Hi

i have the whitebird 6.8 with also an 8m and a 6m( and i am 95 kg)

even though i am a late beginner, i ride mostly in light wind, and my pumping technique start to be ok and i can get going in 8-10 knots

i was going through the same thinking process as i used to have a big foil on top of my 8m, meaning a lot of pressure in the wing as you don't go very fast. having a CWC V2 as soon as the wind pikced up a bit , i had too much in my hands and was willing to get my 6m

however even with the whitebird i was able to use the 6m more often than before but you still need a bit of wind or some excellent pumping and even when you fly you need to have a good level to maintain the flight in jibe , toeside and other manouver etc. for me it is still my main difficulty

but i changed my mind after 2 changes in my setup
1. when i kept my 8m and reduced my foil. i was really going much faster and therefore the wing was not as heavy. the WB really helped me for this change. yes in the jibe you still need to support the wing but once you get used to it, it's ok. i was able to fly for 3 hours in a row. with a 6m i would have had to pump much harder and not sure i would have been able to fly as much
2. i was able to try the new ozone liteforce in 6.6 and then 7.7, i found it to be a game changer. it was so light and much more confortable when the wind piked up. and the profile was really difference from the CWC and i was getting almost all my jibes
new CWC V4

with a windsurf babckground and being tall and heavy, i'd rather have a bit of power and keep flying as much as possible. and reducing the foil was also a great way to gain some speed and flight

If you've ridden your 8m to the point where it needs replacing, you are most likely good enough to replace it with a bigger board or foil.

The reality is that you cannot replace a 8m with a 6m, the physics are pretty obvious on this unless you are pumping the foil more than using the wing.

my big front wing is the Armie 1850 HS (when it gets windy, i switch to the HA 780). So you guys think something like the HA 1180 would help me out of the 8m wing more so than, or in conjunction with, a bigger board?

I am going the opposite way. For 3 years I used 7m wing and now I got mid length DW board Takoon Escape SW 6'8, F-one CWC 8m and Sabfoil grand piano w1250.
I am 183 cm, 78 kg. Mostly wingfoiling on the lakes (fresh water) with gusty / low wind conditions. In my case if there is not enough power in the wing it is very hard to get up (my pumping technique is not perfect). Also when on foil you still need a lot of pumping with legs and wing to keep on going through the wind holes.
I tried to downgrade with smaller board, foil and wing but it takes too much effort and as I am going older, possibly I am getting more lazy. I prefer relaxed driving than cardio workout.
Now I am waiting for the right conditions to try 8m wing with Sabfoil w1110. I hope it will be much more fun.

Venomguy said..
The reality is that you cannot replace a 8m with a 6m, the physics are pretty obvious on this unless you are pumping the foil more than using the wing.

or unless you replace the previous foil with a bigger, high-aspect foil.