VIC
356 posts
Saw 3 of these aircraft carriers pottering around recently, Their pilots made noticeable progress in the course of a single session.
And then reflected back to my dismal days of falling off and uphauling practice on a plastic fantastic that lasted for a whole season.
Slow learners like me will take quite a while to outgrow such a ship.
WA
152 posts
I spent 1.5 seasons on a GO and it was the best learning platform. I gradually weaned myself onto a Mistral Screamer and haven't looked back.
VIC
356 posts
Hadn't seen one GOer for a while. Kept an eye out for him as I had a cheap seat harness from a swap meet for him. Then yesterday he had a sad tale to relate- His GO dislodged the one occy strap holding it onto his trailer and when he looked back it was GONE. Driving back and forth along his route provided no clues. So he eventually bought an F2 135 litre as a logical upgrade. But he is finding it much less friendly. Such is life...
WA
1173 posts
So what is the "Board No 2"?
I have a white plastic 292cm "Ludecke Design" which is old, heavy, and has a narrow tail. Probably around 120 litres volume.
A pain in the but...
The new boards are prohibitively expensive.
Any idea what can be bought for under $300 that floats (130-150l), is not a beginner's ship, plans easily, has a wide tail with some flotation? Getting desperate...
QLD
2315 posts
For that price you are looking for older boards, no way will you get a wider board for $300 apart from maybe a well used Techno. Bare in mind I am on the east coast and things are generally a little more expensive than WA. Here is my list in order of preference.
Bic Techno 283 69cm 150L (by far and away the best of this bunch)
F2 Xantos 310 61cm 141L
Fanatic Bee 294 60cm 135L
Fanatic Gecko 298 56.5cm 135L (prior model to Bee)
Bic Veloce 298 61cm 137L (strong slightly heavy good all round)
Mistral Echo 298 57.8cm 138L (good early planer)
VIC
356 posts
Obelix-
His new board is an F2 Fanatic (135 l 69cm), new cost $1600. He is an uphauler and looks to weigh about 90 kg. But it may actually be good for him as he is presently stuck at the point of very slow tacks. It will now be easier for him to hold some forward motion and attempt to do flare gybes, maybe.
I weigh 85 kg and found the Fanatic relatively quite critical to beach start in schlogging wind. Feet need to be placed within 2 cm instead of 10 cm sort of thing.
If you bite the bullet and get a GO you will never go home without having a sail. Isn't that significant? Today I mastered the fin in air, zero depth, backwards beach start.
For me, just as rewarding and much less expensive than coming in from a speed run with a broken boom..
WA
1173 posts
Thanks guys,
My aim is to learn the water start and hopefully to gybe. But, if I go too deep and fall, I struggle to get going again so I need a compromise board but...
I took the harness and straps course at the Pelican Point on these large boards, and afterwards rented the GO they had and didn't like it. It was dragging too much water and could not get it to plan easily.
That "GO" is a roundish blue/white thing. Is Go a series of models or a single one? Maybe I was just unhappy with this one.
Hi mkseven I cheched the boards you listed, and liked the BIC Techno 283 1999 model. Also liked F2 Xantos but only year 2000 onwards. Mistral Vision 170 1999 looked OK too. Fanatic Bee, again 2000 onwards.
Anyone has one of these on offer in WA?
QLD
2315 posts
I actually had the vision and later bee listed but removed them as here at least you will not find one under double what you wish to pay.
Dont discount the previous Xantos, they are damn nice boards to use and still plane relatively early 60cm wide is good enough for most things it is using sails about 8.5m where you notice it (you have to be sure where your weight and the rigs weight is).
Widestyle are good but they still dont feel as free as narrower boards and there is still debate about whether it hinders learners when they go to step onto something smaller.
VIC
356 posts
The GO is about twice the weight of something like the Fanatic, maybe why it feels slow to plane and does not respond well to pumping. Easy to repair edge dings is the upside.
Maybe I should attend Tony's Sandy week to correct the odd style I have developed due to gust and catapult phobia. Wonder why I go faster when I relax?
WA
361 posts
2nd Wind in Melville WA had a Fanatic Bee (about 150L 2001 model I think) for $400. Not sure if it would still be there, as it was a bargain.
There was a post ages ago for a fairly rough bic techno around the same price (which, in hind-sight, was also a pretty good buy).
WA
1173 posts
Hi mkseven,
I definitelly don't want the same board I currently have, and the narrow tail drags badly under my 100kg unless the wind is 22-25knts when it plans and becomes very fast and exciting. I just need to go back to basics for a month to learn a bit more. Hard to justify big $$$ to my wife.
Hi keksoff. Thanks for the info on the gear.
I checked 2nd Wind and Windsurfing Perth pages but none of these boards are listed otherwise I would go and take a look.
The other day I bought a boom of a guy who offered me an F2 150l for $550. Looked modern. A light and wide board and I really wanted it, but...($$$)
Maybe I should buy it for my wife as a present [}:)].
If I add some oars, she would think it is a kayak?
QLD
2315 posts
Obelix this may or may not apply to you but do not ever confuse weight with poor technique. By choosing the "easy" option it may help you tomorrow but for a few weeks of "** this board is hard" you will soon be a better sailor for it. If you stay on the easier board and you ever decide you want to start using sub 85L boards you will get a very rude shock and a damn hard time, btw using such a big board in 25knots although feeling safer you are actually making life harder (unless you sail on dead flat water).
I know from experience, at my heaviest I was a bit over 110kg yet I could still make my 299 149L 59cm wide board plane easily in 12knots with a 7.8m sail, 15knots and I would be using a 7.0m. Last year I dropped from 95kg to 85kg and I couldnt notice any difference in early planning maybe 1knot more wind required, what I did notice was my inability to hold down the same size sail. So in some ways being heavier is easier.
The Xantos is a very easy board, it topped magazine tests for years followed closely by the fanatic (i've never owned either but have tried them). Furthermore you cannot compare 2 boards based on length, width and volume. Any board I listed bar the bic's probably weighs about 2/3 the weight of your plastic board and static weight matters alot in early planing. Wide boards are great, they have their purpose and purpose is the only reason I use them because the narrower boards imo are still more fun to use.
VIC
356 posts
Steep learning curve here, mkseven makes lots of sense. But what use would an expert have for a wide board unless it was for Formula style sailing in ultra light winds with a fin that drags along the bottom and a sail that is totally in charge?
While you are looking this way- am I being conned with the advice "Don't bother with any sail pre 2003" ?
SA
2898 posts
Oldie,
probably the advise on pre03 sails has to do with use.
Mainly the amount of UV light they have been subjected too.
in ease of use any sail of this millenium would be good.
but Monofilm is probably only good for about 400hrs of sunlight.
plus things like poor storage, sand etc speed up deterioration.
Also sails 2 seasons old can be real bargains so why bother with old stuff. make sure the oldest part of your rig is your tongue.
And we would love to see you at Sandy Point, there are still 3 spots left. Or save up and come to Fiji with us in August, 4 spots there.
best winds
Tony L
