Sailbording Dilemnas

Hmmm, haven't been so humbled physically in a while. I had a go at sailing Andrew's Starboard Carve 99l board with a 6.0m sail in 17-22 kt winds. I really thought I would get a water start licked real quick since I've done several in the past. But that board, mixed with the waves here, just totally threw me for a loop. Several, actually. Kind of a drag as I'm sure it is a great board for here. But I think I need to transition to it via something a bit bigger. You need 17+kt to water start on a 6.0 and that means things get exciting fast and the waves pick up. It's just a bit much for me to feel comfortable heading out on the Bay in those conditions with that set up. I really want to be able to uphaul if I have to and I want to be able to get out when the winds are light as well

My ancient Bic Metal Rock back home is the same width (60cm) but is carries a floaty 139l and I usually sail it in winds below 22 kt. So I'm trying to locate a decent, cheap transition board. Not an easy task around here - seems like everyone is pretty darn good and they were all born with short boards under their feet :-) Perfect board: sounds like a J-P Excite 120l but a bit pricey and hard to find. I did locate an old Bic Astro Rock (61cm wide and 129l) for a cheap $250. That might just do it and I wouldn't have to worry about smacking it up on.

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