Board for Wife.... :-)

[anthropod]

There are so many good what board posts here, but I guess I feel I still need a little help.

I need a setup for my wife. She is hooked as well.

We are currently sharing the same setup:

Board: Fanatic Viper 85. 85cm/220l,
Sail: Gaastra Pilot, 6.0
Mast: Fiberspar 3200 30% Carbon 420, IMCS 21

Winds are usually around 3-10 Knots this time of year. Lake Water

Unlike me she is very fit and athletic. 59kg

We are looking at the Rio Small or Medium with a 5.0 sail.
Is the the right board? What other options should we look at?

I think between the two of us, she will improve quicker and be more advance in the same time frame.

Thanks,

Anthony

[Roger]

Hi Anthony,
The Rio would be a good choice, if she's doing as well as you suggest, she may be a good candidate for something a bit more progressive.
Sailing in < 10 knots all the time really isn&#39;t going to help either of develop skills beyond that windspeed range.
If you want to get her a smaller 5.0 m2 rig. you would need another 420 cm mast. For her I would recommend you spend some extra $$ to get a much lighter (higher carbon percentage) mast.
Also look a powerful lightweight rigs like the Sailworks Retro Ripper 3
5.0 m2. Significantly more power in your wind range than any normal 5.0 m2 rig because 5.0 m2 rigs are designed for 20 knots + and have very limited draft and power because at 20+ you don&#39;t want too much power.
As far as other options, for your 3-10 knots of wind, they are pretty limited as short boards just don&#39;t give much performance until you find about 12 knots.
So, the Rio M, perhaps a GO 129/139, or a smaller version of your Viper, or perhaps even a smaller board like the Starsurfer M.
Hope this helps,