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Using smaller sail than the recommended minimum sail range
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coolio



Joined: 24 May 2012
Posts: 8

PostPosted: Sun Sep 02, 2012 7:49 pm    Post subject: Using smaller sail than the recommended minimum sail range Reply with quote

Hi every body,

I am using 141 L starboard futura and the smallest recomended sail to be used with this board is 6.5m.
I am wondering what happens if I use a 5.7m sail with this board in higher wind conditions than what I can use 6.5 for?

thanks.
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isobras



Joined: 17 Jul 2012
Posts: 439

PostPosted: Sun Sep 02, 2012 7:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Your board will probably bounce around more than it does in lighter winds. Joe Biden has a phrase for that.

Mike \OO/
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keycocker



Joined: 10 Jul 2005
Posts: 3598

PostPosted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 2:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mike is right
That sail size is really just a suggestion to move to a smaller board when the wind picks up. It will work fine if the fin isn't huge.
It is usual in windsurfing to use a smaller sail in this kind of situation.
Many of us esp. experienced sailors dont know what sail sizes are suggested for our boards. We don't care.
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SeaDawg



Joined: 12 Sep 2002
Posts: 384

PostPosted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 6:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Try a smaller fin when you down size the sail. Your local water condition(chop or big wave swell) plays a roll in how that size board will feel.
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Sailboarder



Joined: 10 Apr 2011
Posts: 656

PostPosted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 6:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

As stated above, there are two aspects that you will experience. First, with higher wind, the water state is normally more choppy and the large board might bounce around.

If this is not a problem, the board trim might also change too much. The smaller sail applies less mast foot pressure and your board will ride with the nose somewhat higher.

I'm currently trying to fix that on my setup. To bring the nose down, I am getting the mast base forward with a higher boom position. It worked but I had pressure on my front foot. So in my last session, I moved my footstraps forward one hole. I think it works fine that way. I couldn't try it well however since my planning time was limited by the overgrown weeds at that spot... I'll have to try again somewhere else.
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dllee



Joined: 03 Jul 2009
Posts: 5328
Location: East Bay

PostPosted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 12:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

As said, smaller fins and sails can be used in big boards for high winds, but the water state had better be controllable.
Conversely, you can put a 7 meter slalom sail on a 80 liter 55cm wide slalom board, and it will work great, if the winds are steady and filled in.
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sailingjoe



Joined: 06 Aug 2008
Posts: 1087

PostPosted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 2:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

When it comes to larger than the recommended sail on a board, I have an interesting anecdote to pass on. I asked a shop owner if I could use a 9.6 on a board that had a range up to 9.5, he scorned my question and gave me a rather snippy reply. In fact, a weed fin will extend your sail range to a slightly larger than recommended sail and this clown could have sold me one at that time. I found that the tangent reaper on the board in question worked well with the 9.6. A larger than recommended sail brings the CEO back too far and a weeder will compensate for that.
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dllee



Joined: 03 Jul 2009
Posts: 5328
Location: East Bay

PostPosted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 2:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

With all due respect, .1 donna maka no difference...
More important, where is the draft, how tall is the draft and design, what the winds will be, and whether you have enough fin to hold the menagerie together?
For instance, if your current light wind rig holds a 10 meter North 2011 sail in balance, but right at the maximum, it might take tons of tuning to get your '12 North WarmFormula to work on that already maxed out board and fin.
Pure sizing is important, but just as important is the design of the sail and the adaptability of the sailor.
Your weed fins are too big if they can hold a sail 2 meters bigger and 2 meters smaller. But if you don't mind a minimal lose in boatspeed, it's just peachy keen.
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isobras



Joined: 17 Jul 2012
Posts: 439

PostPosted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 2:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Good point, Joe, and practice will extend it even more. A 210-pound bud won a Corpus Christi speed run with a 6.3 on a 65-liter Gorge board, and I have tens of thousands of miles on a 5.2/65 liter combo at 190# (the same board was also vastly superior to its competitors when vastly overpowered on a 2.Cool. Heck, I have several desperate hours totally hammered in sustained gusts on a 3.7 on 240 liters. OTOH, another small Gorge board is advertised to carry only 3.7 to 4.7 which testing proved accurate; it got too bouncy @ 3.2 and its nose plowed under a 5.2. Most boards have a lot of room for operator skill and preference, while some do not. No way I'd want to ride a big, wide, flat-bottomed board powered up in the amount of chop 6.0 winds may produce, but thin the tail, add some vee, dull the rails, and reduce the fin size and it would do in an occasional pinch for rare winds and casual sailing.
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dsgrntlxmply



Joined: 16 Jun 2010
Posts: 255

PostPosted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 7:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'd say don't worry about it: try it.

I am a late beginner (going on 3 seasons, weight around 198 lb) with only one board: a 155L RRD Fireride twin-fin. My sails range from 7.3 down to 4.5.

When conditions are overpowered on 4.5 (not just for me: conditions when more highly skilled sailors are complaining that 4.0-4.2 are still too hot on smaller boards), the larger board can become unpleasant, and downright nasty in stiff gusts. Most of the time, though, it's either pleasant, or a tractable challenge.

5.7 is the second sail that I bought, is still my go-to sail, and has given me most of my best sessions.
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