Hi all,
today I have an 80 liter waveboard, and a 97 liter FSW, both Starboard, and a sail range of 4.2/4.7/5.7/6.4 to go with that.
I would like to get more time on water, so I am looking for a sail around 7.5-7.8 (8.0?) and a board for that. Board characteristics I think I want: a fast board when water is pretty calm (7.5), but still the possibility to run it with 6.4 and occasionally 5.7 (even though these sails are currently freestyle/crossover model sails)
I have two candidates, which I think could suit my wallet:
Starboard Futura 111 -09 (68cm wide)
Naish SP 110 -08 (65 cm)
I have not ridden any of them, due to the fact that there is nowhere close to try them out. Plesae feel free to compare these bords on the follwoing questions (and other expereinces as well):
Which one would you chose, and why?
How much faster is the Naish (as a true slalom)?
Will the Naish be slower/harder to drive when the water gets rougher?
Would the extra 3cm width of the Futura drag it down in top speed?
Would the Futura be much better with my current sail models?
Still, the Futura might be too close to My Kombat 97?
My intuition says that I should go for the Naish of I want pure speed, but still I like some bump'n'jump where the Futura probably would be better (but then again, the Kombat can be used for that... but sometimes I can only bring one board...)
Choices, choices... can't win them all..
My weight: 75kg
Thanks in advance
Choice of board depends alot on where you sail and the water conditions - Are you going to sail offshore or in river/bay conditions. Do you want good upwind / downwind ability? Do you want a strong well built board that will handle rough conditions & occasional jumps?
Unfortunately everything involves some sort of compromise. There is not one board that will be good at everything. it is up to you to sort out what is important.
For me (75 kgs) - I sail in offshore waters most of the time and my boards in this size range are a Naish Hybrid (109 litres x 65 wide) and a tabou manta ( 125 L & 79 wide). I wanted boards that went well upwind & handle rough water. The manta is great up to about 15/16 kts offshore then it becomes too much of a handfull in the rough conditions. I can get planing from abt 11 kts with an 8.5sqm sail. The Naish is great from about 13 to 18 kts. Its a tough board that I can jump ( if careful) - goes great upwind and fairly fast. A full on light slalom board would be faster but I would probably break it in no time in the offshore conditions.
So if you are sailing in mostly flat water go for the Naish - its light & fast. If sailing in rough conditions the Futura may be better. The extra width of 3cm won't make much difference. I did have a SType 104 before my Naish Hybrid but I was dissappointed in it's upwind ability - the Futura is supposed to be better!
I also prefer a bigger wider board for light wind as I am often dredging. In offshore a 110 ltr board can be a bit unstable (esp the Hybrid which is only 2.14m long) & if you are a mile offshore dredging home can be a real pain. So I do prefer a 120 litre 75 wide slalom board for these marginal conditions - It gets planing 1 or 2 kts earlier & so I get more time on the water & enjoying it.
good luck!
There are better boards around than the 08 naish 110, the naish rides a bit smaller than it's size also.
Shop around a bit more, here at the moment guys are selling 2010 fanatic falcon's for as low as $1400. Racing/gps is popular and there are more boards on market than buyers. Don't be in a rush, end of our season is coming up too so guys will start to drop the slalom gear.
Mike - please, "Like a formula". Maybe "like me on a Formula", but not you ;-)
And we both know that a Futura is indeed better ;-)
JB
Thanks for input so far.
I live in Europe (our season will hopefully start soon...), so getting a board from "over there" might be bit too costly...
I am in no way a "pro", I still get occasional catapults a few times every season, althought they tend to come less and less frequent (at least during non nuke conditions).
I only sail sea/archipelago, but then again, sea here is way different than sea in Australia. Conditions for this new board would never exceed 1meter waves...
Thinking in what could last longer (Futura 111) with som chop hopping, how would this one stand in comparison to the Kombat 97? Are they so close that I instead should look into changing the current Kombat (would be a pity to lose it though...) for a Kode 102 to gain a greater sail range, a more manouverable big board, (smaller board quiver) at the cost of (how much?) top speed?
Mkseven, please continue what about the Naish is "not so good"?
Hi M8, no recommendations as I've never used or even seen a Naish SP in my neck of the woods but have a 08 Futura 111L. Repossessed it off my young fella as he has lost interest and I have only used it twice. I got myself a 7.8M 2 cam sail and a C3 42cm Venom fin to use with it for lightish winds instead of drowning on my slalom board. The two times I used it it did 31 knots on a dam and 28 in the ocean, I have no complaints with the speed for a freeride, planed early enough, turned corners well and handled the ocean chop easy.
Here's a video I've posted before of the Futura at my local beach, cheers Bob.
Sailed Firie's board in some light FNQ conditions also and would definitely rate it. Felt very quick in the short, sharp chop you find up there even on light days (Bob makes it look a lot easier to negotiate in his vid). Didn't get to use a Venom fin on it though, but I think this would be an improvement on the stock Drake fin that comes with the board. Found the fin a bit reluctant to get going when pumping it up on the plane using a 7.8m (could be my cr@p technique 
).
I'm guessing the Venom would be schweet!!
Is that the new look in Stinger wear Bob? You'll be all set with that little number down here for Mardi Gras.....
shear tip .. just by counting the times u tacked or what eva in my head i came up with 400m per across and back .. that river looked 500m wide?? technique or gear dependant to get that good for upwind? i strugle to hold my own position going across and back
maybe it would be a bit scary getting back..
Hi All,
What is the difference between a freerace and a freeride board?
Is it just a category that manufactures have made up to make people feel like their freeride board is super fast, or is it a separate type of board?
Cheers Chris
Nick0, Michaels tracks from his start point are upwind in Botany Bay all the way up to Sandringham and then on the speed strip and then back downwind to his launch point. He is the distance machine of the Sydney Cockroaches and thats a bloody big effort. Obviously his S type works
I bought an 09 111 Futura last October and have used it quite a lot over the summer.
I run a 40 Talon fin and a 7.5 Koncept with this board and it's an awesome combo. I've done 32K+ a couple of times and think it will go quicker, but when it's windier than 20K I'll usually switch to my 93 S-Type (another great board).
I'm around 103kg and the Futura is my allrounder...I love it.
I posted a review here...
www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=56753&SearchTerms=futura
I hate stingers 
sorry to break the party about Futura's but today was the first time i saw my friend's 144 on a bamboo table and laden with beer that was something
