I haven't ridden any of the boards you've listed, so it's hard to comment on them, but that Techno is going to
feel unbalanced with a 9.0 on it. You might want to have a look at the Windsurf buy/sell section also. I haven't
been in there, lately, but huge sails and boards do come up from time to time. I think Josh S has a loner Go,
he might let you try that out. I have an older 8.5 Sailworks XT2 3 camber Race sail. It's got a tear in one panel
that I've fixed with packing tape. If you want to try it out, I'll let you borrow it, then if you decided you liked it,
I'd let it go for $80. I have ridden those old Xantos IIIs, and they were pretty good for their time.
At your weight, you probably don't need a 9.0, but those Sailworks Retros are magic sails. My 9.5 is a Retro
(so are my 6.5 and 5.5 here in Utah).
They sure don't give them away though, I bought mine lightly used for ~$250 as I recall. Don't forget,
you'll need a high carbon content mast of at least 490cm, and a huge boom (which I think should be carbon also)
You might check the consignment sales at the Gorge shops also, for example, here's a fair deal
http://www.windance.com/125-liter-angul ... -4874.html it's got
similar specs to the Techno, but I'm partial to Sumos.
Good luck,
-Craig
adam kochanski wrote:Thanks a lot guys, I really appreciate your help.
Actually, I haven't got any board here, so the board issue is open as well. Right now I'm thinking about these options:
1. 2008 Starboard Go 144, 246 cm/79 cm 144l $999
2 2008 Starboard Go 155, 249 cm/85 cm 155l $999
3. 2008 FANATIC SHARK 145 HRS, 263 cm/75 cm 145l $1049
4. 2007 BIC TECHNO E Large 263 cm/69 cm 135 l $499
In terms of the first sail (and the only one this year) I'm considering:
1. 2008 Sailworks Retro 9.0 $599
2. 2008 Gaastra Matrix 8.5 $469
Do you think these propositions make sense? What would you recommend as experienced Utah Wind Riders for an initial setup? Do you think it is worth to pay the difference between 8.5 and 9.0 sail, or the BIC and Starboard/Fanatic board? I used to ride on my F2 Xantos III 144l /65cm/ 290 cm (which I left in Poland) but my biggest sail was only 7.0.
Thanks again,
Adam