Currently I have:

Tabou X-Rocket: 105L, 61cm wide, 245cm long.
JP FSW: 78L, 57.5cm wide, 237cm long.

I am quite happy with both these boards, however the JP FSW is a bit too much for me to handle in the big southerlies on Botany Bay. I weigh 66kg, and with the chop/swell getting up to around 1.0m+ in a big southerly, I just can't keep the board in the water!

I am thinking that maybe a wave board around 54cm wide might be a bit more comfortable for me on the 25+ days. Or maybe I should just look backwards and reef in the back hand?

Any ideas/comments?

Mark _australia said...


Or just put on weight, I am 95kg and use a 80L in 35kn on 4.0m hahahaha. Sucks when it is light wind, but i dunno how the hell guys around 70kg manage on the big days..... need 50l boards.....

Ah...no wonder I have so much trouble in the 40+ days with my 4.7m. I just thought I was a wimp. Also explains why I sometimes seem to get more hang time than the kites when the wind gets under the board.

I spotted a 2nd hand JP Radical Wave (54.5cm x 245 cm). These seem to be a pinny design that would suit high wind. Might be good?

Hi Harrow, you should pop up to the shop, they have a big range of used wave boards that you should be able to borrow for a demo.

Waveboards can give you more top end range for the same volume. Your model FSW is a bit more gunny in the rails. My Exocet OW 85 had better manners in the really rough stuff than my FSW78, and I have the 07 FSW which is a bit softer than yours and 56cm I think.
I would recommend a used Exo OW in a 75 Litre, if you can find one. They're good in flat water as well, whereas some of the pure side shore wave boards are bit hard to drive upwind.
The other board I liked was the 08 JP RWW 68. I tried this in Maui and it had good manners in ballistic winds and was easy to trim. My partner at the time used it, she is 50kg and loved it. On a couple of days she had to rig down from her 3.7 to a 3.3m.

There's a lot of options around atm, and you can usually get used waveboards for a good price.