pirrad said...

My new board has arrived and looking at the forecast it should get its first test in stand up mode this aftenoon.I windsurf and just started kiteing as well and want this board to fill the gap between SUPing (calm flat water) and kite/windsurf on my existing equipt that sees me on the water as soon as the wind is over 12 knots.
So to my concerns,the board is a 11' 4" Naish Nalu and i am a little worried about overloading the fin box and the strength of the mast base attachment.
Sail, 7.5 mtr
Wind 8-12 knots, flat water, no surf,
Do i sail it in thruster mode or single ?
How big can i go with main fin ?

I'm sure it will be fine (the mast base insert) and I would not change the fin size and I would leave the side fins in.

If you're used to windsurfing you will find it odd not having footstraps and I'm not expecting the 11'4" to jump on the plane.. and don't expect great upwind performance.. This vid that I did windsurfing the 12' Glide will give you some idea of where to put your feet and I would not recommend using anything bigger than a 6 mtr sail because of the weight in the center of what is a pretty thin board.. Maybe the big sail will be ok but I'm thinking these Sup's sail better with smaller size sails.

Let us know how it goes.

DJ

What DJ said about the size of sail. Even up to mid 5s sail size might be the go.
I have an 11'4 and first sail on it I put up a 6m . It was in small surf and fairly gusty.
I found out early that due to surf orientated bottom curve, it planes about as well as a wet banana but fun on waves. If you are not in straps and struggling to plane you are at more risk of dropping the sail forward, especially with a larger sail.I cracked my nose about five minutes in to it.There is a large nose area on most sups to hit with the mast and they are fairly fragile compared to windsurfers. The only reason I would suggest sup sailing would be to have fun in smaller waves, in which case a small sail to chug back out is all you need. If you just want to have a sail on flat water when wind is light you might be better off with an old largish windsurfer. At least then if you get a bit of wind you can plane. The sup bottom curve will not really be your friend unless in surf. If just to chug around then fine but maybe my mistake may benefit you. Watch the nose.IMO I think I would go a single in calm water but don't think it will make that much difference at the speed you are talking about. If you are surfing it as well then maybe just leave it set up as a thruster.