GEAR REVIEWS

-2012 OES 115L QUAD

-COLD WATER GEAR

-TAHOE SUP REVIEW

-2012 GOYA QUAD 104L & 84L

-Exocet 11’8″ Wind Sup




RIPPER REVIEW

Well finally the reef has been firing with some good waves and wind.  Prime testing conditions for The OES 2012 QUAD 115L AKA the “RIPPER”.  That’s what I call it.  That word pretty much describes this board on a wave.  When Down the line wave riding you can drive it too any part on the wave with complete confidence. Carve it tight or wide no problem, and when hitting the lip that extra surface area makes the ‘pop” so much more fun. And the lip slides are so controllable just shift a little weight off your back foot and the quads bite in and are ready to go for another.  In onshore/backside riding it snaps off waves on a dime even though its 65cm wide truly amazing.   At 115L this board feels so small. That is the by far the best part of this board. It has comparable feel in the water to an 80L “pro style” wave board did 4 years ago, actually even better!  I am 200lb and in super light winds I can float out through the break zone so easily, which means less time swimming and more time in the waves. I used a 6.2 down to a 4.7 on some mast high to tiny wave days and the “ripper” never felt too small or too big, you’re always in control with this board.  I am going to have a hard time stepping off this board to something smaller, the wind will have to be really nuking. With a board with all that extra float and no performance loss on a wave it makes wave sailing so much more freaken fun. I know all the kiters are very jealous sitting on the beach, watching me on all those side off day’s rippen it up!  If your 180lb+ and love wave sailing, you must get one of these boards you’ll be kicking yourself for not doing it sooner.  Thanks Pete for making a real wave board for the “BIG GUYS”.

COLD WATER GEAR!

This year the fall/winter has been crazy warm, and I have been able to extend the season like never before.  Plus I got some new gear, that’s keeping me warmer than ever. Let me fill ya in on my secrets.  First the suit. Lucky for me, my old 5/4 zipper broke in early October and I was forced to get a new suit, after a little research I settled on the Oneil mutant 5/4 with zip in hood. This suit did not disappoint it is insane warm and with the zip in hood very little water gets in and no ice cream headaches. Plus it is super stretchy it doesn’t even feel like you have a suit on, that’s the best part.  When the water/air get real cold (30s/40s), I will put on a 1mm Lycra long sleeve shirt underneath and a 2mm beanie cap for a little more warmth. Now the hard part, booties and gloves. I found again the Oneil booties are the best for heat.  The Oneil Heat 5mm round toe will do the trick, my feet have yet to get cold even in 39 degree water, and you still get pretty good board feel with them. For gloves there is only 1 option, the Dakine pre-curved mitts. Get the smallest size you can get into. I use size small (and I have big hands). The trick is before you hit the water let some water in, because they seal up pretty tight, so your hands will warm the water up inside and thus they stay warm.  And since they are pre-curved you get no bunching up in the hands.  Kiting and paddling you don’t even know they’re on but windsurfing it takes a few sessions to get used to them. I use a looser more open-hand grip on the boom, that seems to stop the forearm fatigue. So that’s my trick! You get this gear and your season will be super extended and you will be crazy warm, with no performance loss (if I can’t go full tilt, I wouldn’t be out there).   I know what you’re all saying wright now! Casey your crazy its freaken cold.  I used to be like that too!!! Many years ago. I am the biggest baby about the cold. I hate being cold that’s why my house is 85 all winter long. I used to stop surfing when the water/air hit the upper 50s in mid October. I Missed a lot of days!! I am actually colder standing on the beach with a winter jacket and pants on than I am out there in the 40 degree water. No Joke. So get Da gear and extend your season, on Da Reef!!!!

TAHOE SUP REVIEW

Life is good! In Hatteras.  I Love Vacation.  Got a couple days sailing in. Some SUP Surfing. Then I got a chance to try a couple of SUP cruisers called Tahoe Zephyr, thanks to Andy at Wind NC.  http://wind-nc.com/    They are the style with the canoe looking nose. Wow! These boards can glide, and are smooth as butter. They are a must have for any type of flat water paddling,   No need for a kayak or canoe ever again!  You can travel such a far distance with little effort you will be truly amazed!  So that’s what they felt like in the water.  Now my engineering brain wanted to see what the actual speed difference was.  So I turned on the GPS and presto! Numbers.  When paddling full out the Tahoe 12’6 average speed was 4.6 mph, My starboard Blend 11’2  4.0 mph. Top speed Tahoe 6.8mph, Blend 5.8mph.   Long distance easy paddlings Avg, Tahoe 3.6mph, Blend 2.6, So there are some numbers to prove their worth in flat water. So save your pennies Reef Warriors and give Andy at Wind NC a call .    http://wind-nc.com/     There are always more toys to get! HIT THE LIP!

2012 GOYA QUAD 104L & 84L REVIEW

Say hello to my new best friends “The Evil Twins” is what I call them. They are my new windsurfing boards,  2012 Goya quads 104L and 84L versions.  And good thing I am already married, because these girls are trouble!!. He he.  Seriously these boards are by far the best, for reef/erie and any kind of wave/B&J sailing, by ten fold.  This board is truly the first board that does it all. Its Fast, turns on a dime, Loose, goes upwind like crazy, smooth as hell, super controllable, and planes early. You name it, it does It.!  The 104L dose sails from 6.5 to 5.0, and it rides like a 70L wave board except you don’t get your feet wet, and the 84L takes care of the rest, It handled a 3.4 in 50 knots in way over mast high conditions. And I was in complete control. The most fun part of these boards is they never stop motoring, so I can ride a wave with zero power in the sail and feel like I am really surfing. Fun Fun Fun. That sums it up!  If you are thinking of getting a new board, doesn’t matter your skill level. No question, get one of these. They are by far the best board out there. It will totally increase your stoke level.

Note: I rode the 92L version last year(unchanged for 2012) and it’s the first board ever that I could say “this is perfect for a one board quiver”  from 6.2 to 3.4  the board felt the same on all sizes. Even on the 6.2 it floated me and planed up just as quickly as my 115L freestyle board. I know a couple people who have the 92L, and they both say the same thing and are completely amazed.

This is how the First pic of the boards turned out really! I know, I was having a bad hair day.

Exocet 11’8″ Wind Sup

Well i am back from hatteras, and of course I bring some new toys home with me. One toy didn’t make the trip, it needs to get glued back together, oops!

The other toy did make it home and it rocks! Its called the “Exocet 11’8 WindSup” board. I paired it up with a “Aerotech 4.8 WindSup sail”. The board is so much freaken fun. Plus its the only board i have tried ,(and i have tried lots of them) that Windsurf up onto a fast plane, and will rip when paddle surfing in waist high waves with lots of stability. It truly does everything well. And thats not even the main reason i bought it. It has a old school style kick up/down center board. So now in 1 tack in 6 knots i will be at the top of the reef ready to ride some waves. When the center board is kicked up i never felt any performance loss windsurfing or paddling. And this board is fast, i was sailing it at the hole with a 6.2 powered up and was keeping up with people on 95L boards, i was only maybe 1-2 mph slower. And it gybes so smooth and fast. i never came off a plane in a turn. I was having so much fun i couldn’t step off the thing. Then the wife took it (beginner windsufer) and was loving it, uphauling with ease, getting in the harnesses, tacking, gybing, kicking the center board down, so she could get back up wind,( so no walk of shame), her smile was bigger then mine. I cant say enough good things about this board. I know its a big old long board, but it offers so much more. If i only could own 1 board and 1 sail. I would choose this board and the Aerotech wind sup sail. I can show up to the beach any day, no matter what the conditions, 0-25 knots of wind or paddle and have lots of fun. Getting skunked is a thing of the past. What was old is New again. And its great for windsurfing!

*Warning* I know I sound crazy, but don’t try this board, Your bank account will thank you. Hit The Lip!!!!

Round 2 of my Excoet 11’8 Wind SUP review. This board is a crazy amount of fun! Everything I throw at the board, Is just fun. The other day the wind was light, blowing about 5-15 kt, so I rigged up a 7.5. and stuck it on the Wind SUP. I kicked the center board down, to quickly get out away from shore and into the wind line. Then kicked the center board up, gave the sail a couple of pumps, and the board was up on a fast plane in no time. Its amazing for such a big board how fast it planes up! Plus its so smooth and carves really nice, way better then any wide body board. The wind was really gusty, so when I was sloggen I would use the center board to help stay up wind. It’s so nice not to waste all that time and energy trying to get up wind. After about a hour the wind died. So i came in, unhooked the sail and center board, grabbed the SUP paddle. Paddled out to the reef and scored some nice glassy long rides. It doesn’t get much better then that.

The next day the wind was the same speed but really side off, which makes it very on or off. So this time i paired up the 4.8 Sup sail, with the Wind SUP board. I cranked up wind in no time to Dead Mans bay and caught waist high set after set, down the line wave sailing, just smacking lips and carving waves for hours. It was some of the most fun I have had in the 19 years of windsurfing. So for the last month I have been riding this board I have yet to fall in, wipe out, or even get my hair wet. Goes to show ya just how stable it is, unlike the long boards of old! Plus i have been riding it strapless the whole time. you can put straps on it, but i don’t really see the need. except when i try to loop it. hehehe

Ok I know its only MAY but I declare the Exocet 11’8 Wind SUP Board of the year! heck it might be board of the century!  Just like “my board of the year” last year. The Goya quad, which was a huge jump in performance,  except for being good at 1 discipline the Exocet is good for like 6, Windsurfing, Wave sailing, SUP Surfing, Flat water SUP, Learning Windsurfing, and anything else you can think of. It does it all at an extremely high and fun level. You can show up to any type of water with this board and have so much fun no matter what your skill level.

It probably will take 10 years but boards like the 11’8 Wind SUP with their range of performance are going to be very very popular.

Last thing, The negatives.  First: The board came with a 38 cm Blade Fin. WTF. That’s huge!  Its not a formula board.  So I got a 27cm wave/swept back fin for it and it’s working out way better for everything use, even when I had the 7.5 sail on it, it worked great!  Second: the center-board mechanism Sucks.  It wont kick down to save your life. Very sticky. I have gotten the hang of it but it is not very user friendly at all. they need to redesign that ASAP.  Other than that, it’s a ground breaking board. Period.

Finally, here’s a little clip from the other day, with me on the board and the 4.8 Wind SUP sail on average light wind day on the reef. Thank You Lou! for the footage. More too come, soon!

 

The perfect Fun do everything Combo.

Love the Thin Pin tail.

Step Tail, this is what makes it do everything.

Aerotech Wind Sup sail, Super Light, Rigs in 10 seconds, Love it

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DQDaDkA0LI