Ok, ok, ok, i have to get me a formula board!!!

G'day Charlie...

Save yourself a heap of money and go buy a second-hand wooden door at the local furniture shop, mate.

Remove the door handles, [optional] and bore a couple of holes through the back of it to fit a fin, and another hole about the centre to accept a bolt thru mast base.

These are great for lightwind sailing in the bays, and are very easy to obtain. They have added benefits, too.

You can use them for picnics ashore as a table which seats 6 people, and if it gets really cold in the winter, you can just break them up and use them as firewood to get warm again...

Also, if you get one with a built-in glass panel, you can watch the large grey fish swimming by under the water as you sail along.

R.

Hey if it's good enough for Mike Waltze, it's good enough for the rest of us!

He didn't even need the fin!

Cheers

What a grat investment!!! I bought a Starboard wood fromula 155, 2001 and traded in a bic techno 283. It was worth the trade. For light wind performance thee is nothing better and more stable .

Good luck mate an I wish I could sail with you in Australia. Next time your on the Jersey Shore give me a call

Brian Pearson Ebbtide Windsurfing Montgomeryville, PA

I see a guy using an NXS board at caloundra, with the wicked channel cut bottom.

They look cool, and if theyre cheaper than a starboard, i might go for one of those.

Currently, i have a 460 mast and a 165-215 boom (think it actually goes to 225). Might have to get a whole new rig, which will give me 2 full rigs, so i can have the formula board all to myself

My only concern with the wide boards was performance in choppy water. My experience with longer boards has always been to keep them in the flat, and only take my small board out into swell....how do the formula boards fare in those conditions?

Yeah, really, i want one for hooning in light winds, as since i got into shortboards, i developed a love for carving

I have been sailing peters channel step boards for about 10 years now. And I like them. I'm certain you could sail one before you buy. The channel forces air under the board for early planing, the flats on either side reduce the wetted surface area when planing and the step increases control at high speed by reducing tail walk. Peter is also aware of the problems associated with nose size on these types of boards. he would be more than happy to explain the theory to you. you can also see them being made at different stages. I think he is building 4 or 5 of different widths now.

you shouldn't have any trouble in chop on a formula, or swell either. but when the chop starts to form closer together and get steeper almost turning into small waves things can get scary. For light wind hooning I reckon go 85cm or wider. you will probably end up only using that setup. lately more and more people are getting formula boards at caloundra and bigger sails. At first they feel a little awkward because they really like to sail upwind but after 3-4 sessions you'll overcome that. You can carve them to your hearts content. I sail at Wello, Caloundra, Lake Catharabah, Victoria point and Mooloolabah. all different conditions. the only place I have noticeable board control issues is just at the markers at Wello at the end of the channel. the swells stack up. but once you pass it into the deep water with the ocean swell it's not a problem anymore. wide boards are great in ocean swell, the ride down the back of the swell is awesome.

you could use your 7.5 to start with, depending on vintage but a bigger sail would be a must. I would definitely recommend a deviator too.

the guy you see at caloundra is either me or peter , I use my north IQ and Peter uses his retro. If you ever want a closer look at a board and you see me just come and say hi. if you want I could introduce you. lately the 95cm boards and 9.5+ sails have been cooking me I lighter winds so I'm going wider and bigger.

I have known peter a long time. he taught me how to sail and then taught me to be an instructor, I sail with him regularly, and he is always letting me to try his new toys.

Justin.

Does Peter have a website where we could see pictures of his designs? An email?

He also builds wider versions although not sized on the web page. the 70cm is the narrowest. he first developed the bottoms for speed sailing to achieve the smallest wetted surface area. He also tried a vaulted hull as well but that wouldn't turn. Like a 25cm wide 9' long catamaran. About 7 years ago he developed a retractable fin and built a working version.