Test Review - 24/01/2010

AHD SeaLion 7 '6













This is not a true Test report but it maybe of use to anyone who is looking for a board of this type. We will update it with a true Test as soon as we can.

WHAT IS A SEALION?

The SeaLion is part of AHD's drive for super versatile, 'any wind windsurfing' boards and sits in the middle of the Seal/SeaLion/Summerboard range.It's a strapless lightwind wave board, aimed at approx. 0 to 15 knots (though it goes really well in 20!), to make the most of mushy rolling swells, with rigs up to 7/7.5m, although for most, the favourite rig size seems to be 5.5 to about 6.5 for riding swells! This style of board is designed to excel in Side and Offshore conditions.
It's extremely short (232cm) length, makes it really manoeuvrable, while the wide Swallow Tail (60cm wide one foot off!), with Twin 18cm fin configuration, makes it forgiving, while ensuring that it's short length extreme manoeuvrability is not compromised by having a great big single fin, levering the board around when you least want it! - The twin fins give you a nice shallow draft, but surprisingly good upwind drive, even in non planing conditions! If you crank it hard, it will drive and turn off just one fin and tail point, so quick, it will catch out many a sailor the first time they really drive it as intended, going for a super snappy turn!

The shape of the board ensures that it will collect as much wave energy as possible, to maximise riding potential, even in very light winds, with almost no power from the rig, but if you go to the max. rig size and know how to work it, this board will plane remarkably early, with 8 to 10 knots of wind being all it really needs to pick up and go!

This hull shape also means the board can be used as a mushy wave Surf Board or SUP.
At 135lt, it's actually got a lot of volume for a Surf Board, but of course, is much shorter than most actual surf boards would be at this literage. It's perfectly capable of being used by a non surfer to learn, but I would recommend some surfing experience if you intend to take it out in much more that 2 to 3 foot, as the short length pitch criticality and inherent manoeuvrability will probably catch you out a few times while you work it out!

It's able to be used as a SUP for riders up to say 100kg. Whilst you can certainly paddle a few miles on flat water if you want, and certainly down stream, down wind would be no worries for 70 - 80kg (or less) riders, it's really a SUP designed much more for waves, where the manoeuvrability and drive with a Paddle, really makes it come into its own.

There are big fleets of SeaLion's turning up to events in N. France, where they are being used in effect, as a 'one design class' - If there's enough wind to have a blast in the swells (which are of course, very similar to much of the coast of England), that's what they do, if not, they paddle round an improvised course, taking in flat water and swells if available, and of course, they also Surf or SUP if the swells are up and they don't want to mess around with a rig!

With AHD's foresight in focusing on what really matters for most of us when we are on the water, being simply 'to have fun', I'm really pleased to say that this is rapidly becoming a 'whole family' sport again, and the SeaLion certainly makes a cracking kids board if you have some of these 'little Windsurfers/Surfers' in tow to consider as well!

AHD really leads the world in making windsurfing, and the related sports of Surf and SUP, fun and accessible for the whole family when the weather is actually nice for you to all want to be at the beach, just chilling and having fun, all in conditions which most 'experienced short board sailors' would not get out of bed for!How do we change this approach, which we encounter so often in the UK - Simple, try one!

If your desire to be on the water fits the envelope of activities and conditions I have described, I believe you will be very impressed - Most people looking for this versatility who try one, buy one! (or they go up one to the Summerboard for better SUP capability and even easier larking about in mushy swells or flat water!)

AHD are designed and tested in N. France and the Med, with only final testing on the Concept Wave models being done on Maui! This makes so much difference!It's only when you use boards in the conditions they were really designed for, and tested in, that you really understand just what this can mean for you, as a European sailor! The company philosophy is also all about fun and focus on the end users needs - Not designing equipment round a 'hot shot pro', as their 'signature model' AHD are still almost (they do make boards for some other brands) unique in their 'One Shot Hi Tech Sandwich Moulding Process' which they pioneered almost 20 years ago! This means that not only the Shape and Rocker line is faithfully reproduced, board after board, with almost no hand shaping and finishing, but that their weights are much more accurately controlled than most Brands.

Re Pricing - On our existing stocks, we are trying to work with our key accounts to keep to the pre VAT increase pricing while existing stocks last (probably about mid Feb looking at stock today), which means that we and they, are absorbing the difference to keep the price down to the £999 level of last year, even though this is pretty tough with AHD pricing already being extremely competitive!The SeaLion comes in six colours - We have no control over what comes from the factory, as it just depends what they have at the time, but if you have a desperate aversion to a colour, we will always do our best to avoid this for you!

Hope this helps explain the SeaLion

Best wishes,

Jon

Reviewed by Jon Popkiss. AHD Importer for the UK.

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