Comments on: HWR vs LWR

By: Sean OBrien

Sean OBrien — Sun, 30 May 2010 03:30:55 +0000

@ Fernando – my take so far is that the PD and JP boards have better upwind potential with big fins/sails with a bigger rider, however they are more technical to ride. The Starboards will suit all riders light or heavy…

By: Fernando

Fernando — Mon, 17 May 2010 16:04:26 +0000

Thanks for your answer Sean, but I’m still thinking about what board I’ll buy this year between SB HWR, JP or Patrik D.. Maybe I’ll wait for more competitions to see what happens hehehe.

By: Sean OBrien

Sean OBrien — Mon, 10 May 2010 06:29:01 +0000

@ Fernando – surely the Ifju will be perfect even in strong winds. We’re finding more and more now that the good fins can be used in nearly all conditions, reducing the amount of fins we need. Try it in strong winds with the HWR, I think you’ll be suprised!

@Ray Timm – Cool! I never got to sail the Apollo as they weren’t too many imported down here in AUS. If you’re not racing, but want a light/medium wind blaster then definitely the LWR is the way to go. It has a much smaller tail than a lot of the other FW boards on the market and fairly radical vee/concave much like the Gaastra/Drops boards this year which gives it a nice ‘loose’ feeling which is really nice and comfortable off the wind and on reaches; and also makes it very friendly in strong winds and big seas. It’s a sweet board.

By: Ray Timm

Ray Timm — Fri, 07 May 2010 08:21:30 +0000

Currently sailing an Apollo which I use in very light winds. Before that I sailed a 158 that I really enjoyed for blasting around in winds up to 20 knots. I felt like it had a very free, bright ride compared to the Apollo, so that is what I’m looking for in the new board. I weight 83 kg and where I sail there is no formula racing, so I’m inclined to get the LWR.

By: Fernando

Fernando — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 15:13:42 +0000

I’ve been sailing on a f2 board since 2007, now, I’m thinking to change to a starboard… If I do it, for sure I’ll go for the HWR because I’m 93kg but, what fin should I use with the HWR to winds between 7-15kts and 15-20kts??? Now I just have an IFJU 70cm XS designed for light winds.

Fernando

By: Sean OBrien

Sean OBrien — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 11:12:25 +0000

“clear penetrating epoxy sealant” … that’s the product I was talking about in the previous comment. The one I have is made by Smith&Co in the US. I assume there is equivalent products around…

By: Sean OBrien

Sean OBrien — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 11:10:51 +0000

Hi Ben 555 – how old (or what model) is your board?

I assume we’re talking about Starboards as they are the only ones with this problem. There’s not a lot you can do… the older the board, the more they will discolour. To some extent, I believe that is one of the factors why Starboard went to the painted wood-carbon construction on this year’s boards. It’s to do with the UV rays on the board.

Now, the other thing you can get is water stains, where the water is getting through the thin layer of glass over the top of the wood deck. To combat this, you can use an epoxy wood-penetrant, which will stop it getting worse, however, they will make the veneer look even darker!

By: Ben 555

Ben 555 — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 02:09:17 +0000

Sean,
I was interested in your comments regarding the discolouration in the veneer. This has happened to my board and I was wondering what could be done to prevent further ingress of water – do you have any suggestions?.

Ben

By: Sean OBrien

Sean OBrien — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 23:50:31 +0000

@Gybes McCabe – I wouldn’t be too worried about that. It’s probably just been repaired around the fin box.

Probably the biggest concern with older boards is water in them which leads to delamination eventually. On the starboards with the wood deck you can usually see discolorations in the wood where the water has seeped through the veneer. Otherwise is you can weigh the board and it is unusually heavy (might have to consult the starboard archives for the correct weight) – ie, +1kg weight then it has probably had water in it at some point.

That being said there’s plenty of guys here in Aus using boards older than that still going strong for 8-10 years. A good formula board looked after should last 10 years I think.

By: Gybes McCabe

Gybes McCabe — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 21:34:39 +0000

Hi, i’m an internationally renowned FW racer. My ‘10 gear has more carbon content than De Beers boutique.
But I have this “friend” who’s looking at a second hand 2002 Starboard 156 for recreational sailing and implored me for some advice.
Since I sell my gear off immediately after wetting it, i know very little about the used market.
He said the board looked fine, but had a large painted over section near the fin box.
Do the administrators of Carbon Sugar have any advice on what to look for and avoid in boards this old?