230 lbs. sail size to plane

swchandler · Joined: 08 Nov 1993 Posts: 10588

I kind of had a rule for myself regarding my largest sail. I had to be able to waterstart it in all wind conditions. As a smaller sailor, my largest ever sail was an 8.3 matched with a Tectonics Mirage 50.

mac · Posted: Fri Oct 29, 2021 9:27 pm Post subject:

Ozzie is right on. I used to have an 11.8 meter sail, and in a straight line I was really fast, against very talented training partners. Part of that was the flat water--I could hold it down, and I just had more power in relation to drag than my smaller training partners. The trouble came with changing direction, or dropping the sail. Then I lost dozens of board lengths. So it depends on what you want to do. If you want to get going, and you are a big strong guy, you need a big guy sail. But as size increases, the benefits diminish. On a foil, sailing a 10.0 doesn't give you much more than a 9.0 unless you are freakishly fit and can pump like there is no tomorrow. The extension of the point at which you start to foil is very small, particularly if you are a very efficient foiler. But in a race against other guys on 10.0's....

joethewindsufa · Joined: 10 Oct 2010 Posts: 1190 Location: Montréal

wow - lotsa advice here - must be end of the 2021 windsurf on water season Smile

I too am a heavyweight windsurfer and have been "playing" in light winds for about 20 years
I looked up the KonaHula264 and it is almost 90 cm wide - so forget the JP SLW
OP wants to plane in light winds as a heavyweight
I started with and kept with longboards and ended with a MistralEquipe2
on that board I could use sails from 10-oh down to 7-oh comfortably
ONCE i was FULLY comfortable with that, I went to a 160 liter/80 cm wide board
volume and width can be your friends or be too much
on the AHD FF 160 I was comfortable with the same sail range
now I am using a SHARK 145 liter/75 cm wide board and once again staying in the same sail range
NEVER rush to the next lower board size !!
and if you buy another board keep the current one - until sure
heavyweight buddy sold his BIC Techno 160 and regrets it to this day
and my standard advise is - whatever you do, keep smiling and having fun
if I go to the beach and it looks like it's gonna be work
F that - I go back home Smile

good winds !!
nb my MOST used sail is 8.5 !!

techno900 · Joined: 28 Mar 2001 Posts: 4161

Getting big sails out of the water is a challenge. I have been using "Easy-Uphauls" for years on my 9.2 and 11.0 sails. They allow you to break the sail from the water (tip of the mast about 3' up) by using only your legs/harness, which is normally the hardest part of up-hauling. Then the balance with the arms and body. This saves lots of energy.

Awalk · Joined: 15 May 2018 Posts: 6

Lots of good advice here. I owned a Kona Hula (and although I'm lighter now at the time I weighed 230) which I bought in search of the elusive one-board-quiver. It's a great teaching board and learning board, but it's just unbelievably heavy, and that means it's never going to be a high performance setup no matter what fin or sail you put on it. I tried it with a 10.0 and a full-on formula fin and it was still a dog. About the best conditions for it were 18mph wind with an Ezzy Cheetah 8.5, IF the water was flat enough that the excessive boardweight wasn't an issue.

I moved on from the Hula to a 95cm wide very lightweight slalom/formula board (Akrausz mentioned it earlier in the thread - 256 by 95 and 168 liter at 19 pounds) which was an immediate improvement in both low end planing and high end speed. It's for sale and it's a great heavyweight's equalizer, but it wouldn't be my first choice in your shoes, if your budget is flexible. I'd go for one of the big freeride boards like the Volar 160 or an older Angulo Magnum or a big Starboard Carve - something around 160 liter and 78-85cm wide, but NOT a superlightwind true slalom board like the Falcon. They're just too fragile and to get full performance out of them you really want to be able to pump and you need to be wiling to sail very powered up driving off the fin.

That big free rider will be very versatile and if you're in flatwater you can sail it way up past its design brief - you could put a 5.0 on there if the chop wasn't too bad and you had a small fin.

Nothing will be as versatile as an Equipe but the big free rider will be a much easier step towards planing jibes, waterstarting and other high-performance skills. Sell the Hula - it has served its purpose

jingebritsen · Joined: 21 Aug 2002 Posts: 3371

hula is a kg lighter than the popular kona one.

base positions make a big difference, as do expectations of performance,

lots of choices on paper, not so much ready to deliver with this supply shortage.

try these free rides.
https://progressivesports.com/windsurf/boards?cat=191

Awalk · Joined: 15 May 2018 Posts: 6

jingebritsen · Joined: 21 Aug 2002 Posts: 3371

further evidence to buy with eyes wide open.

hard to do if clicking around. may be a bit more $$$ to buy from a shop in person, but buyer beware of serial numbers 1 and 2. not a sure thing that those boards have issues, but the odds are greater than those made later

Awalk · Joined: 15 May 2018 Posts: 6

joethewindsufa · Joined: 10 Oct 2010 Posts: 1190 Location: Montréal

my BIC Techno Formula was supposed to be about 15 kilos and that was a GREAT board for light wind !!!