I'm looking for my next board mainly for Perth w/ the occassional trip to Lancelin. I've narrowed my choices down to the onshore waveboards (evo/rww/wavecult etc) but as I haven't ridden many modern boards I don't know what volume I'm going to need.
I weigh 76kg and like to sail in 16kn - ~30kn.
I know you're supposed to just match the board to your fav sail sizes but I've heard that boards made in the last 3-5 years require less sail area than previously so I don't know what sails I will favour with one of these boards.
Am I looking for a 70-something litre board or an 80-something?
Troppo - good point on weight, I weigh between 88-90 kgs and my Naish 85 ltr wave board sinked liked no-bodies business the first (and only) time I used it! Should be fine for a lightweight like you racycoot.
nah... to good to sell at the moment maybe next year...
My old wave board was the same volume but narrower and it sunk.
This one is much more floaty with more volume where its needed but still with nice thin rails. Not to mention it's nice and light. I've sailed JP's version of the same and liked the wavecult more as it seemed to be more responsive.
So what about the claim that newer boards need less sail? Currently sailing an old 81L F2 "wave" (~254 x ~54). About 7yrs old.
Has anyone found that when transitioning from old board to new that they use smaller sails than what they previously would have in the same conditions?
Mid 80's too big for wavesailing if you are only 76kg.... especially as an onshore oriented board will be a bit quicker to plane. Get an 80L, but maybe as low as 74 if it is an early planer liek and EVO or RWW. Mostly importantly: two fins as the stock one is usually too small. Lets say it probably somes with a 21cm in an 80L, that is fine for upper wind range but get a 23-24cm for your 16-22kn days.
I have EVO's and love 'em. They are very happy in onshore slop and also in flat out, or underpowered, down the line conditions (most of my wavesailing is DTL).
The RWW guys tell me they are 'better' I have no idea what that means but they seem to say they are a bit faster in the bottom turn. Dunno if that is in fact a good thing as my EVO80 is so damn fast and tight carving in the bottom turn sometimes I hit the lip too hard/fast and it is bloody scary. Don't think I'd want any faster on a wave!!
I get the feeling the difference is very small.
PS If you are buying new, next years RRD Freestyle Wave (avail in coupla months?) looks to be much more like a RWW or EVO, whereas before they were a bit hard to turn on real waves.
I've sailed both the RRD Wave cult and the RRD freestyle wave 06 model 84litre. The cult is a lot easier to get in the air and turn. The FSW seems to stick to the water a bit more and wants to go in a straight line.
In a nut shell i prefer the cult for allround sailing. Its my one and only board at the moment. I use it in 15 - 35+ knots.
My father picked up an '04 RRD freestyle wave 87L recently. I took it out a couple of times last week and I know what you mean about it wanting to stick to the water! I hit a couple of small bits of chop and waited for the whooosh but nope, had to really work it to get it into the air. I think it's the large flat at the back of the board that causes this.
It felt very stable and controllable, even in gusty 25 - 35knot stuff with a 4.5m - conditions where my old 81L F2 bucks like a bronco. And yes, it held a nice straight line which was perfect for the flat water.
At the other end of the spectrum I took it out in what I thought was gonna be 15 - 20knots with a 6.2m sail. Wind dropped out to <10kn at the end of my first run but fortunately with this board I was able to slog back to the beach and saved myself a long, hard paddle. (Gotta admit it's pretty tense sailing along shuffling your weight forward and back to keep the thing afloat, all the while knowing that if you fall in you're not gonna be able to waterstart!)
It's a nice board, but not really the board for me. I want something more wave oriented that pops easier for better jumps. I know that my father is going to like it though because it seems like a good all-rounder for flatwater or small wave sailing.
Look at what the good guys are riding at your local break.
Justin Stock = Acid Jesper Orth = Acid Ben Arther= Delta Matt Holder = custom hollow evo Solid dark haired gut at Mettams = 99l f2 Gorilla Corey = Stone board
