Is Hatteras a Down the Line Wave?

I'm looking at getting a new waveboard. Proof, Gran Canaries has finally admitted that Bjorn Dunkerbeck sails a board bigger than 95 liters in lighter wind conditions and they have added two boards to their offerings which both have 108 liters. One is geared for on-shore conditions, and the other for sideshore conditions. Both have tail widths bigger than anything I've ever sailed in a wave board. I can't afford to get both and am trying to decide which one to order. My gut reaction since I weigh 230 lbs is to get the On-shore board with the fuller rails and flatter tail rocker. Then I was thinking that since these are 'real' waveboards and my current board is a Starboard Carve 111 that I should get the Wave Special 'Pure Waveboard'. Since the volume is nearly the same would a pure down the line waveboard be better for Hatteras waves than an onshore waveboard. Proof describes the differences between the Rip and Wave Special as the Rip having the volume concentrated at the boards center with a fuller rail, and the Wave Special having the volume concentrated from the masttraack to the nose and soft thin rails.

Which board would you buy??

Wave Washed in Hatteras

Hey Charles.

Those boards do look pretty sweet. You've got to go with the gut reaction. If it's onshore and backside riding you could always use the Carve. I'm sure there's gotta be a bunch of days/year on a dying NE or W at the Turnout that would justify the purchase.

Wardog,

My other board right now is a wood Starboard Wave 270,circa 1999 or 2000. Would you consider the 270 an on-shore or a down the line waveboard? I got the 270 to replace a custom Nolte and love it. Unfortunally a pretty big ding in the rail has caused the 270 to take on a little water weight. So, I'm looking at replacing it. I looked at the Exocet large then when I went back to demo it it was gone (sold). Any idea what the tail width of the Large is? It looked quite wide maybe 14.5' +, certainly a lot bigger than the tail of the Star Wave 270. The 270 if fine for me in powered up 5.7. For 6.2 I usually have to make the tough decision of whether to shlogg with the 270 and be able to turn, or to plane on the 111 and give up some rides. I'm hoping that the Proof will bridge the gap, early planing and loose.

P.S. I asked Margret and Olaf to get me one of those big Wardog Surf fins last year. They just arrived back on the island and told me that True Ames doesn't make them anymore. I guess I'll just have to stick with my 9.5 Finworks Wave and 7.5 Hot Psyclone.

Wave Washed in Hatteras

Hi Charles, I'll get the numbers on the Exocet O' Wave 95 and Compact Move 100 http://www.surfingsports.com/exocet.asp I have to go sailing, because it's going ballistic here in S.B. right now... I've been talking with Steve Gottlieb and Patrice Belbeoch is there in Florida right now and it sounds like they are working on a 108-110 liter version of the Compact Move for '03...another secret weapon for light air surfsailing...

huh? They just bought a bunch of fins from me...mostly A.T.X. and weeds. Chuck Ames still makes the WARDOG Wave fins for me and I have them in stock...9.75' WARDOG Wave in G-10, any base, is $95 to the door. http://www.surfingsports.com/product.asp? prod=taf_wdwave975-g You will definitely LOVE the 9.75' WARDOG Wave or your money back. Same goes for all of my fins...never had one come back, yet...

Starboard tends to make overall wave boards...pick more volume for onshore...less for sideshore...

WARDOG

My $0.02......

I'm scared of anything that says 'pure wave' for the sailing I do in NC (most of it's in Wilmington, so we never really get down the line conditions). I would vote for a little more speed and planability, but you do live in Hatteras, so you choices of launches and wind directions are way better than ours. Buy anway, my vote would be for the RIP line. Even some of the guys (who used to windsurf) would order the custom Naish boards, they always asked for the Diamond Head configuration, which was a little flatter rocker and a wider tail. So they were not getting the pure Maui wave type board. Granted those boards still had lots of rocker!

I thougth I heard some of the guys at Sailworld/Storm Warning in HR had ordered some of the Proof boards to try out. I think Andy at Swiss Swell was also going to try them out. My want to check with those guys and see if they did try them out.