World's best windsurf gear for this condition
 

Hi,

I want to buy the world's best windsurf board and sail for the following conditions:

- Sailor weight: 70 kg/163 lbs.
- Sailor experience: assume medium to high.
- Wind speeds: 6 to 10 knots (dec-apr) and 15 to 20 knots (may-nov).
- Water conditions: mostly choppy. Wave height is around 1 meter/3ft (dec-apr) and 2 meters/6ft (may-nov). Wave frequency is around 7 secs.
- Windsurfing type: freeride, flatwater blaster, bump and jump.
- Decision criterions: speed, strength/durability, and control for fast jibes.

I've been looking into a futura101 or kode94 coupled with a Neil Pryde Excess 5.9 or Hellcat 6.7.

I'm a little bit concerned because where I live (Cartagena, Colombia) it is unusual to find flat waters.

What would be your best/dream gear for a condition like mine?

Thanks in advance,

Unfortunately you can't cover all your conditions with one board and one sail. You need very different gear for 6-10 knots (force 3) and then for 15-20 (force 5).
6-10 knots with 1m swell, I'm not sure but that's a longboard territory (are the waves breaking/rideable, or just swell/chop?)
For 15-20 knots I believe a Kode94+5.9 will suit you fine, better than a larger/wider Futura.

Thanks for the answer Screamer.

I don't think those waves are rideable.

It's like in the open sea... something like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iv3w...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6j5P5cN45pA

Go for the new Starboard, the Atom, apparently it's a one solution board for waves,speed, jumps and freestyle, that should be perfect, and it's 99l, so about the same as what you were considering.

Unregistered, your weight is 1-2 kg lighter than mine. No one board/one sail combination that you would love at 15-20 knots will make you happy at 6-10 knots unless you are a dedicated one-design racer. I'm having trouble picturing anyone having fun trying to going against a current on a small board with a small sail in winds of only 6-10 knots. The board/sail combinations already mentioned could be great at 15 to 20 knots but they won't entice you to get on the water in 6-10 knots.

I think the only claims I've seen for a one board/one sail combination that can handle 6-20 knt condititions at our weights are: 1. a formula board with around an 8.5 to 10.0 sail, 2. a hybrid such as an RS:X or a Mistral Prodigy with whatever their class size sail is for the particular board, 3. an older longboard such as a Mistral One-Design or Mistral Equipe (I or II) with something like Mistral's OD 7.4 sail, 4. a Kona with their one-design class sail (7.5 or 9.5?), 5. a newstyle raceboard such as a Starboard Phantom 320 or 380 with the one sail or your choice (8.5?).

My choice would be a board large enough you won't just schlog at 6-10 knots and then have two sails, one for 6-10 and one for 15-20.

thank you Del Carpenter and Agrelon for your answers.

Definitely I'm going to buy two different boards:

- A Futura 101l or Kode 94l or Atom 99l + Neil Pryde Excess 5.9m2 for the 15-20 knots condition.

and

- A RS:X or Phantom or Formula with a 9.5m2 sail for the 6-10 knots condition.

Now, for the 15-20 knots condition which board would you like most (futura, kode or atom)?

thanks in advance,

Btw, has anyone tried the atom? does it really comes with a tuttle box? is it comfortable for freeriding? is it fast?

If the videos from Cartagena are anything to go by then it looks like some useful waves for jumping and onshore riding. That would suggest a Kode would be a good pick.

If you have any kind of jumping in mind then I think the Futura would be cumbersome, even if it would be fast and fun in flat water.

It seems that Atom is totally unknown at the moment, I wouldn't rush to buy it yet.