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Roberts Boards - Opinions?
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mamero



Joined: 25 Aug 2013
Posts: 380
Location: Vancouver, Canada

PostPosted: Fri Aug 04, 2017 9:54 am    Post subject: Roberts Boards - Opinions? Reply with quote

What is your opinion of Roberts Boards?

In Vancouver I see them somewhat often but have never tried one.

Are they any good? What do you like or not like about them?

I am a big Starboard fan but a Roberts Formula board has popped up on Craigslist. It's not high on the priority list but it is tempting for those light wind days which we get a lot of.
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grantmac017



Joined: 04 Aug 2016
Posts: 946

PostPosted: Fri Aug 04, 2017 10:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Very nicely built and they last! Maybe a bit heavy (depending on the board) but nothing like a Tuffskin. My 15 year old Roberts wave looks new and it's got miles on it.

Keep in mind that formula boards don't really work well with smaller sails (under 8m for your weight) and require an active technique. So you will need a budget a bigger rig as well.
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mamero



Joined: 25 Aug 2013
Posts: 380
Location: Vancouver, Canada

PostPosted: Fri Aug 04, 2017 11:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

grantmac017 wrote:
you will need a budget a bigger rig as well.


There are a couple regulars who ride Roberts Formula boards and they both use Sailworks NX sails. They are always planning even in light wind. They also point up wind like crazy! It would take me 3 or 4 tacks upwind on my Carve/Retro combo to get to the same place they can do in one tack.

So I agree, the addition of a formula board would likely also require a larger race oriented sail with matching mast. I don't think a 7.5 Retro would quite be enough. This makes a +/- $500 formula board more like a $1000-$1500 board.
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konajoe



Joined: 28 Feb 2010
Posts: 517

PostPosted: Fri Aug 04, 2017 11:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

They get upwind fast and plane early because of the formula board, big sail, big fin, and lots of skill.

So, you should first be asking yourself if you want to get any formula board, big sails, and big fins. If your answer is yes, and you're not planning on doing serious racing, the Roberts formula board would be fine.
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dllee



Joined: 03 Jul 2009
Posts: 5328
Location: East Bay

PostPosted: Fri Aug 04, 2017 12:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Build quality excellent, design up to date of the board.
Formula does work best with CAM sails, and around 7.0 is minimum sizing for the new generation of sails. Retros can work fine with less outhaul so the static shape is well curved, similar to cam sails.
Smaller fins is usually the call, somewhere between 62-66 for sails smaller than 9 meters. 70's work, but get herky jerky when powered up with smaller sails than around 10's.
Longer harness lines and higher booms, of course.
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grantmac017



Joined: 04 Aug 2016
Posts: 946

PostPosted: Fri Aug 04, 2017 1:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

mamero wrote:
grantmac017 wrote:
you will need a budget a bigger rig as well.


There are a couple regulars who ride Roberts Formula boards and they both use Sailworks NX sails. They are always planning even in light wind. They also point up wind like crazy! It would take me 3 or 4 tacks upwind on my Carve/Retro combo to get to the same place they can do in one tack.

So I agree, the addition of a formula board would likely also require a larger race oriented sail with matching mast. I don't think a 7.5 Retro would quite be enough. This makes a +/- $500 formula board more like a $1000-$1500 board.


Have you ever sailed a raceboard? Not some beginner wide thing with a dinky little centerboard but a proper raceboard.
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mamero



Joined: 25 Aug 2013
Posts: 380
Location: Vancouver, Canada

PostPosted: Fri Aug 04, 2017 2:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

grantmac017 wrote:
mamero wrote:
grantmac017 wrote:
you will need a budget a bigger rig as well.


There are a couple regulars who ride Roberts Formula boards and they both use Sailworks NX sails. They are always planning even in light wind. They also point up wind like crazy! It would take me 3 or 4 tacks upwind on my Carve/Retro combo to get to the same place they can do in one tack.

So I agree, the addition of a formula board would likely also require a larger race oriented sail with matching mast. I don't think a 7.5 Retro would quite be enough. This makes a +/- $500 formula board more like a $1000-$1500 board.


Have you ever sailed a raceboard? Not some beginner wide thing with a dinky little centerboard but a proper raceboard.


No, I haven't sailed a true formula board. I know they are a different approach than a general-purpose freeride board like a Starboard Carve. This is primarily due to the extreme outboard positions of the footstraps. They apparently are more challenging to gybe as well. Seeing as I am JUST starting down the path of carve gybes this could be counter productive decision. Still, considering the number of days that are light, being able to go out lighter wind is certainly appealing and this Roberts Board on Craigslist is priced within reason. I'm not sure if a full-out formula board is the direction I should or want to ultimately go though. A Starboard Futura is a board that has been on my radar a while and would perhaps be a more logical stepping stone from my Carve into formula. I likely could go out with my current rig as well. Starboard Futuras rarely seem to pop up on the second hand market though. At least not locally. If you see one let me know!
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mamero



Joined: 25 Aug 2013
Posts: 380
Location: Vancouver, Canada

PostPosted: Fri Aug 04, 2017 3:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Does volume matter much with Formula boards and Roberts Boards in particular? I'm not sure what would be the right size Roberts Formula board for a 5'6" 140lbs sailor. (or Starboard for that matter). For some reason when you get into Formula manufactures use a more of a one-size-fits-all approach.

For example. Starboard's current Formula options are either their Ultrasonic 147, Slalom One 110L, or Formula One 167l. Each or ONLY available in one volume size.

However, Starboard's Carve, Futura, etc are all available in a plethora of volumes!
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grantmac017



Joined: 04 Aug 2016
Posts: 946

PostPosted: Fri Aug 04, 2017 3:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I mean have you sailed a raceboard like the ones that took the top spots at Jericho? Narrow, high volume with a large centerboard.
They work really well with smaller sails in even very marginal wind, plus make excellent progress upwind all the time.

Formula boards are absolutely crawling if you aren't on a plane, plus require a more active technique (pumping) to initiate planing.
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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Sat Aug 05, 2017 9:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

IIRC, the consensus of this forum in past Formula discussions was that Formula boards don't plane any earlier for a given sail size. And, Mamero, don't overlook the fact that Formula boards aren't for beam reaching; they all but require pointing very high or very low. There's little point sinking even just the $500 on one until you're prepared to spend almost $3,000 bucks on a proper rig for it AND are sure it's the kind of sailing you want to do. I highly recommend trying one out first; there's more to life than just planing.
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