I use 4.5 on my 105L and it works fine, I used it on 113L fanatic eagle and it worked well too.
Use smaller fin for smaller sail and it should do the trick...

imo that's a relative statement about width... I see a lot of freestylers using even 4.0 on a 100L board about 63cm wide... if he has 110L board he coudl try it with let's say 24cm fin and see how it behaves, if it feels to big, try lending a smaller board to see, if it suits you.
My board is 62.5 and it works very well with 4.5, but when its way overpowered it starts behaving to lively and bouncy, then it's time for a smaller board....however I'm talking about 35knot or higher gusts...

I have a 4.5 sail, not much skill (been sailing a few months only, sussing the straps and harness at the moment, though have been sussing these orrible things for a couple of months now!) and a 160L board..... what kind of wind do I need to use the 4.5? I find myself always using my 6M sail..... is this my destiny? I weigh about 77kg. Any advice would be be appreciated.

Thank guys, i have a 115 and a 110, i want to replace the 110 with either a
105 or 95, with winter just around the corner it cranks here in SA, but the conditions
are knee shattering chop in the Gulf, so bigger boards aren't pleasant sailing...
I have borrowed a 92 with my 5,3 in 30+knts and it felt awesome but the board felt very flighty
and i had to use my weight to keep board on the water.. “great for jumping”

Neil Pryde use there wind range on sails based on a 80kg sailor, so with sail ranges on boards
is this the similar or just marketing tool!!”so ya have to have more boards”,
especially with some off the wind ranges in some sails.....
and obviously the differences between a 60kg or 100kg sailor..

BIGKYM said...

I have borrowed a 92 with my 5,3 in 30+knts and it felt awesome but the board felt very flighty and i had to use my weight to keep board on the water.. “great for jumping”

If you can do a reasonable gybe you can ride just about any size board, I'm the same weight as you and use boards 120,112 and 95 and looking for a 85 for the days its 30 knots. I've used boards down to 60L and have had no issues, The smaller the board the more lively they are under foot and makes for a great sailing experience and yes the small boards jump better.

With your 5.3 in 30 knots you may have been over powered, I'd be using my 4.7 on days like that. Try playing with mast track position and fins, even boom height to give you better control. Being of the larger build I run my mast base forward of centre and the smaller the board I move the mast track even further forward. This helps with early plaining, stops sinking the tail and gives better control. As for the fins, when the wind picks up I drop in fin size as this calms the board down so it's not so flighty....a few cm makes a big difference in the ride of the board. The boom height was a thing that changed my sailing, especially on the smaller boards. Get it high, I thought mine use to be ok but I got a good sailor of similar build to set my kit up and was amazed at how high the boom was, If you drag the boom over the tail of the board It's about 10cm clear of the tail. It was funny to start with, Brought back that catapult feeling but by the end of the first session it was fine. I jumped better, got better speed, plained earlier and gybed better...only if it's nuking do I drop the boom a cm or two.

Sail recommendations depend on the wind, your weight and ability, Theres no point asking an 80 kg sailor what you should rig as they'll be on a 5.0 and you'll need a 6.5. Get to know someone about the same size of you and ask them about it. If you have an iPhone get the sail size app, As much as people bag it it does give a good indication of what you should be rigging based on the wind strength.

What I use:

15-20 knots...120L and my 7.2
20-25 knots...112L and my 5.8
25-30 knots....95L and my 4.7

And any combination in between....The sail I've listed is the largest I would use in the given wind range, and you can always ride the smaller board at the higher end of the wind range.

My rule for board choice is based on my experience with my sails and works for me.

What I use:

If I'm using my 7.2 it's always my 120L
As soon as I rig my 6.7 It's my 112L
As soon as I rig my 5.8 It's my 95L

Hope this helped...

Hi Kym, have you tryed using smaller fins, I always run a 117 litre freeride board, but am a bit lighter 82 kg at the moment, I only use weed fins as my condition always need them but they sit the board down on the water heaps better, I always run
6-7 cam with 36
5-8 cam, 5-5 and 5-0 wave with 30.
5=0 cam, 4-7 and 4-2 wave with 24.
my favourite is the 5-0 Kobncept with the 24 fin
I don't have any issues with the 4-2 and small 24 fin in onshore surf.
will be up your way soon for a sail and hope to have a blast with J and Koshi.

Just a question about sailor weight. Does a heavy guy experience the same volume-weight significance as a light guy ?. Example: BigKym current board is 110L. That's 5L+ over his weight and he would like a smaller board (under his weight) to handle 30+ knots. Me, I'm 68kg, and use an 85L board is no worries in 30+ knots. That's 17L volume-weight. There is no way I would consider getting a 60L board at the moment.

jh2703: right on about the boom. That's my lesson for this session is boom height. I have my boom very high now. I can point up wind more and go faster. I only lower it when under or over powered.

anjroo: That is a very small sail for your level. While you are beginning, I you just need to pick your condition. Going out in high winds won't allow you to learn. In 30+ knots, I suspect you will be going along totally sheeted out while standing on the mast base and heading down wind !. I know this, as I did that too when I was learning (my first board was a 148L Bic Techno2).. Good fun, but beach walking a 150L board with a sail connected to it up the beach in 30 knots gets a bit tedious after a while

Jimbob: no worries :). Look forward to it. Pity about this bloody weather though.
J

sharkbiscuit said...

Just a question about sailor weight. Does a heavy guy experience the same volume-weight significance as a light guy ?. Example: BigKym current board is 110L. That's 5L+ over his weight and he would like a smaller board (under his weight) to handle 30+ knots. Me, I'm 68kg, and use an 85L board is no worries in 30+ knots. That's 17L volume-weight. There is no way I would consider getting a 60L board at the moment.

<snip>

Once you are comfortably planing, the volume has little to do with it.

When I was 96kgs, a 4.5m and a 76 litre board would be okay, but not fun for a fair-dinkum bom-measured 35 knots. I can ride the same volume board in about 26 knots and up.

I found that when it was very windy and choppy that the problem I had was that the larger boards to float me in light wind were too wide and made for a bumpy ride. I bought an older board that was narrower for the volume, compared to current boards, and it seemed better to sail in those conditions.

I think width makes more difference once you are planing all the time. Even then a heavier guy is going to be able to use a wider board than a lighter guy.

I am now 84kgs, and found a 116L board feels exactly the same to me now, as a 135L board did when I was 22kgs heavier. (Except my body seems to remember the width of the larger board and I go to put my feet where they should be in a gybe and they are too close to the rail.)