Having read your comments, I agree things have slipped behind in the world of wave sailing on longer boards.
However, I have an old Mistral Take Off, retractable centre board, foot straps and twin fins. It was promoted by Robby Nash back in the early eighties and was real fun.

Having broken the mast in the surf in the mid eighties, I put it under my father’s house and there it stayed for 23 years before I sailed it again last summer.
It is still in good condition. I have a newish aluminum 2 piece mast, although the sail and boom are a bit sad. I am researching modern day gear to see if I can get it and myself performing for this summer. I am going on 61 now and need all the help I can get.

Any advice on gear and setting up the old board would be appreciated.
Remember, the mind doesn’t forget but the body does.

cheers pete

you´re right. Many old boards are waiting to be ripped.
Check my tribute to the rotten ones, if you like.

http://www.3beaufort.com/planken_in_pension.php

hang loose, torsten

especially when the old ones work just aswell thou a bit heavier.

I have been wave sailing my bic melody for two years now. its waterlogged and heavy as anything. but thats why i like. once its planning on a wave its like a tank. super fun and cost me 50 quid.

all the wide boards i bought for $$$ sucked in waves, my bic melody rocks i love for surfing 2ft waves and works amazing as a long distance paddleboard (arm paddling) as it has the weight to get you thru chop and from getting blown ofcourse.

also good for fishing. why go forward when you can go backwards. i mean how many longboards are lying in people garages and gardens rotting away. GEt em out and get radical.

longboarding rocks, for young and old.

Windsurfer South Coast England

Have you had a chance to try the Escape yet? It seems to be pretty flat in the back so it might be a bit stiff in the turns; the Hot Sails Maui guys say that you need lots and lots of rocker and that a board that goes well in waves won’t really plane like an Escape-style board does. It will be interesting to hear how an Escape with a raked fin and the track right back would go. My own longboard wavesailing is mainly with a very small fin longboard surfboard type fine but since that’s the only fin that board takes, I can’t compare it with anything else.