ive got a 6.7 and an 8.0 sail

do you think a 7.3 would be worth getting - or just too close in size so a bit unnessesary?

is the force generated by a bigger sail a square function of its size, like increased wind speed is?

some days the 6.7 is too small but the 8 becomes a handfull, esp in rip-your-arm off gusts.....

if it seems too windy i put maximum downhaul on and a lot of outhaul, think thats right?

probably i need to sort out waterstarting, that'd make it easier. I get too tired uphaullin although good for my bicepts :). Managed a couple of starts laying on my back but only after positioning the sail out of the water from chest deep first.

i guess a shiney new sail isnt the solution then :(

completely agree with cjw,

8+ to 5.8 is a more than usable gap and one i've also used in the past. eventually i stopped using the 8.5 and got a 6.4 instead.

board width comes into it also.

rigging your sails. don't just crank on the outhaul on race sails.

in basic race sail terms.

if your sail feels to powerfull - use downhaul
if your sail feels to backhandy - use outhaul

there is also double clew eyelets. depends on your sail. in strong winds using the bottom eyelet will give you another 5 knots top end wind range.

zippyblue said...


some days the 6.7 is too small but the 8 becomes a handfull, esp in rip-your-arm off gusts.....

The above maybe correct with cambered sails which have a far wider windrange but for freeride sails I reckon you need them spaced at .5m particularly camless ones.
It depends largely on the conditions you sail in
You've answered your own question with the above quote anyway which is also my experience

Others are spot on. We are in a similar position, I have a 6.4 and a 7.5 with a difference of 1.1 between them, yours is 1.3. No need for anything in between.

If you were prepared to buy another sail anyway perhaps a 5.0-5.5 would be a good investment and you are totally covered to 30 knots+!

But yes put in more time in your waterstarts! It requires less muscle and it's faster to get going again. Well worth the effort to even get half good at it. Have you tried using the board's tail to help lift the sail to get it into position? Would work well with your size sails.

nosinkanow said...

Others are spot on. We are in a similar position, I have a 6.4 and a 7.5 with a difference of 1.1 between them, yours is 1.3. No need for anything in between.

If you were prepared to buy another sail anyway perhaps a 5.0-5.5 would be a good investment and you are totally covered to 30 knots+!But yes put in more time in your waterstarts! It requires less muscle and it's faster to get going again. Well worth the effort to even get half good at it. Have you tried using the board's tail to help lift the sail to get it into position? Would work well with your size sails.

Cripes you obviously weigh more than me! 5m is my 20kt sail!

zippyblue said...

is the force generated by a bigger sail a square function of its size, like increased wind speed is?

nope it's linear (to a first approximation)

zippyblue said...

thanks for the replies

think i'll stick with it for now see how it goes.

i dont reckon i'm overpowered often on the 8.0...just that uphaulling is a pain when its really windy and gusty, and a 7 might have been easier. So yeah i need to waterstart....

I had a blast on it last weekend on narabeen lake and i think others were out on some smaller and also larger gear also working well.

my other sails are 5.0 and 5.8 both gathering dust, but do come in useful once in a blue moon.

that was exactly my situation about 3 years ago. i was over waterstarting 8+m sails so just uphauled. it all seemed like to much work ultimately.

so i looked around at other sailors and grew envious of the guys on 5.8m sails in 15 knots. i reassured myself that being a heavy weight i was destined to stay in the big sail fully powered class. besides what's that old saying. heavy guys sail slalom light guys wave sail.

i did have my 95lt wave board and thought one day i'd start to focus on the lightest wind possible i could get going on the gear in. at 100kg my 95lt board was a sinker and i found through fin and stance trial and error that i could get it going in 12-15 knots with a 6.4m sail. so i looed closer at the "lighter guys" on their 5.8m sails and started to really take note. then i tried a few different setups of those guys.

that was my "awakening". freestyle boards and small sails were just the ticket. i looked around for a freestyle board to suit my weight and followed the rules provided by the lightweights. ie. body weight +30. for me that's 125+ lt board. there were none available. so i looked to a custom baord and went through the process of prototypes with a master shaper and imersed myself in the design process. 3 boards later and bingo my perfect board.

6.4m sail is now my biggest and i never use my 8.5m. i then spent another year looing into fin design, stance, and rigging.

along the way i listened to everything the freestyle guys were telling me and absorbed ever tip i could find rigging and fin design.

now 3 years later and 109kg i use a 6.4m sail in 12knots and from 15-22 knots i'm on a 5.8m sail and 18-25 knots 5.3m and 30 knots up a 4.7m, all on my 125lt freestyle board and a 24cm fin or tri fin setup.

no i'm not doing 30+ knots, i'm not super powered up and i'm just cruisig around. but it's the most fun i've ever had with windsurfing.