Volume/Weight trade-off

Question
QUESTION: Hi!

I currently have a 145 lts Tabou Rocket board. After one  season of growing  with it and a most definite improvement, I am still not completely won to this type of boards : their    relatively low volume and their  shortness make them  very wobbly  and unstable , which in turn makes  tacking,  jibing and uphauling very hard both in terms of balance and physical strength. In addition, the lack of a daggerboard( a center fin), makes going upwind a bit of a challenge, even by applying the proper footwork to bank on the rail. These boards, I have come to realize, may be  great for  downwind speed,planing and manoeuverability, but they are simply not designed for cruising and upwind performance.

In view of this, I am considering going back to a " beginner " board. ( And,  by the way, before I come to my questions, I'd like to stress that the traditional distinction between   supposedly " beginners"  boards ( with high volume and a daggerboard)  and "advanced"  boards ( with  lower volume and w/out a daggerboard ) doesn't seem to me  a valid one.  As I see it, the fundamental distinction  has less to do with the ability  of the sailor than with the use for which the boards  are designed: cruising vs speed/racing.When it comes to driving my Kia , for example,  I don't consider myself as  a beginner, just because I don't drive   Ferraris at 300 km/hr, like a professional racer.  

Anyway, here are my questions:
1. I have seen " beginners" boards with the same weight, but different volumes : the Bic Core 293 D and the AHD Zen pack the same weight ( 11 kg)  and roughly the same lengths/widths )under different volumes: 205 lts for the Bic and 170 lts for the AHD.
For the same weight, is it more advantageous to choose the  205 lts Bic board, rather than the 170 lts AHD ?

2.Does a 205 lts board  provide a  better planing/speed  performance as compared to a 170/180 lts, everything being equal?

3. I'd like to have your comments on the following " beginners" boards:
The Tabou Cool Rider, the Bic Core  293 D and the RRD Easy Rider.

Thank  you


Franco

ANSWER: Hey Franco,

1) The question you should ask yourself is, 'Do I want a higher volume board to carry larger sails and sail in lighter winds?' or 'Do I want a more stable board that will work fairly well in light winds and perform well when the wind picks up?' The higher a volume board, the more sail it can carry and better performance/stability in light winds. A lower volume board will work better as the wind picks up and is usually better for learning tacks and jibes. Performance differences between a higher volume and lower volume depends upon hull design, wind speed, and sailor ability. The AHD Zen looks to be more of a beginner board that can be used in higher winds where the Bic Core line up is designed for beginners and still be a decent performance board when the wind picks up.

2) A 205 ltr board will provide better planning/speed in light winds provided you have a large enough sail to get it on a plane. You would need a little more wind to get a 170/180 ltr board on a plane, but again, you need a large enough sail for the conditions.

3) The Tabou Cool Rider and the RRD Easy Rider are definite beginner boards that claim to perform fairly well when the wind picks up. The Bic Core line is designed for performance in higher winds. They are considered a Freeride board that work great as a beginner board due to the retractable daggerboard.

All this being said, If you are wanting a board with a daggerboard that will still give you performance, I would recommend that you consider the Bic Core line. If you want to sail really light winds, go with the 293. If you want semi-decent light wind performance and good medium wind performance, consider the 160. The sail range for the 160 is up to an 8.5 but you could probably get away with a 9.0.

Hope this helps.
Keep on sailing,
Windlover

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you.
Whether  I should go, as you say,  for  a higher volume board to carry larger sails and sail in lighter winds or  a more stable board that will work fairly well in light winds and perform well when the wind picks up,  depends on what you mean by performing well when the winds pick up.
If it is a mere question of speed , I don抰 care, provided I can get the board planing at some point. Also, I don抰 see myself sailing with winds stronger than 15-18 knts.  I suppose that A Bic Core 293 at 205 lts would provide all the stability and  the light wind performance I need . If it also allowed  me to sail and plane at 15-18 knts winds , it would be the perfect choice.
I don抰 know in what respect a  160 lts Bic Core would provide a better performance than a 205 lts in stronger  winds. Do you mean above 18 knts? Again, if it is a question of speed and agility of the board, I don抰 care, provided a substantial level of stability is provided. I抎 be a little reluctant, though, to go down to a 160 lts, which is not too far from the 145 lts I am having problems with.
In order for you to understand why I insist on stability, I抣l  give you a brief outline of my experience with the Taboo.
In order to sail in light winds ( around 12 knts) with it, I抎 have to use the 7.5 or the 8.5, but the board, on account of its low volume and shortness,  is too wobbly and unstable to take such large sails ,especially when  you move the rig ( and your weight) around in order to tack or jibe. Even with the flattest water, I found, this board does  not provide enough flotation and stability,  when the weight is not evenly distributed, which happens all too often when manoeuvering?The problem is compounded in stronger winds, when you have to contend with the chop as well 匰o, definitely, if  by  ?stronger winds?performance  you emphasize the stability of the board , rather than its  sheer speed , this is what I want :  a board stable enough to take an 8.5 in light winds, do tacking and jibing in moderately windy/choppy conditions without engaging in  acrobatic contorsions  to keep the balance..
If you feel you have further comments or clarifications, I抎 be grateful.

Thank you

Franco

Answer
Hey Franco,

Your Tabou 145 sail range is 2.5-9.0.  The 145 should have plenty of floatation and stability to plane in 12 kts. Why you have so much trouble in 12kts with a 7.5 or 8.5 is very likely due to experience.

As for a board performing 'better' in stronger winds, it is a given that any type of shortboard will perform better when on a plane until such time that the sail/sailor is too overpowered or the fin is too large for the conditions.

If you are mainly looking for stability in all conditions up to around 15 kts, then go with a higher volume board such as the Bic Core 293. You should be able to sail this board in winds up to 15-18 kts but you would probably only need a 6.0-7.5, possibly a little smaller at the higher wind range.

When I mention experience with your 145, here is an example of what I mean. When the wind is a steady 15-18 kts or around 18-22 mph, I sail a 9'2", 105 ltr board with a 5.3 sail and plane all day long. If I was on a 145 with a 7.5, I would be overpowered and have difficulty controlling the board.

If you are still having problems planning and performing basic maneuvers, perhaps you should consider a private lesson. One or two days with one on one instruction from a professional instructor would do amazing things for your abilities. They would identify bad habits, proper stance, proper rigging, and formal instruction on how to plane, jibe, tack, etc. I understand that this may not be the advice you want to hear but what I'm hearing from you is a lot of frustration with your sailing and you seem to be wanting to blame it all on the equipment. From what you have told me, you have all the right gear, just not the correct know how of how to make it work for you.

Hope this helps.
Keep on sailing,
Windlover