Funny, when I saw KP, he was rigging at least 1m bigger than anyone else...

Me, 85kg, rough planing guide:

25kts and above - 5m or smaller
20-25kts about 5.5-6.0
15-20kts about 6.5-7.0, 115-130 litre board
12-14kts 8.5m, Formula board
10-11ks 9.8m, Formula board

I think there are some unresolved technique issues here, as regards getting on the plane earlier...

You should easily be able to get going with a 5.2 in 15-20, given the right 5.2. The racier the sail the more m's you need, so plug you're wavesail in and have a ball.

At 95kg I know I can get going with a 5.3 at same time as most on 6.5m race sails it's just the bigger sail coasts through the lulls better where the 5.3 will drop off the plane. I see guys that do a bit of freestyle will take out 5.5's when I have a 7.0 up so it's certainly possible you just have to pick the right sail.

The only problem is you have to have to put up with the repeated cries of "you wont get going on that" hey Gestalt [}:)]

Wet Willy, your stats look pretty similar to mine around the 15-20kts mark, though I have to use my 6.6 up to 25+ since it's my only sail haha. Bit of a handful, but good fun.

OceanBlue64 said...

I have a 105 Hypersonic set up with a 6.5 Severne NCX and 30cm Select weed fin and can get planing between 12 - 14 knots although I only weigh about 80kg. If its blowing 17 knots it takes off like a gun shot.

I know that it has taken me a few months to sort out early planing techniques. Now I am just fine tuning sail, mastfoot, body position etc to get even more performance.

Your setup is very similar to mine (just different manufacturers). How on earth do you do it? I should qualify - when I said I can't get planing in less than 17 knots, that is 17 knots according to seabreeze (whether thats the actual wind speed on the water is another question). If I'm out in 17 knots I have to pump the board up onto the plane, but once it gets there it goes off like a rocket. If there was much less wind I wouldn't be able to get the board out of the hole in the first place, even though I might be able to continue planing in that wind if I was already going.

mkseven and oceanblue, how do you set up your sail and board in order to get going at 15kts? I've followed Guy Cribb's advice for early planing but it hasn't helped enough to work in 15kts or less...

EDIT:

windwarming said...
I am 90 kilos and can sail in 10-15 knots with my 5.4 wave sail and jp 120 liter freeride board.

So if I wanted to get going in lighter winds I should be getting a wave sail instead of a freeride sail? Does that mean if I was considering a 5.3 freeride/wave sail for use in higher winds (25+), I have completely the wrong idea?

windwarning said...
I am 90 kilos and can sail in 10-15 knots with my 5.4 wave sail and jp 120 liter freeride board.

The topic was "How much wind do you need to plane" - not "How much wind do you need to grovel around in slop"...

At 72kg, my 5.4 needs a reasonably solid 17kn.

windwarning said...

did you read what ype of wavesails i said to only buy dude not just any wavesail dude

Yeah for sure, I just thought it might apply more broadly to wavesails in general since a couple of people have mentioned wavesails for their early planing.

Man, choosing a sail suddenly becomes more complicated!

nebbian said...
There's the problem.

When we say 17 knots, we mean "17 knots as measured on the shore with a wind meter", not "17 knots as measured by an anemometer at the top of a pole on a big hill".

I think if you borrow a wind meter and recalibrate what 17 knots is, you'll find that you're getting going in around 14 or so.

Ah right...all my wind speeds thus far have been based upon the seabreeze graphs. I might see if I can borrow someone's wind meter next time I'm down at the beach.

And if so, that brings my performance in line with the recommendations on the video. Phew!

68kg, 86L Starboard Fish, 5.7m Tushingham Rock and a constant 15knots

I found I had to really concentrate on keeping the board very flat. I hook in fairly early and use the harness to put a lot of pressure through mastfoot.
I also dont have a huge amount of downhaul on the sail but the leech is still 'loose' down to the second batten. When its very light I let off an extra cm of outhaul too.
Today I also experimented with moving the mastfoot back 1 cm and found I had a little more acceleration.

I am not so sure about the wave sail comment as I was under the impression that most wave sails are fairly flat in shape. I know that I would need 15 - 17 knots to get my 5.8 KA Kult up on the plane. The Severne NCX has a nice shape giving it a lot of grunt down low, especially for a non-cammed sail.

I judge wind speed by observing the water state and what size gear people (including me) are using...so it could be that me guestimates are a bit off. But I think I know 10 knots when I see it; 15-20, and 20+; there are certain visual cues you just can't miss - the density of the ripples, the whitecaps, the flying dogs etc.

windwarning said...

mathew said...

windwarning said...
I am 90 kilos and can sail in 10-15 knots with my 5.4 wave sail and jp 120 liter freeride board.

The topic was "How much wind do you need to plane" - not "How much wind do you need to grovel around in slop"...

At 72kg, my 5.4 needs a reasonably solid 17kn.

get lost mate cant believe ya from melbourne wanker is the only posts you can post is stuff against me is it you wanker see ya round melbourne

Well the question was 'how much wind to plane?"

If you reckon you can plane in 10-15 on 5.4 and 120L I know who has their hand on it here, and it sure aint matthew

aus301 said...

...just do your best and get to know your own gear. Knowing how to the get the most out of your equipment will make a huge difference as well.

Too true! I'm 75kg, and could plane my 90L 58cm wide all-rounder board with my old KA Kontrol 6.5 in 12/13 knots (anenometer at water's edge). Since that sail died I've been using an old KA Kult 5.8 as my biggest sail, one I hadn't used a lot before as it seemed to need a lot of wind to get going, but now I have spent time fiddling with downhaul and outhaul, and can get the same board planing in 14/15 knots with it. I'm staggered the difference 1cm of outhaul makes with it. Also remember to bear off downwind to get going, pump a bit, and as Nebbs pointed out you're probably planing in less than 17 knots anyway.

So MARK AUSTRALIA if i am wrong why do people back me mate ?

ya the man P.C. simpson

P.C_simpson said...

Biggest sail i own is a 5.3m Blade, gets me going at around 15 knots on a board about 94 litres, i weigh 90kgs at the moment


If i use freeride gear a 7.5m NCX on a 122 Futura gets me going just after it starts to white cap..

ok then MARK AUSTRALIA, a constant 15 knots then and i am up planing thanks for fixing my punctuation.

can just start to plane (with a bit of pumping) on a reach:

12kts, 150L GO, 8.5m KA Kontrol, 56cm drake fin.
15kts 111L Carve, 6.6m naish Sprint, 36cm Drake fin
18kts 111L carve, 5.5m naish sprint, 32cm fin
I dont have any smaller sails for more data ... yet.


after sailing on sandy pt and comparing with MI's calibrated anemometers (that are at chest height) I used to think 12kts was 15.

that's Maui and when they say 20 it is a solid 20kts. not 14kits. on the beach and 20 250mtrs. out like on a lot of places just as Nebbian had said it more or less. KP's a good pumper and and stance wise he can get it going fast..as for me i need a solid 12kts. using a 110ltr. 34cm and 7.2 sail to get planing and stance wise again won't move much so as to maintain the plane..that's on my weight

A good topic, I too thought it was unrealistic to get going in sub 15s without 7.5-8m gear. My latest sail however is a Loft o2 freeride 6.6 and its gutsy nature gets me (95k, 105 freeride board) going in 14-15 knots. My older 7.4 flatter freeride sail needs more than this but has a better top end and control in gusts.
I'd reackon board width would be a major player in the early planing equation.