WindTech Cruise Missile 9'4"

I simply have to get one!

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CrimsonFlash said..
Took the Missile for a run today on a very choppy Swan River. It lived up to expectations of another superb design from Mr Scheltema. It loved going deep off the wind and handled the chop with ease. Fast, cruisy, comfortable - a real pleasure to sail. Look forward to lots more hours on it now the sea breezes have kicked in! Very stoked.

The proto was incredible maxed-out off the wind in chop - crazy quick and super controllable

How good does this first production board look !!
Like all the other Windtechs I'll bet the construction is first class.

I saw it at Peli Pt at the weekend - it's a lovely looking board

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firiebob said..Looks like a great ocean cruiser JJ, might be what I need to get back out there, which factory do they come out of ?

Hey Bob - I think you'll love it
Built in the Kinetic factory in Vietnam
Email Neil or Dan - I'm sure they'll organise a demo
windtechwindsurf@gmail.com

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azymuth said..

firiebob said..Looks like a great ocean cruiser JJ, might be what I need to get back out there, which factory do they come out of ?

Hey Bob - I think you'll love it
Built in the Kinetic factory in Vietnam
Email Neil or Dan - I'm sure they'll organise a demo
windtechwindsurf@gmail.com

Thanks JJ, I was hoping it came out of Kinetic factory, I'll start saving

My order is locked in, Cruise Missile coming soon to non-foiling days/ locations along the Illawarra and NSW coast Supplies are very limited in this first batch, and FOMO hit me hard

I have several of Neil's Windtech 2.0 gems, love them all, and they all deliver exactly what it says on the box

I only got into the sport c.2000, so missed out on the earlier generations of longer slalom designs
Can't wait to light her up , and experience a very different ride to the endless short&wide creations of recent years

Reviews to follow....

My CM has arrived in Illawarra, ultra-packed and undamaged as usual
Can't wait to get her on the water - proportions are so right it doesn't look 287 long - tail section is great, loads of volume and sweet domed shape underfoot, great float on the gusty days
Grabbed a WT Stealth 20 with it, as for CM early feedback is very +ve
Now I just have to remember how to fin-surf after so much foiling ....

Had my Missile for a couple of weeks now, just waiting for wind. Had the first sail a few days ago, fully lit on a KA Race 7m with a 34cm Meanline fin.

Initial impression: Trucks upwind and smokes downwind. It gybes best when leaning super forward to engage a chunk of the long rail, and with the length, it is super easy to tack. My favorite and most surprising bit was running deep downwind over the 2-3ft rolling swells in the river...the longer nose helped to promote a dry and fast ride OVER the chop, not through it like my short wide slalom boards (and short and wide freestyle board) do in the same conditions. I was initially curious how she would go in the rolling swells with so much volume in the tail and rails, but there was no problem, it was quite a commanding and comfy position to ride in.

Why did I buy this board? Our local spot for high wind has a 200m patch of shallow flat water on a mud bank which is fun for GPS. Normally we sail out to the mud bank on small boards and stick to the mud bank for speed. This beast will allow me to sail the whole lake with ease, with the aim being that I can sail through the swell on the lake with ease and hit the flat water at pace. At 90kg, the extra volume and length will also easily float me home when the wind dies (which it occasionally does, which means a derig and paddle/walk home).

Further updates to come. Stoked so far...hanging for a smoking westerly to get her on the lake

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climber said..
The ocean is now friend mr Easter ????

Hell yes GMac............just about to get some new tendons off MJ, as the current ones are 7yo and an accident waiting to happen offshore. The Missile will be sweet in the ocean and big bays and lakes like yours down south.................... I have also just purchased a WindTech Magic Bullet 95 for the ocean/beach......hopefully get a run on that soon, such a nice looking shape.

thanks for tipsheet!

Here is my take on the Windtech Cruise Missile - The short version.The board is 287 long, 61 wide and 129 litres, and in that sense, it's all a bit unfashionable since the apparent demise of roof racks. It has the outline reminiscent of a pintail Malibu and carries its wide point and width forward. A gorgeous long sweeping pintail delivers a fabulously controlled ride; feeling alive and up for pushing harder in all the conditions I have tried it in so far. For my size, ability, and local conditions, the WT Cruise is close to being the 'one board' solution and since I have owned one I haven't used any other board. I guess being such a departure from the current market place offerings it will have its haters, but for me, it's very close to the ideal board. If I had to sum it up in two words, (to pinch Aldi's tagline), Good Different.

TL:DR section
Firstly some disclaimers - I am not a sponsored rider and have no financial interests in WindTech. I am big, heavy, uncoordinated, of average ability and used to old school point the toes and the nose out in front sort of stance. When I am kitted up, the board is carrying 120kegs of weight. So for most of the sailing fraternity that is the equivalent to strapping at least two jerry cans of fuel to your back. (not so surprisingly I break harnesses and booms on a regular basis). Please bear this in mind when reading my comments - what applies to me, may well not apply to you.

Handling - in short, ride it hard, and on the tail. I bought the board with the idea of it being a quick all-rounder sort of board that I can use on the vast majority of days where I want to go for a sail all over the paddock but a speed PB is probably not on offer. Thus far I haven't really tried it out for speed because it has just been too much fun out in the lumpy goodness.The long rail will hold the line like a train along the chop lines, so just sheet in and go until you call chicken. I have made it a bit of a mission to find the limit of the envelope and catch the rail on both leeward and windward rails running over the back of chop and turning any which way. So far, all I have proved is that I haven't hurt myself. My guess is that the long lines, rounded rails forward and riding the tail means the entry angles are usually pretty shallow, and the opportunity to 'catch' a surface/rail is limited. A very confidence-inspiring ride which probably contributes to the enjoyment factor. I no longer have to deal with the nagging doubts caused by the unexpected stack a long way from home.
Going uphill is where the 'Miami Vice Cigarette Boat' feel really comes to the fore. Just point the long narrow hull in the direction you want to go, floor it and let your inner Don Johnson and linen suits out once more. Let the length and narrowness do all the work and iron out the bumps. Adjust Wayfarers and Don Henley Soundtrack only if absolutely necessary. The pintail itself is chunky and thick in height in an effort to get some volume back there. It gives a very comfortable surface angle for the back foot and allows some heavy back foot loading without relying on the straps to do the work. Once again, ride it hard on the tail, trust your fin, and I don't reckon you will find a chop that has you unsettled.

Gybing - I am still experimenting with the sweetest turning arc, but so far I can say it turns as hard as you want it to - if you have the weight and aggression you can turn on a ten cent piece, the long rail length and skinny tail mean you have plenty of grips and even a short fin stays in the water. Its strength is probably longer carving arcs where it just goes around on rails and gives me goosebumps.

Fins - I have only ever used a Fangy Fin 20,22,24. The FF22 is probably my go-to fin. The FF20 is delightfully loose, the FF24 overdone for all but the lightest days. Regardless, for 129 litres of board, by today's standards, you don't need much fin.

Mast foot - In anything other than 18 knots plus wind, I find that the mast foot and foot straps forward is better. Trying to bring the position back results in a nose up and twitchy attitude from the board. At displacement speed, I quite often have my front foot in from of the mast in order to trim correctly. To get the highest speeds out of this board, I imagine moving everything back would be beneficial - I am looking forward to doing the experiment.

The Downside - It's all swings and roundabouts, so for all the great things about narrow boards, at some stage, you have to 'pay the ferryman' so to speak. The weaknesses mainly revolve around the downside of pintails and being a bloody big bargearse bloke in general ( nothing to do with the board design.)
It's hard to get unstuck when underpowered. Get used to some pumping if you pick a sail with poor bottom end.
For such a 'long' board, you still have to head off deep downwind to get planning and stay that way when underpowered.
The board is not happy at a slow planing speed and will readily get bogged for a board of its length.
It's a surprising and sizeable hump to get over and planing. Make sure you are up and properly going before you head for the straps as it's also very easy to fall back down into displacement mode.
Unforgiving in gybes. If you let the speed fall too much or are unco with your weight transfer (as I often am) the lack of planing area in the tail means it will quickly bog down. Keep the speed and commitment up to reap the rewards! Mast track too far back for heavy loads and light winds. Even with the mast base as far forward as possible,I have my front foot on the 'cargo net' in displacement mode with my 7.8. to maintain trim angle and transition to planing. (It's not a problem once I am using my 7.0)

Wow well done you for getting this far down the page! In conclusion then, I now only have one board in my trailer, and it's this one. Defo the top of the Top Ten Fangy boards.

Interesting BIG review Fangman. Ive not sailed a CM but find it intriguing that a Large bearaway is needed. Not taking away from the FF abilities, but maybe a different fin would promote planing without such a big bearaway?
I can relate to the mastfoot tango when slogging on my Mistral Explosion 130. 38cm pointer n 7.5 Lion lets it point very well slogging or not though. Lions have plenty of low down grunt to get my gumby carcass planing easily.

I'm not saying slow to plane. Only commenting on the angle of the dangle before she let's go lifts onto the plane.

^+1 Big concaves are needed to overcome the slap of a wider hull. Longer rockers n more subtle hull form will be faster. But its always a compromise between speed n control n rider ability. Cruise Missile looks to be a good blend of it all.

So Dan and Pacey are right. Moving the mast track back when you can is thoroughly recommended. The board just shifts back on its rocker a little more and noticeably frees up. We had a belter of a sea breeze here today and I was well overpowered on my 7.0, but strewth I had a blast running downhill over a the chop scaring the sphincter tighter than ever before. It was so bumpy I couldn't see straight, but can't wait to do it again. Bloody lovin' The Cruise