My son (13) & I have been windsurfing for 8 months or so in Perth and we're having an absolute ball! We bought a big 320cm second hand board with a 5.5m sail and 460 mast for me and a 430 + 3.5m sail for him. A fem months later I picked up a BIC 282 Vivace 107 litre board and am now getting hooked in and feeling OK on the plane. Trouble is I feel like I need a bigger sail at times as people are sometimes planing around me while I struggle to keep it going. I'd like to buy a user friendly second hand sail (6.2/4?) but not knowing anything about the different types of sail don't really know where to start. There's a 6.4 RX1 going in the 'buy and sell' forum. Would it suit and can anyone offer a newbie some advice on what to look for? We're the types that prefer it harder now so that it's still of use later if you know what I mean.

hey oz,

mkseven's advice is pretty spot on, keep away from race sails to start off with and try to find a freeride sail. You might want to drop in to a store and let them know what you want as they should be able to guide you in the right direction. As for masts try to match the correct sized mast with the correct sized sail. Different sails need different masts to perform at their best, a mast which is too long will end up making the sail twitchy and hard to control as it will be hard to get the right leech twist in your sail. Leech twist is very important in rigging sails correctly. Always check wether the mast you have is suitable for the sail you are going to purchase, almost all sails should have displayed near the foot of the sail what mast it needs and what the luff length etc should be.
If you follow this guide your sails will be much more enjoyable and easier to user.

Hi Oz,
I have a North Sting in 6.4. It is a Freeride/Slalom sail with no cambers and quite good to handle. Seems to be perfect for what you want to do. I did not use it often and would sell it for 250AU$. Fits on your 460 mast.
Send me an email if you are interessted and want to have a closer look, I live in Shenton Park.
Dr.Fontloop

Thanks North for making a liar out of me, they updated their website today and removed past years. The Sting should be perfect provided monofilm is in good condition, they are light weight have good bottom end to get you on the plane and enough top end to scare the willies out of you .

For future reference when checking monofilm in sails make sure it is clear not white or cloudy, still has some sheen to it, dosent have any creases or scratches and is still relatively supple. The pryde sails mentioned went against all of this looked perfect and would let go for no apparent reason.

Thanks MK and gazza. Great advice. This is my first post on this forum and I've gotta say it's been great. Friendly, helpful people with honest, up front advice for a beginner. I'll do the same for others one day.