Advice on volume for FSW boards?

mmclimbhigh · Joined: 06 Sep 2016 Posts: 42

Hi Wind Friends,

With the incredible winds we've been having these past few springs, I'm in the market to pick up a freestyle wave board for high wind bump-n-jump sailing. I'm also interested in stepping it up to wave sailing in the near future. I am looking for advice on choosing the correct volume of FSW boards. My smallest board is currently a 110L RRD Firemove. That said, I really enjoy sailing JP boards and am interested in the new JP Freestyle Wave. The board comes in 78, 84, and 94 liter options. I'm leaning towards the 84L.

Me:
5'9" (176 cm)
160# (72 kg)
46 year old
Advanced intermediate (carve gybe, heli tack, bump-n-jump, blasting, etc.)
Inland sailor (high altitude lakes in CO w/ frequent missions to the ocean)

I am also interested in other brands as well and I'd love to hear suggestions/recommendations from you all. Thanks for your help!

Cheers,
M

manuel · Joined: 08 Oct 2007 Posts: 1158

dllee · Joined: 03 Jul 2009 Posts: 5293 Location: East Bay

Yup, 84.
Firemove is a great 110 fsw, but wide board.
You can sail a 84 jp fsw from 3.7 to 6.0 sails, best 4.2-5.5.

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20883

Many sources say JP FSWs are designed for speed at the expense of ride quality.

The U.S. importer for JPs is Big Winds in Hood River. The have tried for years to get JP to detune them for a smoother ride even if it costs top end speed. Their top ocean sailor emphasizes that assessment when comparing all their boards.

I've heard many JP FSW owners complain about the harsh ride of their JP FSWs once they get up near 100 L ... earlier in choppy conditions.

I liked my JP FSWs, but the biggest I've owned was the 84 (I run about 175#). I liked it, but it was one of the first boards I sold when I culled my large quiver of boards down to a dozen or so (boards are dirt cheap in the Gorge). My JPs didn't make the top 10 in my fleet of FSWs and waves. JP FSWs dominated Gorge swap meets.

There are far too many boards of that genre for me to recommend any individual boards, but unless JP has acquiesced to Big Winds' long-standing request since I last discussed JPs with them a couple of years ago, I'd consider something else even though I try to minimize my exposure to chop. (Having lived and sailed in NM for decades, I'm guessing your home turf is pretty choppy.)

From the JP FSW menu, I'd agree on the 84.

dvCali · Joined: 23 Aug 2007 Posts: 1314

I am exactly your size and for our weight a 85 FSW is an all around for 4.0 to 6.0 (6.5). I have a 90 (RRD) and a 81 (Starboard) because the local conditions make a slightly smaller or bigger board handy. A modern 90/60 wide is surprisingly agile.

coachg · Joined: 10 Sep 2000 Posts: 3492

You didn’t mention sail sizes you would be using but at your weight I’d also say 84.

Coachg

mmclimbhigh · Joined: 06 Sep 2016 Posts: 42

Thanks for the insight so far. To answer to some of the above questions:

Yes, it is quite choppy in my area when things pick up to sub-5.0 conditions.
I currently have a wide quiver from 4.2-8.2.

Yesterday, it was gusting up to 28 kts and was a rough ride on the 110L board! Hence the reason for the question. I'm looking for a FSW board to handle 3.7-5.6 conditions. I've read the board test info from Windsurf Mag including the following boards:

Fanatic Freewave
Goya One
JP FSW
Quatro Power
RRD FSW
Severne Dyno
Simmer Helix
Starboard Kode
Tabou 3S

The board test is good, but I'd like to hear some opinions from folks on this forum. Cheers!

dllee · Joined: 03 Jul 2009 Posts: 5293 Location: East Bay

As Mike said, JP is the fastest and liveliest, great for powered or under, not so when overpowered.
3S is more control, slower planing, smoother riding.
Fanatic depends more on which year and what construct.
RRD is middle road fast.
Goya is control turns.

dllee · Joined: 03 Jul 2009 Posts: 5293 Location: East Bay

Since I sail Berkeley Ca most, JP is used most often.
If I lived in a high wind spot, something friendlier and easier might fall into consideration.
If I was also sailing sideshore wind and real surf, Goya and Q are great choices.

dhmark · Joined: 04 Sep 2007 Posts: 376

I would factor in the wind quality into your equation for board size. If the gust factor increases with the wind velocity, volume is your friend in terms of staying on a plane and actually enjoying the high wind. How often would you actually use the 84 L and smaller board? The board you like is the board you actually use, I suspect you'd get more than double the use of a 94 than an 84, you would find it a very large step down from your wide 110.