REAL WORLD WAVE BOARDS
whats your opinion on them
im talking about the short/wide boards
who prefers these kinda boards to traditional wave boards
for example the Starboard Evo, JP real world wave, Angulo amigu and the Exocet universal wave2
what do these boards do that traditional wave boards dont

wow really
thats some awsome feedback jens
thanks for that
all the reviews on these boards do say that they are loose and skatey but i didnt realise that this would mean nursing the bottom turns but now you mentioned it that makes sense
im looking at this type of board for light wind mushy waves so from what you have said these boards sound perfect
but then again a fish sounds even better and too good to be true for these conditions please explain why you think this about the fish and its advantages
sorry im like a big sponge... i soak up all this information which is all good, interesting and helpful
cheers

I bought an evo 74 last october and havent looked back. It was what I was looking for. Sure it's a bit skatey but I prefer something loose on the wave compared to the previous down the line board I had which I though was a bit corky and wasnt loose enough for my liking. I'm back to enjoying snaps off the lip now. The jumps are also heaps easier - to the point I have now started push loops which I had never done before (I think mainly because of the length and weight - 7foot 10inches is a lot better than an 8foot 6inch)

I've sailed it at mushy metams, gnaraloo, big lancelin and big margrets over the summer and had no problems. It does need some attention on the steeper faces and bottom turns but thats a small downside to the awesome wave riding performance. I wouldnt hesitate to take it out in mast high waves and it would be me limiting the board not the board limiting me.

I havent ridden any of the newer down the line boards like the new wave fanatic, but they look pretty loose also. I'm stuck to a budget so I haven't ridden a big range of boards.

I think you can get away with a much smaller volume on the wider boards.

Hi Greeny,

The Starboard Fish comes into its own in light winds. Its wide tail and thruster design enable you to track upwind really well, and it can handle large sails. On my Evo a 5.8m sail is pretty much the limit because the board just doesn't behave real well with anything larger. With a Fish I can go up to 6.9m no problems!

In the waves the Fish is noticeably slower than either Acid or Evo, but is still great fun to ride (particularly at Avalon, where you can really punish that lip with it). Where it excels is that you can easily stall it while you are waiting for the wave to build up to critical, and then just explode into the lip when you tell it to. In other words, you don't need hollow, powerful waves to take off and start the ride. I'd guess its the combination of wide tail and thrusters that helps it do this.

This property makes the Fish less comfortable in powerful waves of the Margarets variety. However, used judiciously, the Fish is still excellent at Margarets. The key is never to be overpowered, and only use the Fish when a normal wave board just won't cut it (ie because there is no wind or because conditions are so gusty). I have used the Fish in 3/4-mast high waves at Margarets with a 5.8 and 6.3m sail, and really enjoyed it. To handle big waves with the Fish you need to set that leeward rail as early as possible, and really use body weight to push the board.

Sounds like Poida is pretty happy with his Evo at Margarets. Scottie McKercher also sails an Evo 74 down there, and he never has any problems. I'm guessing that the narrower tail in the 74 makes it easier to bottom turn than the 92. At Margarets you really need to be able to hit the main peak with full control to ride the wave properly because the pocket is very short and you generate all your power from that 1st turn. My Evo 92 will do it, but requires much more nursing than my Acid 94. So the Acid is just much more fun under those conditions, and I use it preference every time until the waves get to ca. head high. However at Cottesloe I sail the Evo in preference to the Acid because the shorter length is more comfortable in that sloppy, short period chop we call waves there.

Hope this helps.

Cheers, Jens

thanks for these very helpful opinions
in regards to the amigu i rode i personally think that its too short
with its length of 224cm it felt awkward and uneasy
its 80L didnt seem like 80L
but its good points were very loose
very light.... and thats really all i can say im still dumbfounded
i think its coz ive learnt on traditional wave boards
but i have riden chris's (hi chris) evo 74 and that was awsome i had a ball i didnt want to give it back but i guess it was quite windy that day and its length is 233cm which doesnt seem like much blah blah blah blah anyway....
jens what size is your fish is it a starboard
for my 65kgs i really would like a fish 85L, 235 length, 56-57 wide, tail width around 37cm
im guessing a 6m would be a good size but i would use a 5.8m for the purpose of 15 to 18knots in yes of course those sloppy things we call waves
haircut- i think it was bluejuice that said that more width makes a board feel more bouyant

Greenroom. At 65kgs i think that a 85-90L waveboard is too big. When i was your weight i got going in about 13knots on my 76L fish with a 5.3. I have used a 5.8 on it and it felt fine. The reson when i think a board 85-90L is too big for you is that you dont have the weight to get the rail in, and with these boards if you cant get that right they wont turn properly. 15-18knots is just about 4.7 with your weight
For $500 you can have mine inc fish boardbag

hey Greenroom, i took Stef's fish for a sail yesterday. At my weight of about 75kgs i thought the 76 litres felt about right. Because of the width it seemed as soon as it had any forward momentum it was really stable, i could only feel the low volume when i was stationary like coming out of a bad gybe. I only sailed it for about 30 mins but i managed to get a few nice waves and was really impressed at how much speed i could get on the wave while completely underpowered. It also goes upwind amazingly well. At 500 bucks this board is a bargain, it's in awesome condition and comes with the proper starboard bag. Despite all those nice comments, i have to admit if i was only getting one waveboard my choice would be something more gunny and better suited to 20 knots+ down the line conditions.

i hear you all loud and clear and appriciate your kind generosity and help
i had a good chat to someone today about fish boards, my wieght (no it wasnt jenny craige or hardie damn im gonna cop it now), volume, width, tails etc etc etc
currently i have an F2 wave 75L 250lenght 52wide pintail and a 68L thruster roughly same dimensions
now these two boards are fine with my 65kgs and currently my biggest sail 5m in 20knots give or take a few knots
when it gets 22knots + i use a 4.2m and by this time i struggle to hang on and dont have much fun etc etc etc
ANYWAY ive said this many times before and sorry if ive repeated myself but i struggle to get going on the 75L F2 and 5m when its 15/16/17knots not much fun.....ssssssooooooo......therefore id rather have float and yes stef ive sussed out that 90L would be too big so im gonna stick with no more than 85L and im buying a 5.8m so this i think () would be fun
there were quite a few days this last season where i really wanted to go out and i knew i had no chance with what ive got but id go out anyway and just grovel around until one day i sat watching everyone doing just that until one guy went out on an 85L fish and 5.8m sail and he was always on the plane, got more waves than anybody else and had a ball.... i talked to him after and he only weighed 66kg so from that day on ive had my mind set on getting what he was on
but then again he probably had been sailing for years having more experience than me with only 15months

davo thats the problem i think with the 76L fish i would have is that i dont want to be stationary for one second im always making bad gybes i want to jump on the board and be straight on the plain so im kinda scared to go with stefs 76 as i know i would probably hate it it wont be my one wave board

stef i know its the end of the season and there might not be much happening but i would like to see your board and maybe even have a go i think that the bouyancy of 85L would be right but as long as i can get a width which is not too wide so i can get that rail dug in and hold it there

deano thanks heaps for your offer please email me a contact number so i can get in touch with you
ill buy it off you

paul i will give you a call or pop in at the shop and have a yarn coz ive heard you know your @#$% thanks for the offer

thanks again everyone
all your comments have been very helpful (keep them coming) in ironing out those krinkles i have

Sorry Greenroom it an't for sale.

Ph 0439 098 934 leave a message if I don't answer.

Deano

hey mike,
aerotech sails make'em up to 7.4m!!!!
there's hope for us fat bastards yet

Greeny,

My boards are all Starboard and all around the same volume:
Fish 95, Acid 94 and Evo 92.

I agree with those comments suggesting you'd do better on a smaller Fish. For reference I weigh 107kg, hence my liking for the larger boards.

Cheers, Jens

I have sailed my 85l fish with a 6.2. I weigh 91kg. You will need a bigger fin.

Deano

26 now haydz

and now 28
and on a serious note thanks everyone for your awsome feedback
much approved