New freemove boards?

[adywind]

I'm not sure if trying will make your choice easier-it's the opposite with me anyway It's fun to try new kits though, I never miss a chance to do it bothering locals and visitors sometimes
The way I look at it a 2 boards quiver something like ~140/130+ 110 will cover you from 5.5 to 8.5 and beyond/ but you have a formula board aswell/. Behind a break wall is really forgiving-we have a long one here and it's my favorite place -mirror flat water; chop and sometimes big waves just next to each other ,I love it -you can be never with the wrong kit! It works with the N directions only though for the S ones I'm limited to a small lake /gusty / or over 2 hr drive.
Looking forward to your comparison between the Gecko and the Firemove. I realize that with different body types everyones experience may vary significantly-110 and 5.5 for you is probably what's 90 and 4.5 for me...or maybe not

[isobars]

[techno900]

iso said:

[isobars]

15-25 average with lulls to 5 is nice steady wind by my local standards. I don't own gear for the 15 (that would be at least 125L and at least an 8.0), but at 20 mph average I can start using a 6.2 and mid-90s if the holes aren't too frequent or deep. When I go in to grab a smaller sail, I also grab a smaller board, because both the chop and the swell are increasing to the point they become advantageous, IMO.

When I (and the magazines and the guys here) say "wider is rougher", we imply that everything else -- rocker, vee, etc. -- is held constant. I won't own a board without a hull built for a good ride, whether it's vee, concaves, a small tail, or all three. My newest (2014) 95L board emphasizes a full length rocker, a bit more length and a bit narrower beam than them potato chips, and a small wingered tail and a tiny fin. It rides like a Lazy Boy and plays like a puppy on a sugar high when under power in the swell and chop in 6.2 winds. I don't have access to acres of smooth water or steady winds, and a rough ride -- besides simply sucking --obscures my vision, so ride quality is paramount to me.

As I've said many times, today's stubbies, like the more traditional shapes, have their own sets of pros and cons. My sailing style preferences favor the more traditional shapes, and hardly a day goes by without seeing someone here whose stated needs or goals match trads better than stubbies. In many of those instances, the sailors just don't know the difference and presume that newer is inherently better. They're the ones who stand to benefit the most from seeing discussions like this one of differing opinions and preferences.

[adywind]

I'm warming up to the idea that the volume for a high wind board /no down the line wave riding!/ can be based on the simple formula: riders weight in kg +10=the boards volume which for a 215Lb man will indeed be a 110L. In case you want to use it as a weight loss motivational tool get a size smaller
Now for what type of a board to choose- it depends of what you want to do. A given volume will float you the same in the lules, but the wider the board the more stable it will be and better the chances for the less experienced to stay dry. Still, there comes the point where stability becomes boredom and I agree that a boring high wind board makes no sense. In my mind the short and wide "freemoves" have always been moderate to medium wind boards to be sailed with 4 footstraps-a freerace board alternative if you want and I'm convinced now that they are better at that then the official freerace boards.
For maneuver heavy, B&J type sailing even without a hint of waveriding I agree with Isobars-there are better alternatives. Unless of course-straight line blasting and racing with the pals is your one and only thing ; all of your rigs are blasting biased and you have a body of water flat enough to do it in comfort then the freemove would be a good choice again, but you still may consider the Allride, the Hawk or the Starship for example as an alternative-which are somewher in-between the freemoves and the FSWs.

[isobars]

[SPQR]

I'm 195 -200 lbs and had an opportunity to sail a Firemove 110 in moderate wind (at least for the SF Bay) 18 - 20 knots on a number of occasions. It was the easiest board to sail that I have ever been on and I have 35 years of experience sailing the SF Bay and surrounding coastal area. That said once I tried a 5.5 sail on a flood tide at Coyote Pt. I couldn't have picked a worse board to sail that day, the chop and the wide board made for a horrible ride on a port tack, or leaving the beach. If it's windy enough for me to sail with a 5.5 (many folks were on 4.7's or smaller) I would take my Naish Wave or Fanatic Freewave any day. They will sail great regardless of chop or tide as long as there is sufficient wind. But on a light day, and with a outgoing tide the Firemove is a great board, goes right through the lulls, planes up quickly and jibes much better than I ever would have thought a wide board would.

[dllee]

To me, wide boards are indeed easy, but incredibly boring. And, they don't work well in confused steep chop compared to narrower boards.
Of course, TOO narrow is the opposite problem. Really fun to sail well, but very hard to sail efficiently.
Too narrow is around 52cm on a board intended for 6.5 sails.
Too wide is around 66 cm's on a board intended for 6.5 sails.
But I'm only 155lbs.

[coachg]

Are you sure you don't mean 62 cm wide? There can't be too many 52 cm wide boards out there intended for a 6.5 sail. Not even the speed needles.

Coachg

[justall]