myiW Current Conditions and Forecasts Community Forums Buy and Sell Services
 
Hi guest · myAccount · Log in
 SearchSearch   ProfileProfile   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   RegisterRegister 
Beginner Sail Recommendation
Goto page Previous  1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6  Next
 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    iWindsurf Community Forum Index -> Windsurfing Discussion
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
beaglebuddy



Joined: 10 Feb 2012
Posts: 1120

PostPosted: Sun Jul 28, 2013 1:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

8M Superfreak rigs on a 460, I know because mine has it printed right on the sail.
Mine is an UL Superfreak which can be bagged way out for light wind.
It only has 5 battens.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
lunchbox



Joined: 13 Jul 2011
Posts: 22

PostPosted: Sun Jul 28, 2013 1:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ok...so I measured my boom...With it all the way extended, it is 219cm. Please note, that this is from one end of the boom to the other and does not take into account the mast holder (not sure what that is called).

Thanks.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
boardsurfr



Joined: 23 Aug 2001
Posts: 1266

PostPosted: Sun Jul 28, 2013 6:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

As a 210 lb beginner, you don't have a chance to plane in wind of at most 15 mph with any sail you'd want to uphaul. So there is no reason whatsoever to go for a large or heavy sail. For just cruising around in light wind, a sail in the 6.5-7.0 range that you were originally thinking of would be a great choice. A 7.5 or larger would only be harder to uphaul.

You mentioned the Gaastra Pilot 6.5. I own one and love it. I bought mine a couple of years back after using it almost every day in Bonaire, light wind or planing conditions. The Pilot is very light, which is great for light wind cruising or light wind freestyle. If you like lake cruising in light winds, you may soon discover and like light wind freestyle. Some of the basic tricks like clew first sailing and backwinded sailing are essential skills for jibes and tacks, and will help you when you think about learning to plane. A lighter 5-batten sail like the Pilot will be a lot more fun than a heavier 6 or 7 batten sail.

IMO, the Pilot also packs a surprising amount of power for early planing. I can plane on the Pilot 6.5 in 14 knots on a 110 l freestyle board, but I'm "only" 190 lb, and reasonably good at planing early. But then, you might switch to your kite when the wind picks up...
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
beaglebuddy



Joined: 10 Feb 2012
Posts: 1120

PostPosted: Sun Jul 28, 2013 7:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The boom must be so old the numbers have worn off, how long is your extension?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
rangerider



Joined: 19 Jul 2009
Posts: 206

PostPosted: Sun Jul 28, 2013 10:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

All I would say is that I weigh 170 and can uphaul a 7.5 like nothing. I don't enjoy uphauling my 9.5 but it is no problem unless I am using it in conditions too windy for it anyway. I wouldn't really worry about the uphaul-ability of the sail unless you are not very strong for your weight which I doubt - you should have no problem uphauling anything that will fit on that mast. If it is for you and not so much for people smaller than you, as others have said, go big if you are going to try to plane, if not then something in the 6.5 range would probably be good for your mast and boom.

I first got planing on a longboard with a 4.4 (the only sail I owned - a freebie) on my lake one day in a storm, it was the start of the addiction for me.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Sailboarder



Joined: 10 Apr 2011
Posts: 656

PostPosted: Mon Jul 29, 2013 5:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

beaglebuddy wrote:

At 210 lbs windsurfing will be more of a challenge than for someone who weighs 150 lbs because your gear will need to be so much bigger, when you add lack of wind to the equation it won't be a lot of fun.


The challenge is really because gear is harder to find used and more expensive, like larger cars... The gear itself is proportional to our weight and strength, so the fun factor is still there for us. The problem I get is that I often follow the trend and get on the water with sails too small...
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
lunchbox



Joined: 13 Jul 2011
Posts: 22

PostPosted: Mon Jul 29, 2013 10:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

@beaglebuddy - Yeah, there are no numbers on the boom and it looks really old. It's purple and yellow and has HPL written on it but that's it.
The mast base is a Chinook...can't find the model # but it is 41.59cm long.

@boardsurfr - Glad to hear you like the Pilot because I can get a 6.5m right now at a really great price. The only problem is that it looks like the mast base for the 6.5 is 430 and the imcs is 21. Not quite sure what luff means but it is 452 and the head is fixed. Will that work with my current mast? They have a 7.0m sail that works on a 460 mast and the imcs is 25 but it doesn't appear to be on sale.
OBTW, I had read some reviews of people questioning the durability of the Pilot. I am pretty careful with my equipment but being a beginner I know I'm gonna end up dropping the sail a few times.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
beaglebuddy



Joined: 10 Feb 2012
Posts: 1120

PostPosted: Tue Jul 30, 2013 2:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The luff is the total length of the mast and extension when rigged and downhauled correctly, for instance, sail says the luff is 470 this means you would likely use a 460 mast and set the extension for 10 CM, 460 + 10 = 470.
You could also use a 430 with extension set at 40 CM but the sail might not set right because the smaller the mast the more flexy it is so you need to follow the recommendation printed on the sail.
If the luff is 452 it can't work with a 460 mast unless you had an adjustable top strap and could have the top of the mast sticking up above the sail. Also most extensions have a minimum setting around 6-10 CM
For sailing in light wind you will want the stiffest mast because this will make the back of the sail (the leach) set tighter which will keep the top of the sail from twisting off as much and spilling off the excess wind
Keep looking on craigslist and something should come up eventually. Don't buy any old junk.
As for durability there is one sail that stands above all the others, the standard Superfreak, it's made of dacron fabric not a plastic film. They also make a UL Superfreak that is made of kite material, UL's can be bagged way out for ultra light wind.
Plastic film sails will eventually fall apart from UV sun damage, I read somewhere if you left them sitting out in the sun all day all the time they would fall apart in about a year.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
beaglebuddy



Joined: 10 Feb 2012
Posts: 1120

PostPosted: Tue Jul 30, 2013 2:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Your boom is likely so old the clamp doesn't articulate.
Meaning that once clamped to the mast the rest of the boom will not pivot up and down so you are stuck with clamping the boom to only one spot on the mast.
This could be a bit of a problem because you are so tall, at your height the boom should be near the top of the sleeve cut out in the sail. When the boom is too low it makes it harder to hang from the boom amongst other things.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
boardsurfr



Joined: 23 Aug 2001
Posts: 1266

PostPosted: Tue Jul 30, 2013 3:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

lunchbox, a 6.5 Pilot with a fixed head won't work on a 460 mast. You may find one with an adjustable top that's on sale, though, with a bit of googling. The adjustable head will allow you to use the 460 mast. The 460 will be stiffer, but that can work for you in light winds, as beaglebuddy pointed out. It should work well enough in higher winds, too - the extra stiffness might even be an advantage for someone over 200 lb.

The Pilot is a monofilm sail, and will not be as durable as an x ply or dacron sail. But I have had my 6.5 for about 2 1/2 years now, and used it for 54 sessions. Perhaps half of them where light wind, which usually means freestyle, and quite a few were day-long sessions (e.g. during ABK camps). The sail is still looking great. I have had similar Gaastra sails for about 8 years. I have no need to always have the newest gear, but sails due improve quite a bit over such long periods. I don't think replacing sails every 5-8 years is excessive. If you're planning on using the same sail for 20 years, another sail may be a better option (although I have seen some mono film sails that were about this old, and were used often - but those seem to be mostly World Sails).
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    iWindsurf Community Forum Index -> Windsurfing Discussion All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Goto page Previous  1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6  Next
Page 3 of 6

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You can attach files in this forum
You can download files in this forum

myiW | Weather | Community | Membership | Support | Log in
like us on facebook
© Copyright 1999-2007 WeatherFlow, Inc Contact Us Ad Marketplace

Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group