Next board after Gecko ltd. (2018) 120ltr/76 cm width

DonSkiboni

Dear Fanatic-team,

my name is Oliver, 46 yrs, 173 cm and 66 kg, surfing since 5 yrs, comfortable in the outer-position foot straps, pretty good with water starts and managing the planing gybes ok (only few times where I fall into the water, planing-through-the-gybe rate of about 25%-30%). Quiver is Fanatic Gecko Ltd. 2018, e-type 6.6 and 5.4

I am from Hamburg (Germany) and my (current) "home" spot is Wulfener Hals on Fehmarn, mostly flat, in strong winds some chop, but in general well protected from the Baltic sea by headlands.

I am now searching for a smaller board for higher winds, further progress in general and to also prepare myself for first steps into wave riding (in terms of decreasing width when comparing boards of equal volume; not necessarily spending any time in waves, at least not for some time as I have a small child, lucky if I find time to surf at my well known home spot)

I assume the choice is between Blast and Freewave. Which board and volume would you go for? Which sails size and type (Freeride vs. Freemove) would work best?

And sorry to ask (I know there have been a lot of similar questions in this forum): The advantage in control/speed from the Blast vs. the Gecko results from the Blast's less width at equal volume compared to the Gecko, and thereby less friction / more speed and less area for the wind to lift the nose of the board?

Looking forward to your highly valued opinion and input.

And of course: Merry X-Mas to you and your families!!!

Best regards and many thanks
Oliver

craig

Hi Oliver, good info to work with, Merry Xmas to you and your family too.

Suggest a Blast yes, FreeWave might be a step too far in terms of conditions and ease of use. So probably the Blast 117 at 67cm width, this should be a good jump down from your current board but still helpful for perfecting gybes etc. Sails stick with what you have for now.

Another option if you want to go with the FreeWave range, would be the 105 or 115 - you are fairly light so 63/66cm width for those 2 will also work - wave sails work best with the FreeWave, SuperHero or Duke/similar in 4.7/5.3 for stronger winds. But the E-Pace 5.4 will also work on those.

The difference between the Gecko and Blast is a few factors, thickness, the width and the rocker line - the thicker Blast compensates for its narrower width with a thicker deck shape and rails. The Gecko's thin rails allow easy gybing for beginners/intermediates or lighter weights who do not want to apply as much pressure as on the more advanced Blast. The rocker line on the Gecko is flatter, this means more control but then also slightly less top end speed, whilst the outline and rocker of the Blast lifts quickly onto the fin and has a very good upwind angle due to the parallel outline. So quite different shapes, they usually work extremely well for lighter riders, my daughter rides the 115 since years, she loves it. Good luck!

DonSkiboni

Hi Greg,

many thanks for your reply over the Christmas Holidays!!!!

Your answer is super helpful. Just a last question: Which sail / wind range does the Blast 116 work well in? From your answer I would recon also for sails smaller than 5.4 qm, right?

Again, many thanks in advance
BR Oliver

craig

Hi Oliver, sorry for the delay, managed to turn the laptop off for a full week and somehow your new post did not show on my mobile? :-)

Well the Blast 115 or 117 work best from about 5-7sqm, I think the sweet spot is around 6.0 actually, but it takes a 7.3 very well too on the upper limit? So I guess around 14/15 knots to 25knots ideally? But that is a very general guide, some riders might be able to go earlier/it can easily go up to 30knots of wind too!

And Happy New Year btw

DonSkiboni

Hi Craig,

Happy new year to you too.

Looking at the wind rang you stated, would you consider the Blast 117 compared to my current Gecko 120 just a more sportier alternative or also a board that allows me to also use in higher winds than the Gecko?

BR Oliver

craig

Hi Oliver, for sure both - as there is a pretty massive width difference, even if the volume does not sound so different. Plus all the shape details.

But if you want a bigger difference, then as per above, the FreeWave range is a good option too? and for sure better suits to sails of 5.3 and below/stronger winds &Waves..honestly however for the conditions you mentioned, I think it might be too much of a "leap", also in terms of first getting that gybing stat up to 80-90% first would be better with the Blast!

DonSkiboni

craig

craig Hi Craig, many thanks. Going for the blast also confirms my gut feeling.

Sorry for opening up this train of thought, blast 117 would also better help to progress than to buy a smaller Gecko?

Looking at the blasts volume and width, it would combine the higher volume with still a smaller width than my current Gecko, so Blast best of both worlds, compared to a smaller Gecko, right?

Many thanks for your support and patience
BR Oliver

craig

Correct, if you want to use a board closer to a performance/wave oriented style, then the Blast is a good direction. The smaller Gecko is of course always an option, but you did not emphasise strongly wanting to just perfect gybes, therefore I think based on all of above - go for the Blast.

DonSkiboni

Perfect, thank you so much for help! The Blast it will be :o)

craig

DonSkiboni nice! report back then if you have more questions/comments and feedback! good luck!

filo

I made a similar change several years ago.
I’m 70kg and was riding a Tabou 118 rocket wide (78cm, which was comparable to the gecko 120 to some extent). I changed for the Fanatic blast 115 (66cm).
The Tabou was fast and providing early planing. I can’t tell if I am faster with the Blast (no gps) but it all goes with higher comfort and control. Given that you rapidly get used to standing on a board which gives less lateral support, I believe that for our weight, there is no need to carry all that extra width. I may have lost something on the low end of the wind range (not even sure) but the gain on the high end is massive. Speed comes with lots of comfort and confidence on choppy water. I can push to my maximum and when a gust comes in, smile and push even more.
Board is great with 6.5 and 5.5, associated with Select S1 fins 37cm and 35cm.
It works with 4.5 but the board gets too big for the conditions.
Enjoy it !