Paris Boat Show- C'boarded *boards/Exocets

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Paris Boat Show- C'boarded *boards/Exocets

http://site.voila.fr/salonnautique2002/

check out exocet and *board links

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Re: Paris Boat Show- C'boarded *boards/Exocets

I am shocked!!  I thought heck would freeze over before *boards made a longboard.

Randy

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Re: Paris Boat Show- C'boarded *boards/Exocets

define long...  their 03 Start "small" (the 100cm version) is 255cm long- about the same as my 85 liter wave board.

but these new boards may redefine SEastern sailing.  Finally (sorry, Fred D.) what the Prodigy should have been in a racing incarnation, IMHO.

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Re: Paris Boat Show- C'boarded *boards/Exocets

Hard to tell from the pix, but the "Olympic" seems like it may be longer than the usual fw boards.

Interesting in that both *board and Exocet seeem to be saying they have given up on FW as the next Olympic board.

But, could be really good for us here in the 3rd world of wind.

Randy

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Re: Paris Boat Show- C'boarded *boards/Exocets

Its a good thing that other people are tring to build boards that work! Smile Smile

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Re: Paris Boat Show- C'boarded *boards/Exocets

Randy,

You had me really confused by reffering to these as "longboards".  I found some discussion of the philosphy behind the design on Starboard's web site.  It's at:

http://www.star-board.com/forum/read.asp?ID=1408

By the way, could you (and /or William) elaborate on why you think these will be good for SE sailing.  Wouldn't something like an Equipe or other longboard be just as good?

Bill

Bill Herderich

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Re: Paris Boat Show- C'boarded *boards/Exocets

Bill,

My .02 worth:

Lots of boards would be just as good or better, depending on what you want to do.  Smaller boards would be better for high wind, longer boards better for light wind, wave boards better for waves, kiteboards better for kites, but.....

The main problem in the SE is shifty erratic, weak wind.  Often you have to sail to a ways to get out of windshadow.  In some places (i.e. Galts, or 2 Mile on Lake Lanier) you have a narrow, shallow area to get out of to get to the sailable area.  In all these conditions, a centerboard equiped board is easier to use than a non-cb equiped board, particularly on less than really windy days.  Not that you cannot make a board w/o one work, but it is just a question of how convenient and efficient it will be.  The CB makes sailing in lighter winds easier.  Downside is lots of people think of the CB as "training wheels."  Makes it hard to sell these kind of boards.  Means that interest in racing is a way to promote and sell the concept.

For racing and speed in light winds (i.e. less than 8-12 mph give or take some) I still don't think anything will ever beat a long raceboard (i.e. 375 cm Equipe, etc.)  However, having sailed one of these for a very long time, they are not easy to turn, particularly quick to plane and are a definite PITA to haul around.  AS for getting in the straps.  I'll never know....(They will get up on a centerboard rail, and can sail at almost planing speeds, in light winds, so this makes up for the planing deficit to a certain extent.)  

The modern wide/short board works much better with respect to turning, planing threshold and hauling around.  Getting in the straps is trivial.  The compromise is getting upwind, and sailing in weaker winds.  

My Techno Formula works so well, however, that I decided not to keep my very long board.  But, there are still some times when I think the longboard would be better.  Since I am not a racer, I don't really need the light wind performance.  In 8kt or better, the wide board is a much more fun ride, for me at least.  However, as we all know, even 8kt is still a lot of wind around here.  So if you limit racing to 8kt or more, looks like you would almost never have one in the SE.

Based on the pictures, it looks like the Exocet and *board people have decided that if they really want to get a world-wide race series (to lead up to the Olympics) going they need to make something that works in 8kt or less, and is still pretty fast over 8kt.  Ergo, they seem to have discovered the centerboard.  Seems like a good idea to me.  May give racing on inland lakes a shot in the arm, and be good in general for SE sailing.  This kind of board seems like it should have a lot of appeal to those like me who dont want to gett a trailor to haul a bunch of boards around. (I can take 2 boards around in my station wagon, though I only use one board most of the time.)

This is what Prodigy was intended to do.  I've sailed one only once, but they do seem to turn well.  I didn't sail it long enough to tell much else about it.  Still Mistral is to be given credit for getting the ball rolling on this.

Randy  

What happens in a black hole stays in a black hole.

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Re: Paris Boat Show- C'boarded *boards/Exocets

Randy,

Thanks for your thoughts.  I found some more pictures of the Exocet at

http://www.formulawindsurfing.org/read.php?type=news&id=256

It says it's 300 cm long.  Sounds like my Phoenix 320 (or the new Discovery 190).  It's got a dagger board too(although the Exocet's dagger more closely resembles a sword).  Hmmm...I never knew I was riding a race board.

Bill

Bill Herderich

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Re: Paris Boat Show- C'boarded *boards/Exocets

Fred, I'm not knocking the Prodigy as a general purpose board, but I still think Mistral missed a great opportunity by not making an "XR" version. There's no reason it had to weigh 4 lbs more than my Start as a "racing" board.  And what's up with that 50 cm fin?  My little Seatrend has a 50 and it's 20 cm narrower. But I digress- you actually read the forum?  I'm shocked!  ;D

Bill, the day Tim Carter was planing on his Vision 130 sooner than me on my Equipe (basically same sail size) was the day longboards broke my heart.  I miss the Equipe, but what fun is a centerboard when your bud planes right past you on a nice spring day? The first time I took off on my Start in one of those barely perciptible puffs sealed it.  

(Then again, that day last year at Wrightsville Beach when I was trying to tack out of the inlet against the tide and wind in about 7 mph reminded me why I should have kept the dang thing)

I think most of us want tolerable light air performance but the board better light up at the first sign of a whitecap. The old, narrow longboards (which were constrained by IYRU rules to about 26" in width IIRC) just give up too much compared to even boards like Starts, Novas, Discoveries, Technos and Prodigies. Most of us would rather suffer mediocre light wind windward capability to gain earlier planing. Otherwise, Phillip could ask more for his Megacat than he is for his wide, RRD teaching board.

And as Randy mentioned, it's easier dealing with something 10' long than 12.25'. I don't think hardly anyone succeeded in getting a longboard inside a trailer (excepting those with Wells Cargos and Christian's battleship).  

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Re: Paris Boat Show- C'boarded *boards/Exocets

Another reason why this kind of (longer but still short/wide/cb equiped) board is now needed for racing is that with everybody learning now on boards like the Start, Nova, Discovery, Prodigy, etc, new sailors don't get any of the experience needed to race in the traditional (verrrrrrry verrrrry long) longboard fleets.

Anyway, I can't wait to try one of these Paris Boat Show models.  Wonder when they will make it into Gene's Consignment?

Randy

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Re: Paris Boat Show- C'boarded *boards/Exocets

web guy
I'm tring to learn to read this stuff.  I agree mistral did not build a perfect board. but they established the fact that there is a market for such a board.One of the design requrements was a retail price of $1000.  This limits materials used and adds weight, which so far is the main flaw of the prodigy!The board performs well its just a little heavy.Lets see how the other boards do in pricing.Mistral can make the prodgiy lighter, this  could raise the cost. lets see what the market will bear.With other companies building simunlar boards its only good for the end user, lighter, faster, cheeper, better.I welcome the compentition.
Fred Smile Smile Smile

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Re: Paris Boat Show- C'boarded *boards/Exocets

Bonjour,

As roving ABC reporter @ the Paris Boatshow, thought I'd let you know that I viewed this monster of the deep on the Exocet stand this afternoon. For some decent pictures, take a look at:

http://www.exocet-original.com/news/article.php3?id_article=178

Have to say - even speaking as a non big boarder - this was quite an amazing looking piece of kit, with a fin that would even cause Scott Geddie to look twice - not to mention the centre board, think I may have sailed shorter waveboards!!

Andrew

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Re: Paris Boat Show- C'boarded *boards/Exocets

I can't imagine how far out you'd have to walk to sail one of those at Hatteras  ;D

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