Don't you just love the variables involved in this sport. ,rig selection, setup,wind conditions,water conditions ,ability, personal ambitions just to generalize.Modern technology sees boards weighing in at peanuts,people making there own foot straps to save a fiew grams and then the option is there to put on a weight jacket.??my question is ,what are the disadvantages of a heavy board for -sailing fast-[speed] i weigh 95 kg ,TIGA 268[9.5kg] ,6.6-5.0 koncept,current PB 34.5 knts[6.5gtx deceased] Would i sail faster on a board that is 5kg lighter?and then maybe faster again with weight jacket?
It isn't just the weight that will make you go quicker pirrad (or less of it), it's the shape of the modern slalom boards. The shorter wider style boards are a lot more forgiving to ride in chop than the old skool long narrow gunny boards.
Being easier to sail means you're more likely to push harder and go faster in less than ideal conditions.
[tiga 90ltr]My next board up is a carve 121.I'd say i feel much more comfortable pushing the limits on the tiga.the flex in those old boards makes them more forgiving to i also believe.I'M GOING TO HAVE TO TRY A NEWER TYPE BOARD AND SEE FOR MYSELF.
It's well worth demoing a newer slalom board as has already been stated alot easier to ride,if you can get a chance try the Starboard isonics or Tabou Manta's.
Do you have any good flat water spots around Pirie?
heavy board will have the same top end as a light one assuming the shape flex etc is the same. Difference is that the light one will accelerate up onto the plane quicker.
Weight jacket will allow you to hold down a larger sail, the higher the weight up your body the better (as you can get more leverage over the sail). Technically it would effect your early planing too but if you can hold down a bigger sail then you would negate this fact somewhat.
Of course the fastest most efficient hull shape would not be the fastest if it is so tricky/scary to sail you cant push it to it's limit
CHOCO Got a good spot down the road ,subject to tide and wind direction, not a long run though,joined the 30 knt club there on a 148ltr techno2-8mtr-gtx[flat as rankins]done my pb there over the flats around channel[short chop]
Did read in another post about a reputable speed sailor saying that weight upsets his balance...[cant find the link now but i read somewhere that there are benefits in keeping the weight down low,sure it was a WINDSURF mag article]
Makes me wonder about the LEVERAGE factor,given the physics of the set up,harness ,mast base pressure= light feet.Upper body strength - technique are areas i still need to work on,and the size of your #uts helps to hey .
here ya go pirrad,
everything you need to know. hours of brilliant information.
carbonsugar.com/
Only just started using a weight jacket this week and have had no problems with balance but i'm only using 3kg.It has really helped in improving my stance and being able to keep the hammer down while in the big gusts well worth buying one and if you don't like it makes a good impact/pfd.
Sailed 100k's this week wearing it with no probs,wont sail without it if it's blowing over 25knts from now on.
Do you have any pics of the speed spots you sail?
I had a go at a newer, wide board that a mate had and in comparing it to my older board that was just about the same capacity, I found the older, narrower and longer board got on the plane earlier, was easier to turn and handled the chop better. Is this just that I was more used to my board or is something amiss????
personally i'd go wide and short anyday of the week, i much prefer what they offer.
from mucking around with different length boards i think there is a magic length though. approx 235-240 suits my weight for a average volume board.
