Hi!I'm beginner-intermediate windsurfer ( i learn how to jibe). I have fanatik gecko 120 and sails: NS e typye 8.2 and 6.6.
I am wondering what sails should I buy for stronger wind. 5,8? And of course what brands of sails are good for fast progress? Thanks in advice ; )
In larger sails, like your 8.2, either .5 or 1meter size generally is okay. From 6.0 down, if possible .5 is ideal.
the gap 8.2 --6.6 is wide, but then you didn't ask about that.
from 6.6 around what you said, 5.8. Or 6.0.
the use ability of your 120liter,beyond this IMO is but one size 5.5. Meaning the board itself will be too awkward, large, unmanageable in that wind force. At 6.0 and down a smaller fin is desirable , it helps with control, helps with, not cures.
6.0 and 5.5 is my answer.
sails ,desirable : easy rigging, works on my mast , both size and mast bend curve, yes easy to use , tuneable to different wind strength, durable, works well in a variety of winds..weak or strong.No cams.
did I describe Ezzy..yup.
OK, thanks for your response. And this sail 6,0 or 5,8 should be freeride or more wave/freestyle?
Good Question Regis4. With your skill level, I would go with the freeride sails for now. They are pretty well balanced and stable. Plenty of room for growth as well with freeride.
6.0 Ezzy cheetah .
good size to have and will handle a lot of wind .
even a 5.5 would be ok .if you only want 3 sails ..
Your on the right track ..sails between 5.5 and 6.0 ,
5.8 would fit your quiver nice .at this size forget cams .
and a 5.5 wave sail would be ok too .bare in mind ,wave sails have more grunt down low.
you my have to invest in a 400 or 430 mast too
Try and get the same brand mast as the sail you buy.
tardy.
Assuming you're planning on buying just one sail in the near future, I think you're better of staying close to the 5.5 side size-wise. If you get a 6.0, you may find the difference to the 6.6 rather small. Back when I had only 2 sails, I had a 5.0 and a 7.0, which covered a wide wind range for quite a few years. The next sail I added was a 8.8.
Nowadays, the size differences are closer to 0.5 m, but that's with 10+ sails in the big van, instead of 2 or 3 on the roof of a small car.
As for which brand to get: if you like you NS E-types, stay with that (or something very similar - freeride, no cams, 5-6 battens). If you switch to a completely different brand or type, you may find that it behaves quite different. Using the same type can make your life quite a bit easier.
OK, so i finally decided to choose 5,8 e-type; some of you mentioned that the gap between the small sails should be about .5So I am wondering if it is good idea to choose 5,3 NS Volt as an another sail?
its a hard choice ...I go on trips and take 5.0 ,6.0 ,7.0.
which covers me ...
Your 5.8 ,about to buy ...is close to the 6.0 .
if it was me I'd get a 5.0.
let's change the question ...
.
how many people used and liked a 5-oh sail on a Gecko 120 \ 76 cm wide board ??
(without changing the 40 cm fin)
Select to expand quoteregis4 said..
OK, thanks for your response. And this sail 6,0 or 5,8 should be freeride or more wave/freestyle?
Considering your current board .. sails for me free ride. Wave , very possibly, depends on which one, a 6.1Ezzy Elite would be great. I would consider freestyle , but only if a good used sail at a very attractive price.
quiver planning around a existing set of sails is somewhat complicated. I would pick the size sail you feel will get used the most, current or hypothetical new one, then space the others around it.
8.2
6.6
5.8
5.3
very large gap 8.2 --6.6
6.6 - 5.8 very reasonable, disagree that they are too close, you will find that with wind strength you will pick one or the other, quickly learn which one.
5.8--5.3 gap ok, sail size really small for the 120l, unless you are on the heavy side
for 5.8 and 5.3 you NeeD a smaller fin. Your are stretching the board design in the 5.3 size.
a gap smaller that .5 , would be desirable under say 5.0, then needed if the wind conditions dictate.
my current is 5 4.8. 4.5 4.0 3.7
the 4.8 and 4.5 are rangy sails , makes the initial pick harder. I seldom use the 4 or 3.7.
OK, thank you all for advices. I have another question connected with a board. I had to change my board and probably i will have Starboard Futura Wood 114(width: 72cm; lenght: 246cm). My weight is 80 kg(177lb), i can do waterstart but i cannot jibe, yet. So is it good idea to learn how to jibe on this board or should I think about the board with a bigger volume?
You can learn to gybe on any of those boards. The 114L model will probably gybe better when the wind blows stronger.
Select to expand quoteregis4 said..
OK, thank you all for advices. I have another question connected with a board. I had to change my board and probably i will have Starboard Futura Wood 114(width: 72cm; lenght: 246cm). My weight is 80 kg(177lb), i can do waterstart but i cannot jibe, yet. So is it good idea to learn how to jibe on this board or should I think about the board with a bigger volume?
Why did you have to change your board?
Select to expand quotejirvin4505 said..regis4 said..
OK, thank you all for advices. I have another question connected with a board. I had to change my board and probably i will have Starboard Futura Wood 114(width: 72cm; lenght: 246cm). My weight is 80 kg(177lb), i can do waterstart but i cannot jibe, yet. So is it good idea to learn how to jibe on this board or should I think about the board with a bigger volume?
Why did you have to change your board?
Actually I don't own this board I was only planning to buy Fanatic Gecko Bamboo 120 but I found out that the Starboard Futura is similar to Gecko and it's more available. What's more I read that Futura is faster. So I have to choose between Futura 114 and 124. So far, i was windsurfing on Fanatic Gecko 133 and I want to change this board for sth what enables further progress.
Usually you try to have a ratio of 12%-15 between sails and larger than 18%, you will probably be between sails once in a while.
Select to expand quoteNordRoi said..
Usually you try to have a ratio of 12%-15 between sails and larger than 18%, you will probably be between sails once in a while.
Seconded.
You can use larger size-gaps to your advantage. If you budget only allows say 2 sails - make it a one-sail-gap. This will make sail choice much easier - it is either windy enough for the small sail, or calm enough for the big sail. And... if/when you get more budget, you just fill in the gap.
I have problems with this OP's post:
First, there is no LOCATION in his Identity. Too many posters all for advice without enough info and not even saying what continent you are on, let alone country or state, is just plain dumb! Posting your location is also just common courtesy.
Second, there is no mention whatsoever of the strength of wind or sailing conditions the OP wants or expects to sail in. 
This is the first consideration when discussing a suitable sail size and type.
It is often said that the free advice you get in forums is worth exactly what you pay for it, but to get anything relevant to you, some basic details framing the question are vital.
And to answer your second question, should you buy wave or freeride sails next, when you go from freeride to wave sails, or from freestyle to wave, the 0.5 or your ratio of 12-15% will be larger since a freeride sails usually deliver more power than a side shore wave sail for example, so take that in consideration. depend what are you planning to do. Wave sail in 5.3 and less range are usually stronger and less prone to damage in high wind if you want to learn new tricks and planning to crash a lot! ;-)
If you want to progress fast just take your gear into the waves. I'd use the 8.2 up to 25kts and the bigger the waves the better to start. Over 25kts your 6.6 will be fine. Using decent sized sails like you have will help you progress fast especially for double or triple rotation loops.
Select to expand quoteeyeMhardcore said..
If you want to progress fast just take your gear into the waves. I'd use the 8.2 up to 25kts and the bigger the waves the better to start. Over 25kts your 6.6 will be fine. Using decent sized sails like you have will help you progress fast especially for double or triple rotation loops.
Bull****. I once did a loop in 8 knots using a 3.7.
Select to expand quoteAgrid said..eyeMhardcore said..
If you want to progress fast just take your gear into the waves. I'd use the 8.2 up to 25kts and the bigger the waves the better to start. Over 25kts your 6.6 will be fine. Using decent sized sails like you have will help you progress fast especially for double or triple rotation loops.
Bull****. I once did a loop in 8 knots using a 3.7.
Double bull****. I once did a knot in a loop of formuline.
Select to expand quoteregis4 said..jirvin4505 said..regis4 said..
OK, thank you all for advices. I have another question connected with a board. I had to change my board and probably i will have Starboard Futura Wood 114(width: 72cm; lenght: 246cm). My weight is 80 kg(177lb), i can do waterstart but i cannot jibe, yet. So is it good idea to learn how to jibe on this board or should I think about the board with a bigger volume?
Why did you have to change your board?
Actually I don't own this board I was only planning to buy Fanatic Gecko Bamboo 120 but I found out that the Starboard Futura is similar to Gecko and it's more available. What's more I read that Futura is faster. So I have to choose between Futura 114 and 124. So far, i was windsurfing on Fanatic Gecko 133 and I want to change this board for sth what enables further progress.
To have a 8.6 and don't know how to jibe yet and be 80Kg, I would go with the 124, volume is your friend, unless you are advanced and want to be faster than your best friend and you know how to pump a sail.
