or will i be a billy no mates and sent to forum coventry!
i can sense you tutting and shaking ur head already dave 
OK by me Windy, in fact I was telling hardie today, it wouldn't be a bad idea for him.
Any discussion on how they go would be welcome.
ideal conditions are very light winds for the more surfable waves, and use a sail no ore than 5.7...some say thats wat too big as you want the sail to disappear when u catch a wave...and their line of thought is 4.7 and 5's... just enough power to get u on / over the wave.....
most of the WS SUPboards are BIG planks that are hard enough to turn without a sail on....so they'd be ok on flat but not too smart in the waves....but Starboard have a 9 and 9'8 in there range that could be the ticket....tried one in onshore lano and it was lots of fun.
think these would be great for u mandurah boys on those light days at sharkies when everyone else is doing the grovel and missing out....
On my light wind gear I can get out in 10kt, but with our wind direction here, the sail acts as an air brake going down the line. Bottom turn sheet out, and the rig is pushing back against you.
I've found I need at least 12kt, before the sail adds any power.
May be better if it was more sideshore
i'm thinking this is where sups would be good as you have the extra VOL on the board (150l+) so u dont need any power out of the sail once ur on the wave.... as for the sail acting as a brake, thats prob why they say go as small as u can...
But you've still got to catch the wave, guess that's where all that planning area comes in.
In 10kt on my gear the take off becomes very late, it's easy to miss time the wave and either be too far out or too far in, so you either can't get on it or it breaks on top of you.
With a sup you could be stationary, stalling for the wave, or you could pump onto it much earlier.
But I'm only using a 5.3 don't think I'd want to go much smaller than that.
Maybe it's a different technique, instead of trying to use sail power, you have to put it in neutral to stop it being a brake.
I am really interested in the 10'6" Naish for this, and it's size seems like a good compramise for a board that can do most things.
My only concern is the width, beeing a little narrower than most of the boards around is it going to be ok for someone with limited experience on a SUP.
Any experience? I have asked in the SUP forum, but would like to get the opinion of those guys that use SUP for same reason as me and are not just dedicated SUP riders.
I have sailed the exocet kona minitanker 260cm 120 ltrs, in 12 knots. When riding the waves it was perfect for catching waves when I had no chance of planing with a 5.3. It gave me the volume to drift out and the ride of a longboard , not slashy but good drawn out turns. It was a bit dodgy going straight through white water though. But I could uphaul and enjoy waves when I would have sat on the beach complaining about normally.
Even Decrepit saw me that day and said he would not ride a board that big even if it meant catching waves. But I had an hour to myself before the wind filled in.
In comparison to the Sup's I think the 30 inch 9'8 or 9'0s would work as well or better than the kona in the same wind or less, for a couple of reasons.
While I like the security of footstraps when bouncing through white water after coming off the lip and for hitting the lip, I think the Sup's with no straps would allow more felxibility to move around the board for more precise steering. The sup's would be more balanced being wider and therefore should be a bit more stable in the light winds.
My concern is when the board is bouncing around - can you stay on the board with out straps - when you need purchase? A benefit is you can bail easier with no straps, but would your mast take a hiding from the larger board. Perhaps we will have to use a rig we don't like so much in case of damage.
Got any more feedback for us Windy?
One thing I was pretty suprised at was the semi-planning speed WM got. It was actually quite reasonable considering the size and no straps and not powered up.
yer i was worried about my rig getting trashed too, i found if you do fall, the wave takes your gear right to the beach, yes taking out everything in it's path.
I've been surfing my Pacifico at byron the last few months, and I'm itching to put a rig on and tackle it on a lightish day.
I have sailed it on the flat and it goes like a train, even without straps.
Admitedly when you're on a wave, manouvering is a slow process, usually helped along by the paddle. so it'll be fun to find out how she goes!
getting my SUP has re-invented windsurfing for me, and I've NEVER owned a long or formula board. if you're someone like me who loves sailing but just doesn't seem to get out much anymore, then I'd give it some serious consideration. it's also great fitness in standing mode.
Matt
Honestly I have tried on a sup 10 foot and its fun but its not really good for wave riding. The best boards for no wind wavesailing are the starboard aero 117 or 127. They are as floaty as a sup but ca they are only 235 long they turn heaps sweet on the wave.
Eric wave sailing his SUP with a sail here www.ericterrien.com/index.php/2007/06/08/perth-07062007-no-wind-but-good-fun/
BUMP
Any further reports on wave sailing your SUPs??
Was sitting in the carpark near sharkies last Saturday and have been thinking ever since that a sup and a 5.5 would have been ideal.
Grumple,
I suspect an SUP wouldn't have been so useful that day. I was sailing Avalon that day with my Evo 92 and 120l MiniTanker on standby on the beach. Whenever the wind dropped to zero, which happened a number of times unfortunately I'd come in and swap. Sailing the MT through the break in zero wind was not easy, but do-able. What was more of a pain was that whenever you'd make it out back and start the wavesailing session for real, the wind would swing back in with avengeance and overpower the 120l board. Going in and out, getting whacked in the windless impact zone and constantly swapping gear is very energy sapping in the cold southerlies!
Not sure what the answer is on days like that. Because the waves were so good, you're loathe to persist with a board bigger than you need when the wind is up, but then you are stuffed when it drops again. Maybe a 100l wave board would have been a compromise?
Cheers, Jens
,,,
Yep, your probably right Windy.
I could have taken out the 120l xcite on Saturday and used that as a waveboard. You can set the straps up in a wave config (single back strap in the centre of the tail).
Obviously I'm not dedicated enough
BTW, I dont live in, or near, Mandurah
i got myself a BIG Naish a few weeks back and i'm keen as to get it in the surf for a sail, i've used the 12'6 starboard a bit with a sail on it, i have been surfing the naish and it's much looser (for a 11'6 board that is) so keen to get a few bear aways on it, ment to be getting some NNE wind this week end so fingers crossed.
