I sail a JP Super X 116 and I am 85 kg. What would be a good smaller board to complement it ? a FSW ? 90l or 100l ? Mainly for slalom/bump and jump and occasional waves

Hi,

I'm the same weight as you and normally sail a 105 litre board. I'd suggest an 85 litre board with a narrow tail (I sail an 84 litre JP freeride 2001 model in anything over 20 knots).

Tail width is important, 'cos with a wide tail, you bump and grind over every tiny piece of chop... but with a narrow tail you mush through it which is much easier on your knees. Talking to Haircut today, he reckons that a narrow tail jumps better as well. Both my boards are narrow tails, but the times I've sailed a wide tail I really noticed how much they follow the surface of the water, and jar your knees.

The trouble is that modern freeride shapes have wide tails, so you might have to go secondhand or get a wave shape. Definitely go for a 90 litre over a 100 litre, it's a little bit scary at first when you step on the board and it sinks, but once you get the hang of it you won't look back. In 20+ knots there's no problem in sailing the same number of litres as your weight, and in anything lower you would use your lovely JP.

Hey Mineral1,

Have you noticed anything odd when getting the thing to plane?
On my 105 litre you can get it planing with one foot just behind the mastfoot, on the 84 litre you'll slog all day if your foot's there. Put it back near the footstrap and bingo you're up and planing, in less wind than you'd reasonably expect.

Funny thing about windsurfing, the more you learn, the more there is to learn

Hi!
I have a JP 116 and my small board is a Naish 83lt - I'm about 88-90kgs and I would recommend a Bigger board than my smaller board..I'm looking to sell my Naish and get something around 90lt.

So my vote for you is around 90lts.

Regards,
Taz

Tabou 87 3s would be my pick

Slalom, Bump Jump and Occasional Waves is a pretty broad spectrum. I'm the same weight, have had a JP SX116 and usually jumped straight down to a 85L waveboard or a 90L FSW. A JP board that will give you the combination you want is a 2003 JP FSW 91. This board can be dialed in for great speed, but with single rear strap it's good B&J and reasonable for small waves. And if you have a sail around around 6 to 6.4 it makes a great transition sail. When the 116 gets too big you just plug in the smaller board on same sail and go for it.