Bigger sail or bigger board

[DelmarEdward]

I sail in a lightwind area, say 10-20 mph most of the time i'm out. Right now i use a 2002 Starboard Go board and a Retro 9.5 in these winds, i go smaller if the wind stays strong. i'm also using a 70 cm fin already. i can pump to plane sometimes, but need to improve there also. am comfortable in harness and footstraps.

i am thinking of either getting a used formula board or a larger retro sail, a 11.0. would need larger boom, but use the same 520 mast.

i've read on the starboard forums from various people that getting the bigger sail may not get me up on a plane that much sooner than the 9.5.

am not considering a cammed sail at the moment, used them and found them, at least at my level, a pita.

to notch down my planing threshold, should i get a bigger retro or a formula board?

[whitevan01]

my advice ( I went from a 9.8 Formula sail/starboard go 170 to an Aerotech Pacer 9.5 sail/Exocet Pacer Hybrid board to try and do what you are doing just a few short years ago) is to forget about planing in light wind, get an old long board or sailable sup with daggerboard and 7.5 and get into the gliiiiiiiide in light winds.

I've ended up with a 7.5 aerotech dagger sail (a sail made specifically for non-planing use on boards with daggerboards, hence the name of the sail) and an old Fanatic Megacat for use in light winds. Couldn't be happier with the combo.

Chasing a lower planing threshold is just not worth it, imo, and will cost you mucho dinero.

[dllee]

WhiteVan beat me again....
That 11 meter sail might gain you 2 mph lighter winds, but not if it was a full cammed race sail. A non cam 11 is a heavy barn door, maybe 1 mph because you can't pump it.
A Formula board might gain you 1 mph in lighter winds, but it's somewhat fragile, and it slogs badly, and it probably needs the full cammed sail.
Longboard with dagger, 7.5 meter softer type sail.

[NOVAAN]

A lot depends on your body weight. When you go to that big of sail, mast and boom you are adding more weight. Your gains are very little for the cost of that rig. I'm 165 lbs and have been windsurfing since 1982. In 10 to 20 mph winds, your mostly sailing the gusts. I use a 6.5 Ezzy Cheetah sail and Tabou Rocket 115 LTD. I would upgrade your board. Your going to get a lot of different ideas on this one. Here is my take. Try the new free move boards. JP Magic ride, Starboard Atom, or the Tabou Rocket wide. I have had the chance to sail the first two. Simply amazing boards for lite winds. Very early to plane, smooth ride for their size, easy turning and just easy to sail. Not formula fast but plenty fast. If you go that way, get the high end construction. In lite wind sailing, weight is everything. These boards sail big. I had the Atom 110 and it sailed like a 130 and turned like a 100 liter board. Lots of fun. FYI, check out Big Winds sale on the JP Magic ride

[dllee]

Depending on your weight and skill, a JPMagicPro 118 with a 7.5 sail should plane up equal in light winds to your GO and mid 9.
Board weight is vital, as is rig weight and your ability to pump, ooch, and ride wind swells. Lighter and smaller always takes the cake, for active sailors.
Got one sitting in the van, along with a JPSSport109, Futura111, and Formula 162.

[techno900]

Delmar,

How much do you weigh and what size Go board?

[boardsurfr]

I agree with whitevan01 and zirtaeb - you can have more fun on a longer board with a smaller sail. A longboard with a decent daggerboard and a 7.5 will rail up in 12 mph winds. It will be slower than a full plane on a fat board, but just as much fun. I have had sessions where I just planed on my freestyle gear. Switching to an old longboard reduced my average speed, but increased the fun factor.

If the wind drops a bit more so that you can't plane at all, a fat board with a 9+ m sail is just a pita. A longboard had a nice glide and will still be fun. Old narrow 12+ ft longboards are best, but Kona are close, and even some longer SUPs have a very nice glide.

[coachg]

DelmarEdward,
You didn’t say what size Go you have or how much you weigh so we can’t say if you would lower your threshold more by going to a formula or getting a bigger rig. I’m not going to beat a dead horse but chasing a lower planing threshold can be like trying to find the end of a rainbow.

As for your wind, 10-20 is a huge range. Are you talking 10-20 mph averages or 10 mph gusting to 20? To me, wind averages between 5-12 mph are light longboard wind while averages from 13-20 are not. If you are talking 10-20 mph averages than I think you would be better off spending the cash on a lesson to become more efficient. Even if you are Godzilla sized a 9.5 & any Starboard Go should have you going in 15-20 mph averages.

Coachg

[DelmarEdward]

wanted to add some info and answer some questions.

My go is a 170 liter. I weigh 215 pounds, would like to get back to around 200-205.

The comment about wind speed is right on, if the winds were often 15-20 mph most of the time, i'd be happy with my stuff. Problem is there not and are very light all summer and going windsurfing once a week all fall i needed my smaller 7.0 sail once.

I got the go board three years ago thinking planing looked cool, before that i had a bic 240 (sort of a longboard?) and before that sailed various dingys for many years.

Back when all i had was the bic and a 7.5 ezzy superlight sail, which i didn't know how to tune, i had fun every time i went out. i didn't even own a harness for years and never used the footstraps at all, i wondered why they were even there. but i always had fun even in the lightest wind.

since i got the go board and have tried to get "better", all i really do is bob around on it and get frustrated, thinking the next piece of equipment is going to improve things. in the higher winds i have gotten comfortable planing in the footstraps and harness, but this is a teensy tiny minority of the time i'm out.

The main reason i wanted to get rid of the bic in the first place is it was heavy and a handful to put on the car roof when it was windy.

But i think the answer is to go back to a longboard, and get a kona. there, i said it.

can i still use the 9.5 and what do i do with the formula fin?

i want to thank everyone on the forum, those that responded and those that haven't, for all the info i have gotten on the website. i look at it nearly every of the year, as i do with several ski websites also.

thanks again,

Dave

[cgoudie1]

Greetings Delmar,

I spend most of my time in what most people call high winds, but
on occasion, I do get out in light winds.

Sails larger than 9.5 seem to have diminishing returns in the early
planing category. I doubt you'll do much better with early planing
with a larger sail of any kind. Likewise a 70 cm fin is plenty.

I own a 9.5 Retro (which by the way I rig on a 490 100% carbon mast, and it pumps better that way). I also own an Angulo Sumo 155, which
probably weighs in around 20 lbs, with a 48 cm fin. With that combination,
(carbon boom also), I can get planing in the Utah environment at about
12 mph winds, sometimes less. Your 10-20 winds would likely be
plenty for me, unless it averages mostly 10, but even then, a bit of
pumping to a plane, and that rig will maintain it at around 10MPH winds.
That entire rig is also pretty much dedicated entirely to light wind planing.
because by 15MPH, I board and sail down substantially. Light wind
planing can get very expensive.

I weigh 180 lbs, am 6'3" and sail my light wind gear on lakes in
small chop with no current.

If you weigh near what I weigh, purchasing a larger sail isn't going to
change your planing threshold much. Lighter boards will make
a difference. I'm not sure what a Go weighs.

You might just want to watch some instructional videos on planing.

At 15MPH winds, I can usually plane up on a 6.5 Retro.

-Craig

p.s. it's kind of a hoot to be ripping along planed up when everybody
else is slogg'n or sitt'n on the beach.