hybrid race board for distance sailing.... RS:X perhaps????

[d0uglass]

I've ridden an RSX once or twice, and ridden the prodigy a lot. IMHO the RSX has more formula-like upwind / downwind performance, and it's pretty fast on a reach, too. Yeah, it's heavy but I don't think it's any heavier than a Kona ONE. Main reason I wouldn't own one is because they're so rare and expensive.

A cheaper alternative could be the Bic Hybrid OD. Similar shape to the RSX, but supposedly more use-friendly in planing mode and more efficient glide in daggerboard-down mode.

http://www.bicsportwindsurf.com/products/boards,3,31/hybrid,329.html

Good luck!

[antonius]

I vote D2 for the Olympics.

That board looks like fun.

The RS:X probably will be better with less weight but I can't imagine it would transform the board so much that I'd change my mind on it. It just never feels right or efficient in any conditions to me. I have fun any time my feet are on a windsurf board and can have fun on an RS:X but always find myself wishing I was on another board the entire time.

[jingebritsen]

agreed with antoinus.

i'd like to see all companies make the RS D2 for the olympics all to the same spec. having one company winner take all in the bidding for the oly class is a mistake. we need to find ways to build stuff and campaigns together more if we want to grow our sport.

also agreed, the RSX does not appeal to me. i too, am looking for another kit when sailing it. if nothing else is available, i'll give a go, but limited by its fragility, expense and weight, am ready to go on nearly anything else.

[DelCarpenter]

The desired long distance cruising calls for a board which both planes & glides, but is planing or gliding emphasized? Hybrids like the RS:X emphasize planing. A Kona One Design emphasizes gliding.

My choice for the long distance cruising would be a Kona One Design. In my midwestern sailing I experience a lot of days with fluctuating wind conditions. Avoiding slogging is much more important to me than getting planing more quickly or more frequently. (Racing is the main reason I bought my Kona.)

Which board will encourage you to do a trip or be on the water the most often?

[GURGLETROUSERS]

Abvsolutely Mr Carpenter. Cruising a long journey in very variable conditions has definite requirements.

Having used old and newer raceboards, and tried hybrids, I have still to find the perfect all rounder. Meanwhile, the Kona is the make do board until I do.

There are faster racing boards with better glide than the Kona, but for all day long distance cruising comfort and EASE OF USE are where the Kona scores. It is a true all rounder. Also, it is not over fragile and can stand the inevitable knocks, something the others can't do.

Weight is not a prime issue in cruising. For example, the Kona and the Prodigy (a board I bought and used) are both heavy, but they handle very differently. The short wide heavy Prodigy with its outboard straps puts a big strain on the ankles when blasting over heavy chop. It has little longitudinal stability and swings all over as it lifts. The long narrower equally heavy Kona is actually quite pleasant in the same conditions. It is slower than the Prodigy but much much nicer, in that the waterline length and weight 'squash' and 'iron out' the chop, which sometimes makes me whoop with satisfaction. That kind of feeling is priceless on a long cruise, and helps the motivation to go even further. It 'tickles me pink' so to speak! Also, of course, sub planing slogging is nice and restful but efficient, too.

I also bought the Mahalo tandem (bigger Kona) for cruising with camping gear, and that too has its charms. I can't imagine an RSX 'ringing my bell' for that kind of work!

[Sailboarder]

Great to see that the Kona is a decent fit for longer distance touring.

There is a French guy using a Starboard Phantom 320 for touring. It looks more practical than the Phantom 380, more solid too. Copmapred to the Kona, there are more footsraps positions, and a sliding mast track that can be handy. He posted several videos, here's one.

http://www.youtube.com/user/F388949#p/a/u/0/97Cb4guu6w0

Back to the Kona for touring, I guess at least a single sided adjustable outhaul is a must for touring. An adjustable downhaul could be great too. Anyone using one?

About fin selection on a Kona, a straight slalom fin with minimal rake should help getting upwind. I would like to try a Select S11 Race for that purpose. My guess is that not much rake is required for the Kona since the nose has a tendency to ride high anyway. Anyone can share experience about that?

[jingebritsen]

with the stock zenith or kona sails adjustable down haul may not be worth the extra hassle. the outhaul will provide 80% + of the adjustments needed given daily swings in wind in most places.

agreed, straight fin at or about 52 should be max, more likely 48-50 would be ideal.

mahalo is very ideal for extra floatation and upwind power.

seen the RS D2 video yet? patrice has some serious experience pursuing this type of board. too bad he had not convinced the oly folks to go with this type of board.

[scargo]

What an intriguing design, the RS D2. A Serenty nose joined with a slalom tail. And why not, because heading upwind in displacement mode, you want a slim, knifing waterline, not a wide bulbous nose that bounces around. That's why the Serenity was such a revelation. (No disrespect to the Kona One, which I own and love.)

What I find interesting about the D2 is the suggestion that even in planing mode off the wind, a board might benefit from a slicing bow. After all, once on a plane, the only function of the area in front of the mast step is to deflect waves, and the D2 seems to be making the case that a pointy front can do that pretty well.

[Paul_M]

Grayson, I too like a board that can go places. I also love having a board that is a really willing performer going upwind both on the d-board or , in more breeze, the fin. The Exocet Pacer is the only one I've found that I could really say that about. The Bic Hybrid is worth checking out too. However GurgeTrousers is right that these boards suffer from lack of glide sub 7 knots or so - especially downwind. I think Exocet 'neutered' the Olympic 310 (with canoe nose) when they made the Pacer - but they are innovative in this area and may put things right with the RS D2. As things stand though I have to admit you can't beat an old (or new) race board for the purpose. Not that I don't enjoy them, it's just that I think they have a few weaknesses that 20 years of design progress should be able to improve on.

[swchandler]

Looking at old versus new, one has to wonder about the ability to jibe. Older designs narrowed the rear and tail sections of the board as a solution, and that's still true today in "new" versions of the classic long raceboard. However, with the wider tailed raceboard like Exocet's RS D2 Elite, it seems that some of the planning aspects of Formula board designs is beginning to enter into the picture. To be fair though, outside of tacking strengths, the question of jibing ease is of interest with respect to much wider planning tail designs.

As an aside, when surfing went back to longboards, designers went back to the rounded noses so popular back in the 60s. After being a longboard guy from the early 60s, and changing to shortboards in the very late 60s, in the late 90s I bought a classic 9'6" Yater Spoon. I have to say that the wide nose didn't work for me, particularly when it came to paddling. Some years later, I bought an 8'8" Yater Ultility Model with a pointed nose. Unquestionably, the pointed nose made paddling much much easier and quicker. Admittedly, not as good of a noserider, but paddling and surfing down-the-line surfing, it was hugely superior.