Patrik Slalom + Severne Turbo

Patrik Slaloms: 2013 135L II, 100L, 2014 115L II
Severne Turbo 2012 6m, 2013 6.5m, 7.5m, 2014 8.6m

Intermediate sailor 83kgs, sailing on Swan River in flat to steep 1m chop.

Endorsement/sponsorship free, just my unpaid opinions

Sailed the above in various combos over the last six months or so and thought I'd post my opinions. Previously on iSonics 2010/2011 with Code Reds and Reflexs.

First thing I notice about the boards was they felt a bit smaller than the iSonics, don't know why as the iS127 and iS111 were very similar specs. Then I noticed how well mannered the boards are when going over the back of chop. The carbon construction makes them feel crisp, the double concaves give them a bit of comfort and control.

I've found for me they like a stiffer fin than the Talons I was using. I was a little underwhelmed at first until I got the fins sorted, now I'm very happy. For the 100 36, 38 Talons were slipping a bit but Goldwing 36, 34 give better grip and get the board out of the water better. Then I tried some Chris Lockwood carbon fins and everything came together beautifully. Truck upwind, fly downwind, magic. Getting a 34 for the 100L and a 38 for the 115 and got a 48 for the 135. A 44 and a 30 would round out the fin quiver nicely. I've always hated weedies in the past and have been avoiding some of our best spots because the need weedies. Well, they seem to work very nicely, just put the mast foot at the back of the box and you've got a lively, yet controlled feeling and surprising upwind capability. Only used G10s - Choco speedweed 30 goes nicely with the 100L and 6m. A 40 choco goes ok on the 135L with an 8.6m but is a little small, nice with the 7.5 though. 36 is about right in the 115L for 6.5/7.5.

Gybing is great, I find them easier to stay in the turn with less bounce. They can go wide or tight and if you have to alter your course midway to avoid something they are quite forgiving. I'm particularly surprised how the 135L gybes, so easy to come out planning. In really light wind you can put the weight a little further forward and engage the rail closer to the nose and this seems to give even better planning capability.

Rails are great, I haven't tripped one yet. I've had plenty of sideways movement whilst trying to get fins sorted but no problems, just pull it back in and keep going. This, along with the control over back of chop, has led to hugely increased confidence for me to go deep whenever/wherever a gust hits and keep going.

Footstraps and pads are good, pads grippy and straps comfy. The 115L II has two angles for the front straps which is a good innovation.

The cut outs have plates that you can leave in for control and early planning but I have not been able to detect a difference and have them off for 100, 135 and on for 115. Not sure if others have been able to detect a significant benefit from these.

I chose Severne Turbos (twin cam freeride) to compliment the boards. I don't race, I just like fast freeride - burn and turn, and going for fun squirts off the wind. I was getting a bit tired of the weight of race sails, things busting regularly and having to rig big all the time. I'm really happy with the Turbos as they remedy my issues. I can use a 6m when I would have been using a 6.6m or 7m previously. The have a great low end, and the fact that the don't have as good a top end is offset by the fact that you are sailing a smaller, lighter sail, end result being that I find them easier to handle across a range of conditions. Stability is certainly not as good as a race sail but manageable.

Tuning is a piece of cake, 3 of the 4 sails rig well to spec. The 6.5m for some reason rigs about 5cm less than the luff spec. Unlike a race sail, you can play a little with downhaul. Add 1cm more than spec and lots of tack strap and they breath well and handle more wind - I use this set up when powered up and looking for speed runs. Tradeoff is that you get a little leach flutter on the 6m and 6.5m. Interestingly they moved from two clew eyelets to one for the 2013/14 version (it's a two year cycle). I actually like the 2012 better I think and used it with the low hole today for speed runs - great, never felt like I was being pulled onto my toes by gusts, just accelerating. Use 1cm less than spec if you need more bottom end.

Rotation is very nice. The 7.5 was a little stiff out of the bag and particularly so with +1cm downhaul so I removed the single cam spacer and it's now as good as the others.

Build quality seems good with no issues so far. The are simpler than the race sails with less to go wrong.

I had some reservations about getting a 6m and 6.5m, thinking the gap would be too small. However, the 6m rigs on a 400cm and the 6.5m rigs on a 430cm and this makes the 6.5m significantly more grunty so the gap is good. I had an 8.6 Overdrive R4 briefly but the ideal wind range was too close to the 7.5 Turbo so opted for an 8.6m Turbo instead. WOW, talk about grunty. Heaps of low end and soft enough to make pumping a dream. Light handling for a sail of this size makes the transitions easy.

Favourite combos? Hard to say!

100L + 6m is awesome. I tried iS 86, 94, and a 54 wide speed board but hardly ever seemed to get to use them so I went for 100L as my small board and I'm really happy with the decision. I've had more small kit sessions in the last six months than the last three years. This combo just feels so light and nimble. Got a bit of weed on the fin? Just a bit of a weight bounce and it pops out of the water. Hit a bit of chop and decide whether you want to fly for fun or plant it low for speed. Bottom end for this combo is about 18kts.

115L + 6.5m or 7.5m, great for mid range wind - 15-20kts or when it's a gusty 10-25kt winter front.

135L + 7.5m or 8.6m. Magic carpet ride material. Get going in 12kts and cruise through massive lulls. The 48 Lockwood is a bit big for the 7.5m - a good leg work out. I have tried a 9.6m Reflex 3 on it and it works but I reckon I will leave that for the formula board as there is no real advantage and it's a lot heavier than the 8.6m Turbo.

Probably the most used combo will be 115L plus 7.5m but the spread is so good it's a close call - they've all had about equal time on water.

I have a station wagon so I pack two boards and three of four sails, this has given my excellent coverage so far.

All up, very happy with the choices. I'm sailing just as quick as before but having a lot more fun.

I have the 100 Slalom and I have discovered also that it needs the right fin.

I use mine with a 6.2m & 7m sail.

With my inital set up I couldn't get the board to trim nicely and fly off the fin. It followed the chop rather than going over it and had water splashing over windward rail. Symptoms of under finned.

I've borrowed a few fins to try and finally got it to trim well. A bigger stiffer fin did make the board smooth over chop (which is why I originally bought it). I do find it feels a bit free ride in nature, doesnt have the sharp edge of my previous boards.
I haven't had a chance to really check the pace, but with the borrowed fin my speed improved to to around 32-33 knts in semi smooth water. Once I get a good fin set up I hope to unleash the true speed potential.

It gybes nicely, very forgiving and I can adjust during the turn.

I havent played with the plates. I don't find the board to plane overly early so I'd leave the plates in place. There doesnt seem to be a any problems with control using a 6.2m (my smallest sail on this board).

So where do you get these Lockwood fins?