Topics

1

Wind Powered / WindSUP for Sailboat

« on: June 29, 2015, 01:54:45 PM »

Hey yall, been cruising through the forums here and thought I'd ask for some specific advise. Home is a little sailboat which I'm taking down to the islands this fall and Im the market for an inflatable WindSUP. I've been researching Starboard, Naish, JP, etc and am leaning toward a Starboard. This will be a big investment onboard, so I'm willing to splurge for whatever would be best.

I'm inexperienced but young/athletic. Weight 80kgs and the dog is 35kgs. So the Naish Crossover, awesome though it looks, is kinda off the list.

http://www.isthmussailboards.com/2014-Naish-Crossover-Air-110-Inflatable/productinfo/NA14MAWS/
http://star-board-sup.com/2015/overview-windsup/
http://jp-australia.com/2015/sup/products/inflatable-boards/cruisair/

I know there are compromises in choosing a SUP for touring and also something that would be OK to windsurf, but here's what I'm hoping to get from the little dude (in order of importance):
-good paddler for trekking with the dog in ocean swells
-good upwind performance
-sailing speed in light to medium winds (as versatile a sail plan as possible)
-stability and volume for carrying supplies in calm anchorages
-something fun for visiting crew to play around with

Right now, the WindSUP Inflatable 12' x 33" Deluxe seems like a pretty good compromise for what I'm hoping to do with it, but I'd be grateful for feedback. I know I'm asking for a lot. Not expecting it to excel in any one area, although trekkability with the dog is important.

Also, I plan on demoing some boards when I get down to South Florida, but where I'm at currently in SC that's not possible.

Many thanks for your sage advice!!

Ryan
s/v Soma