*board 2004 1st impressions

[hiwindjunkie]

i'm thinking of replacing my 2001 formula & the new boards have been in for a couple weeks now.  i'd love to hear from those who've ridden, in particular, the new ff138 & h133 (i plan to ride it with a 9.4m2).

how do they compare with each other & with the older formulas in early planing (with & without pumping/bearing off), handling chop, gybing, going upwind, etc.

sukhdev ... i take it you'll be posting reviews with pix & your 'in-depth technical analysis'    of the new boards when your new website's up.  any indication of when?  also, any chance of 'borrowing' a demo board up @ nsrcc?

[sukhdev]

hwang,

should have some impressions of the fformula 158 by sometime this week. hypersonic 133 does not arrive till end October though 111 is here. website is in final stages, I've been chasing Baii Laut Webdesign Pte Ltd to get it up as soon as they can..

freeformula 158 is bloody good looking..a formula type board that actually looks elegant in the flesh..re demo, should be able to get something soon.

I'd be inclined to the ff138 for you for a 9.4.

[hiwindjunkie]

sukhdev,

great, thx!

[<Mike>]

Sukhdev,

Have you had the opportunity to get any more sailing time in on the FF138 and FF158 since your excellent review of the FF158 posted several weeks ago?  I'm still deciding which way to go... I'm at 80kg. and 9.8m Nitro is my biggest sail.  No racing just BAF blasting and occasional fun races.

[sukhdev]

Mike, i havent had time to sail them much more but IJ has been "living" on his 158 for a while now. I'll see if i can get him to post a user's experience. Ian is running a 10.5 on the 158 but is considering a 9.x (Ian, you out there? thoughts? comments?).

[<IJ>]

I am 95Kg and have only used the FF158. I have sailed it in marginal conditions with the 10.5 and maxed out on an 8.5. I like it a lot. Its very fast and easy to sail. It is excellent up wind and sails clean down wind. For such a wide board i was surprised on the level of control and comfort when the sea state gets rough, there is no worry of the nose catching, its sails with such a good trim.
 To get it planning you need to bear a long way off wind, its maybe a fraction slower to plane than a full on Formula. Tacking is easy with plenty of volume in the nose, gybing is ok but takes some getting used to the width of the tail.
For friendly racing, in my opinion, a good sailor on this board would be faster  than a not so good sailor on a Formula.
Mike, i don't know what conditions you sail in, but at 80Kg and a 9.8, you will certainly enjoy the FF158 for BAF blasting and occasional fun races.

[<Mike>]

Thanks to Ian and Sukhdev for the replies. The FF158 sounds like a winner.  My only concern with the FF158 at my weight was the effect of chop as the wind comes up (I sail in the open ocean).  IJ's comment about how smooth the board flies in chop gives me more confidence to go with the bigger board and gain the benefit of it's superior light-air performance.

Thx!

[Michael Vong]

Hi Mike,
This is another Mike. I am 72kg and am now using a FF158 with a 9.3m GTX for the past couple of weeks. I have tried pacing with the other windsurfers and here are my reactions:
a. It does not get into a plane as fast as compared to a formula board (say F155 + 9.3 sail)
b. While fully planning, it does keep up with a Formula Board fairly easily, it gets better when the wind picks up. When the wind picks up, it is easier to control than a Formula.
c. When the chops start coming in,it gets better than a Formula coz it glides over the chops much easier.
d. Tacking is real easy
e. Gybing needs a bit more effort as you need to stretch your legs a bit more compared to a Fromula
f. It turns smoother in a gybe becoz of the tucked rails
g. The fin that comes with the board is a bit soft, i do get spin outs at times. But it quite easy to get it back on track again.
g. Overall, I think it is a fun board to ride if you are looking for freeride + fast board.
Cheers!

[hiwindjunkie]

hi all!

ian, greetings! i was the guy u saw on the ff138 on deepavali out in front of PA!  great board isn't it!

i had a bit of reservations the first few times i used the board but the more i sail the more i like it.

agree with mike.  speed, esp on a reach, is right up there with formula boards. depends on who's sailing, of course but i've been able to pass guys i used to just keep up with.

also have the same prob with the stock fin ... keep spinning out when i drive hard upwind.

for me (i'm a featherweight @ 65kg on a 9.4m2), early planing with the stock fin is as good as my old f135.  it was better when i had a select 62cm fin on the ff138.

just a note, i've already got several dings on the nose (& one on the bottom) from hitting all the junk that's been floating around going at full tilt    !