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There is cold and then there is BLOODY COLD !!
In French we say froid et FRAITE/frête !!
If these surfers can do it, why is it NOT more popular amongst North American windsurfers ?
Here is a photo from Baie des Brises in 2016 - from Yvente/quebecwind:
The BIG problem is the sail(s). When it gets cold, the sails get full of ice and the mast freezes together. I have gone in the cold up at the chalet and the only saving grace was being able to bring the sails directly into the cottage. Some people say one just needs some warm water to pour over items that are frozen ... Sorry, even I cannot get into this and I am considered a polar bear...
and then there was this video from December 2015 :-)
apparently this one is from some movie ?? "Ayahuasca" ??
for these Austrians it is cold - six degrees
well, I probably could make it out in that weather :-)
Well, it does look like some cold weather videos are showing up 😊
As usual I specify summer windsurfing on water as opposed to winter windsurfing on ice n snow 😊
This year was supposed to be the year about the foot straps. However, once again that did NOT happen. As FORCE10 from quebecwind suggested, Hatteras is not only key, but actually required in order to actually "get better". Here in Montreal, one goes windsurfing when one can, depending on work, family and obviously weather. Unfortunately I also did NOT make it down to Lake Champlain this year.
As usual, my big longboard and 8.x sails are my saviours. They can go in 20 to about 50 kph winds with some chop as well. By end of September the Mistral Equipe II XR board was used 21 out of 28 sessions; that's 75% of the time !! Since the 8.x sails get used on other boards as well, they were used 25 out of 28 sessions which is almost 90% of the time !!!
All the other longboards were sold: Mistral Equipe I, Fanatic Ultra CAT and Mistral Equipe II CHS.
The Mistral Equipe II XR is a special board in the sense that it has a LOT of float with 260 litres, is quite light since it is carbon and is fairly narrow at 66 cm. The Hot Sails Maui SpeedFreak 8.5 is also a special sail because it is made out of modern dacron and has a PVC window. This all makes it light, durable with a VERY large wind range ... This year I also purchased another NP mast to replace the one broken on the trip to Hatteras last year - 2015...
Took less videos this year, but did take the occasional one ...
Have been trying to determine what the next board down should be. Have a JP SLW92 which I almost sold until buddies warned me to keep it until I have fully managed it in order to really benefit from it - yes, foot straps ... I have taken the board out about four times this year and do always enjoy those sessions ...
Tried a SB iS 117W, but knew it was beyond me and would take some time to benefit from its amazing qualities. Traded it out for an AHD SL2 132 and am trying to get full benefit out of its qualities...Agree with "parked" on seabreeze forum that it does NOT feel like 132 litres of flotation. Oh well, time to lose weight and improve skills :-)
Most changes this year were in terms of boards and not sails ...
Not much in terms of BIG wind sessions, but am definitely more comfortable in 7-oh conditions. Just not sure which of my boards is the ideal one in those conditions. I still believe in my formula of sail size times 10 is ideal board width in terms of conditions. This works for 7-10 in any case. Formula with 10+ meter sails, 80 cm wide boards with 8.x sails and 70 cm wide boards for 7.x sails. A nice board for 7-oh is the Fanatic Hawk 135 (245x73) , but they don't make them any more :-( Was looking at the Fanatic Blast new in 2017 and it seems to cost almost $3000 !!! Around 2007 when I purchased my AHD FF 160, boards were closer to $1000 and I saw them rise to about $2000, but now they are at $3000 !!!
At the end of 2016 I purchased a 2006 Fanatic Shark 145 HRS which is 263 cm x 75 cm and will go very well with a sail of 7.x. The board was purchased as it has many options for foot strap placement. Yvente says it is a keeper and so, will need to re-evaluate my quiver in 2017...
My smallest sail is a 6.3 and I am estimating the next one down should be a 5.4 with probably a 105-110 litre board. Obviously this can be rented at Hatteras and I discovered (after big wind day :-) that this equipment can be rented from VoilOKA @ OKA as well !!
As stated, need to lose weight and improve skills. SURE hope Hatteras happens again next spring !!!
At the chalet, the BIC Dufour is in BAD shape and needs repair. Found another for fifty bucks and managed to do a clip with a bit of wind - before the board pretty much fell into disrepair. Will need to repair my original board after all ...
After writing this report ... went out @ OKA using the above home made selfie stick made from a wooden broom handle. While rushing to aid a kiter in need I broke the stick without realising and lost my GoPro 3 Silver. Oh well ... lesson learned. Good thing I still have my trusty GoPro 1.
At the end of the year I got a Pictek (GoPro copy) which I will test out and compare with the GoPro. It is about one third the price of a GoPro.
As a heavyweight of over 100 kilos / 220 pounds ... I have been using large gear for quite some time. Folks like Dave White aka Whitey , who is heavier than me and dances on boards, suggests this is not necessary... Lightweights don't even need to think about that... Gear is aimed at average weight windsurfers - let's say 170 pounds or about 75 kilos ...
So, when someone of 130 pounds starts asking about sailing Formula and which sails to use, I get surprised. Is that really necessary and what are the wind minimums for someone like that ?? A big 100 cm wide board and a big sail larger than 10 m² ??
For me 10 knots / ~20 kph is my wind minimum for longboarding with 8.x sails. Larger sails work, but are also MORE work... People are saying 10 knots planing is attainable with not too much trouble...
This is me - out with a Mistral Equipe II XR carbon race longboard with a MauiSails TR-4 10 m² race sail in about 10 knots. People say I can go faster railing board with mast track forward and in the railing straps ...
Lightweights on the other hand, can plane in winds even less than that !!
In this video I do not even see much pumping ...
My question is : Is it necessary to go to a Formula board and pump large sails or even try to handle them when one is SO light ?? And in that video , how is that fellow able to hold up such a large sail ? What does he do if it drops in the water ??
A wide freeride or freerace with an 8.x sail should plane early enough for such a light weight ??
Like this ...BIC Techno Formula 94 cm wide with 7.8 sail ...
Who the heck would want to do this - pump like crazy with BIG gear in LIGHT winds ??
For myself as a BIG heavyweight, I use a BIG, WIDE freeride board JP SLW of 92 cm width with the race sail MS TR-4 10 m² in over 12 knot winds in order to be planing ...That is my wind minimum for planing - NO pumping ... and YES straps can drop planing threshold too !! My bad - not in straps ...
When I asked on forums if it was worthwhile to go from 10 to 12 square meters, it was pretty much a BIG NO. So, i cannot imagine lightweights on such large sails either ... nor on Formula boards ... still feel it is overkill - unless you race or ...
Based on what we are seeing now, perhaps wind foiling will take care of the light wind dilemma ?? Regardless of sailor weight ...
Will post a video from AHD since they have been at it the longest and have designed a board around it. They are now talking of making another foil board with more volume as well - this one is around 110 liters ... and FLYS in about 7 knots of wind
Well, I was gonna write about windsurfing in the 2016 RIO summer Olympics, but I was seriously disappointed. First of all, it seemed there were 36 countries competing in the men's and women's RS:X windsurf races and none from Canada. Once I got past that, perhaps I could at least watch it LIVE or even after the fact. Seemed I had to be in the US of A to watch on NBC and once I tricked the system via DNS server, it needed some user on some service. Then after that, I tried to find stuff on youtube - once my fingers got sore, I gave up. Through my perusing I discovered that France won both men and women races, Britain's Nick Dempster got silver again and Israel was very disappointed. My wife corrected me saying the Netherlands/Holland won the men's and France was third in the finals ...
And that was what I got out of the 2016 RIO windsurf RS:X competition.
Besides the comments about it being polluted as HELL #$%^&*
Also, about a month ago there was the Canadian Master's in town and there was NO wind.
So much for my interest in windsurf races - PWA and similar is just way out of our league ...
Well, somewhere in the middle of all that hunting I discovered this:
An inflatable WindSUP called an Aqua Marina - the name of the supplier.
So, why is this so extra-ordinary ??
Well, I remember when I first saw either a SUP or similar in Costco and being impressed.
Well now they apparently carry this product.
It may not be an RS:X, but it is in your local Costco store tempting all those people looking for sails - oops Freudian slip - sales...
It is still a bit expensive, but it is my hope it gets the public and other "average joes" thinkin about it!!!
In 2015 I sold my AHD FF 160 litre/80 cm board and purchased a SB iSonic 117W/wide.
MANY people recommended the iSonic board and suggested I go for it.
The price was right and so I did "go for it".
I took it out ONCE in 2015 with SW on-shore winds at OKA Parc La Crête launch near Montreal. Right away i determined that this was a special board and beyond my skills.
There was NO way I was gonna bust it up.
Early 2016 I purchased a Mistral SLE 303 for $100. This board was supposed to prepare me for the SB iS 117W and I did/do NOT care if i bust(ed) it up. That too is a special board and rips !!
BENF contacted me mid-2016 and asked how the iSonic was working out for me.
When I described the above, he had a suggestion. What if we traded my 2012 SB iS 117W for his 2013 AHD SL-2 132 board ??
He had sold the iS because he wanted to go back to larger sails on the slalom board. He realised the best sail quiver base is 7.0 and then 8.5 and NOT 7.0, 8.0 and 9.0. For that sail quiver the SB iS would be FINE and he missed it ...
The difference besides the litres is the AHD is 5 cm longer , wider tail/OFO and thicker sharper rails. All this makes the board "easier" to ride and perhaps just not quite so aggressive...
SL-2 stats on the left and iSonic on right:
Weight: 7.50 kg 6.41 kg "less than 7 kg naked" OFO: 55.0 cm 52.8 cm Sail Range: 7.0-11.0 7.0-9.5 m²
Right away one can see the differences from the photographs.
There are cutouts on the SL-2 , but NOT as pronounced as those of the iS.
Apparently the AHD SL-1 did NOT have cut outs ...
It seems SL-2s have been around since 2012.
At one time the SL-2 came out in a black version and although I did not like the purple logo on the board, I was hoping those were the colours:
I had agreed to the exchange, but BENF does not seem to use the same communication methods as I do and suddenly I saw the AHD SL-2 132 for sale on some websites 😲
Well, I must say that I was VERY disappointed and wrote on all the announcements that I was interested. Long story short, the next day we met at OKA Parc and the exchange was done !! as you can see from the photos above too 😊
Difficult to find comparisons between the two(2) boards. There is a reference here: http://www.windsurfbreizh22.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=22
"la planche est aussi rapide qu'une Starboard iSonic 127 tout en étant plus facile"
which means:
The AHD SL-2 132 is as fast as a SB iS 127 while being a little "easier" (to sail)
The SB iS 127 is still 228 cm long, like the 117W , but is 85 cm wide.
It is difficult to determine sometimes which version should be compared with which of another board manufacturer ...
In that article they also mention that they use sails 7.8, 8.6 and 10-oh with fins 43, 46 and 49 cm respectively.
Before we go too far, maybe it is time for a video ??
Cameraman is on the BIC filming fellow on AHD SL-2 132 with an RRD sail.
RRD sail ? they make slalom boards too :-)
(i don't like the musak, but film is good)
As already stated ... There WAS an AHD SL-1 version before , but ...
"Instead of SL1, the new slalom boards have benefited from the joint development of Diony Guadagnino abroad but also French as slalomers Gourtay Vincent and Loic Legallois with the aim to propose models both easy and efficient.
Offering a more compact outline than SL1, new SL2 features a hull with a long VEE and excavated by a double progressive concave . In order to gain also in performance and control, the mast was lowered on deck while the cut outs are also returning to AHD - to reduce the maximum wetted surface. Also associating lightness and liveliness with a new carbon construction, the SL2 will also have sharp rails in order to gain support and general nervousness."
as far as double concaves and VEE go ... http://boardtests.com/2011/02/windsurfing-concave-bottom-shapes/
"Tabou Rocket is an example of a board with deep double concaves throughout the hull with a slight vee in the tail. Tabou Rocket scores incredible well in almost all performance categories such as ease of planing, speed and top-end control."
If it works for the Rocket, why not the SL-2 ??
The 132 litre AHD SL-2 version has a sail-range of 7.0 - 11.0 m² with an OFO of 55 cm.
This means it can take bigger fins AND sails - ANOTHER light wind WEAPON !
Have already started talking about selling my JP SLW92.
With a Mistral Equipe II XR and an AHD SL-2 132, who needs a JP SLW92 as well ??
Slalom boards get compared amongst themselves for obvious reasons. Which one is faster, easier, etc and why. Here there is a discussion about AHD SL-2 , Fanatic Falcon and even SB iS: http://directwind.com/forum/forum-t51124-p1,ahd-sl2-122-vs-fanatic-falcon-125-2012.html
again, the AHD is considered more easily attainable and reaches decent speeds...
in the discussion Anders Bringdals is quoted as saying the ideal board length is 240-250 cm.
The iS 117W was 228 and this SL-2 is 233 (just short).
Did some measurements and took some pictures...
The centre of the mast track seems to be 134 cm from the back of the board.
This seems to be more n more standard for slalom boards
The point of weight balance on the board is about 30 cm or 1 foot back from mast track centre.
This too seems more n more standard with slalom boards.
Pretty sure the SB iS 117W had similar features/measurements ...
Here's a pic with a Lessacher weed fin:
Board shapes have changed a little over time .. The Mistral SLE 303 still has some semblance to a boat shape. The newer boards , especially the freemoves, are starting to look more n more like potato chip boards ... Noses are getting rounder and stubbier. This AHD tail still seems to have a more traditional freeride shape ...
These photos obviously bring up the question of fin(s). The slalom type boards are typically delivered with NO fin. As they are slalom boards, slalom fins, or more upright fins are the preference:
Meant for speed and perhaps upwind ability. Then again in a PWA race do they really go upwind?? Wrote to auventfou to see costs of these fins now and both 45 and 47 cm offerings of Select S1 XL slam and Elite S-10 are $250 + tax which = ~ $300. The fins seem to have gone up about 50%. Another Sontag SL-R or SL-X costs 250 Euros which is about $400 = wow :-(
That seems to correspond with the boards as well. Unless one is buying a BIC, prices seem to be around $2000 to $3000.
As I have several tuttle and deep tuttle fins under 57 cm, these fins will have to do until i am comfortable with the board !!! And have to prepare to sell something too ...
So far, have been "testing"/trying the board with a Wolfgang Lessacher 42 cm weedie. Works fine on this board and JP SLW with various sail sizes. The board is a semi-sinker and I practiced uphauling. I can do it, but it is NOT easy. Will try to perfect the different water starts. Had it planing across Lac Deux Montagnes with a NS Duke 6.9 on my first trial on that lake !! Tried a fast tack - nyet. Managed a messy uphaul. Practice, practice, but work all day and no play makes Jack a dull boy :-)
Some people are saying this is NOT the ideal board for me to progress - especially progress quickly. And they may be correct. However, what are my options ?? A Fanatic Gecko 120 ?? 242 x 76. Feel the 120 is just NOT enough for my 105 kilos. 130 is 246 x 78. Maybe, but not that different. Took a quick look at the BLAST 130 - 233 x 70. Feel these boards are all NOT that different. Intend to keep playing in the shallows with this board until I am ready to RIP !!
http://www.windsurfing33.com/forum/
SL2 132 et 7.8 evo2 : S12 slamxl ou Vmax 45
SL2 132 et 8.6 evo2: S12 slamxl 45 si medium,
47 si assez light voir 49 dans le marginal.
Le 47 Vmax et son allonge permet de passer direct en 47 au lieu de 45 au depart.
+1. Pour le vmax 43 et 7,8 sur la 122 Par ailleurs, j ai opté pour un vmax 49 et ramf11 9.0 sur cette même 122 et j ai hâte d essayer ce combo , la sensation de glisse va être terrible
Heavyweights are using large sails on these boards !! and in light winds. Seems the board is quite popular in France...
Aujourd’hui, test en rade de Brest de ma nouvelle SL2 132 flambante neuve !
Conditions de l’essai : Plan d’eau facile à légèrement clapoteux, SW de 13 à 15 nds pour commencer et ensuite 15 nds établis, claques à 17-18 nds maximum. Air 17°, tonnerres de Brest en régate en grande rade (bon ca en s’en fout !)…
Matériel utilisé : SL2 132 – 79,6 de large – RSR Evo 3 - 8,6 + Aileron Sonntag SLP 45.
Rideur : 1m83 – 92 kgs
Premières impressions : la board est très légère une fois l’ensemble en main, elle se révèle tout de suite très joueuse et invite très rapidement à sautiller les clapots qui se présentent, pourtant il y a 132 lt sous les pieds…
A l’image de la 112, la board monte de suite à plat sur l’aileron qui me semble être la bonne taille. De primes abords, quelques petites envolées contrôlées qui m’invitent à caler la plaquette un peu plus en avant (réglée initialement au milieu). Quelques réglages de voile plus tard, l’ensemble se révèle très cohérent (un peu trop ?), très joueur dans les quelques rafales, mais ca manque un peu d’air, je serais mieux en 9,5. Premier travers abattu (100° du vent), un timide 26,5 s’affiche sur le GPS, mais outre cela, les sensations d’une planche joueuse se révèlent petit à petit, mais le vent manque !
Tous les jibes passent bien, mais, à part la prise de care, elle est assez spéciale pour finir bien le jibe, pas trouvé encore le truc, semble-t-il que la board demande à changer les pieds plus vite ??? (avida dollars, une idée la dessus ?). Ce qui est sur, c’est que la planche aime les grandes courbes rapides par rapport à des jibes plutôt serrés que j’ai pour habitude de faire avec mes Kranz… Deux ou trois sont bien passés avec la 112, toujours avec une vitesse peu habituelle pour moi (cad rapide)…
Ensuite c’est parti pour une petite ballade rapide en rade. Le gros point positif c’est le rapport cap/vitesse. Comme sur la 112, la planche, une fois une certaine vitesse prise au travers, se cale sur l’aileron sans aucun spinout, et remonte à environ 60° du vent, sachant que je suis un très mauvais remonteur ! Ce qui me surprends le plus, c’est la vitesse moyenne à cette allure, due sans doute au fait que la planche passe bien au dessus du clapot,à plat et sans broncher à la reprise des petits sauts du au clapot. C’est très agréable et je pense que ca doit être redoutable en compet !
Quelques travers abattus plus tard (toujours 100° du vent, dixit Gpsar), ca donne 28, puis 28,5knots en vmax, bien content vu le peu de vent. J’imagine, sans pouvoir le vérifier de suite, que la vitesse moyenne est très bonne…
Petit arrêt à Poss’Du (cale du pôle France pour les non initiés), ou je rends compte de mes premières impressions à mon shop Notik. « (…) bon, ben c’est prometteur, maintenant faut essayer avec le Vmax 47 pour la rendre encore plus joueuse (…) la board est franchement régulière, je pense qu’elle supporte bien 9,5 mais aussi 7,8 à mon avis… (…) A + dans l’bus, la bises à ta femme (…) »
C’est reparti au tire veille car la cale est déventée par cette orientation (WSW sur le moment), j’en profite pour me dire que la planche est très stable en statique.
Je choisis l’option abattée pour rentrer au MB en 4 bords, et je fais un premier run à 120 ° du vent. Je précise également que le vent venait de s’établir aux alentours des 15 nds (claques à 18 max). Ca y est, je sens la board avec 8,6 dans son programme avec le Sonntag, ca ne bouge pas, c’est calé, les rafales permettront à la board de se libérer avec un contrôle que je n’avait pas sur la Kranz 85 passé 28 nds, c’est vraiment très agréable, pas d'envolée, l'ensemble accepte sans sourciller les propositions indécentes des rafales qui se présentent
Ce bord et les suivants laisseront plusieurs Vmax à 30 nds. Le plan d’eau s’est pourtant bien transformé, mais qu’a cela ne tienne, à l’image de la 112, on s’en fout, on est au dessus, et en prime on a du contrôle, donc on accélère en grand confort !
Ce qui est grisant, c’est qu’avec un tout petite poil de vent en plus (20 nds) - (c’est plus vraiment son programme, ni celui de la 8,6 !), je sens que la board peut aller dans les 31 – 32 nds avec 8,6, ce qui me paraît surprenant en Slalom Xl…
Les trois autres bords d’abbatée me laisseront bien m’amuser avant de plier les gaules , vivement la prochaine nav avec cette board que j’adore déjà !
Au final, après analyse des traces avec GpsAR, on sort en vrac plusieurs fois vers 30 nds en vmax (29,89, 29,78...), 29 nds sur 250m, 28,2 nds sur 500m et 27 nds sur 1km. La régularité dans cette légère brise me satisfait pleinement
Vivement la prochaine, l’essai de la 92, et la livraison de la 112 !!!!!
_________________
Sailing is life... the rests are details !
Laurent Hué of France has written such a GREAT review of the board (in French) that I have translated the review and am making it public (after the okay from Laurent):
and people are doing windfoil experiments with the board as well !! :
Apparently this was the fellow's 2nd ride on this setup - ONLY...
He is 96 kg and started with a Severne Convert 6.7 in 10 - 15 knots and then switched down to a NP Combat 4.7 !! = WOW - with a Windfoil Manta 2 (in case I ever want to get one :-))
and here is a closer pic of the AHD SL2 132 with the foil:
This board was sold in 2018 since I felt it was too much for me and in terms of balance the nose dove down too much ... Replaced it with an AHD SL1 140 which is just a few more liters and just a little bit longer ....Supposed to be a bit more freerace than the slalom boards I have tried ...
It will be on the South Shore of Lac St-Louis from July 29 to August 1st at Châteauguay. If the wind is just right, perhaps we can do a run over from Cartier or BDU ??
The official link is @ Canadian Masters Annual-Championships and the official location is @ 540 D’Youville, Châteauguay /Centre Nautique which is the South Shore (for Montrealers).
It is definitely more of a LONGBOARD and FORMULA event !! The longboards have a BIG range though - D2, raceboards, Kona One, etc ... However, they do mention possibility of a slalom event ??
The official link has ALL the details, but I will add some information here - like - what are the ISAF Racing Rules ?? ISAFRRS20132016Final-[13376].pdf WOW - HUGE document with FLAGS used on the water ...
One thing of interest - is pumping sails allowed ??
Sailboarder of the APVM and local KONA representative tells me: "Apart from the Kona class, all classes allow pumping." What size sails ??
An important note is that trophies can ONLY be awarded to members of the CMWA !! And so, I will also investigate how one becomes a member - if one is not so already ... http://windsurf.ca/about-2/join/ and costs about $50 average ...
The reason I add the "thereabouts" is the season ran longer - I actually windsurfed twice in December 2015 up north at the in-law chalet - December 24th and 27th !! In previous seasons my goal was to go once in December, regardless of where in Montreal - NEVER assuming it would be up north !!
In any case ... the reason why I am writing this post is: the quiver has actually changed since then. At that time the AHD FF 160/79 had already been sold. That was the ONLY board I ever purchased brand new - was a 50th birthday present ... It was not replaced at that time , but the usage of the JP SLW92 was extended to use sails in the 8.x sizes as well.
For this year I was hoping/planning to spend as little as possible on windsurfing since I blew the budget in 2015 - with Hatteras trip and purchases and so ... After I purchased a Mistral Equipe II/2 and a Mistral SLE 303 , something had to go . Sold both my Mistral Equipe I/one and the chalet boat, the Fanatic Ultra CAT. This brought my expenses so far down to $7 for 2016. At one time I had eight (8) boards and now I am down to six(6). One is the BIC Dufour WING which needs major repair and should not really count - it will become my chalet board once again - or go in the garbage...
That leaves me with five(5) boards, which is still too many. My ideal quiver is three(3) boards (maybe four with one longboard) and perhaps five (5) or six(6) sails ... Since I break set-ups down by wind speed, let's see "what i got" ...
Lightest Wind - about 20 kph
Mistral Equipe II/2 and 8.x sails - MauiSails TR-6 8.4 & HotSailsMaui SpeedFreak 8.5
The Mistral depicted is actually a CHS version which CAN322 picked up here.
Mine is the XR carbon version ...
This board could easily handle my TR-4 10-oh, but I do NOT like it when the wind is really light and the sail heavy. There are BETTER longboard sails - Ezzy Zephyr 7.5, Severne Raceboard 8.5/9.5.
For really light wind one needs long and narrow with LOTS of liters.
This one is 375 x 66 cm and 258 liters. with large carbon centreboard and 38 cm slalom fin.
Light Wind - more than 20 kph
JP SLW92 with TR-4 10-oh race sail
For light wind one needs width to plane, large sails and long fins ...
This board is 250 x 92 cm and 165 liters - 10 m² sail and 66 cm fin !!
Other potential boards in this wind range are
as follows:
Starting to get some wind - 20 - 40 kph
This is where it starts to get tricky for me to choose. The JP SLW92 will work fine with the TR-6 8.4, but is not ideal as the board is quite wide... This is a GREAT wind range because water is usually FLAT and less issues with gusts, current, etc AND one starts planing much more easily... So, obviously the same 8.x sails as above with a potential for the JP SLW92, but I also have two(2) "new" boards that fit this category quite well: Mistral SLE 303 and SB iSonic 117Wide. The Mistral is also a slalom , but is with much more volume, while the iS is much wider. These two(2) will be my weapons this summer and I hope to improve speed and technique !!
Other boards that people use in above wind range are Tabou Rocket 135 , Starboard Futura 133 and Fanatic Hawk 135 (NOT made any more !!) - Gecko 133 then ??
What I call MID WINDS - 30 - 50 kph
Now we are talking about wind, current and waves and typically for me 7-oh sail conditions. In the past I often used the Mistral Equipe I/one with the North Sails Duke 6.9. So, this summer the question remains - which board will be used with this sail. The SLE may be fine as it is only 62 cm wide and about 150 liters of flotation !!
What I call HIGHER WINDS 40-60 kph
These are practice winds for me ... waterstarts , etc
Typically use Fanatic BEE 124 and HSM Fire 6.3 ...
What I call HI WINDS > 50 kph
Once one gets more than 25 knots and around 46/50 kph and more, it is for the experts ... I will go practice or observe what others are doing. The important thing is to always be safe. Windsurfers talk about the walk of shame ... where you did not make it back to the starting point ... As long as you made it back safely without damage to equipment , person or soul !! When winds are light there is a bigger risk of using too small a sail and it is NOT a danger. When winds get bigger than one is accustomed to to - rig small !!! Better to be under than over in some circumstances !!!
(Looks like I need to improve some of my equipment pics)
like
NS Duke 6.9
Fanatic BEE
HSM Fire 6.3
On Starboard forum agr64 speaks about his board quiver of longboard, large freeride, slalom and then freewaves. This makes a LOT of sense and this feels like where my quiver is going in terms of boards. The MEQ is obviously the longboard, the JP SLW is the large freeride, the SLE and iS are the slalom boards and the BEE is the closest thing I have towards freewave and is also the least used.
Sail future planning in another story. Masts on the market are all finally tending towards CC/constant curve and buddy King Kong is tending towards RDM masts - all the way up to 9.5 !!
There comes a time when one realizes that there are just too many toys laying about. I am the only windsurfer in the entire extended family and between home and shared chalet there are eight(8) windsurf boards. Okay, if I count the inflatable Mistral WindGlider, there are nine(9), but I count that one as my young son's.
So, what can be sold and at what reasonable price ??
The Fanatic Ultra CAT is a candidate because there are too many longboards and it has seen better days. Still a GREAT board, but would keep it on a small lake.
It is 380 x 67 cm and about 250 liters... It has a carbon centreboard and carbon fin. Was a raceboard back in the day !! Only asking $xxx firm with my mast base or $50 less and buyer figures out mast base... Yes, it has had repairs, but it is water tight and goes GREAT !!
Here is a video on local Rivière Milles Isles. No-one else goes there:
Need to make a faster video to show FULL potential of the board - BEFORE it sells !!
Was going to bring the CAT to the auventfou bazaar/swap meet on MAY 1st, but someone is coming from Ottawa to check it out... Putting all my eggs in one basket ?? Does not matter as I have disconnected myself from the result. The board will just go back to the country if not sold ... We are after all only speaking about $xxx + here ... This WAS my favourite country board - what am I doing ?? too late = SOLD in about 10 days ...
Thanks and GOOD WINDS
joe windsurfer
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The other board I have decided to put on sale and is even more interesting is the Mistral Equipe I/one. It is the LCS-XR raceboardversion. It is 372 x 66 cm and about 210 liters. It has the original parts other than the footstraps which I replaced. The fin is from Tinho Dornellas of calema sports and the centreboard is not carbon and hardly required. I made a steel plate to go in mast track in order to use standard mast bases. The ONLY reason I am selling this one is I now have a Mistral Equipe II/2. The price was $xxx for this board in excellent shape:
Werner Burger out of Zurich has used some of my posts to help him in this project and has suggested we share in his success.. The story and the photos are from Werner...
He bought the board in August 2015 (thanks Gerhard), first test-surfs in August and September 2015.
I have an 83-84-85 Mistral catalogue and the Malibu is in it . It is 355 x 65 cm with a volume of 175 liters and 13 kilos. Possibility of 8 footstraps as you can see in the photo from Werner. Inside the catologue the bottom of the board is described as having a special feature called the "air scoop". It is a concave section in the middle of the board somewhat forward. Will ask Werner for a photo from the bottom as well ...
Werner has sent my a couple of shots from the bottom:
It is supposed to help with early planing and has not been seen before nor since ...
Next ??
bought a used sail and boom (thanks Renato), using the original Mistral mast
bought a used sail North Prisma 9.0 with mast (thanks Roger)
first rides in October 2015
CLIQUE to READ
Okay Werner and now we will bombard you with questions asking for more information
How did you correct the pivot wheels with help from what looks like the three Musketeers /
Philipp, Jakob, Mathias and Alex ??
Can we have more pictures or videos of your excursions ??
need a bottom shot as already discussed ...
We wish you all the best and I am VERY glad to have been of assistance indirectly !!!
You can reply here and have your answers as comments or send to me and I will post
Alles Gute mein Freund !!
Since I have an old Mistral pamphlet, let's see if we can post some pics from the mag here ...
As specified earlier the board is 355 x 67 cm with 175 liters and approx 13 kg
The Equipe I/one of same era is 372 x 65 cm with 210 liters and about 13.5 kg...
clique to enlarge
clique to enlarge
and here is a video from the fellow requesting the post
In 2016 found another video on the web - it includes a Fanatic Shark - one of the boards I always wanted to get and try. This year I may even try a Malibu !!
The above video is from Yann Lefievrewho wrote in below :-)
In 2018 Werner seems to have moved on to a Mistral Equipe 2 !!
Question is - does he still have both and how do they compare ??
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