My new 08/09 Lorch Thunderbird F1 . 229 x 100 x 170 litre 8.9 kgs A massive 89 at 300 from tail . Moderate V to flat tail , very large cutouts . Certainly looks the goods !!! Can't wait to try it .
www.seabreeze.com.au/gallery/gallery.asp?imageid=8112
Very nice indeed! Probably a silly question but what conditions and rig/gear combination would you use on a board like that?
Well it,s primary function is Formula racing . Upwind / downwind racing in 7-25 knots . Rigs are 9.8/10.7/11.6 . With the 11.6 I can plane in 7-8 knots at 90 kgs.
Formula boards are also great for "cruising" in light winds as their ability to go upwind means you can journey a fair distance from your starting point . Their comfy with as small as an 8.5 and deceptively fast .They are not for everybody though , and being so lightweight for a big board they are pretty fragile .
Most of the major brands are now doing large lightwind slalom boards which are also a great option for lightwind sailing . Starboard do a big Isonic , I think 85 cms wide and about 140 liters , as do Lorch , the Thunderbird 85 which is 140 liters and really a scaled down version of this Formula Board. Exocet and Tabou also do similar boards , and are all excellent fast lightwind boards .
Regards Martin
Sounds great Martin, cheers for the info. I can imagine waterstarting with those sized rigs would be quite difficult in 8 knots of wind? Can you still uphaul on your Thunderbird F1? Seems it is quite floaty and would be stable at those widths?
Anyway... hope you get the chance to use it very soon. Would be interested to know how you find it.
Uphauling is a breeze , the width makes it stable as although the 11.6 can be a struggle to get out of the water . You can waterstart the big rigs , but yep not alot of fun .
Looks like Sunday will be the maiden voyage , 10-15 increasing 15-20 , perfect .I,ll try to remember my GPS . Tommorrow looks like the wave board when the SW front comes through , fingers crossed !!!!
Your more than welcome to give it a try anytime you want , just give me a yell .
