Best option lightweight and lightwind

[COACHG]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRUK_gDNdgY

It would appear you are correct, nothing is as fast on light wind as FW, but apparently the Cadi is faster.

Coachg

[joe_windsurfer]

my budget is not very large for my windsurf toys
i did manage to purchase a used TR-4 10-oh
as a heavyweight it does not plane as early for me as for you lightweights :-)

in terms of early planing there are more options now than ever
with my budget i purchased an old Fanatic Ultra CAT longboard
it planes up quick, but it obviously not as light n lively as boards discussed here

the Ultra Sonics and JPSL seem to be filling that void between formula and the smaller boards
check the vid:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=xqwyKCjBoiE
also Tinho Dornellas of calema has a custom board that planes up early
http://www.calema.com/forums/viewtopic.php?id=608
AND there is the new Phantom 377
http://vimeo.com/28880323
even the Phantom 320 is a neat cool machine

my motto - just get on the water and have fun - whether planing or not
that is where a longboard helps - can putz or schlogg about and still smile

[COACHG]

Originally Posted by joe_windsurfer

my motto - just get on the water and have fun - whether planing or not
that is where a longboard helps - can putz or schlogg about and still smile

I like your motto. You can also add light wind freestyle to your list. It's great when your lake is too small to explore with a longboard.

Coachg

[Pelegrin]

There is still a lot fun in lightwind conditions without using Formula-equipment. I sail JP SLW 154 with sails between 5.5 and 9.0. The SLW is fairly like the Ultrasonic. The SLW has a great pontential and works perfectly well with all these sail sizes. If You like reaching in 20-27 knots it is fantastic. If You like going upwind in 15-21 knots it is fantastic. If you like going downwind it is fantastic and not at all scary. You will not dip the nose! Gybing is easy and the footstance will never get Your feet tired.

I have also an Isonic 127 since this autumn and the feeling is similar to the SLW. This is also a great board but perhaps 10.0 is a rather big sail on this board with You weight...?

[Freesurfer]

How about the iSonic 117 Wide? Is a 10 m2 sail too big for that board!?

[BelSkorpio]

I've been following this thread for some while now and it interests me too, although I don't want to comment nor propose anything myself because I find that I'm too far off with my weight of 87kg versus the weight of the 65kg weighing thread initiator.

It think it would be nice if we could get the reaction of a light weight US owner, too see what he has to say about it.

I consider the US a little bit as the (ultra) light wind board for the middle to heavy weight rider, i.e. 80+ kg, but I could be wrong. Please feel free to comment ...

[BelSkorpio]

Oops, sorry Jean-Marc, I must have missed your response.

[Jean-Marc]

Originally Posted by Freesurfer

How about the iSonic 117 Wide? Is a 10 m2 sail too big for that board!?

If you don't want a Formula (lowest planing threshold, highest upwind/downwind angle), then the most important question in selecting the best board + sail combo is what's your weight and skills?
- For a skilled 65 kg rider, the iSonic 117 Wide is perfect with 8.0 + 10.0 sail quiver.
- For a 85 kg rider, the 117 Wide is too small with 10.0 sail: better get the iSonic 127 to be more efficient in low wind range.
- For a 105 kg rider, there is no doubt, better get the Ultrasonic with 9.0-11.0 sail range. If racing under PWA rules, stick to the iSonic 137 which is PWA-compliant.

Cheers !

JM

[Jean-Marc]

Originally Posted by Pelegrin

There is still a lot fun in lightwind conditions without using Formula-equipment. I sail JP SLW 154 with sails between 5.5 and 9.0. The SLW is fairly like the Ultrasonic. The SLW has a great pontential and works perfectly well with all these sail sizes. If You like reaching in 20-27 knots it is fantastic. If You like going upwind in 15-21 knots it is fantastic. If you like going downwind it is fantastic and not at all scary.

Fantastic ? Really ? This is unrealistic for a 65 kg rider. The Ultrasonic is an absolute horror with a 5.5 sail in 20-27 knots for a 65 kg rider: way too wide! Time to get real, sorry about that...

I have also an Isonic 127 since this autumn and the feeling is similar to the SLW. This is also a great board but perhaps 10.0 is a rather big sail on this board with You weight...?

If I'm correct, you weight 78 kg. This is a different story as compared to a 65 kg weight rider.

Again, I've riden the iSonic 127 with my 11 m2 sail and I've found there is no control problems in low/high wind range (i.e., 7-12 knots of wind). I'm sure a 10.0 sail will fit the bill as well. However, things start to get scary in higher wind range with say an 8.0-8.5 sail. Control problems will emerge when the board is too wide, too bulky underfoot with vatsly unnecessary balast volume. A 65 kg light weight rider simply has not enough weight to keep control of a +85 cm wide board in higher wind range because of the associated chop/swell building up. We simply have not enough leverage to keep the hammer down when the board starts to fly or tailwalk when chop hopping in higher wind. If you do, you'll need superior skills to keep da big Bertha under control in rough water at high speed, no question...

Therefore, an iSonic 127 is a good choice with a 10-11 m2 sail for a 65 kg rider as a 1 board + 1 sail quiver for light wind conditions (i.e., 7-12 knots of wind).

If you're looking for a 1 board + 2 sails quiver solution for a skilled 65 kg rider, I would rather choose the iSonic 117 wide with 8.x + 10.x sails quiver.

If weighting 78 or 87 kg, this is again a different story...

Cheers !

JM

[BelSkorpio]

Good replies, Jean-Marc.