Light-wind Blaster 140-155L - iSonic or Futura?

[Remi]

Hi Belskorpio,

The Ultra Sonic 147 Will be thé perfect board for those who Want to be fast in verry light winds, very close to get planning as a Formula but easier, faster and not painful for the back leg like Formula on the reach

Have fun

All the best

[BelSkorpio]

Yes, I understand, Remi.

From the moment I get the chance to test the 147, I most certainly will.

Greetings.

[MOP]

Will severne turbo 9.2 and ultrasonic 147 be a good combination for light wind planing or does it require an overdrive 9.7. or 11

I am 90 kg...


Should I then go for Is 137 or 127 instead with this sail?

I am going to buy(order) light wind gear )board and sail) this week so I will be really grateful for any answers

I now have a ncx 8.0 and a supersport jp 127(will probably sell this board)

Maybe on the far side for this thread but still relevant... is the turbo earlier planing than the overdrive in the same sizes?

Thanks!

[MOP]

what happened to the big windrange of the 2010 Isonics, for ex isonic 150 down to 7.5, ultrasonic 147 down to 9.0..????

This is also "true " with the other isonics..

Thoughts?

[Remi]

Hi Mop,

Of course you can use smaller, this is mostly the best sails on this boards, for example if you was using 7.5 on the iSonic 150 it will be not a problem on the Ultra Sonic 147. In Formula Experience with the F160 they use until 6.5 but it will not give the optimum performances.

You can use the Turbo 9.2 on it without problems, my favorite sail on it is the Overdrive 9.7 and I am 90 kgs as well, more powerful and more easy to control when gust comes

Hope this help

All the best

[MOP]

Hi Remi; Thank you very much for the reply

So the overdrive has more bottom end/is more powerful. That is an important statement because I thougt it was the turbo that had more grunt in low wind.
I already have a 490 mast and that is why I am still considering the turbo 9.2. or even the overdrive 8.5

If I am to buy turbo 9.2 instead, is there any point in going for the ultrasonic , or am I almost as early off in light wind with is137 or 127, because the sail isnt big enough to get the most out of the ultrasonic.
Im ordering tomorrow I hope..

[MOP]

Hi again
I just read the german surf magazin on freride / race race sails from nr 6 2010
It claims that for example the neil pryde H2/gaastra swift(two cambers- I guess about the same sail as turbo) has better bottom end, better drive through lulls and better/equal middle wind speed than for ex gaastra gtx race and north ram. But clearly not as good top end speed and control in the gusts as the race/slalom sails.
If these results can be translated to overdrive and turbo, it seems like turbo might be a better choice in light wind?
Or is this not your experience regarding element/turbo contra overdrive?

I know you get the same questions over and over again but could you please reply to this one :-)

Regards Mop

[BelSkorpio]

Hi MOP,

What you are saying about the the 2-camber free-race sails and their excellent light wind and light handling capabilities is generally true.

I cannot speak for the Severne sails, because I've never sailed them, but I have a lot experience with the NP H2 sails. I've sailed the 2010 H2's, almost in all sizes on a lot of different boards in Rhodes/Greece this year. I can tell you that these sails make you plane extremely early. I don't know a sail that does it better. Even not my NP RS:Racing sail, which I like a lot.
Pure racing sails are better in the high end wind range, especially in the gusts. They are much better manageable in highly overpowered conditions.

So it all depends up to you.
If you just like to plane early and you don't participate in any slalom competition that you eagerly want to win, choose the freerace sail. Else, choose a pure race sail.
Pure race sails also help a lot to maintain control in heavy chop,
In light wind conditions, there is not often a lot of chop, so in general you could say that a freerace sail would be enough, but the problem starts when the wind is really unstable and gusty. In these conditions I absolutely prefer a pure race sail.

[MOP]

Thanks for a very informative reply Belskorpio

Why is a pure race sail better in choppy conditions? Does it hammer down the board better/ help the board stay flat? Will the turbo/H2 kind of sail be more stable in high wind than ncx?

What is your opinion about light wind board for me (90 kg) if I am not bying anything bigger than 9.2 Am i almost as good with the isonic 127? or wil even then the ultrasonic be a much better choice.
Or mayby 127 and overdrive 8.5 ?

Thanks again

[BelSkorpio]

A pure race sail does indeed hammer the board more down and better loosens up in overpowered airflows.
This is exactly what you want when you're riding in heavy chop.

I think that every cambered sail will be more stable in any kind of wind (low or high end) c/w a non cambered sail. Some people like the non cambered sails because they find they can jibe easier with it, while I think that a cambered sail helps me better "pull" through the jibe turn. It's true of course that the cambers will make the sail turn over a litte bit slower, with a little extra effort of the rider. Non cambered sails have only 1 advantage, according to me, i.e. they waterstart a lot easier.

Personally, I use a 9.5m2 sail on my IS122 in 12-15 knots. It goes amazingly well. I'm 85 kg.
If the wind gets very unstable I use that same sail on my F161, which helps me a lot planing through the lulls and going upwind.
If the wind drops to 8-12 knots, I use a 11m2 sail on my F161. Works amazingly.

In your case (and this is my personal opinion), if you don't want to buy a bigger sail than 9.2m2, I would go for the IS127 or perhaps the new IS117 wide. If the wind drops under 12 knots, you really need an 11m2 sail + the IS147 or formula to get going.
The IS127 will also be perfect with the overdrive 8.5 when the wind picks up.

Good luck with your choice.
I know how hard it can be.