Longboards Rule

Last year, I wanted to increase my time on the water, and get more benefit out of the many light wind days we get here on the Ohio shore of Lake Erie, so I picked up a Starboard Formula 155 and Sailworks XT2 10.7 m2 sail. It certainly worked alot better than my old F2 Comet, and there were many days when I was out shredding while the shortboarders were still on the beach. However, there were many other days where I was struggling to get on a plane, and losing ground downwind while the guys on racing longboards were basically sailing circles around me. That is why this year I bought a used Superlight II. After my first day on this board, I'm really amazed by the speed and control I could get in really light wind. Why did they quit making them? It blows away my Comet (another long board), and my Formula board, at least in under 10 mph of wind. I really think there is a big niche for these boards in a lot of sailing areas.

Now that I've got one, I want to learn to sail it better. Anyone have advice on how to tack really fast? It seems to take for ever to crank it around.

Thanks,

Ooh, Ooh, Ooh. Another longboard question!

Sean, Welcome to the real world. This is exactly my experience. I love my formula board, and I love my longboard. I have a very low tolerance for slogging on the Formula because I know I will be having a blast on the longboard in those same conditions! Cruising is also much more practical on the Longboard because you know you can get home in reasonable time, whether the wind comes up or fall off. You can also sneak up channels because it is more practical to short tack the longboard....... However..... No one ever said a longboard tacks quickly. The long, sharp rails, big centerboard, and pretty big fin are there to help it go upwind. To tack you have to overcome this.

First, In light wind and flat water, tacking fast is not necessarily the best thing to do. Just Like a keel boat can use its 'shoot' or momentum to gain ground to weather by making a very smooth and gentle tack, you can glide quite a few feet to windward doing the same thing.

In more typical conditions this is my technique. Certainly there are many people who can tack better than I can, so this is not the only way.

1) have good speed and be pointing well before you initiate the tack. You need momentum, and you don't want to have to turn more than 90 degrees.

2) Grab the mast with your front hand, and reach back with your back hand.

3) but your back foot a back by the daggerboard. (2&3 occur at about the same time)

4)Lean the mast back as far as it will go, and over sheet. The extra force on your back hand should go right through your body to the back foot. This way the sail is telling the board to round up, and so is your body.

5) Wait

6) Wait some more, this isn't some wimpy short board you know!

7) as you round up you can oversheet some more. You should have to let the sail up a little to get the foot over the protruding part of the centerboard. I usually end up with the clew well past the centerline.

8) when head to wind, or even a little past head to wind, quickly switch sides, keeping your feet very close to the mast base. As you swing your body around the mast, move the mast in counter balance, this will let it fall to the new leeward side and forward, both of which will help keep the board turning. If you have not fallen off enough on the new tack to trim in, put your hands farther back on the boom to you can get the mast waay in front of you, while you push with your now forward foot.

9) Step back as you sheet in.

10) Away you go, hopefully without completely stopping, and many feet to windward of where you started the tack.

Other tips, try to tack right on a header. This does two things, it is a shorter angular distance to the new tack, and you are now on the lifted tack.

When really lit up, foot steer to weather to carry lots of speed up into the wind. Be really aggressive when it is windy.

Hope this helps.

If I used any unfamiliar terms, let me know and I will try to clarify.

Jack (Sarasota) Defender of the Longboard

Interesting...I am very interested in investing in a light wind setup but I'm not very expert on equipment so I'm still trying to figure out what I need.

I had assumed longboards were 'obsolete' and the new, super-wide shortboards were considered state of the art for light wind. You seem to say the board you are talking about is no longer being made.

I assume there are other longboards being made still though, correct?

What I desire is not so much the board and rig that will be fastest, but the one that will be most reliable and versatile in light winds, able to sail close to the wind and most suited for slogging home if the wind takes a crap. Given that, would you (or anybody else) recommend a racing longboard with a daggerboard over a floaty, extra wide, high-volume shortboard like the Starboard GO board or the AHD FD 77?

Basically what I want is the closest thing to a small sailboat in terms of versatility in light wind and points of sail, pointing ability, downwind ability, but in a windsurf setup.

Do I read you correctly that I would be happier with a racing long board than a fat wide short board? I assume racing long boards have dagger boards, right? Are they always retractable?

Any feedback appreciated.

For background info I'm an intermediate shortboarder, in his 3rd season, very competent at waterstarting, straps, and harness, but still working on my jibes. I started with a few long board sessions and I learned to tack and jibe, then I dove full on into shortboarding and have been ever since. I have never tacked a shortboard and probably hit at best 1 in 10 of my jibes.

Thanks,

Chris

I just sold my two racing longboards since I feel I can plane in pretty low winds with my formula board. Longboards will probably always rule in 0-5mph winds. I still have an old Mistral Bermuda at the cottage for playing around on though...using the formula board on a small, gusty lake is just too challenging for me.

3.5 Depress the the leeward (downwind) side of the boards with the toes of your rear foot, this allows the dagger board to help pull the board around.

Ray who also kept his long board

I got my first planing experience on a Superlight II at a windsurfing clinic...I immediately fell off....ahh memories. I think that I just caught a gust and was actually following the advice of my instructors....go figure. When I got my first board, I didn't have the space or hauling capacity for a ~12 ft board so I got something smaller with a centerboard. I think that the short wide boards are driving the industry right now, but I doubt manufacturers are throwing out their longboard molds.

Of course the other factor is when you use a bigger sail (10m+) with the board, rather than the 7.5 'standard' size the board really does like a big sail!!

Peter NW England

Chris

Longboards really do rule

Never seen a railride on a short fat thing yet You want fun platform for silly stunts in light conditions and can't do it on longboard then you probably 'aint tryin' properly.

As for don't turn, you puppys never tried a slam jibe from the plane on an Equipe? Looks fantastic and feels even better. Not your scene, try sinking the nose and flipping it round, load o fun

Last weekend we had F2 to F8 and the only people who made the day were the long boards.. The traditional short boys sank and the newer fat boys disappeared off down wind and most had to walk home...

As for the original question at the start of this thread, 'wot happened to kill off long boards', could be marketing angle and buyers egos demanding short boards to look cool? I mean to say, 195Ltr 265!!!

Hi, Nat

What do you like about the older longboards? I thought they weren't as fast and were harder to sail?

Speaking of the Prodigy, I hope to get a chance to sail one sometime. They look like pretty interesting boards. I keep hearing a lot of good reports from people who've sailed them