i found this last night from another brand
www.windsurfing44.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=2627&start=10
By the way the wind is shaping up so far this year, this could be a very popular board!
was just looking at mine again..... you know it a good job they wrote JP-Australia on it a couple of times...... nearly forgot who made it
Can a novice sailor (not a total beginner) go fast on a SLW90? What would the pros and cons of this board be in comparison to a progressive freeride board 120-140lts for a novice sailor on flattish water, 10-20knots of wind?
Thanks. I'm working on getting in the footstraps, and still get the odd crash. Perhaps I should look at one next year.
Can you compare early planing abilities between a board like SLW90 and a 140lt freeride board? Eg, using a 7.5 sail, I can get the freeride board planing in around 15knots of wind. Would this board start planing say around 10knots using the same rig?
Jase suggests that yeah, this board does get going in lighter winds considerably less than 15, but it requires a level of technique to get it onto the plane in light conditions.
It would be interesting to compare a large freeride board to one of these JPs. I've got a Tabou Rocket 140 which I think is 75cms wide. So its not as extreme as the JP. I don't have a wind meter but I think with a 7.8m race sail I can get it on the plane in about 12 knots.
Perhaps the JP stays on the plane better than a more allround board. Anyway its seems like big gear is the new black.
Well I agree with jase above, in fact we were both out on the same day , not a white cap in sight but both planning.
I certainly have not been on the plane in such light winds before, my other boards being Xcite rides 110 and 130.
I was worried to begin with that it would require more skill than I have, but to the contrary no problems at all. i was soon planning, first run missed the back strat , second found it (more luck than judgement). while the front strap was easy enough to grab i did have problems with the back, but to be honest in such light wind it was not a disaster.
I personally had some difficult pointing downwind, but I imagine this will come with practice, I have only used it the once and as soon as it came up to plane it wanted to sail upwind as fast as it could, which is not a bad thing.
like Jase says, it does not just pop up , some technique is needed but not a lot. perfection though will take a bit of practice for me at least.
Sadly I on this particular day there was another sailor out on a much smaller carbon Art board who was planning no problem at all.... although he does i imagine weigh 30kg less than myself...... this poses the question.... how much liposuction can you get for 3000 bucks? it is an option!
I was sailing that day with a 7.5 NP V6, when my new 8.7 H2 arrives I will let you know how that goes.
I just finished a session at Sanctuary point on the SLW90, It is a monster. I started the day on my FSW and a 6.7 and blasted around for about and hour before the southerly lost strength and then I switched to the SLW90 with my 8.5 Helium. What a ride, Most of the time there was not a white cap to be seen but there was a few big gusts that I thought would be an issue...How wrong was I. Once she is up and going and you are locked into the straps this baby can handle just about anything, I did some of my longest runs today and was very happy how it glides over the chop...It never got flighty once, Even when it got totally airborne.
The Helium is not the best sail for this board as you can't tune it very much, the H2 or similar would be more suited, Just to make the ride a bit smoother.
Once I get the data from the GPS I'll let you know how the session was...Wasn't fast but It was a solid session and a lot of fun. It's almost a "Plug and Play" board, any one that is in the harness and straps would be able to ride this board, It it a board where you'll easily pull off you first gybes if your not already...Its just so stable in the turns. It does need some rider input to get it to go down wind but once you work it out it becomes easy, and upwind you don't even have to think about it.
Best investment ever
Out of curiosity, for the guys using the JP Super Light Wind boards, could you give some numbers ie. wind strength, rider weight and sail size and type for a particular session where you where constantly planing. Trying to judge what would be needed (sail size) for a 80kg rider in a solid 10-12 knots plus.
SBC said "Oh for some $ & a sailboard mad partner".
I meet 50% of that specification!
SBC,
You might consider that if it's the money, I could afford the windsurfing part.
I shall never reveal and you will always wonder.
The Neil Pryde / JP windsurf day at Botany Bay yesterday had an SLW for demo. I took it out when the wind was blowing around 20 knots +. It was rigged with a 6.1 NP Fusion and what is probably the standard fin of about 56cms in length. Sam was rigging a 7.5m sail but the wind was picking up in strength so the bigger sail was not needed.
The water was reasonably flat with a little bit of chop but not too much.
Firstly the rig was the right size for the wind. Plenty of power and no trouble getting on the plane and up to speed. The board probably was not designed for winds of this strength. Despite this it was a comfortable ride. Once in the straps it was zooming along. There was no trouble going upwind, downwind or across the wind. The board just mowed the the chop down and there were no control problems with the board bouncing around. My GPS was recording a maximum speed of about 26 knots which wasn't bad. I'm not the fastest sailer in the world and its a very different type of board to what I'm used to.
Its a very stable platform. No trouble just standing in the board. The footstraps are right out on the rail. Thats something I'm not familiar with. Despite this it was very comfortable once into the straps and blasting along. I was a bit afraid about gybing being so far out on the rail and don't think I made a planing gybe.
Later on that day I demoed a JP X-Cite Ride 122 with the same sail, which was better suited to the conditions. I then rode a friend's Mistral wave/slalom 92L and 5.8m Hot Sails Maui which was again better suited the wind which was pretty strong by then.
I can really image its great being out there on the SLW in 10 to 12 knots and just blasting along. Its more full on than my Tabou Rocket 140 and probably a bit less versitile but for its design purpose its great.
Was out sailing with jh2703 this evening, both on superlights similar rigs etc etc, not a white cap insight. jh2703 planing nicely, sadly I could not find that frigging back strap, it was a bitch. I need more practice, but it's annoying because the first day I sailed it I hit it every time, hopefully it was just one of those days.
The more I ride this board the more I love it, With winds gusting to 15 Knots at the most I had a good session with DrJ. I'm sure it was just an off day DrJ, The wind was gusty as all hell and I had a few issues myself but I've had heaps more time on the superlight and have it worked out(I still miss the back strap sometimes)...It will come to you.
Sorry to sound like a broken record but when it has silver paint covered with JPAustralia JPAustralia JPAustralia JPAustralia JPAustralia JPAustralia JPAustralia JPAustralia JPAustralia ad nauseum.......
...... have fun when you ding it and have to repair it. Good bl00dy luck.
But a plain white bottom / rails, and graphics only on the deck which stop an inch short of the rails, is bliss
I would pretty much NOT buy that board simply due to the fact that repairing it is all but impossible.
Unless, of course, I won lotto and was buying brand new stuff every year and didn't care if I had blobs of non matching ding stick over my trade-in boards each year
As per my comments in another thread - unpainted boards with no straps, no fin and stick-on-youself footpads for a couple of hundred $$$ less? Bring it on Cobra
Finally got my SLW wet today and I must say it was the best fun I have had in years.
I think the planing gybe will take a while to master - you are sailing so efficiently in light wind that you almost always get backwinded in the gybe.
I am looking forward to the lightwind days this summer.
They are good, was racing elmo and beating him relatively easily then the wind dropped out he kept planing and I stopped and he massacered me
