I'm looking at buying a wave sail (just starting out on the waves after a few years on flat water) and have been given contradictory advice on the sail size I should buy. Hoping I can get some help.

I weigh 80 - 85kg, am just over 6 foot tall and currently have a 2004 Goya/Fanatic 85L FreeWave board. Our local break blows 15 - 20 knots on average. Of course there's bigger and smaller days but I'm working on averages here!

I've looked at a few of the guys sails and they seem to be running anything from 5.0 to 5.8 range but confusing matters is the size of the boards these guys are riding and their actual body weights.

The guy at the local sail shop told me to get a 5.2 to 5.4, definately no bigger than 5.5 as I don't want to sink the board. One of the sailors I spoke to suggested a 5.7 - 5.8 and reckons the 5.2 to 5.4 would be too small for my body weight.

Anyone got any ideas?

I'm 67kg and can plane with a 5.2 and 85l wave board from about 15kts.
20knts I can use a 4.7 with a heavily rockered 75l board.

So for you I think 5.2 would do at 20kts, but a 5.7 at 15kts with an 85l board I suspect would be marginal. I'm not familar with your boards planning charecteristics freewave probably planes earlier than pure wave.

So what size sails have you been using on flat water?

Elmo, we Knowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

Mineral

I'm 6'5 and 83 kegs. I use 74l hardcore wave and 84 litre wave cult and have 2 sails both KA kaos's 5m and 5.7m.

I use them on both boards depending on the condtions. I can pump the 5m with 84litre on to the plane if its a constant 15knots... no good if its gusty.

The 5.7 wont sink the board..thats crap i can uphaul on the 84litre. Even had a 6m freeride sail on it so dont worry bout 5.7 being too big.

maybe an in between size. or if your going to buy 2 then 5m and 5.7m would be my reccomendation.

go the KA's

Boz,

I'd agree with your mate who's saying the 5.7 - 5.8 is the go.
I'm 82kg, use a 92 evo and gold coast averages 15 - 20knots. I have a 5.3 which hardly ever gets used and a 5.8 which is used almost all the time. I'm fairly novice in the waves too.

The guy at the shop may be thinking of pure wavesailing (think maui WA) where it is common to dredge out underpowered and wavesail back in. A smaller sail may be a little less cumbersome when wave riding, but when you are starting out, it is a hell of a lot easier to be well powered when heading out - you can pop or jump over the incoming whitewater rather than getting mowed down.

Good luck with it.

quote:

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Originally posted by drjukka



5.7 17 up to 36knots
4.7 22 up to 43 knots

-j

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Well not sure about that for a sail/wind range! But the reasons why you get conflicting advice is that board volume/sail size vs body weight/wind strength there isn't really a hard and fast rule. I weigh 80kgs and when I'm out there'll be guys on 4.0's right up to 5.7's. It can depend on how powerful your sail is, how modern your board is, how good you are. With a modern sail you can sail in a much bigger wind range by downhauling it a lot more than you used to be able to. Not sure what the guy at sailing shop means when he says "no bigger than 5.5 or u will sink the board".. but for 80 - 85kg, 85l and 15 - 20kts, you need a 5.7 end of story. If it blows up to 22 you can downhaul the mother.

My guess would be 5.8. Thats probably at the upper limit for an 85 litre board in the waves. In the waves its common to use a bit less than what you would use in the same wind on flat water. Its just easier. But its a balance. It's got to be big enough to get you up wind. Be conservative and just suck it and see.