanks for the reply. I'm not going to argue with that kind of experience. In fact, I see that I was rather lucky that I couldn't find boards to practice my repairs on. Actually, I ripped out a mast track on an old glass board I had in powerful surf a while back and replaced the whole board.

[Overpowered]

Rode the Cross 84 in 40-50mph winds today on a 3.5 SO. Lots of spindrift!! B&J conditions, WAY over powered at times. Wow, that board sticks to the water! I only tail walked once, and only because I caused it. Jumps were fun and stable, jibing was great, just have to initiate the turn well and around she goes! Very pleased with it's high wind performance. I'm used to a slightly faster riding board(top end speed was slightly lacking), but I could really appreciate the stick today!

I need that fast high wind board NOW!

ave-

[uglyjiber]

Sweet! that's some serious wind ... where were you sailing?


Any pics?!?! Post 'em in the the new forums photo galleries...

[Overpowered]

Here's a sensor that is about 1/2mi from where we sail: http://www.iwindsurf.com/windandwhere.iws?regionID=163&siteID=345

Check out 3/27/07 range, it was a huge day!

Bodega Bay is about an 1-1.5hrs North of SF, there's a few places to sail around the coast up here. We were on the inside(harbour), so no waves.