I literally broke my 131 Starboard Carve in half yesterday on some very corrigated headon chop. I had stupidly put some cracks into it by landing some mast high jumps almost flat and so yesterday was the final cut. ( I realise I shouldn't really be wave jumping that board). The board just folded in half on me. Kind of wish I caught it on film.

Anyway.. to the point...

I now only have my 103 JP freestyle which is great over 20 knots with my 6.2 and 6.5. Even though the recommended max sail size is 7.2 I was wondering if I could use my 8.5 sail for smalled winds on the 103. Being a freestyle it is slightly wider than other boards of the same litres. Obviously this is going to have some side effects. What can I expect and to what degree with that board/sail?

I can guess maybe
- easier to spinout if I pressure my back foot too much?
- maybe nose dive the board during waterstart if I don't weight the back quick enough?

Appreciate your opinions.

mathew said...

depends... how much do you weigh, waist vs chest harness, low-boom vs high boom, etc. A few more details would be useful...

I'm 95kg, I use a seat harness and tend to have the boom high on my chest but lower in over powered conditions. (Although I certainly don't plan to be over powered with this sail/board combo). Fin is a freestyle 29.

I just don't want to lose the lower wind range with my lose of my bigger board. Since I'm saving for a trip it will be a while before I get another bigger board.

k I'll give it a go next time the wind is right. Should be interesting.

you could probably pick up a second hand board for like $400 ish. Otherwise spend like 30mins on the board lady website, buy a heap of epoxy and glue that sucker back together :).

btw, mast high jumps on a starboard carve 133? no wonder you break so much gear lol.

Yeah I figured I might be pushing it with a 8.5 on a 103litre. I'll give it a try sometime when the wind has the potential to drop below the knots for my 6.5. Just not that keen to set up only to embarrass myself.

Regarding gluing the old carve back together. Well I kind of took off the footstraps and fin then half squished it into the beach bin because I just cleared all the rubbish at home. Wish I had of taken a photo of it. Never actually knew what they looked like inside until i ripped it in half. Mostly just foam with thin wood and epoxy on the outside. Not sure how they justify the costs.

I'm actually strongly contemplating a formula board. The idea of cruising with the local yachts on a 13-18knot summers afternoon seabreeze really appeals to me and of course this time it will force me to keep the bigger board for flat water only. Then I'll always have my smaller board and sail for the bigger days.

That's only about .5 over recommended. I think I will be about 1.5 over recommended and 2 metres over ideal. Still perhaps the difference can be greater at bigger board sizes, I'm unsure. Happy to just plane when I can, it takes the edge off the cravings. Guess I'll take the plunge and go for it.

Leman, i think at 95 you wouldn't want to use anything bigger than a 6.2 on it, and no fins over 25cm, after all it is a FREESTYLE board.

And only good over 20 knots? You are sheeting in arn't you?

P.C_simpson said...

Leman, i think at 95 you wouldn't want to use anything bigger than a 6.2 on it, and no fins over 25cm, after all it is a FREESTYLE board.

And only good over 20 knots? You are sheeting in arn't you?

My 6.5 cammed sail goes nice on it. I won't be doing any advanced freestyle move anytime soon anyway. JP seems to think it will work just fine up to 7.2. Recommended fin is 29cm, which is what it has. But I'm no freestyler, I just wanted a smaller board from my 131.

Yeah I need 20knots for my sails around the 6metre size to plane or slightly less if I'm prepared to pump a lot, I was able to plane in 15 knots with my 8.5 sail. This board does sink to my waist when I stall. Even just 10kg of human weight makes a huge diff. It's a trade off. I find I use at least a metre more in my sails than the average sailor.

I'm 88 kgs, and i can get going on a 5.3 on a 94 litre freestyle wave in 15 to 18 knots no worries and the biggest fin i own is 24cm.

decrepit said...

That doesn't quite add up to me, 103 litre board, 95kg sailor + rig + board weight, still wouldn't have thought you'd sink to your waist, knees is about what I'd expect, unless the board has less than advertised volume. Although I guess an 8.5 isn't light.

You could be right, all I can do is take a photo to show you sometime when my brother one days comes for a sail.

One thing I did notice is that my JP fs 103 feels heavier to lift than my 131 carve did and both are wood. This doesn't quite figure. Both were bought 2nd hand. I'm not complaining, when it goes, it goes damn fast! I guess i'll vent it, see if that helps.


WET WILLY It would rock to loan a board if we lived in the same state. Shouldn't be too long before I can afford my formula board, then my low wind days will be set. Sitting on the beach with the other wave sailors just waiting for bigger winds just doesn't sit right with me. Love the big winds and waves but also hanging for formula planing on consistant light to medium winds, 30degree day and trying not to fin slice the dophins that always come and say hello to me.

Just thought I should fill you in incase anyone else has the same question.

It works just fine!! 8.5metre v8 on a JP freestyle 103. Yeah the sail is heavy and cumbersome but it was anyway with my 131 carve. It powers up nicely in smaller winds and even when not planing it is more comfortable than my smaller sail I guess cause it pushes through lulls better. The only downside I notice compared to using the sail on my 131 (apart from no uphauling) is planing upwind is not so easy, in fact my upwind ability is even less than with my 6.5 sail.

Anyway I'm happy. I have a low wind option until I get my new bigger board.

evlPanda said...

^ What size fin?

That's good to know. Where do the recommended sail sizes come from, especially the maximum size? Importantly, has anybody every broken anything from too large, heavy, powerful a rig?

PS - Loved that you helped snapped the Carve 133 by "...landing some mast high jumps almost flat...". Pushing the envelope a bit. (fingers crossed I didn't just jinx my own Carve)

Fin size was 29cm freestyle. I think just the standard that came with the board ( I bought 2nd hand). I'm stoked that it worked. No more land lubbing for me.

I guess in relation to the Freestyle sail size recommendations they want you to be able to pull of you freestyle moves. Perhaps that specifies what they recommend. They almost need another sail chart named "Sails that can be used if you can't do freestyle moves to save you mother and are just happy to plane in light winds"

Yeah the Carve broke on small chop but had big ass cracks from the previously badly landed large jumps. First crack showed up at the side of the board half way between front strap and mast, then it started creeping just like a crack in glass around the base. I guess if you see a crack around there then do some serious repairs or start to panic.