New guy, 2 sessions in and having a great time!

[grantmac017]

Hello!

I'm a newbie to the sport with maybe 4 hours on the water so far. Unfortunately my budget is small and I'm fairly large (200#). I bought a Fanatic Xray 155l (yes it was on seattle CL) board which actually hasn't been as disastrous as the common wisdom would suggest.
I should note that I've sailed dinghies and raced keelboats in the past. I did as much research as I could then jumped into a local Lake with little chance of being lost downwind. My first night (yesterday) I was up hauling and staying upwind without much issue. I could turn the board at rest and even managed a very clumsy gybe. Most of my issues were related to inconsistent wind leaving me suddenly depowered plus just general rigging mistakes.
Tonight I hit a different lake which had a little less wind but it was much more constant. I managed a few gybes and actually tacked a couple of times without losing all momentum. It felt like I was starting to grasp how mast angle, trim and foot pressure steered the board at low speeds.
Now I'm on the lookout for a larger sail since my only half decent one is a 5.1m and I think my local conditions/weight would be happier with a 7.0-8.0 most of the time.
My questions mainly relate to two things:
In subplaning conditions without a centerboard should I go for as much fin as possible or stick with sail area x5+2 even if I won't be powered up at all?
How much windward heel should I be using when close hauled in displacement sailing? I tried everything from slight pressure to burying the rail a couple inches deep without a ton of difference.

Thanks,
Grant

[coachg]

A bigger fin will always help upwind. Going upwind without a centerboard the angle is not that important, just the length of rail in the water. Just make sure most of your weight is on your front foot & your front foot is well forward on the board. At least next to the mast base. In light winds bring your hands close together and try not to bend your arms. A wider grip in light winds can lead to a stall by over sheeting and causing the board to slide sideways. Very common problem.

Coachg

[techno900]

Generally speaking, if on a smaller board without a dagger, and slogging (not planing), sinking the windward rail will help improve upwind performance.

On a board with a dagger or planing on a smaller board, sinking the leeward rail promotes upwind performance. However, newbies that think they are planing fast enough to sink the leeward rail often are not going fast enough.

With practice, one eventually discovers how to maximize windward performance in all conditions. Sometimes it's best if the windward rail sinks, sometimes the leeward rail, and frequently the board should stay flat.

All factor in - skill, wind, board speed, board, plus fin and or dagger.

As for the sail size, most want to get moving faster as their skill improves, which means either more wind or more sail. However, practicing your tacks and jibes with a small sail will speed your development. I always suggest that newbies tack and jibe at least 10 times (each) before going on a reach for more than a minute or two. The only way to improve skills is repetition. It's fun to cruse along on a long reach and only make turns when necessary, but progress is slowed considerably.

[grantmac017]

It sounds like sticking to the larger 50cm fin couldn't hurt but might not actually help. I've been putting my front foot alongside the mast base and pointing forward but I think I've got too much weight on the rear which is sinking the tail a bit, I also might be railing to windward a little too hard out of a perceived need to maintain position relative to my launch point. Flatter both horizontally and longitudinally might be a better idea.
In order to get my arms straight I'll need a bit of bend in the knees and to allow the rig to lean to leeward correct?

Because my lake is fairly narrow and the wind narrower still I've spent a lot of time changing direction. Even in the first two days it's really changed from a 90% fall rate to less than 25% and most of that seems to be on account of losing the wind and suddenly having no pressure to brace against.

Thanks,
Grant

[nw30]

You said before that you went to another lake that had better wind consistency. Nothing can help a new WS'er progress more quickly than sailing at the best place for consistency. It's really hard to tell what's working and not working if the wind is up and down, or you are sailing in a place with wind shadows.
Try to stay relaxed, with nothing straight, arms, legs, but that becomes much easier to achieve once you're in a harness. You never mentioned a harness, so I assume you're not using one yet, correct?

Aim for those foot straps once you get going, they are there for a reason, wear a harness, have harness lines on the booms, and don't worry about using them until you'll need them, it makes you figure it out quicker if you have all that stuff ready.

Some may want to debate this, but I've found that is works every time, you don't have to wear the harness for the first several days, but other than that, I believe it's the quickest way.

Think of windsurfing like driving a 4 speed car, with a manual tranny, and with your feet being the main gear shift.
First gear, both feet in front of their respective foot straps, the front foot may be all the way up to the mast step, depending on the wind.
Second gear, hooking up into your harness, feet haven't moved much if at all.
Third gear, front foot into the foot strap.
Forth gear, rear foot into the foot strap. You're now cruising!
But you will have to do some down shifting as conditions warrant, sometimes all the way down to first gear, both feet out of the foot straps, while trying to grovel back to the shore. Don't get complacent while in 4th gear.

[grantmac017]

Haven't worn the harness yet but I figure I will on my next attempt if it looks at all windy. With all the falling I did on day one it seemed best to do without. I've got the straps in the inboard position, lines rigged long and fairly close together where the sail feels in trim.
Straight is perhaps a poor word: not bent?

[coachg]

We are talking light wind, no centerboard correct? Then yes, front arm & front leg pretty straight with front leg weighted. Back leg bent & unweighted to control the pitch of the board. Back hand feathers the sail to feel for power so it may be slightly bent.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEKTcWPBjwU

Coachg

[U2U2U2]

Your board seems a good starter for you, 80cm wide and 270 long.
The 50cm fin should be the original size. At this point I see No reason to go longer, the board is designed for 6.5--12m sails.
To use smaller sails as in ABOUT 7.5 to 6.5 a smaller fin would be advantageous , WHEN powered up, it would make the large board more manageable, be aware that this XRay will have limitations when it's windy and become quite un manageable, small fin or not, it's not designed for higher wind use.

Sail size, for your weight and this board a 7.0--7.5 would be good, you will probably need a longer mast , perhaps boom. Stay away IMO CAMMED sails , no matter how attractive they seem.

PLEASE note sizes on fins sails board..etc are a ABOUT size, many variables are involved.

Craigslist is like a box of chocolates....
Many posters have no idea of what they are selling, the real potential buyers are about 1 in 10, the remainder are scum bags with nothing better to do than jerk people around.

[grantmac017]

Coachg,

That video is excellent and one I haven't seen before. I'll definitely be changing my foot position a bit towards the front. Seems like an easier one to tack from as well.

U2U2U2,

I did research the board rather heavily and weighed the options. There was/is a Rio M which might have been more ideal but it was also quite a lot more money (my budget is VERY small). I'm also looking at some larger sails on CL (provided they are in good shape). For some reason finding decent used small sails is easy but large are virtually non existent.
I've got a 465cm constant curve mast and I want to say my boom goes to 2.0m so I should be able to get something rigged up.
I recognize that this board will always be a lighter wind setup and that I'll need to look for something a bit smaller once my skill and the wind pick up. Not quite sure what kind of sailing I'll ultimately want to do and I know that's a factor as well.

Grant

[U2U2U2]

I think I made it clear the board was a good choice.
Yes, money always seems to get in the way of things.
With your mast a 460..cm..? A 6.5 or 7.0 will fit.
The bend constant curve is friendly to most sails.

Shipping on sails is not expensive, 30--40.. I would stay away from older sails that are dead cheap, there being a reason for that .
Something to be said for, spend more money to be more useful and last longer.
Their is no lack of advise if you run across something

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