WindSUP: Sealion XL vs Exocet 10'0 / 10'2

[antonputman]

Hey John, so you are never using the daggerboard at all?
Sorry English is only my third language - What do you mean you have "sewn shut" your dagger gasket?
I have never used a daggerboard but to be honest don't really like the idea of doing so, especially with Exocet's problems I have been hearing. Can I ask, what EXACTLY is the problem?
John please let me also know about sails on the Exocet. What are you using most of the time on the 10'0? Will my freeride sails work?

What looks interesting on the Sealion XL model is the Powerbox aft the masttrack for a daggerfin. That way I could sail my way out of my homespot bay and than remove the fin in open water without any problems.
At my spot it's not about surfing waves in the break but about the swell outside.
Actually there is almost no break. We have very deep waters here in the north of Italy with the swell hitting rocky mountains and very small beaches.

[isobars]

[jingebritsen]

easterlies get you swells on the columbia? how often?

[jingebritsen]

antonputtemans, any sail should work. just keep in mind if you have tube battens don't use those sails in the surf. sounds like you have none.

[isobars]

[d0uglass]

I used the daggerboard on the 11'8" quite a bit until I got frustrated trying to repair the sloppy/broken gasket. After that I just plugged the hole with a sheet of pvc and made do without a daggerboard.

Although the 11'8" can cut upwind OK without the daggerboard, I definitely miss the daggerboard when:

*Sailing in light, non-planing conditions
*Sailing in offshore/obstructed wind
*Riding waves in onshore conditions- daggerboard helps you get back out faster after a ride
*Trying to get to a wave spot that's a long way from the beach where I launch
*Sharing the board with beginners who can't stay upwind without the daggerboard yet

When I get around to it, or when they invent a better daggerboard gasket for the 11'8, I'll replace it so I can use the daggerboard again.

Anton, with a daggerboard you might be able to windsurf right from your beach instead of having to awkwardly paddle out and rig on the water.

[isobars]

[swchandler]

It pretty clear to me that you lack any real experience sailing onshore ocean conditions. Otherwise, you won't have made your original comment about onshore winds and Gorge sailing.

You bring up a statement from Josh Angulo, but you fail to put his comment in context. Actually, he's absolutely right. It's a lot tougher to launch off the beach in onshore conditions. When trying to get off the beach with the wind dead onshore, your ability to get out past close period wind waves hitting you broadside makes it a very difficult task, because it might take you a hundred yards or more moving virtually parallel down the beach to find an opening to edge out sailing upwind. More wind and tighter breaking bigger waves only makes the task more difficult and punishing. Ironically, once out beyond the breaking waves and the impact zone, sailing around is super simple.

To clarify things a bit for you (I'm surprised that I really need to do that), wind at the Gorge is generally from the east or west, but your sailing direction is generally north and south moving across the river. That's sideshore wind from the launch sites. Really, no trouble at all getting off the beach. Contrast that with what what I said in the paragraph above. Launching in strong onshore winds where there is a significant fetch, even pros like Josh Angulo can be greatly humbled and suffer the consequences.

[Sailboarder]

[antonputman]

Thanks for outlining the use of a daggerboard James.
One more question, do you have the dagger half way sometimes, like during reaching or is it just up or down?
The issues with Exocet's daggerboards rather bother me.
I mean not good news when a person like you, who has the skills to add a duck tail to a SUP rocker, can't seem to resolve the gasket issue..

OK so at this point I kind of let go the idea of the Sealion XL.
It looks like a cool toy and it does seem to work also in very light wind, see:
http://vimeo.com/82449281
But it only seem to kick where you have nice clean waves or swell. No flatwater sailing or SUPing. Paddling this board seems very awkward to me, jugging from I few video's I linked to before.

I am convinced now that I need a longboard as I do quite a lot of SUP flatwater cruising with my GF.
I would say: 40% flatwater SUP, 10% wave SUP, 50% sailing in conditions to difficult for my shortboard (125L Tabou Rocket Freeride)
> 0-5knts SUP > 5-20knts longboard sailing > 20-35knts shortboard sailing
I kind of came to this conclusion thanks to James' excellent blog.
http://jimbodouglass.blogspot.it/2008/08/types-of-windsurf-racing.html
Thanks James!

OK so everybody says Exocet. But not the new 2014 10'2 model.
Again, here a video of Keith in NZ riding the 10'2 carbon model.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEneAYqOOV4
The 10'0 Exocet seems perfect for me as my main complain about my current Naish Naulu 10'10 is length (it hardly fit's inside my longwheel base van) but also lack of looseness I think mainly because of it's multi concave bottom. The rocker is not that pronounced btw and it actually planes at about 12-13knts I guess. The Nalu glides well, even in very light winds.

But what about other boards than Exocet??
I read the 10'6 BIC Ace-Tec Wind is a valuable windSUP-er. Is it equal? Or even better?
Someone said "Don't believe the Exocet hype." It planes better upwind and has a nicer glide.
Here is a video of the board planing in not much wind:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqF6O9S0W-Y&t=3m45s

But only yesterday I think I found a new kid on the block. From Tabou, the SUPAWIND @ 10'2 and 11'2
http://www.tabou-boards.com/boards/2014/sup/supa_wind
What do you think? Could this be a valuable high performance longboard?
Or is it just to jump on the learning-windsurf-on-a-SUP bandwagon??
The marketing photo's kind of send me that message.
It has a center fin slot like the Sealion XL. Doesn't say what box, but it looks Powerbox.
Does not have a mast track but 2 inserts, smart move. No footstraps, bummer.
I found more photo's here:
http://www.easy-surfshop.pl/produkt-deska-sup-tabou-2014-supawind-g-skin_399984_891
No good view of the rocker, but in these pictures the tail looks pretty flat:



What do you guys say about the Tabou board?