Hi,

did you have a look on the Sealion's blog?
http://leblogdusealion.blogspot.com/

It is in french, but would give you an idea concerning the Sealion's potential...
That concept is really different! Like the Superfreak...

;-)))))

I think its all depends of the seastate and your weight.
In 2007 i started with SUPing a 12 ft board and since then i,m doing it a lot!, really love the sport.
Last year i wanted a smaller board and could borrow for 2 weeks a Sealion
Before I was pretty sure the Sealion would be my kind of thing, in the end i bought a 9.8 SUP with mastfoot option (Starboard Element)

I,m 88-90kilo and sailing/SUPing most of the time at the Northsea where its very choppy.
Lightwind wavesailing: good fun because its really quick up to plane BUT when its choppy or you have sail against hiphigh waves you will get bounched of while planing no matter what you try.
Also sailing back between the waves with less bounching i couldnt sail really well upwind.
So only in swell or rather flat water I could really benefit from the planing.
Slogging out and riding back is good fun, but a 9.8 SUP slogs better upwind and almost turns as easy.

SUPing was for ME (88-90kg) only posible in flat water. Again, my spot is really choppy and i just couldnt really balance the SL out well enough to paddle more then lets say 10 strokes before falling in again.
In that conditions I can padle with ease a 9.8ft SUP.
My girlfriend, 63kg paddled the SL and altough she has a lower level in SUPing as I do she got away with it much easier.

To catch a wave is for me with the SL pretty hard due the short length.
When I got a wave, its really good fun and it seems to glide forever like a XXL Fish surfboard.
But as i have no problems at all with my 9.8 SUP to catch pretty much anything i opted for the SUP.

That said, last september I was on Holiday in Crozon and saw Bruno doing at La Palue thing with a Nah Skwell Quad/ Sealion lookalike?? that looked pretty amazing.
The problem is, i think when i give my board to Bruno he will  rip that one too in a style thats way above my ability.
La Palue is a nice Ocean wavespot with plenty of space and flat water between the waves. On a spot like that i,m pretty sure i could make a Sealion work for me too as well as when i lose a 15kg.
But for living at the kind of spot i live and with my posture the SL is a no go.
So to finnish with where i started: it really depends on your weight and your spot.

My 9.8 is 145l so its only 10l difference and not 50....
And i was still able to SUP pretty comfy on 23/9 at Palue
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To give an idea about the size of the waves, 1,m 188 and was standing overthere while paddling out. (i never sit on my knees)

For you it might be able to paddle the SL in really choppy conditions we got:
<image>

But for me it wasnt, neither after a 2 weeks pretty intense trying.
I still really like the concept a lot and when i was living at Britanny i would have one because i,m pretty sure that over there i would have no problems riding it.
But and thats also to keep in mind, its not an board that works everywhere.
At least not above certain weight.

I can honestly say that the SUPs plane very bad.
SUPs aren,t designed to plane and if you can, you probably also will with a 95l FSW board with the same sailsize.
What i do with a sail is slogging out upwind, make a fast tack when we wave comes in and ride back on the wave.

If you wanna plane and your spot isnt too choppy a SL can be great and get you earlier going as an any lightwindwaveboard or most FSW boards. Like Burns wrote, its really Fishy/shortboardsurfing a like (altough a verrrry wide one) while SUP is more cruising the longboard way.
Its a matter of prefference

First, I do not want to take to much space up from Henderson the blog is more about his Sails then about the Sealion but some people use the super freak on it and are very happy with the combo so I take a chance. The Sealion is planning early, rides waves and turns super nice like a Surfboard aka big fish. It is made for 5 to 15 miles wind and surfing waves between 2 and 9 foot not to fast and not to steep it is great in such conditions.
I tried out many products (also the super freak haha pretty cool sail) but I have not sailed anything (board) that can plan as early, ride the wave as agile, is stable and punch trough the white water as easy and good as the Sealion. Try it out spend a couple hours on it. On the note of a 9’8” turning as well ??? for sure if it turns as well it wont plan haha so far the Sealion is pretty unique credit to Bruno and Pascal. Bruno said is right go outside of the box and live it.

Have fun

Jurg and the WSD guy’s on Sealion’s ha-ha

One thing, as a novice wavesailer, that draws me to the SL is that it might be easier for me to get out the back with out getting creamed.

cheers

Roland

Most likely I will Demo the SL soon and check it out.

Not SUPable but in the UK the rave about the Kona Minitanker for slogging out in almost no wind
http://www.kona-windsurfing.com/product … tanker.asp

<image>
260x65x120l ofo40cm
I think it will plane a little later, but what i PERSONAL like about it that when you plane, you also got straps for a more secure feel and a better handling in chop.

Last edited by Jeroensurf (2010-02-04 08:14:45)

I had thought about the minitanker I might put some more thought to it

The minitanker is a really nice board for lightwind wavesailing, BUT you can't SUP it!

It seems to me that the SUP application seems to be MUST now for many wavesailors, so the smaller Konas don't fit this requirement any more.

It seems, that it comes down to "As small as possible for lightwindsailing but also as large as neccesary for SUP with optional steptail yes/no if you want the board to plane".
Any custom shapers outside?

Alex

I'm not going to paddle it - I'd rather go biking or golfing. But I am mostly constrained to fresh water, so maybe the 11'5 is the call....

Thanks for the input!

That seems to sum up the gist of the 2 camps and the need for two different boards otherwise you compromise and get something that does neither well. My wife vehemently disagrees with you and I would add 6 more things to the list - almost including visiting the dentist.

My percpetion, possibly based on my bias is that the new thrill of SUP is fading and there is a shift to resurecting long boards that push the light wind envelope.

Salt water is 2.7% denser than fresh water. For my weight this is equivalent to 2.2 litre of displacement. A red herring that should not cloud this productive discussion.

Aloha,