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 
6.1 vs 6.7 sail - Big difference? Need to know!!!
Goto page 1, 2  Next
 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    iWindsurf Community Forum Index -> Windsurfing Discussion
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
ghost1



Joined: 11 Mar 2013
Posts: 56
Location: Burlington Ontario, Canada

PostPosted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 7:47 am    Post subject: 6.1 vs 6.7 sail - Big difference? Need to know!!! Reply with quote

I wanted to purchase a 6.1 NP Fusion to replace my old 6.2 sail that I recently put my hand through while sailing. However, the store I have contacted only has a 6.7 Fusion in stock. How much of a difference is there between the two sails? It looks like the 6.7 Fusion only goes up to about 17 knots in its wind range. Should I go for the 6.7 or wait for 2014 for 6.1? I only go sailing in about 12kt+ and have to deal with only minor chop.

Also, is a 6.7 any good for bump/jump stuff and learning how to carve gybe?

I weigh 170lbs and have been sailing two years. I have a 110L board and starboard go 165
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
ghost1



Joined: 11 Mar 2013
Posts: 56
Location: Burlington Ontario, Canada

PostPosted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 8:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just a note on my skill level now if that helps. I can plane in the foot straps, tack, heli-tack, gybe, beach start, and water start happens about 50% of the time.

I am now working on trying planing gybes, and I was worried if this 6.7 sail is too big to use for learning that.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 8:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The difference between those sizes for me is in throwing them around during rapid, tight, frequent maneuvers on swell. That's why my quiver ends with a high-footed 6.2, which puts my launch threshold at 21 mph average wind @ 190 and late 60s age (my cutoff was 6.8 in my 50s). You're not doing that, so I'd recommend going for the extra planing power of the larger sail. It will jibe and carve just fine, and your next sail down could be a mid-5s size.

Their 17 kt upper range puzzles me (I looked at their chart). On my 115 liter board, my fully planing lower launch threshold would be in that vicinity, and their 9 kt lower limit just makes no sense to me if planing is implied.

Mike \m/
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
dhmark



Joined: 04 Sep 2007
Posts: 376

PostPosted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 8:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Depends on what sail your old 6.2 was and what sails you have on either side of it. If your 6.2 was really old, the 6.7 might have similar power (newer sails often have less power, floppier, more twist). You want rational spacing between sails (larger gap between larger sails), unless the old 6.2 is really the sweet spot for your conditions. dhmark
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
boardsurfr



Joined: 23 Aug 2001
Posts: 1266

PostPosted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 9:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I don't think going for the 6.7 will make a huge difference when learning the planing jibe. However, the range that NP gives for the 6.7 indicates a limited top end (the 17 knots you mention). That seems correct, though, from using the Fusions in Bonaire. For a sail this size, I'd prefer one with a bit more top end. It's easiest to make progress in planing through a jibe when you are well powered; a sail with limited top end might start to be harder to control then, and make your life harder.

If you really like the Fusion a lot, and a 6.1 will get you going in your typical conditions, then waiting for next year may make sense.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
d0uglass



Joined: 28 May 2004
Posts: 1286
Location: Bonita Springs, Florida

PostPosted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 11:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I agree with isobars that the wind range chart on the NP website is total bs.

It says the 6.7 is ideal from 10-15 knots for an 80 kg rider, when in reality a 6.7 wouldn't even get an 80 kg person planing until the very upper end of that range.

For you at 170 lbs / 75 kg the 6.7 should feel great in 15 knots and manageable from a bit less than 15 knots up to 20 knots. Just think of the wind range you have now with your 6.2, but shift both the lower and upper limits down by 1.2 knots.

If you sail in around 15 knots more often than you sail in around 20 knots, then I think you'll actually like the 6.7 better than a 6.1. There won't be any loss of carve jibing ability, and the slight loss of bump and jump performance will probably be compensated for by the extra power.

_________________
James' Blog: Windsurfing Equipment Size Calculator
http://jimbodouglass.blogspot.com/2010/11/updated-windsurf-calculator-online.html
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
PeconicPuffin



Joined: 07 Jun 2004
Posts: 1830

PostPosted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 2:32 pm    Post subject: Re: 6.1 vs 6.7 sail - Big difference? Need to know!!! Reply with quote

ghost1 wrote:
is a 6.7 any good for bump/jump stuff and learning how to carve gybe?


Six meter sails (6.0, 6.7 etc) is a beautiful size for learning the carved jibe. You need to be planing to carve them, so the slightly larger sail will give you slightly more opportunities to attempt jibes.

Six meter conditions are not ideal for bump and jump (you'd like more wind and smaller gear) but a 6.7 is not so big that you can't have fun in chop and swell anyway. As you improve you'll find you can sail on turnier board that will allow you to work chop, swell and full on waves like you were on much smaller gear.

_________________
Michael
http://www.peconicpuffin.com
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
jingebritsen



Joined: 21 Aug 2002
Posts: 3371

PostPosted: Fri Aug 09, 2013 5:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

perhaps, the maui effect has trickled into the NP manuals? 12-17 knots in maui, somehow, means a whole lot more wind power than in florida and lots of other places. been there, compared that. why? no one has much scientific explanation, just guesses. maybe the wind is condensed, since it has to wrap around the volcano? lots of hypotheses....
_________________
www.aerotechsails.com
www.exocet-original.com
www.iwindsurf.com
http://www.epicgearusa.com/
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
wynsurfer



Joined: 24 Aug 2007
Posts: 940

PostPosted: Fri Aug 09, 2013 6:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

ghost1, I don't think you'll notice a big difference between the 6.1 and the 6.7. The 6.7 requires + 3" boom extension and + 7" mast. This should be easy to adjust to. What is your next size sail down, or are you getting by with just one sail? You should be able to use either sail in winds up to around 20 knots without much problem.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
boardsurfr



Joined: 23 Aug 2001
Posts: 1266

PostPosted: Fri Aug 09, 2013 8:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

d0uglass wrote:
It says the 6.7 is ideal from 10-15 knots for an 80 kg rider, when in reality a 6.7 wouldn't even get an 80 kg person planing until the very upper end of that range.

True for the lower end (10 knots), but not for the upper end. I'm 85 kg, and am can plane on a 6.5 in 13 knots; in 15 knots, I'm decently powered. That's on the east coast - jingebritsen has a good point about wind on Maui being different. I plane reasonably early, but I know a few guys with similar weight who plane earlier than I do.

How manageable the Fusion 6.7 is in 20 knots is a different question. I sailed the Fusions in Bonaire a few times, and that was a sail I definitely did not want the get caught in a squall with. I thought even the 4-batten NP Wizard had a better top end (and a much better bottom end).
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 1, 2  Next
Page 1 of 2

 
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