Slalom in the choppy SF Bay

Ripping, thanks! Interesting comparison, I was out yesterday in 8-10 knots foiling with a 7.2 Aerotech Freespeed sail.

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aeroegnr said..
What fin were you running? And how do you like that vs more freeride oriented boards?

Hi, I used a Z-Fin SLM 37cm, but had quite some spinouts. Feels like at the edge of getting traction very often. Although this combination of iSonic 72 amd Z-Fin 37 is recommended, I think it is just too small for me. It might work well in a downwind-oriented slalom course, but as a normal sailor you go more beam reach or even close reach to get home again.
So I am not too happy with the fin size. When using a 39cm select fin, I never have spinouts.

Comparing to freeride... my other freeride/freerace board is a Severne Fox with a slalom fin. Overall, the iSonic is more tiring. I always think of a slalom board that you either go fully-commited and fly over the fin, or you don't go. You need to be fully locked in, full body tension to control the board. After 1 - 1 1/2 hrs of Slalom I am done. The Fox i can sail longer with less effort and is easier to handle in big chop, although I pretty much sail it like a slalom board (footstraps outter position, 3-cam-sail, heels on the rail).

In the end, it is like with every board: you need to get used to it, develop your stance on the board, rig the right sail and find the right setup. No matter if it is a Slalom, Freeride/-race or FSW.

Would recommend a Slalom board only for more experienced riders with some years of experience, who can handle the speed and control the board. Still learning myself :).

best
mariachi76

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aeroegnr said..
Thank you, you're telling me what I need to know. I've got a 77cm freeride board that I use with a 43 or 44cm fin, and yeah that fin seems small except for downwind?
I could pick up a 4 cam used mach 2 7.8 but I don't think it's right for the board I have. Still, I like seeing you enjoy that iSonic. When it gets to be as choppy as that here in the bay I try to push it but my efforts aren't as fast as that.

You are in the SF bay too?
Which freeride board do you have?

You guys should request to Laurie to have a US sub forum. You're as much part of the SB community as us Aussies
I'll be in Richmond VA in July with one weekend free. Any wind typically that time of year? I could potentially do an overnighter to Hatteras.

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mariachi76 said..

aeroegnr said..
What fin were you running? And how do you like that vs more freeride oriented boards?

Hi, I used a Z-Fin SLM 37cm, but had quite some spinouts. Feels like at the edge of getting traction very often. Although this combination of iSonic 72 amd Z-Fin 37 is recommended, I think it is just too small for me. It might work well in a downwind-oriented slalom course, but as a normal sailor you go more beam reach or even close reach to get home again.
So I am not too happy with the fin size. When using a 39cm select fin, I never have spinouts.

Comparing to freeride... my other freeride/freerace board is a Severne Fox with a slalom fin. Overall, the iSonic is more tiring. I always think of a slalom board that you either go fully-commited and fly over the fin, or you don't go. You need to be fully locked in, full body tension to control the board. After 1 - 1 1/2 hrs of Slalom I am done. The Fox i can sail longer with less effort and is easier to handle in big chop, although I pretty much sail it like a slalom board (footstraps outter position, 3-cam-sail, heels on the rail).

In the end, it is like with every board: you need to get used to it, develop your stance on the board, rig the right sail and find the right setup. No matter if it is a Slalom, Freeride/-race or FSW.

Would recommend a Slalom board only for more experienced riders with some years of experience, who can handle the speed and control the board. Still learning myself :).

best
mariachi76

My little recipe to make slalom less physically demanding is to go as small as I can with the board, and use a no-cam free-race sail. At 70 Kg a 90 liters slalom board is vastly easier to handle, softer going, and arguably faster, than a 110-120. The sails with those boards (my old Carbon Art 52 and Exocet 90, and now AV Modena 88) have been Point-7 ACX 6.0 or 6.5. The 6.5 powering me up from, I guess, 15-16 knots. 6.0 definitely enough in 20-25 knots.

I have used small slalom board for a long time, but the switch from 4-cam HSM GPS or 3-cam Switchblade to ACX, is what resulted in a vastly more comfortable ride. The ACX is much softer, makes it easier to carry a larger sail in spotty conditions, and it is a breeze to jibe or tack.

And GPS did not show any drop in top speed, confirming what Andrea Checchi, a way more skilled sailor, showed in a number of videos, for example

That's my trick, go small and light as much as you can, slalom boards are very efficient!

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mariachi76 said..
Hmm, I am Austrian, lived the last years in China, just moved to the US and am riding Australian windsurf gear (JP, Severne).
Not sure where I belong .

best,
mariachi76

JP is owned by Neil Pryde Germany.