110-115kg at moment, 16-20 I'd be on 7.2 Racesail and 105L Slalom or 6.2 Power wavesail on 113L Waveboard.

Has lots to do with all you mentioned, fresh water sink more = harder to get going.

Wind density (16-20 isn't always equal depending on where you are/wind direction etc).

Cold, takes your energy really quick & wetsuits weigh a lot when wet.

In our winter or colder southerlies I always take a board size bigger than I think as because it is colder it feels windier (plus here it's a little more gusty).

Effort- gotta pump to get going, even if it's only a little bit.

Not using footstraps is just plain dangerous, they are there for a reason- they give you control over board but also give you leverage against rig so you can use harness properly. Start by putting them in board and as far forward as possible. Open them up so can easily get feet in and out, the slowly close them up a bit and move them first back and then outboard.

6.5 on 130 is bordering unbalanced rig/board combo. Alot of big guys plateau because they fear using small gear- a sinker is a sinker whether you are 60kg or 160kg. You need to take it in steps but using a 110L board in 20 knots is far more fun and easier than using a 130L board. My smallest board is 63L, I can get it going from around 24 knots but it's not something I do. Dave White at 130 odd kg could probably use that size board all day every day in 20 plus.

Planing on different gear is about finding the right balance- yes big boards with lots of float plane early because they can carry lots of sail, provide lots of lift and have small wetted surface (by not sinking rails/deck). But once it's windy you can induce small gear to get going just as early as it is very efficient- you just have to get it up on top of the water first.

Do you have an anometer or some other way to accurately measure the wind? A 15 knot wind is suprisingly strong and before I bought a windmeter I thought a 15 knot wind was something like 20 knots or more.

hey, good luck with it all big joe,,ha, some sweet tips/points from the other posts,,, in my experience as ive got better the sail size has dropped, ha, im about 70kg, so i probably face different challenges on a windsurfer, from what ive seen theres some sweet advantages in being heavier, great potiental for speed,ha, good luck, and start getting those feet in the straps, just the front one for a while, trying working it in there man, youll be stoked!!!!!!!!!!!!,, the gear youve said you use sounds about right,

yes it is fresh water

will try some experiments with my Fanatic BEE LTD 124 this season
older fun board that i got for a song ...
have tried it with 8.x, 7-oh and 6.3 :-)

foot straps are there for a reason - yes ...
i still manage to pass people and NOT catapault
my footstraps are NOT out far enough
seems to be a known problem with the AHD FF

and yes , i use a windmeter, trees, whitecaps, internet, etc 4 windspeed
my gadget is on the left:

The other thing to remember is some people talk a lot of rot about how light a wind they can get going in, or fail to mention they are barely planing, instead giving the impression they are powered up.

must be me

at 16 knots i use 8.x
at 20 knots i use 7-oh

perhaps it is just the range throwing me off ??

and yes barn - we should all have our lumps checked out regularly
even with footstraps all the way out on my AHD 160 FF, my feet are still further down the rail - i have read about this and spoke to a local sailor who has the 130 - he has same comment

yes i use race sails - knew they have big range, but wow ...

at 25 knots i am on a much smaller board with a wave 6.3 and OP
unfortunately i donut have smaller sail YET
i call that range 40 to 60 kph - and usually practice - since my sails are not small enuff

barn said...

Maybe he is wearing a steamer, and that lump in the diagram is the end of his penis.

Then you will regret taking the mickey

climber said...

Gestalt said...
it's because you are using race sails.

if you want to use smaller sails then use power wave sails.

15-20 knots for me is an 8.5 race sail. on a wave sail i'm at 6.4m and thinking of changing down to 5.8m. 25 knots and i'm on a 5.3m wave sail.

Yep ... plus one on this

hi 5! :-) p.s. u, burrum 2014.......

These threads can get so pointless because everyone has a different idea of what 15 - 20 kts is. Unless strength is confirmed with an anemometer on the spot. . . .

FormulaNova said...

ka43 said...
20 knots is a lot stronger than most people actually realise.
Im heavy and a 7.8 and 125 ltr board is enough to get me going and then hold on in about 18 -20 knots. The very good guys like Slowey, 25 (lots Ive left out) etc can get more out of same size or bigger gear. From above 20 knots I change down to a 7.0/112 slalom board and then after that its down to a 6.4/99 ltr board.
Sails have a huge amount of tunability and their wind range is massive compared to even a few years ago.
Millsy and I sail together a bit and our weight difference is what makes the difference in gear choice. its horses for courses and ask around and go with your instincts if in doubt. No point in gettting belted and not enjoy your sesh!!

Just out of interest, at the Guy Cribb clinic in Safety Bay this year, for one day only, I used a 6.5m instead of when I would have used a 8.5m, because GC wanted me to try using a small sail for duck gybe attempts.

Sure I could sail the 6.5m and get planing, but I had to work at it, having to bear away a lot and struggling to get upwind. If I had the 8.5m rigged I would have had heaps of controllable grunt, and had much more fun.

not being there i can only make assumptions but i'd hazzard a guess that guy cribb would not have suggested a 6.5 if he didn't think it the right sail for the conditions.

i'd also suggest that if you put your 8.5 in the garage and only sailed your 6.5 you would adjust your technique and not struggle. it just takes time.

www.michellebridges.com.au/

Gestalt said...

not being there i can only make assumptions but i'd hazzard a guess that guy cribb would not have suggested a 6.5 if he didn't think it the right sail for the conditions.

i'd also suggest that if you put your 8.5 in the garage and only sailed your 6.5 you would adjust your technique and not struggle. it just takes time.

Well, most of the people there were on sails bigger than mine, and most of them were lighter than me.

What I was trying to say, was that I did adjust my technique. Bearing away to get planing and doing everything I could to try to get upwind. I was pretty impressed that I managed to get planing relatively easily, but it was frustrating without the bucket loads of power I prefer to sail with.

On the afternoons video, Guy was saying 'Dale, I don't know why, but you seemed to be bearing away downwind a lot today..'. Go figure. That's why my choice of sail size that day would have been 8.5m, or 7.5m if I felt it was going to pick up a bit.

The 6.5m was used because he figured learning to duck gybe when well powered up, and with a long boom, would make it difficult. To show that even GC is not infallible, he was struggling to get upwind that same day, albeit on a tiny sail.

"It just takes time" - that sounds sort of insulting given that you have no idea how I sail. Given a choice of struggling around on a small sail or rigging big and motoring around having fun, I would choose the large sail every time

lets talk about fin sizes...

my main fin is 24cm. if it's really light i use a 32cm freewave.
when using slalom gear. i used 48cm and 42cm fins for the same wind strength.

those bigger much heavier rigs with all of the power also need much bigger heavier fins to keep them in check.

go figure.

edit** hmm, maybe my smallest is a 26cm. honestly can't remember, it's been so long since i bought it.