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gvogelsang
Joined: 09 Nov 1988
Posts: 435
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 Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2017 8:39 pm Post subject: Is the Rocket Dead? |
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I don't mean the Rocket per se, but older style free ride boards. Here we are in 2017, and the new wide free rides have been out for a few years: Firemove, Rocket Wide, Gecko, Atomiq.
Is there any reason to look at the older style free ride board - a little longer and a little narrower?
Weigh in.
Flame on.
The newer short/wide boards are certainly closer in dimensions to the slalom boards currently in use.
Last edited by gvogelsang on Fri Mar 31, 2017 7:04 am; edited 1 time in total |
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joethewindsufa
Joined: 10 Oct 2010
Posts: 1190
Location: Montréal
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| Posted: Fri Mar 31, 2017 4:50 am Post subject: |
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the Fanatic Gecko has replaced the Shark since about 2015
however, the Gecko lengths were extended before the Shark disappeared
(especially in the larger sizes)
i liked this comparison of the freemove vs traditional freeride
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https://thewavehobbit.wordpress.com/windsurfing/articles/2015-gecko-133l/
the Blast is now replacing the Hawk |
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pmlct
Joined: 02 Mar 2010
Posts: 68
Location: Middletown CT
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| Posted: Fri Mar 31, 2017 5:00 am Post subject: |
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| I still don't like jibing the wide freemove boards and really don't want to have a different technique for only one board in my collection. I have a Rocket 135 and 125 as well as a Rocket wide 108. I previously had a RRD Firemove 120 and sold it for the above reasons, but now a couple years later had the opportunity to get the wide 108 used and bought it for laughs. It still reminds me of my initial complaints but will likely stay in my collection |
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jingebritsen
Joined: 21 Aug 2002
Posts: 3371
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| Posted: Fri Mar 31, 2017 5:01 am Post subject: |
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longer and narrow allows better glide in power off situations.
short and wide is better in power on situations.
long and narrow may be easier to stay planing in wider arc gybes for those that sail chronically under powered.
short and wide is best for those that want to sail lit to the max and have perfected their gybes.
one day in side to side off in central Florida, I watched a guy who thinks his stubby wave board is something he loves, go straight, fall in at the corners 6 times in a row. he sails chronicallyunder powered as the maui culture doctrine dictates. he is not the only drinking the Kool aid.
same crap for free rides. sail lit, nail all your corners, one could love short and wide.
what's the avg age of a windsurfer? avg skill?
who is designing this stuff?
the last board test WS Magazine did, very few sailors were on the water unless the wind was 20 + most Avg folks didn't bother testing the light wind gear in truly light wind.
designers are getting inputs from people that want stability when it is blowing hard and width may help them do slam gybes. avg folks are thus dooming themselves to non planing slam gybes for life.
moderately wide boards with 245+ lengths tend to help aspiring folks to advance their skills far easier than 225 long stuff with 76+ widths
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DanWeiss
Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Posts: 2296
Location: Connecticut, USA
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| Posted: Fri Mar 31, 2017 9:53 am Post subject: |
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| jingebritsen wrote: | longer and narrow allows better glide in power off situations.
short and wide is better in power on situations.
long and narrow may be easier to stay planing in wider arc gybes for those that sail chronically under powered.
short and wide is best for those that want to sail lit to the max and have perfected their gybes.
one day in side to side off in central Florida, I watched a guy who thinks his stubby wave board is something he loves, go straight, fall in at the corners 6 times in a row. he sails chronicallyunder powered as the maui culture doctrine dictates. he is not the only drinking the Kool aid.
same crap for free rides. sail lit, nail all your corners, one could love short and wide.
what's the avg age of a windsurfer? avg skill?
who is designing this stuff?
the last board test WS Magazine did, very few sailors were on the water unless the wind was 20 + most Avg folks didn't bother testing the light wind gear in truly light wind.
designers are getting inputs from people that want stability when it is blowing hard and width may help them do slam gybes. avg folks are thus dooming themselves to non planing slam gybes for life.
moderately wide boards with 245+ lengths tend to help aspiring folks to advance their skills far easier than 225 long stuff with 76+ widths |
Agreed. Wide boards with high-aspect rockers turn best at high speed. At the last Windsurfing Mag board test to which jingbritson referred, he and I were just about the only ones throwing up a wall of water when jibing. The reason isn't insane skill but our experience racing and sailing really powered up. We know that jibing racy boards requires commitment and give them the beans because only through commitment will the board speed remain high enough to rip out of the jibe rather than drop from a plane. Other sailors tended to jibe from the back foot due to concerns about stuffing a rail but found themselves bogging down and wrestling a rig again at full "pull."
Longer, more narrow boards jibe great yet, ironically, demand even more from the sailor than shorter, wider boards if jibing really powered up. With a lower aspect, longer rocker the narrower boards (generalizing, of course) will carve in a more relaxed way but often only with a narrow sweet spot for perfect jibing. That sweet spot moves a lot more across conditions and rig power than a higher-aspect-rockered board. Therefore, long, thin boards often may seem quite unpredictable in jibes, at least if one expects to rip out of a particular jibe with the same feel as the prior jibe.
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joethewindsufa
Joined: 10 Oct 2010
Posts: 1190
Location: Montréal
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| Posted: Sat Apr 01, 2017 6:08 am Post subject: |
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for the aspiring windsurfer as in the average joe windsurfer = me
I am liking the Gecko 133 @ 246x78 cm
as in - wish i had one  |
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rollerrider
Joined: 17 May 2003
Posts: 100
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| Posted: Sat Apr 01, 2017 12:03 pm Post subject: |
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| It seems to me that an overly wide board would require smooth water. Also a thin board might be not be as strong. I don't like older long boards as they take awhile to plane, don't jump well and just not lively. But their thicker narrow shape can take a pounding and smooth out the ride like open ocean/cigarette boats. |
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kevinkan
Joined: 07 Jun 2001
Posts: 1661
Location: San Francisco
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jingebritsen
Joined: 21 Aug 2002
Posts: 3371
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Arrgh
Joined: 05 May 1998
Posts: 864
Location: Rio
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| Posted: Mon Apr 03, 2017 10:19 am Post subject: |
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Kevin, While freerace is not my personal cup of tea, I still look forward to your report, should be interesting. Also, Windsurf Mag should be testing the 130 next month in their freerace test.
And regarding the original topic, it looks like RRD is reintroducing the Fireride, but only in 135 and 155 liter versions. |
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