I need some opinions on buying a new Tiga
Steve
little to nothing about the boards except that they are almost indestrucible.
I am very hard on boards and I'm thinking of buying one because of this.
Windsurfing magazine didn't review any Tiga's in this range last year so I
don't have any info at present. Can anyone who has sailed these boards offer
me some insight. I'm an advanced intermediate sailor. I sail primarily in
15 to 25mph winds on the east coast (Kalmus) but am looking at this board for
25+. I am 6'3" tall and weigh 250lbs. Thanks. - steve nigloschy
Gary Wood
>
in
>15 to 25mph winds on the east coast (Kalmus) but am looking at this board for
>25+. I am 6'3" tall and weigh 250lbs. Thanks. - steve nigloschy
>
similar to an oversized 260, which I _do_ own. By that I mean it was a little
heavy and flexible, but handled chop well and turned very nicely. Probably good
with a decent fin (I hear Tiga's 1995 G10s are pretty nice). The one I tried had
smaller stock fin on it (93 Poly fin ?) which I didn't like much. Also, it didn't
feel like it had top end like 260, but then again it was a short demo in 15 Knots...
I imagine because it is an older course-slalom shape it likes to be way-powered and
railed.
Certainly way cheaper than an F2, and much more durable, as long as you don't mind
the occassional F2 passing you by...
As far as I know, this board comes in around 115-120 litres... Out of curiosity, why
so much float in "25+ knots" when you could sail a BIC ERock or Tempo and get better B/J
performance ? BIC and Hifly both have decent shapes with competitive durability to blown
plastic boards, plus low price. I imagine F2 is near other end of durable/price spectrum...
ga...@gate.net
>I'm thinking of buying a new Tiga this spring in the 285 size range. I know
>little to nothing about the boards except that they are almost indestrucible.
> I am very hard on boards and I'm thinking of buying one because of this.
>Windsurfing magazine didn't review any Tiga's in this range last year so I
>don't have any info at present. Can anyone who has sailed these boards offer
>me some insight. I'm an advanced intermediate sailor. I sail primarily in
>15 to 25mph winds on the east coast (Kalmus) but am looking at this board for
>25+. I am 6'3" tall and weigh 250lbs. Thanks. - steve nigloschy
>
Steve;
I've read some reviews from some English magazines. I don't have them in
front of me but I seem to remember that they thought the board had a nice
shape, a little heavy, a little slow but very durable. Please don't hold
me to this, as my memory is not as good as it used to be >>G<<.
If you really are hard on your equipment a plastic Tiga is a good way to
go. There are two different ways of being hard on your equipment. One, you
jump all the time, land flat, attempt loops etc. This type of sailing
definitely requires a durable strong board. The other way of being rough
on your equipment is throwing your board on the ground when unloading,
leaving board and sail in water while taking break, trying to sail up to
the parking lot, etc. For these folks, I recommend an old Aitken board.
Seriously, if you want to sail fast and plane early, an epoxy board is
probably your best bet. Yes, you pay more and sacrifice some durability
(mostly ding and impact resistance). But you will be sailing in less wind,
probably sailing faster and enjoying yourself more.
It's your call! Good luck.
Gabe S. US-M5
Aerotech, ProTech
Windsurfing Treasure Coast
Keith Knight
you won't know the difference between a plastic tiga and an epoxy egg shell
if you sail in chop
your knees will like the Tiga even more
then factor in cost
there is NO comparison.
buy a Tiga
it will last forever
NLW TFW NM
It sounds like you have not been reading Performance Windsurf Report
(PWR). They've reviewed several Tigas this year, and their testers loved
most of the Tigas. Just for example, even though it's not in the size
range you mentioned, PWR reviewed the Tiga 263 Wave board with the
high-wind slalom boards -- it's that fast. PWR's expert-to-pro-level wave
sailors loved it in the waves, and blew off some epoxy race boards in
rough straights because of its supremely smooth ride. It -- and many other
TIgas the mags have tested -- illustates that Tiga does make some
excellent boards, and that they are not slow.
And I agree with one of the other respondents -- why would even a
250-pounder want a 285 cm/9'4" board for 25+ mph, epecially in floatier
salt water? I saw a 220-pounder sail a borrowed, unfamiliar 7-0 snub-nose
all day in stronger wind, in fresh water. Keep your bigger board for the
15-25 days, and go significantly smaller for your 25+ board, for more
variety. How small? I don't know, because I weigh just 180, but PWR's
220-pound tester sails down near 8-footers just fine when the wind's up.
Whether you'd prefer an epoxy board is a personal choice, but realize that
epoxy boards will receive a beating at your weight.
Good luck.
Mike \m/
sailquik US3704
I have 258 Axis; 265 Sputnik WCE; 280 Sputnik WCE; 295 Xanthos F2's and I find them to be very
durable compared to every other board I've owned with the exception of a Tiga 275.
I buy them at the end of the year and they don't cost but about $100 more than the other brands
(considerably less than any deal on a Mistral). Try em, there the best production boards around.
sailquik
Colas Nahaboo
equipment is great (huge pad, finbox). The only problems:
* they are slow on a plane. you dont care if you live in windy places
* take care how you store it. the great shape can be ruined as if it is
too hot it may deform and alter the rocker line.
* molds are quite expensive, so they do not do the same shape in many
sizes. They are not geared for too light or too heavy sailors.
I had a 284, tried 257s and 254s
on the other side, you will LOVE the flex if you suffer from back or knee
problems!
--
Colas Nahaboo, Koala, BULL @ INRIA Sophia, http://www.inria.fr/koala/colas
Sting-a-ling-a-ding-dong
Hey!, did you ever think of writing add campaigns... This blurb sounded
better than any tiga advertisement I ever saw.... ;)
OK, OK, ... I'll shut up now.... ;)
---
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Sting-a-ling-a-ding-dong
sailquik US3704 <sail...@atc.ameritel.net> wrote:
>Gary: (Actually Steve...)
These are the kind of boards I have seen Steve eat for lunch... :)
Better go with the Tiga 275 or what ever is around the 100l range...
Steve
curiosity, why
>so much float in "25+ knots" when you could sail a BIC ERock or Tempo and
get better B/J
>performance ? BIC and Hifly both have decent shapes with competitive
durability to blown
>plastic boards, plus low price. I imagine F2 is near other end of
durable/price spectrum...
To put it in perspective... When sailing my Xantos 310 (140 some odd
litres), if I'm standing on it in no wind with my 8.5 it balances out at
around ankle deep water. The 310 is my smallest board at the moment and I
sail in every condition with it. It seems to feel out of control in over 30
winds. But under 30 I feel comfortable. I just imagine that dropping 20% of
the volume of the board is all I could handle at the moment - although I'm
not really sure. I'm relatively new to the sport (I've only owned my own
stuff for 1.5 years).
And thanks for the input. I'll try to demo an e-rock or tempo this spring
along with a tiga. BTW what Hifly would you suggest?
dcoveney
>
> Steve --
> Whether you'd prefer an epoxy board is a personal choice, but realize that
> epoxy boards will receive a beating at your weight.
Steve: Several years ago I went to Hatteras with a few MAD MIKE guys,
and since I weigh near 240, they elected me "Tiga Destroyer". For an
hour or so I tossed, hurled, spum a Tiga off the third floor deck onto
grass, then road, then bulkhead while the camera rolled. None of us
could find a dent or ding after this abuse!
This wasn't a ball to sail, but having destrowed two Mistrals
and three Fanatics, Durable looks good!