Techno sailors in Bay area - which sail sizes?

[plumeria]

This ties in with a post I did on the gear section...

Any suggestions - I have my first set of gear (all used) - Techno 283 board and 6.6 Z1 sail. I am about to purchase a 5.5m2 retro (sailworks) and was wondering if my board could handle anything smaller for the much windier days such as sails in the 4.5-5m2 range? I weigh about 160lbs.

Anyone with practical experience?

thanks a lot

Peter

[spyder]

you can sail smaller sails on that board, but it will be bumpy! a 283 is something I pull out on lite wind days. so your initial setup with the 6.6 is very good. The 5.5 will work fine too, but it might be a bit rough..anything smaller will be a bit hard to handle, given being powered up in those conditions....but it will work. The season is gonna get a lot lighter fast, so you might save your money for the 4.5/5.0 until next season. Maybe consider another used board that is smaller, to go with the 4.5/5.0

I would sail as much as possible, so you can feel comfortable on a smaller board, and get the smaller sails for windy days. 4.5/5.0 are gonna get most of the windiest days...5.5/6.6 will get most of the rest. some 4.0 days, but not many in the bay.

[ringe]

Peter, Im your weight and anything, for me, larger than a 100 liter board on a 4.5 to 5.0 sail would feel clunky or may not drag enough in heavy conditions. A small fin would help, but a big boards ass may move around.
Hunt

[plumeria]

Thanks Ringe and Spyder for your helpful suggestions.

Well I did take the baord out to Candlestick on Sunday afternoon with my 5.5m2 sail and lasted a few hours - but boy, my arms are tired today. Partly got to do with not yet knowing how to waterstart - well I know the theory, just the practise is the problem I posted my experiences in the Gear forum.

I was talking to one guy who was out in the gusts which were over 25mph with the same board, a 7m2 sail and a 50cm2 fin! He was zipping along at a great speed and the nose didnt start pointing at the sky He did look quite a bit heavier than me however.

thanks again

peter