Yes, this is YET ANOTHER one of those 'What board should I get' questions. OK, for light wind days (<f4) I have my Pacific Freestyle... a rebranded Bic Rumba I think, 310 long, about 150 litres, narrow, daggerboard, heavy, outdated,... you know the kind of thing. A mate of mine reckons I should get something shorter, wider, and lighter, like a Bic Techno 273, or a similar 125ish-140ish litre board (I'm 75Kg). He reckons my 'barge' is holding my progress back (I'm in straps, getting around 1 in 50 carve gybes! ), and reckons one of these wider, lighter boards would not only plane much quicker, but would make my life easier and accelerate my learning. I must admit, the Barge IS pretty wobbly. When the wind is light, I enjoy doing simple freestyle stuff. SO! The question is, do you guys reckon it would be worth shelling out on a 'new' (i.e. 2 yr old) wider lighter board, or would I be shelling out a few hundred quid for the sake of planing in an extra 2 kts of wind? Oh, and the biggest 'planing' sail I use is a 6.8, if the wind's lighter then it's a small sail & freestyle.

Hmm, the last time I asked a 'board' question I ended up doing a dodgy deal on an Axxis...

Cheers, Andrew

Yep....do it. Not for the earlier planing, but more for the better manouverability (both on and off the water!) and the more versatile nature of the modern board.

Shorter and fatter will definately gybe much better and thats the goal at the mo really. Freestyle will also be easier. Wider means more stable, shorter means more responsive....The two things you need for freestyle (at any level).

Plus of course people won't laugh at your crappy old Pacific anymore (just the baggy turquiose nylon pants)...Oh and of course that crap old Axxis you have.

Al.