Appreciate some real life feedback.
Been in love with the idea of a speedboard since 15 yrs old. 40 yrs later, am saying to myself I dont wanna die wondering, but dont want to be disappointed either.
Am enjoying Futura 100L, comfortably over 30knts with 6/6,4m/7m x2/3 cam sails and decent fins but local conditions rarely turn on over 20knts (with a flat 300m slingshot run) but when they do I wonder how much faster that set up will take me.
In search of more sensations, would I be wasting my money getting a 50ish wide speed pencil eg JP or Isonic ? is it really suited to just pure speed locations and winds over 25knts? anywhere else with even small inland chop will it be a pain to use and if I am just doing long square reach drag racing will I be in constant fear of losing ground and ending up downwind ?
I dont need more shed decorations.
The smaller the board the harder and less times you will use it. Get a speedboard around 70 l , like the patrik 48, which is very easy to ride. The only difficult thing will be jibing being so narrow in the tail you need to get used to the foot change. Or get a small slalom around 80 l/55 wide.
I never went to a full on needle ,stayed at 59 wide a 92 Patrik ,but I did pick up 3 more knots over my other 63 -64 wide boards .
OF course.... you need a speed board .
I love jumping on my semi needle ,if the wind drops its swim time for me at 100 kgs .but totally love this little sinker .
and its pretty cool with a 7,0.so 20-25 knots game on .a 71 litre you will need serious wind .depending on your weight of course .
What I noticed going small was how easy it becomes to ride in high winds vs 105 litres ,you just don't need all them extra litres .
and being narrower they cut through little chop a bit better .They generally are longer too .
Most speedsailing needs flat water - you need to travel to that kind of water. Similarly, you noted that it is rarely over 20kn - you need to travel to locations where it is 30+kn.
Most importantly, any advice given here will depend heavily on your body weight. The Futura isn't a fast board for a lightweight - it can be fast with the good water and good wind... but if you have those, then most slalom boards or speed boards will be faster.
As for your question of, does it really need strong wind and good water -> yes. A mid-sized slalom board will likely be faster, in those mid-conditions.
For me, it really comes down to your location. At Primbee I can get away with using a 44-49 wide speed board on a lot of marginal/gusty days as it is less than knee deep across the entire sailing area and at I worst I need to walk back if I get skunked by the wind. By marginal, I still need gusts of >20kt to get moving and >25kt to go fast (I'm 93kg).
You would get a more practical improvement with an 80L/55 wide slalom that would plane you through some lulls and be easier to gybe and waterstart. I lot of people will do 40kts plus on a board like this in the right conditions.
As for losing height on a speed board, so long as you have enough wind to be comfortably planing, speed boards do point pretty well with their straight outline and a decent fin.
Thank you.
Am 80kg. Local spots are shallow..
Attraction is half the extra speed, half just knowing there is a fancy looking board in my quiver if ever it turns on.
If 50/55 wide does not work well in 20-25 knts with 7m my head will override my heart.
Can anyone convince me ?
Not used a speed board, but the only time Ive been faster than Olympic sailor Nick Dempsey was when he used one for the first time at Portland Harbour
A small slalom board and a few good fins will be a better choice, rather than to go all the way to a speed board. The small slalom boards are more versatile and fun, even when the conditions are not quite right for full-on speed runs.
Personally, my largest improvement came when I started using extra weight (5-7kg, and a flotation aid to make up for it) this will make everything much more stable and helps you to push further.
What's often forgotten about speed sailing is that you need to point to windward efficiently to get up the speed course quickly and comfortably in order to bear away down the course for speed. Also the more runs you do, the better the chance, one or more of your runs will coincide with multiple good gusts. For me, At 85 to 90 kg, boards less than 53cm wide are too hard to get upwind. I wished I never replaced my Mistral 55 with the Mistral 47. The 47 never worked for me. My current speed board is a 13 year old JP 56, which is a small slalom board. It works brilliantly in 25+kts with either my 6.2 or 5.7. It points well and I can easily gybe it which saves energy and provides more opportunity on the downhill run.
As others have said, get an 80L 55cm wide slalom board. It'll do 40kt in good conditions, but more importantly you'll have a lot more fun, more often, on it. I got rid of my 47cm wide Mistral Speed because although I'd get 1 or 2kts higher on an epic day, I was having more fun on the 80L.
Agree with all the above, but folks if he is in France he might have soem top spot/s...?
Anyway if going fast slalom board as suggested above, get the old purple-blue iSonic from 2014-15. They are the quickest ever (seen 43kn in open water here..) just fix the negative rocker that I bet it has. There is your speedboard, and its cheap cheap.
I have sailed all sizes: F2 Missile XS, Tabout Manta 49 & Manta 54.
I mostly sail at Strand Horst NL.
Which is shallow, and inland. So gusty winds. But VERY flat water.
A full-on speedboard can be sailed earlier than a high-wind slalom board with the same volume.
No idea why, but others around me confirm that too.
The Missile XS (44 cm) is great, when conditions are there.
The problem is, that is never the case, unless you have a job with lots of freedom and live right next to a speed spot.
So you do not get sufficient TOW (time on the water) to get it dialed in, and get confidence togo full-throttle.
I did get 83.5 kmh on that one (my PR) but that was before my son was born.
And from that moment on, just could not prioritize sufficient time. Impractical for me. I sold the MS.
The Manta 49 and 54 are ideal combo.
On the 54 I can run a 7.1 sail, and still be efficient.
On the 49, the 6.3 sail is spot-on. But the 7.1 feels too heavy, I think 6.6 is the max for that one.
The 49 and 54 sail differently. The 49 is a speedboard, the 54 a highwind slalomboard.
The starting speed of a speedrun is higher on the 54. But the acceleration through, is less.
So the 10s speed of the 49 is better. But you need a suficiently long gust. Or better even, a double gust.
I would recommend to start with a 53-54 board. And get a proper really good fin.
Once you feel you exhausted that from a performance POV, then it's time for a 49-50 board.
When you can afford it, buy the Tribal in 53 size.
I have witnessed that one carries a 7.0 sail without problem (mid wind) and is superfast. If I had the money...
www.tribalwindsurfing.com/products/rapid-speed
If you're currently sailing your 100L Futura (63 wide) with 6.0, 6.4 and 7.0m 2-3 cam sails and want to get something smaller and faster for those times when the conditions are good for speed, I agree with the other posts suggesting you drop down to something in the 50-55w range. However, you could also consider swapping your Futura for a 60 wide slalom board, so it's a little smaller and racier and still able to carry those three sails.
If dropping down to something in the 50-55w range, and the goal is to have a speed sensation, then I'd go a large speed board. It'll feel livelier and have higher potential top end speeds. You'll probably also only sail it with the 6.0m (or smaller) as it'll be windy. I sailed at one of our local spots and swapped between my 52 speed and 60 slalom board and found the 52 surprisingly comfortable:
