Is my board too small?

[adywind]

Well if you absolutely must let go of the 3S in order to get a more appropriate for your skill level board then do it. You can always buy another one later when you feel the urge and you will rather sooner then later. It's useless for you right now anyway and besides , it looks like you need another sail also -the gap between 6.6 and 5.5 is too big You may get a 6.0 or even better a 5.8 crossover/power wave and then replace the 5.5 for a 5.2 and you'll have a nicely spaced sail quiver. If I was you I would keep my eyes open for a used RRD Firemove Ltd V1110L I tried it side by side with my AtomIQ 110 and found it to be more lively and maneuver biased without lacking controll. It's definately the benchmark in this class and you can do everything with it including small wave riding with appropriate fin , one of your wave sails and preferably 3 footstraps setup. The first Firemoves have been around for how many ...3 years now? So I guess there are used ones to be found if you can't afford a new one. I'm just not 100% sure about the size-I still think that you may consider a120 or inbetween in case you get bored with the SUP one day /happened to me/. This boards have more high end controll /maybe to much for the AtomIQ/ then Freerides of the same volume because there are thin and somehow stay glued to the water and the width is an added stability bonus. Beware of big FSWs or the Allride and the Hawk they are very lively, bouncy and not the best early planners. You need an easy board to progress on now!

[isobars]

[jingebritsen]

andy, i prefer the longer cross over boards vs free moves for swiss army knives. they are a bit longer and allow for more stability for slog and catching waves. something 245 cm or longer is better for a do all board from my experience.

i disagree about ditching the windSUP except for under 10 mph. in particular, that windSUP 10 footer is a phenomenal board that gets people tons of TOW in all conditions. it acts like a short board when the wind is good, long board when it is not. tacks, planes, and gybes well. rides waves very well. i would own it, but dislike the dagger board slot.

i believe the windSUP 10' rides better in all manner of waves better than most freemoves.... been there, tried that.

to everyone else, the differences of opinion between andy and i are based on our sizes as well as venues. i'm 6'3" and 215 lbs. andy is less of a gorilla than me. i sail with larger gear, in more varied wind conditions with a much higher likelihood of having to sail onshore waves. andy is a great sailor in a better venue than me. i've been sailing for 31 years now in some god awful venues with brief visits to better spots.

[coachg]

Gotta agree with Iso on this one. For his sail sizing to be too big he would have to be totally overpowered on the 6.6 & still unable to plain with the 5.5 sail. A 6.0 would be nice and allow him more options to changing conditions, but it is far from being necessary.

Coachg

[adywind]

[antonputman]

I really appreciate all the comments here guys, they are a big support. Thanks!

Here are some of the conclusions I have drawn so far from the discussion:

- 106L will still not be enough and I will still have the same problem. To float the board and to be able to sail back to shore in my gusty offshore winter conditions I would at least need 115L. I am asking for a board in between 125L and 95L, so mathematically the volume should be 110L.

- I don't think the freemove boards will suit me as they seem to be designed for medium/light winds with flatter water (sorry if I offended using the term "lake"). What I am looking for is a bigger bump n jump or FSW board that lowers the no-planing stress factor. Something that feels safer than the 96L 3S but still handles rough chop and has a better upper wind range than my old 125L Rocket. A board that can handle my 4.7 conditions. For example the smallest Firemove 102 states 5.2 – 7.2 use, not what I am after given that it's only 102L!

- I am actually very happy with my sail quiver, 4.7, 5.5 Ezzy Panthers and 6.6, 7.8 North X-Types and never had a problem with the 5.5 - 6.6 gap. I use the North Power XT extension and that allows me to trim the downhaul even on the water. The sails have enough range for me. With a 2 board quiver I would use 3 sails per board with the 6.6 as ideal sail on the WindSUP and the 5.5 as ideal sail on a smaller board.

- I need to decide between a 2 or 3 board quiver. Like I said I would really try to avoid 3 boards. I am traveling with another SUP board and a total of 4 boards is getting too much to camp with the GF in the van. Less is more, also it makes deciding a lot easier!
I could consider the 3 board quiver but only for one season or so like suggested to finally arrive at the 96L 3S. Question is will I arrive quickly enough? And why keep the 3S when I am not using her anyway? I could always get another one. I know it is a keeper, especially because I found the LTD version for the new price of a 2014 CED version. Not sure if LTD vs CED makes a big difference for me anyway..

- Resale value, even if I am not too worried about that anyway.
A. Keep the 3S and get a used €500 115-ish version in carbon, learn a season or two and ditch it.
B. Sell the 3S now for €850 and get a new bigger 115L-ish version for €1.000 - €1.300

- I am very happy with my 10' Exocet WindSUP and grateful to John and James to have recommended the board to me this summer. The performance for being a swiss army knife is not to be underestimated, especially when strapped. I would have never imagined the upper range possibilities. Realize that I have been sailing the board in 25 knots (30 mph) with my 5.5 overpowered with no major problems. Last time just out out curiosity I sailed it upwind with the daggerboard down in 30 knots (35 mph) with my 4.7. The downwind ride was a complete blast, almost like sailing a dinghy. Clocked 22 knots on the GPS!
This board also helps me learning gybing but I do understand it will not help me sailing high wind shortboards..

[antonputman]

Back to board options

A. Since I live in Italy second hand market is mostly RRD or Fanatic, some JP
Some boards currently on my local market:
- 2011 RRD FSW 111 LTD, 244 x 65, 5.2 - 7.5
- 2011 Mistral Syncro 104 / 117
- 2014 JP Allride 116 Wood, 245 x 66, 5.2 - 7.7
- ... looking for more ...

B. These brands are what I am interested in should I sell the 96L 3S
- 2014 3S 116 CED, 242 x 66, 4.7 - 7.8
- 2014 Rocket 115 CED, 242 x 66, 4.7 - 7.5
- 2014 Naish Starship 115 carbon/wood, 245 x 66, 4.5 - 7.5

The Starship 115 looks like an interesting option. I was actually considering the 100L model before getting the 3S. There is a review with 2 pictures of the rounded rails "making for a very smooth transition with little to no skipping out in choppy conditions"
http://www.windsurfillinois.com/index.php/forum/windsurfiling-gear/95-2014-naish-starship-115-vs-04-starboard-carve-121


under the mast track


more to the nose where the beveled transition to the rounded rail is easily seen

[jingebritsen]

andy, stability from width vs stability from length are two separate attributes.

planing long boards do both.

short and wide with the willingness to slog a bit, with small sails is quite a bit different than other aspects of sailing. far too long a diatribe for me to type. suffice it to say in super lit onshore conditions, short and wide has it set of issues. i've done head to head comparisons. furthermore, since lots of folks are not doing push loops to forward, this current trend of short and wide may have gone a bit too far.

[adywind]

Soo Anton, you didn't quite catch the Italian bug yet, did you? I guess it's a personal thing. As for myself-I find the compact shapes with the volume only where it matters most mmm... irresistibly attractive! If you know what I mean

[gvogelsang]