Sailing & Windsurfing


Wind SUPs: a viable option?


Stand up paddleboarding (SUP) is continuing to grow in the UK as a simple, accessible sport, and many RYA training centres have introduced the activity as another option to get people afloat. The more recent development of the WindSUP has raised the question of whether this might be a suitable board for RYA windsurfing recognition. Amanda Van Santen takes a look.


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nitially the WindSUP didn’t have the characteristics needed to combine the two sports of windsurfing and SUP adequately. But has the kit developed sufficiently to make it happen now? At 8 months pregnant, I was


perhaps not the most suitable tester, so Windsurfing Trainers Tris Best and Sam Ross took on the challenge. They had eight boards to test – six inflatable and two hard construction. Their task: To ascertain whether


developments in WindSUPs are sufficient to make them a consideration for Start Windsurfing equipment and tuition in an RYA training environment.


Key characteristics Most beginner windsurf boards would be chosen on three key dimensions: length, width and volume, with volume often the most important factor when choosing a dedicated beginner windsurf board. However the key properties of WindSUP boards are different, with thickness becoming the most important factor,


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impacting on both the board’s stiffness and upwind performance.


Thickness Typically the boards most relevant to us come in three thicknesses: 100mm, 120mm and 150mm. The 100mm and 120mm seemed to perform best upwind, pointing and gripping well. The 150mm boards offered fantastic acceleration, were light on the water with increased volume for manoeuvrability, but lacked upwind performance. 4”/100mm: Good manoeuvrability,


better performance in stronger winds. Perhaps best suited as a junior or youth board, with high stiffness but less volume. Usually available in shorter sizes, making them more suitable for smaller rigs. 5”/120mm: Seems an optimum


thickness for WindSUPs, providing the best compromise between stiffness, glide, acceleration and control. The best all-rounder, performing well upwind and with excellent stiffness and stability. 6”/150mm: Good stiffness,


easy to use in light winds and as a SUP, but less user friendly as the


wind increased with a reduction in directional traction. Provided lightness on the water, stability and acceleration but lacked upwind performance.


Length Most boards have their stated length in feet rather than centimetres, unlike windsurfing. Length versus performance outcome was very similar to what you’d expect in more traditional beginner windsurf boards. The longer the board, generally the better the overall tracking and upwind performance. However, surprisingly, in most cases the boards tested were easy to turn through and away from the wind in moves like static turns, despite long waterline lengths. Thickness has an impact here as


well, as observed with two of the shorter boards: » A short board, with the least thickness (100mm), provided good upwind performance, whereas


» A short board with slightly thicker rails, showed poor upwind performance


Other characteristics Width: Most boards tested were between 30” and 34”, fitting well with the traditional windsurfing board widths of 75 to 85cms for most beginner boards, offering plenty of stability. Fins and daggerboards: Most


boards had two US fin boxes with equal size fins provided with each, but the best performance came from boards that had a slightly larger central fin compared to the rear fin.


Daggerboards: The board with the removable drop-in daggerboard had the best upwind performance, with the WindSUP which had the longer removable daggerboard outperforming the top traditional board upwind in terms of pointing and speed. Centre fins: The downside of the fixed centre fins could be carrying and racking. However the boards were very light in comparison to traditional boards, so were easy to move around the slipway. The boards with slightly longer centre fins sailed upwind with some ability to leeward


www.rya.org.uk


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