What happened to this Forum ?????

[Ken]

What I think a slalom board should do well:

be fast and controllable
accelerate quickly
gybe well
ride smoothly (somewhat of a contradiction)
be light and responsive

This assumes that it is a race board and not something that just turns well. Lots of boards turn well, but most don't offer the critical elements above: Speed and quick acceleration.

what happened to this forum

Ther lies the problem !!

Ken`s (good) description of a slalom board sounds like a good wave board aswell !!!

[Ken]

I do agree that activity on this forum is down a little, but it is that time of the year. Some of the committed types and those that live at better (warmer) latitudes are still anxious to get into the water and still continue to follow the forum. Others are busy with the season's activities or are playing on frozen water rather than on the liquid stuff. I am also heading to Utah in 4 weeks to slide down some of frozen stuff.

This forum is by far the most active that I have visited and offers a nice balance between those looking for information or advice and those willing to help them by sharing their insight and knowledge.

I have no special connection with Starboard other than I purchase their products, but I do enjoy sharing my experience and knowledge when I feel that I have something worthwhile to offer.

I am just an average windsurfer (started in 1984) in love with the sport and passionate about sharing it with others, and this forum offers that opportunity. I post on other forums as well, but this one seems to connect with a much larger group of windsurfers world wide.

So, what's wrong with this forum? Not a thing other than a seasonal slow down. Some of us keep sailing, so don't be shy about asking questions. I was out two days last week in 15-22 knot winds, one day with the temperature at 75 F (24 C).

Merry Christmas (or Happy Holidays) and a Happy New Year!

[Per]

Hi..
I used to be very active on this forum. Maybe because the developement was more up tempo five years ago: boards got shorter, increased width and got earlier planing each year, then came Hypersonis, Carves became even shorter and THEN came the iSonics etc.. Lots of things happened. Today, for the average sailor it doesn't really make much difference if you have the latest board or a three year old model (my 2008 iSonic 122 is still the best I've ever sailed;-).
And then we have the kiters. They have taken 85% of the former windsurfers in my spot under their wings.

To me the hottest "news" is actually longboarding. I guess there's a lot of future in the past. Being able to glide in 3 knots and blast in 30 on the same board is a challenge for both designers and sailors.

;-)
Per

[Philip]

Thanks Ken for the commentary on the Slalom board concept. Acceleration is a factor which I had just taken for granted but is of course not only necessary for Slalom events but on reflection I guess it is good idea if the board can react fast to what the 4 cam race sails are trying to achieve. My current slalom board is going on 7 years old and at times I have the feeling it is being left behind.

Per, at my local WS spot there is a significant increase in longboarding. However, I am on the side of the fence that says the simplest form of WS is the light weight short wide SL board with no centre board. Two sides of the coin of purity!

[Ken]

Philip,

Although I don't race slalom very often, I use my iS 111 for freesailing 99% of the time. What it does that freeride boards don't do (and old slalom boards), is pop up on plane quickly as compared to similar boards with the same volume. It's the wider tail, hard rails (clean water release), and almost flat bottom.

While the new boards are wider, they also gybe really well, even with the hard rails. I am not sure why this is so, but the old style slalom boards were difficult to control in the gybes. The new boards are fast and accelerate quickly, but they ride a little rough compared to freeride boards with a more pronounced V bottom and narrower tail - the price you pay for a little extra performance.

The wide tail and clean water release also helps maintain planing through the lulls and holes. I think you would find a world of difference between your 7 year old board and the newer slalom boards.