freeride slalom

Question
Windlover,
I think I'm just entering the intermediate stage; I can do beach starts,
clew first beach starts, non-planning gybes and just started to use a
harness. Hope to plane soon and try some waterstarts. I'm using a 180
liter board but expect to move up to something smaller soon. I just
purchased a 5.4 for stronger winds and have been using a 6.4. I'm 5'8",
185lbs. What do you think about the '07 Naish Freeride Slalom 125L? Do
you think I can handle and would enjoy this board, (or similar)? The
recommended sail size is 6.0-9.0, what does that mean for the 5.4?

Thanks in advance for your reponse, this is a great site.

Answer
Hey Erik,

I feel that this or similar board would be something that you would grow into and still enjoy when you are an advanced sailor. It would work well in light winds and still perform in higher winds. Naish boards always receive high marks from the testers. The quality of construction is equal or better than the rest.

The recommended sail size is usually just that 'recommended'. Going larger than recommended is more of a problem than going smaller. Too big of sail will just not allow the board to perform well. Going smaller than the recommended size is usually okay but I would probably not go smaller than a 5.0.

The way to still get good performance from this board with your 5.4 would be to go with a smaller fin. This will prevent the board from lifting so much and keep it more controllable. This or similar board should do you well for current level of sailing and well into your advanced days. Depending upon where you sail and the amount of  high wind days, you may be looking at a smaller board once you have mastered a board of the size you are currently considering. But, that is probably a couple of seasons away.

So, good luck with your board shopping.
Hope this helps.
WIndlover