WA
118 posts
So to people who have Slalom boards what are they like in the ocean?
I know they're meant to go super fast in flat water but are any of them good in the ocean in chop as well?
I would like to go fast and figure a slalom board will do that as well be good for early planing in days where the wind is 15 - 20knots. I don't want a pig in the ocean though.
From what i've read the RRD x-fire and Tabou manta are decent in the chop. Any one with these boards care to comment? What about controllability when going hard downwind in swell?
WA
507 posts
If going down wind in swell gets you hard, you would like the RRD xfire.
Used one in the Lancelin classic this year and control was never a problem. They seem to have a quite a bit of vee in the tail and this really smooths things out.
WA
101 posts
Carbon Arts are good as well. Used mine in Maui a lot.
NSW
1353 posts
My brief try-out of a X-Fire left me very impressed.
The only reason I don't have one is the lack of opportunity for me to use it.
I'm thinking of getting one for winter, as I might get to FNQ a bit.
WA
437 posts
I do a lot of ocean sailing, mainly at Pinnaroo, as well as flat water blasting on the river and at Woodies.
My two main boards are Starboards, a 93 S-Type and a 111 Futura. I highly recommend the Futura for ocean sailing. S-Types are superceded and it's probably hard to find good ones now as they date back to 2007.
These boards are classified as 'free race' and they are a great compromise between full-on slalom boards and free ride boards. Softer rails, a bit of vee and narrower tails make them more suited to ocean blasting. Flat rockerlines mean they don't give up much in speed to the full-on race boards, and for the average punter they make a lot of sense.
I also have a 135 XFire for the lighter stuff, which I rate very highly, and when the time comes to upgrade the S-Type I'll probably get a 102 Xfire to replace it.
Equivalent free race models in other brands would include the Tabou Rocket and JP Supersport.
WA
129 posts
One thing I'll say is they need to be powered up on the ocean or they'll keep slapping the chop giving a nasty ride. Get em up and riding on the tail and they're fine. I have only been on Isonic and Jp slalom but I'd guess the others are the same.
