Siver, Browne, Koster and the video need no introductions ...
Except to say the east of Canada has NOT seen many winter conditions in DEC 2015 !!
Except to say the east of Canada has NOT seen many winter conditions in DEC 2015 !!
----------------- >KONA is the ONE <----------------
In 2012 there were the KONA East Coast Championships held in Trois Rivières, not far from Montreal. So, at first I thought about entering the open class races, but instead went as an observer ...
Locally we have "Sailboarder", who was taking part and ended up in 8th place plus had a lot of fun. Other than him, there is only one other person in town riding a step-tail, but that is the RRD LongRider.
For me , the issue was always cost of a KONA ONE and the fact that I already have a Mistral Equipe I/One and Fanatic Ultra CAT. For bigger winds, early planing , etc I am well covered.
What about others who would like to embark, but find it too expensive. Well, not long ago KONA announced the KONA Step ONE which is about $1400. Since the original ONE is about $1900, this step down is a LITTLE more affordable.When it hits the used market, it should be under one thousand dollars. However, it is my understanding that the Step ONE is NOT accepted or allowed in the KONA ONE class races - how unfortunate !!
Before the KONA STEP ONE (i believe it was before) there was also the KONA ONE CARB ie a carbon version of the KONA ONE. Obviously for those who wanted the shape of the ONE with a stiffer, lighter construction. Again, obviously, this model is MORE money and again NOT accepted into the KONA ONE class races...
In Florida, Calema Sports and Tinho Dornellas, often host an event with races. Well, Tinho has gone over to the Kona camp in a BIG way since about 2014 !!
It is quite large and allows for beginners, heavy weights, etc without the need for a centreboard. This board was an inspiration for Tinho and KONA to build another board ... This one is called the HULA and came out in 2015.
Hula2 from tinho dornellas on Vimeo.
This board and the Z2 are wider than the KONA ONEs. The Hula is almost 88 cm wide and in my book is a FreeFormula. It should plane early and be a very comfortable board. Why are KONA offering other models now ?? There is more discussion here...
http://www.konaone.com/blog/kona-hula-setting-new-standard-within-school-boards/
And just when I thought that was the limit, I received a comment on my blog post regarding heavy weights windsurfing , which informed me about a KONA tandem called the Mahalo. Here is a post where Ottis is riding it alone. He likes it even like that - with the nose out of the water like a BIG longboard (RSD2 or Phantom 377):
Just a small reminder - the KONA ONE came out of the Exocet camp. Believe it was sold or ?? to Joachim Larsson of Sweden and became its own brand ...
So, while i was expecting the StarBorg to bring people back to windsurfing, it looks like it will be KONA and it all started with the ONE.
And what is this one - a KONA 9.5 TT "sails like a 90 liter board" ?? from Toronto ads
Locally we have "Sailboarder", who was taking part and ended up in 8th place plus had a lot of fun. Other than him, there is only one other person in town riding a step-tail, but that is the RRD LongRider.
For me , the issue was always cost of a KONA ONE and the fact that I already have a Mistral Equipe I/One and Fanatic Ultra CAT. For bigger winds, early planing , etc I am well covered.
What about others who would like to embark, but find it too expensive. Well, not long ago KONA announced the KONA Step ONE which is about $1400. Since the original ONE is about $1900, this step down is a LITTLE more affordable.When it hits the used market, it should be under one thousand dollars. However, it is my understanding that the Step ONE is NOT accepted or allowed in the KONA ONE class races - how unfortunate !!
Before the KONA STEP ONE (i believe it was before) there was also the KONA ONE CARB ie a carbon version of the KONA ONE. Obviously for those who wanted the shape of the ONE with a stiffer, lighter construction. Again, obviously, this model is MORE money and again NOT accepted into the KONA ONE class races...
In Florida, Calema Sports and Tinho Dornellas, often host an event with races. Well, Tinho has gone over to the Kona camp in a BIG way since about 2014 !!
But that is only the beginning. Tinho is not only well known for being considered a "master windsurfing instructor, but also a class A windsurfer designer. He is responsible for such boards as the AHD ZEN, but also built his own Z2 board .
Hula2 from tinho dornellas on Vimeo.
This board and the Z2 are wider than the KONA ONEs. The Hula is almost 88 cm wide and in my book is a FreeFormula. It should plane early and be a very comfortable board. Why are KONA offering other models now ?? There is more discussion here...
http://www.konaone.com/blog/kona-hula-setting-new-standard-within-school-boards/
And just when I thought that was the limit, I received a comment on my blog post regarding heavy weights windsurfing , which informed me about a KONA tandem called the Mahalo. Here is a post where Ottis is riding it alone. He likes it even like that - with the nose out of the water like a BIG longboard (RSD2 or Phantom 377):
Just a small reminder - the KONA ONE came out of the Exocet camp. Believe it was sold or ?? to Joachim Larsson of Sweden and became its own brand ...
So, while i was expecting the StarBorg to bring people back to windsurfing, it looks like it will be KONA and it all started with the ONE.
And what is this one - a KONA 9.5 TT "sails like a 90 liter board" ?? from Toronto ads
How the Gecko and Shark SHOULD be compared
Finally.
A decent comparison on the Fanatic Shark (a board that I have highly recommended on more than one occasion yet never managed to own) and the new Fanatic Gecko (that is supposed to replace the Shark, but is different as agreed upon) - in the following analysis:
https://thewavehobbit.wordpress.com/windsurfing/articles/2015-gecko-133l/
and has decent photos with the boards side by side ...
The discussion in the post touches the subjects of length and width in comparing the two boards. And it comes to the conclusion Geckos are NOT a replacement - too different in volume ...
More of the same from a guru:
http://www.fanatic-boarderscenter.com/en/boardandridermonth/116
A decent comparison on the Fanatic Shark (a board that I have highly recommended on more than one occasion yet never managed to own) and the new Fanatic Gecko (that is supposed to replace the Shark, but is different as agreed upon) - in the following analysis:
https://thewavehobbit.wordpress.com/windsurfing/articles/2015-gecko-133l/
and has decent photos with the boards side by side ...
 |
| 133 Gecko beside 150 Shark |
More of the same from a guru:
http://www.fanatic-boarderscenter.com/en/boardandridermonth/116
This is how a sail should be presented
 |
| Clique to enlarge |
This is obviously a NeilPryde/NP HellCat sail. It shows quickly what wind range suits which sail size AND it is written underneath that this is assuming an 80 kg rider where skills, water, etc make a difference...
The actual page is @ Neil Pryde Wind Range Chart
Am happy to see an 80 kg rider can plane in 9-10 knots with an 8.2 m² sail :-)
Means I have only 20 to 25 kilos to lose :-)
Though I like the layout of the page, I would have preferred the possibility of cliquing on the name of the sail , the chart or somewhere to get directly to the detailed description of the sail that interests me.
Had to click on gear to see that HellCat is a no-cam free-race sail.
Scrolling to sail specs was NOT obvious either.
So, although I LOVED the idea of the wind range, the rest of the page layouts left something to be desired.
Disclaimer: Am in NO way affiliated with Neil Pryde products and do not benefit in any way from discussing their products here.
Another website that is NOT working for me is the following:
It seems Barry Spanier and Artur Szpunar have NOT been idle since they left (or were forced) to leave MauiSails in early 2015. Rick Whidden seems to be in the portrait as well and there seems to be a fourth (4th) person as well - based on this photo/marketing:
Looks like I may need to do a separate post on this entire subject. It was due to Barry Spanier that I started with MauiSails and still use them ...
Info for S2 found here: http://www.abcwindsurf.eu/index.php/materiali/vele/3571-abcscoop-s2-maui-wave-a-freestyle-range-2016-official-brochureq
Ironically these days there is more info on facebook than in the dot com ... look up S2Maui there ...
Windsurf Magazines - 2015
In North America there are NO more windsurf magazines ...
WAIT, READ ON !! ...
Windsurfing Magazine disappeared around the end of 2011, early 2012 with Josh Sampiero as the editor. He moved on and am NOT sure what he is doing now ... Facebook says that he is now living in Austria !! after Florida that is ...
Here is a sample from May 2011...
WindSport Magazine stopped in early 2015 with Pete DeKay as editor.
Here are some samples:
In the fall of the same year Pete started a new Magazine called Windsurfing Now and offered a free "première issue" and has Dale Cook of Sailworks doing his Hucker jumps at the Gorge on the cover :
It was well received on the iwindsurf forum.
http://www.iwindsurf.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=30594&highlight=windsurfing
The WindSport Magazine was run out of Toronto, Ontario, CANADA, but the Windsurfing Now asks one to pay in US$. It seems to be headquartered out of Stratford, Ontario. This is their link: http://www.windsurfingnowmag.com/.
The premiere issue seems very oriented towards the average joe windsurfer like myself - trying to get back to the "grass roots". My issue was with Canada Post. They were oohing and aahing on the iwindsurf forum and neither Pete nor myself had received ours in the mail !!! I did my subscription and am looking forward to the first official release ... The premiere was restricted to N. America. Same thing for the subscription ??
In Australia they started a magazine not long ago as well. I tried to get a copy/ subscription, but it seemed limited to that neck of the woods.
http://www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Windsurfing/General/Australia-now-has-a-windsurfing-magazine/
There are OTHER international windsurf magazines, but they may NOT be in the language of your choice !!
UK: http://www.windsurf.co.uk/
Guess this is a reflection of where windsurfing is still popular ie EUROPE. Perhaps I should start my own French / English Canadian version ??
Hard enough to get people to a windsurf blog :-)
If you know other windsurf magazines that I should highlight, please let us know :-)
WAIT, READ ON !! ...
Windsurfing Magazine disappeared around the end of 2011, early 2012 with Josh Sampiero as the editor. He moved on and am NOT sure what he is doing now ... Facebook says that he is now living in Austria !! after Florida that is ...
Here is a sample from May 2011...
WindSport Magazine stopped in early 2015 with Pete DeKay as editor.
Here are some samples:
It was well received on the iwindsurf forum.
http://www.iwindsurf.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=30594&highlight=windsurfing
The WindSport Magazine was run out of Toronto, Ontario, CANADA, but the Windsurfing Now asks one to pay in US$. It seems to be headquartered out of Stratford, Ontario. This is their link: http://www.windsurfingnowmag.com/.
The premiere issue seems very oriented towards the average joe windsurfer like myself - trying to get back to the "grass roots". My issue was with Canada Post. They were oohing and aahing on the iwindsurf forum and neither Pete nor myself had received ours in the mail !!! I did my subscription and am looking forward to the first official release ... The premiere was restricted to N. America. Same thing for the subscription ??
In Australia they started a magazine not long ago as well. I tried to get a copy/ subscription, but it seemed limited to that neck of the woods.
http://www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Windsurfing/General/Australia-now-has-a-windsurfing-magazine/
There are OTHER international windsurf magazines, but they may NOT be in the language of your choice !!
UK: http://www.windsurf.co.uk/
France: Planche MAG - http://planchemag.fr/ - very liberal ??
Wind MAG: http://www.windmag.com/
Germany: http://www.surf-magazin.de/
Guess this is a reflection of where windsurfing is still popular ie EUROPE. Perhaps I should start my own French / English Canadian version ??
Hard enough to get people to a windsurf blog :-)
If you know other windsurf magazines that I should highlight, please let us know :-)
Quiver Analysis After 2015 season
It was mid-September (when i began this post) and we had unseasonably warm beginning of the month.
The fall winds and temps had not started yet ...
So, like every year I looked at what worked and what did not
What am I missing, broke or ??
77 % of 2015 sessions so far were on the longboards - mostly Mistral Equipe = KEEPER
(A Mistral Competition SST with more volume was purchased , tested and SOLD.)
84 % were on sails in the 8.x range - the HSM SPF 8.5 is a keeper too...
The 10-oh and 6.3 were each used once, which means larger and smaller are NOT required.
Sails are covered and wished the NP 490/90 mast was not broken on the way to Hatteras...
It was replaced on site with a Chinook 490/30%
In terms of boards ...
The winning MEQ longboard was already discussed...
The JP SLW92 was used three(3) times...
The AHD 160/79 was used four(4) times... and SOLD
The BEE 124/63 was actually used twice - once with 6.3 and other ??
I have been trying to use the 8.x sails on the JP SLW
The idea is to sell the AHD and BEE and get something in the 120-135 liter range ...
In terms of width no more than 80 cm...
2014 SB iS 107 carbon - too small for me
2012 SB iS 117L $1150 with board bag, fin ?? 228x81windsurfing quebec+quebecwind
2011 StarBoard iSonic 117L $900 228x81 dinged and thus too $$ windsurfing quebec
2011 StarBoard Futura 133 in Ottawa - 248x76.5 - iwindsurf $700
2008 JP SuperSport 136 $800 46 cm fin 251x79 cm ?? windsurfing quebec
2000 Fanatic Ultra BEE 137 $150US 289x62 cm - too narrow
Looks like the StarBoard iSonic 117W is the winner, but for next year.
Should I put the AHD and BEE for sale this year ??
AHD for $550 with 48 cm fin... got called within one hour !! asked to include board bag
BEE for $225 with 34 cm fin or FUC for $150
This would give me about $700 towards the next purchase ...
Bought the SB iS 117W after some MAJOR coaxing from Geoff from NY state :-)
Georges says I should have charged $700 for the AHD - beat up or NOT !!
and after beginning this "report" managed to have a good outing with the JP SLW92 and HSM SPF8.5
MUST also mention that this was the first year that I made the trip south to Cape Hatteras in North Carolina in the spring. The reason I specify spring is, my windsurf buddy and colleague , Antoine , makes the journey in the spring AND the fall. I managed to break a mast on the way down and windsurf seven days out of 7 !! However, this did NOT curb my spending :-(
Need to adjust my wind vs equipment chart = started ...
So, YES, my boards leaned towards the light wind category of windsurfing. As discussed, most of my sessions were with the Mistral Equipe longboard. Geoff has offered me his F2 Lightening, but I am not sold on the idea yet. This would be for 2016 and not too $$$ anyway. Is there anything I have to change ? NOT really. Would like a lighter mast for the HSP SPF 8.5 since i/we busted the excellent one on the way to Hatteras. Fins will need to be purchased for the SB iS once I get it under wraps ... But that may take some time - for me to feel in control of this racehorse ...
After people giving me shite and calling me amateur, I have come to the same conclusion. I know how to have fun on the water and how to get back to "le point de départ". However, know now more than ever that I MUST improve my skills and THAT is why I purchased that iS 117L/wide !!
NO MORE MR NICE GUY !!
Had to lock comments here too - need to find a way to force approval of comments - too much junk
The fall winds and temps had not started yet ...
So, like every year I looked at what worked and what did not
What am I missing, broke or ??
77 % of 2015 sessions so far were on the longboards - mostly Mistral Equipe = KEEPER
(A Mistral Competition SST with more volume was purchased , tested and SOLD.)
84 % were on sails in the 8.x range - the HSM SPF 8.5 is a keeper too...
The 10-oh and 6.3 were each used once, which means larger and smaller are NOT required.
Sails are covered and wished the NP 490/90 mast was not broken on the way to Hatteras...
It was replaced on site with a Chinook 490/30%
In terms of boards ...
The winning MEQ longboard was already discussed...
The JP SLW92 was used three(3) times...
The AHD 160/79 was used four(4) times... and SOLD
The BEE 124/63 was actually used twice - once with 6.3 and other ??
I have been trying to use the 8.x sails on the JP SLW
The idea is to sell the AHD and BEE and get something in the 120-135 liter range ...
In terms of width no more than 80 cm...
2014 SB iS 107 carbon - too small for me
2012 SB iS 117L $1150 with board bag, fin ?? 228x81windsurfing quebec+quebecwind
2011 StarBoard iSonic 117L $900 228x81 dinged and thus too $$ windsurfing quebec
2011 StarBoard Futura 133 in Ottawa - 248x76.5 - iwindsurf $700
2008 JP SuperSport 136 $800 46 cm fin 251x79 cm ?? windsurfing quebec
2000 Fanatic Ultra BEE 137 $150US 289x62 cm - too narrow
Looks like the StarBoard iSonic 117W is the winner, but for next year.
Should I put the AHD and BEE for sale this year ??
AHD for $550 with 48 cm fin... got called within one hour !! asked to include board bag
BEE for $225 with 34 cm fin or FUC for $150
This would give me about $700 towards the next purchase ...
Bought the SB iS 117W after some MAJOR coaxing from Geoff from NY state :-)
Georges says I should have charged $700 for the AHD - beat up or NOT !!
and after beginning this "report" managed to have a good outing with the JP SLW92 and HSM SPF8.5
MUST also mention that this was the first year that I made the trip south to Cape Hatteras in North Carolina in the spring. The reason I specify spring is, my windsurf buddy and colleague , Antoine , makes the journey in the spring AND the fall. I managed to break a mast on the way down and windsurf seven days out of 7 !! However, this did NOT curb my spending :-(
Need to adjust my wind vs equipment chart = started ...
| announce | if less | right on | if more | sails | masts | fins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 kph | MEQ | JPSLW | JPSLW | 8.4 and 10-oh | 490 & 520 | 56&66 DT |
| 20-40 kph | JPSLW | SB iS | SB iS | 10, 8.x & 6.9 | 490 & 460 | 56&46 DT |
| 30-50 kph | MEQ | SB iS | BEE | 8.x, 6.9 & 6.3 | 490 & 460 | 40 cmsDT/PB |
| 40-60 kph | SB iS | BEE | BEE | 6.9 & 6.3 | RDM 460 | 40 & 32 cm |
So, YES, my boards leaned towards the light wind category of windsurfing. As discussed, most of my sessions were with the Mistral Equipe longboard. Geoff has offered me his F2 Lightening, but I am not sold on the idea yet. This would be for 2016 and not too $$$ anyway. Is there anything I have to change ? NOT really. Would like a lighter mast for the HSP SPF 8.5 since i/we busted the excellent one on the way to Hatteras. Fins will need to be purchased for the SB iS once I get it under wraps ... But that may take some time - for me to feel in control of this racehorse ...
After people giving me shite and calling me amateur, I have come to the same conclusion. I know how to have fun on the water and how to get back to "le point de départ". However, know now more than ever that I MUST improve my skills and THAT is why I purchased that iS 117L/wide !!
NO MORE MR NICE GUY !!
Had to lock comments here too - need to find a way to force approval of comments - too much junk
ArcticSail for windsurfing on ice and snow
Personally, I NEVER heard of these "boards" before this year. And there were TWO for sale on kiji (our local e-bay). Went to see the first one which was closer to my house...
It seemed to be made out of polyester or some kinda plastic and was about 22 inches wide and 8 feet long (weighed about 12 pounds). It had two places to put the mast base which is attached via metal plate. He had NO mast base at all.
Here is a pic that was taken from kijij:
Feb 14th 2009 - 04:15 pm - ice windsurfing captured by an ice sailor from Udo Fritze on Vimeo.
There are actually two small breaks in the year - when too cold and ice forming & when ice is melting
Found another mention of the ArcticSail here:
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/rec.windsurfing/uq6pxwwLdgs
Seems there was a business case about the Mistral SkiSailer that is NOT readily available - put together what i could find ... It seems to have been the pre-cursor to the ArcticSail and snowfer.
Click icon to make it FULL SCREEN
Somewhere I read the ArcticSail could also be used on water ? WHAT ?? Maybe that's what those red plastic tabs are for - make a fin :-) Or the V is like a HyperSonic creating resistance sideways.
In mid-October 2015 Bruno of 2-rad gave me an old spare that was laying about:
He confirmed that the metal needed to be heated in order to separate the parts. Damn, I always forget the name of the stuff used to hold these parts together %^&*( Think it's called locktite. Luckily, NO need to heat and managed to put it all together:
It seemed to be made out of polyester or some kinda plastic and was about 22 inches wide and 8 feet long (weighed about 12 pounds). It had two places to put the mast base which is attached via metal plate. He had NO mast base at all.
Here is a pic that was taken from kijij:
As you can see, it had three(3) adjustable foot straps with forward and back positions. The footstraps are easy to adjust... The board was made in the province of Quebec and seems to be "Planche Mansonville, Quebec". This model only had metal tabs under it for when ice is encountered. You will understand why I say only when you see the other model.
Here is a video I made for myself so that I could analyze the board afterwards ...
So, the board was not $$$ and interested me, but the issue was the mast foot. I was UNABLE to take any of my "modern" mast feet apart - without breaking them which i refused to do ...
Asked the two(2) Pauls if they were willing to drop the price since there were two on the market. The further one accepted and so , went to see it - 45 minute drive. This one had a mast foot that could potentially be taken apart.. It only has one place for the mast foot which is the back one and has metal runners underneath for the ice:
I managed to take apart the mast foot from the ArcticSail and an older mast foot laying about to put together a potential starter. Ideally will purchase the Chinook U.S. Base Cup Kit for about $20 to fit the "modern" mast extensions. ALL my mast feet do NOT come apart $%^&
It seems there is little to NO literature on the web about these boards. The closest thing I could find was from a German magazine where they "speak" about sailing up the hill - and also mention the infamous snowfer - which is too $$$ for me. There was a used one in town, but it was too $$ even used.
Here is Udo Fritze sailing on ice in 2009 - is it the ArcticSail or snowfer he is using ??
Ironically , when I sent Georges the information, he informed me that he gave one of these away. It was laying about in his shed at the chalet. It was "not in good shape".
Obviously, I have NOT taken it out - we are still in FALL SESSION.
AND we were wondering IF we are gonna get a winter - managed to windsurf on DEC 11th !!
Still NO ice n snow on DEC 18th and they are announcing 11-12 degrees C on Dec 24th !!
Need to finalize the mast foot, take proper measurements and wait for snow :-)
Me wife says I windsurf ALL year long ...There are actually two small breaks in the year - when too cold and ice forming & when ice is melting
Found another mention of the ArcticSail here:
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/rec.windsurfing/uq6pxwwLdgs
Seems there was a business case about the Mistral SkiSailer that is NOT readily available - put together what i could find ... It seems to have been the pre-cursor to the ArcticSail and snowfer.
Click icon to make it FULL SCREEN
Somewhere I read the ArcticSail could also be used on water ? WHAT ?? Maybe that's what those red plastic tabs are for - make a fin :-) Or the V is like a HyperSonic creating resistance sideways.
In mid-October 2015 Bruno of 2-rad gave me an old spare that was laying about:
The ArcticSail is ready for testing. Just need some ice n snow now :-)
(may need to change the clip with the spring - it's a little bit tight - done and better !!)
Went to the chalet and picked up my home made sleds. When I put all my winter windsurf boards beside each other it seemed like the mast bases were all about the same distance from the tail/back of the sled(s). It is about 120 cm to the start of the mast base and so, about 125 cm from the back. (Currently the snow version was with the mast base further up, but i was also experimenting with longer board) Modern shortboards often tote 135 cm as the magic number.
One of my sleds is for the ice and the other for the packed not too deep snow. None of mine worked well in deeper snow (more than 4 inches). The ArcticSail board is to do it all !! :-)
One of my sleds is for the ice and the other for the packed not too deep snow. None of mine worked well in deeper snow (more than 4 inches). The ArcticSail board is to do it all !! :-)
Did a closer check of the "board" that i purchased and noticed the sticker at the back of the board is NOT the same and my theory or guess that it/they are from Mansonville, Quebec is correct !!
The company was LPA Plastics ... and seems they are still around !!!
http://www.frasers.com/supplier/l-p-a-plastics-ltd-16573694250?type=B
Will send them a question about the ArcticSail !!!
Tried that, but also found that the company amalgamated with Johnson's Outdoor Inc in 2003
https://www.ic.gc.ca/app/scr/cc/CorporationsCanada/fdrlCrpDtls.html?corpId=0164461
Sent them a question form as well :-)
No answers ...
Here's a pic from the top of my board:
Will most probably be moving the foot straps to the further back positions.
Here is a pic with the three(3) winter sleds. I am READY TO GO !!!
Found Canada Patent L.P.A. 82 2664 on the tail of the ArcticSail board , but cannot find ANYTHING on the web about this and NO-ONE ever answered my e-mails about the board.
Send Johnson Outdoor another e-mail via their site in Dec 2015
"Can you please tell me about LPA plastics from Mansonville, Quebec.
In particular I am interested in a product they used to make called the ArcticSail...
Just wish to know more about the history of the product and the company
Thanks in advance
joe windsurfer"
The first test was NOT good. It was quite icy and as already said, the board is heavy. Should have used a larger sail than what I use with the ice sled on the left. Also, it tended to spin out. Does it have a slight rocker ?? The spin out surprised me !!
http://www.frasers.com/supplier/l-p-a-plastics-ltd-16573694250?type=B
Will send them a question about the ArcticSail !!!
Tried that, but also found that the company amalgamated with Johnson's Outdoor Inc in 2003
https://www.ic.gc.ca/app/scr/cc/CorporationsCanada/fdrlCrpDtls.html?corpId=0164461
Sent them a question form as well :-)
No answers ...
Here's a pic from the top of my board:
Will most probably be moving the foot straps to the further back positions.
Here is a pic with the three(3) winter sleds. I am READY TO GO !!!
Found Canada Patent L.P.A. 82 2664 on the tail of the ArcticSail board , but cannot find ANYTHING on the web about this and NO-ONE ever answered my e-mails about the board.
Send Johnson Outdoor another e-mail via their site in Dec 2015
"Can you please tell me about LPA plastics from Mansonville, Quebec.
In particular I am interested in a product they used to make called the ArcticSail...
Just wish to know more about the history of the product and the company
Thanks in advance
joe windsurfer"
The first test was NOT good. It was quite icy and as already said, the board is heavy. Should have used a larger sail than what I use with the ice sled on the left. Also, it tended to spin out. Does it have a slight rocker ?? The spin out surprised me !!
Fall 2015 is HERE
We have had an unseasonably WARM September in 2015. It felt like the BEST weekend was Labour Day weekend with temperatures over 30 degrees C !! Why just 3 days ago, on the 26th I went on the local river becuz it was so beautiful out - was in bathing suit, etc. Today, it is 10 degrees C with winds from the NE varying between 12 and 22 knots and an overcast sky.
People seemed VERY anxious to get out as per quebecwind windsurf forum ... Chantal said she was out on a 4.0 m² sail with her 115 pounds. I joked saying with my 230 pounds I would still need an 8-oh. Others said they were out on 5.x sized sails.
When I got there around noon, the parking lot was FULL:
That is one half of the lot and the other half was just as full with people coming down the path from the residential area behind.
There were about 2-3 windsurfers and about a dozen kiters:
One kiter confirmed they were rigging 9 to 10 m² "sails"/kites. Typically I divide this in two (2) to see what one might use on a windsurfer ... Georges says this is NOT a good formula, but works for me - so far ... With my weight I often divide by two and then add one or so meters ...
Checked back on the forum when i got back to the office and Georges was leaving in the p.m. GOOD LUCK parking buddy !! When he got there - there was NO more wind !!
Based on the charts from Luc Marinier's weather station on Ile Bizard, winds were still good in the afternoon !!
Hurricane Joaquin / Joachim is making his presence felt and there is a system off the east coast of Canada as well.
http://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/isobaric/1000hPa/orthographic=-94.62,36.67,790
On October 2nd Yvente of quebecwind posted pics like this !!
and a video like this:
Two weeks later we were hearing about things like this:
Who says we are experiencing global warming ??
People seemed VERY anxious to get out as per quebecwind windsurf forum ... Chantal said she was out on a 4.0 m² sail with her 115 pounds. I joked saying with my 230 pounds I would still need an 8-oh. Others said they were out on 5.x sized sails.
When I got there around noon, the parking lot was FULL:
That is one half of the lot and the other half was just as full with people coming down the path from the residential area behind.
There were about 2-3 windsurfers and about a dozen kiters:
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One kiter confirmed they were rigging 9 to 10 m² "sails"/kites. Typically I divide this in two (2) to see what one might use on a windsurfer ... Georges says this is NOT a good formula, but works for me - so far ... With my weight I often divide by two and then add one or so meters ...
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Based on the charts from Luc Marinier's weather station on Ile Bizard, winds were still good in the afternoon !!
http://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/isobaric/1000hPa/orthographic=-94.62,36.67,790
This weekend they are predicting winds between 40 and 50 knots at Cape Hatteras !!!
In the end the hurricane did NOT make "landfall", but S. Carolina received something like 14 inches of rain in 3 to 4 hours :-(
and a video like this:
Two weeks later we were hearing about things like this:
Who says we are experiencing global warming ??
StarBoard iSonic 117L
In 2015 I had NO intention of purchasing a StarBoard iSonic 117 Wide. However, there was one for sale and not too $$$ locally available. Was thinking more along the lines of SB Futura 133 or JP SuperSport 136 ... In any case, I put my 2007 AHD FastForward for sale and within one hour it was practically sold and within two(2) more - sold and picked up !!!
With this and some left over money from another board, I could shop the end of season sales ... There was another SB iS 117W for sale out of Quebec City, but it was NOT much cheaper and a little beat up ... This one is almost like new ...
According to ISAF, this 2012 SB iS 117 wide board is actually 120 liters:
http://www.sailing.org/tools/documents/ISAFListSlalom-[8370].pdf
The straps came in that little bag and the board comes with NO fin ...
Board is rated by SB as 7.0-9.5 m² sail compatible as per their website...
Benoit says he went to the AHD SL-2 for the 9-oh sail, but the iS board handles all the way down to about 6.2 with NO problem...
In terms of fins .. SB recommends a Drake Race 46 cm fin with a range of 40-48 cm fins. Kevin Pritchard has stated that he ALWAYS uses a 47 cm fin on this board...
The board has a OFO of 52.8 and as such can handle even bigger fins ...
Benoit has run it with 56 cm fins and that is what I will need to start with ...
More discussion on fins further down ....
I like to check where the balance point is on a board. Typically they are around the middle or around the mast track somewhere. This board has a balance point further back which suggests it encourages going way back with feet and leaning = FAST !!! Little surface on the water with great encouragement for hydroplaning !!!
The ONLY blemishes that are visible on the board are as follows:
Starboard iSonic 117 Wide from WINDSURFING magazine on Vimeo.
Rene Egli - Fuerteventura from BarcelonaBoards on Vimeo.
Sony Action Cam windsurf à Mazerolles 26 nov 2012 from opop on Vimeo.
With this and some left over money from another board, I could shop the end of season sales ... There was another SB iS 117W for sale out of Quebec City, but it was NOT much cheaper and a little beat up ... This one is almost like new ...
According to ISAF, this 2012 SB iS 117 wide board is actually 120 liters:
http://www.sailing.org/tools/documents/ISAFListSlalom-[8370].pdf
The straps came in that little bag and the board comes with NO fin ...
Board is rated by SB as 7.0-9.5 m² sail compatible as per their website...
Benoit says he went to the AHD SL-2 for the 9-oh sail, but the iS board handles all the way down to about 6.2 with NO problem...
In terms of fins .. SB recommends a Drake Race 46 cm fin with a range of 40-48 cm fins. Kevin Pritchard has stated that he ALWAYS uses a 47 cm fin on this board...
The board has a OFO of 52.8 and as such can handle even bigger fins ...
Benoit has run it with 56 cm fins and that is what I will need to start with ...
More discussion on fins further down ....
I like to check where the balance point is on a board. Typically they are around the middle or around the mast track somewhere. This board has a balance point further back which suggests it encourages going way back with feet and leaning = FAST !!! Little surface on the water with great encouragement for hydroplaning !!!
The cutout was covered with a red Sharpie marker and hope it fades to same colour and filled foot pad blemish with some white silicone ... looks good in the hood now ...
A new 2015 carbon SB iSonic costs about $3000 and they now make them as 120 liter. This one is supposed to be 2012 and went through two(2) previous owners - one retired gentleman who returned it quickly. Another fellow from further down on the South Shore, Philippe ?, who felt he needed no more than 72 cm wide. Benoit was selling it cuz he wanted more of a light wind weapon that worked with his 9.0 m² sail. He went with an AHD SL-2 132. He had previously owned an AHD SL-1 140 and loved it... That was where he started with slalom ... So, people still like the AHDs !!! Not just the FastForwards !! Now auventfou is going with Tabou products and we will see how long AHD stays there ...
This iSonics seem to have been around since 2006. Around 2011 the 117 liter versions made their appearance. It is not until 2015 that StarBoard goes to 120 liters, but with the same 228x81 dimensions. So this model was around for about four(4) years ...
Some videos:
This review summarizes the board and gives it top marks:
My buddy Geoff put a custom nose protector on his board:
When I received the board, I told Benoit that I felt like a kid who just bought a Ferrari, but does not know how to drive yet. This board will push my technique - no choice !!
Now all I need is some wind to test it out !!
While waiting, I took a good look at the board :-)
It is obviously VERY light - quoted at 6.4 kilos = 14 pounds (light as a feather)
and still stiff and solid !!
it has a very thin and wide nose - and low rocker
has a scooped out deck - markings say to move boom up 2 to 4 cm
with thick rails at the back
it is VERY short @ ONLY 228 cm it is the shortest board I ever had or sailed ..
thus board's centre of gravity is further back - means NO standard uphaul on this baby
cutouts have two different layers
2016 cutouts seem even more "complex"
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| http://www.seabreeze.com.au/Img/Photos/Windsurfing/6316756.jpg |
These are StarBoard - Remi Vila's suggestions:
This is the basic set up for iSonic 117 that we test with riders from 65 to 100 kgs :
Foot Straps : Totally in the back position for the back one and middle for the front one or back if your are not tall.
Mast Base : recommend position or 5mm more back
Boom : Eyes height
Harness Lines : Adjustable one that you can trim between light to strong winds. Minimum length, hand to elbow
Fins : 42 with 7.8 44 with 8.6, 9.2 44/46
About one week later I purchased a used MFC 46 cm tuttle box pointer fin. The fin fits perfectly into the deep tuttle box, but the 80 mm screws I received with the board are just NOT long enough. On SB forum i saw discussion about 90 mm screws (about 3.25 inches) $%^&*( KNEW I shoulda brought the board $%^&* Now I will scramble to try and get screws cuz there is supposed to be wind on Monday - in two days - and shops are starting to have less hours open. WHY do not the hardware stores carry such screws OR fins use standard easily acquired screws %^&*
Looks like an amazing combo though !!
This is the basic set up for iSonic 117 that we test with riders from 65 to 100 kgs :
Foot Straps : Totally in the back position for the back one and middle for the front one or back if your are not tall.
Mast Base : recommend position or 5mm more back
Boom : Eyes height
Harness Lines : Adjustable one that you can trim between light to strong winds. Minimum length, hand to elbow
Fins : 42 with 7.8 44 with 8.6, 9.2 44/46
About one week later I purchased a used MFC 46 cm tuttle box pointer fin. The fin fits perfectly into the deep tuttle box, but the 80 mm screws I received with the board are just NOT long enough. On SB forum i saw discussion about 90 mm screws (about 3.25 inches) $%^&*( KNEW I shoulda brought the board $%^&* Now I will scramble to try and get screws cuz there is supposed to be wind on Monday - in two days - and shops are starting to have less hours open. WHY do not the hardware stores carry such screws OR fins use standard easily acquired screws %^&*
Looks like an amazing combo though !!
Geoff warned me that the paint is NOT blended into the fin and suggested using a 3M scrub sponge, I sanded it using 180 and then 400 grit, which is a little quicker. Now fin is NOT as pretty, but definitely SMOOTHER #$%^&*()_+
Looks like i purchased George's fin from auventfou :-)
George saw the fin at OKA and says I did a good job :-)
Bruno of 2-rad had / has 90 mm / 9 cm screws at $3 a piece = reasonable and now it is raining drizzling and NO wind. However, there are NE winds announced for almost the rest of the week !!
Was feeling the fin may be a bit freeride/freerace for the board - before even trying it properly. And so, when I saw a Mistral SLE 303 for sale with the slalom fin, I purchased the fin with the board for less than $100. The fin is marked as 46, but measures at 44 and I am now in the process of fixing it up with some MarineTex and then some black paint after ...
Could not find any black paint and so put some grey primer and sanded it again with 400 grit. It is NOT perfect, but ready for the first trials !1
Looked up what fin/sail combinations people are using with the iSonics. Remi suggests:
iSonic 117 : Deboichet SL4 : 6,5/38 ; 6,8/40 ; 7,2/42 ; 7,5/R16 44 ; 7,8/R16 44 ; 8,3/R16 44 ; 8,5/R16 46 ; 8,8/R16 46 ; 9,0/R16 46
iSonic 117 Wide : Deboichet SL4 : 6,8/38 ; 6,8/40 ; 7,2/42 ; 7,5/R16 44 ; 7,8/R16 44 ; 8,3/R16 44 ; 8,5/R16 46 ; 8,8/R16 46 ; 9,0/R16 46 ; 9,6/R16 48
So, Remi is saying this board is good from 6.8 to 9.6 !!
and BEST combination ==> iSonic 117W : 8.6/46
As indicated on the sticker on one of the side cut-outs. ALL boards should have this !!!
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| Clique to SEE it better |
Like Geoff said - will probably need three(3) fins - the 46 cm for bigger sails, another for smaller sails and perhaps a weed fin ... Will start with the 46 cm MFC and go from there ...
One day hope to ride like this fellow :-)
The irony is that this "race horse" makes me a little nervous in terms of my skills (or lack thereof) and yet, I was looking at the Gecko 120 as a potential "replacement" for my AHD 160 ie next step up - well down in size actually. Ironically these two boards are NOT that different ... They are close in volume, width and sail range. The StarBoard iSonic is over one kilo lighter and about 14 cm shorter than the Fanatic Gecko. It will be a little more of a "sinker" and tacks better be FAST.
I managed to get a test run in 2015. Winds were NOT on shore and so I was VERY careful in my experimentation. Wanted to see how the whole thing looked n felt. The board takes off like a shot. There is no first gear, it is GO ! It was more of a sinker than I thought and standard tacks can be forgotten. The balance point is further back and any leaning forward will just sink the nose. Helitacks are the only option and obviously any kind of jibe/gybe. I need to nail my water starts before I go all over the larger waters with this board. Previous boards all had the possibility of uphauling with one foot on either side of the mast base - except the Fanatic BEE LTD 124. Even that board I take out in bigger winds with on shore winds, but was able to tack. This board will force me to go to next level. In the past I could hide behind the forgiving qualities of the board - NO MORE. and that is why i purchased this board. Sold two(2) boards and with another $300 out of pocket got the racehorse. Now we just need to get to know each other :-)
added audio from windsurfing magazine used by WindSpirit as well :-) which u can pause ...
At one point I was considering a FreeMove board , since the Fanatic Shark is no longer available. Because 120 liter boards are around 80 cm wide and I already have a FreeFormula of 92 cm, i would NOT go larger than 120 liters. Then I looked at the specs again ...
It is 120 liters , 236x80 and about 8 kilos. The SB iS 117L is 117 liters (120 as per ISAF) , 228x80 and about 6.4 kilos (it is LIGHT). It seems the only significant difference is 8 cm shorter and almost 2 kilos lighter. So, they are NOT so different when one looks at them on paper !!
Here is a "young lady" on an iSonic 120 with a Loft Sails 7.8
Summary: It is VERY difficult for me to evaluate this board - at this point in my windsurf history, this board is too much for me !! I am too heavy at over 100 kilos / 220 pounds and lack of skills / comfort zone. One needs to be ready for such a board. It has a GREAT reputation and is no longer available/different sizes made now. I ended up with BENF's AHD SL-2 132 which has a little more volume and is a little easier to handle ... It is also about 80 cm wide and I wrote a post on that board too ...
As the June 2011 Windsurfing Magazine suggests in their review of this board:
"Beware: It's an absolutely brilliant board - for a small set of highly skilled people"