I live by the Chesapeake Bay in the US, and we get a lot of light wind. The most common sail-able days are 6-14 Kts, and typically weird patchy thermal breezes with a very wide range between the lulls and gusts. Sometimes I even go out in 4-12 because I'm an addict and I'll do anything for a fix. And those are real lull-gust numbers from weather stations located right at my local spots (sensors ~5m above sea level). So, usually I try and rig for minimal slogging, maximum fun factor. That means big foils or big sails (6'4" 100Kg, 155L board) to get going in <10kts. Because sure, the 12-14kt gusts are more than enough to pump just about anything onto foil with vigorous effort and good technique, but those gusts are often few and very far between, and slogging is lame. So below are some setups that I've found let me get going in 6-14kt kinda wind:

Slingshot PFI 928 (2400cm2) + 10.0m HSM speedfreak = hilariously fun, very little time spent slogging/waiting for gusts (for bonus points, try the 10.0 on a tiny 115L slingshot wizard, so much fun! )

Axis PNG 1300 (1700cm2) + ~6m? (hardly need a sail with this span pump foil) = fun in flat water, but the large span wings get mighty twitchy in any sort of chop/swell, and wingtip breaches occur often

Slingshot G1000 (1300cm2) + Sailworks FR 7.0 = can get me going at around a 10kt gust, but it's high-effort, hard to maintain in the 6kt lulls kinda thing

I've also been able to try an Axis ART 1099(1200cm2), Slingshot PTM 1001(1100cm2), and PFI 730(1400cm2), but they all really need more of a 10-16kt type of day to have a high fun-factor, make foiling jybes possible, etc.

I'm sure if you only weigh 75Kg, it's a different story, but anyone else find themselves using really big wings that are not normally marketed as windsurfing foils? It seems more effective and less effort to use a bigger foil than a bigger sail when the wind gets light.

It's strictly a big boy thing but big sail/big wing works for me also (100kg). My most used combination is a Severne Alien 155/Taaroa 2000 with a 1m span, under a Flyer FR 8.5. I really need 9 to get foiling but can hold the setup together up to 16 or so, after which it's pretty much survival riding. I can pump a 7.0 up in not much more, likewise a high aspect 1050, but the big combination is smooth and surprisingly fast. To get an IQ foil up I'd need at least 12 and would be pumping a lot more.

Select to expand quote

foilMead said..
for bonus points, try the 10.0 on a tiny 115L slingshot wizard, so much fun!

You're joking, right? That does NOT sound like "so much fun".

In 9-10kts, I'm on 10.0m Flyer FR and 1000 course race foil. Magic carpet riding.

Sounds like you have done lots of experimentation and have found a great combo of gear. I think there was a period of time I believed that pumping a big sail in light wind (big foil) was so effortful that you could get going better as good with a medium sail (big foil). But the biggest I ever used on a big foil was 6.5 so thats medium sail territory for you anyways. Maybe with 10m sail pumping is less needed to get going due to very low take of speed on big foil. I think for super lulls a big sail with one or more cams is ideal irrespective of foil size. Medium sail I would need to use lots of energy pumping the sail through the super lulls.

I wonder what it would be like spending some more time on the infinity 99 (~2400cm2) with a big sail again. I started out that way because my pumping was terrible and the wind in FL sometimes sounds similar to what you're dealing with in the Chesapeake bay. I've seen at least one person here with the IQFoil board (~200L) and the infinity 99 with a 9.5 cheetah going in really light stuff (beginner foil). It looked to take very little effort.

Now, I usually just go with a 9.0/900/115+ setup shimmed to +1 because I know that I can get it going in just about anything that I could a whiles back with the infinity 99. I would love to see if I got even more bottom end with the 1000 front wing but I haven't been able to find one.

I find the speed and the glide of the higher aspect smaller foils more than makes up for the low end lift of the big lower aspect foils. I'm still touching down on the light wind jibes but sometimes I keep enough speed that getting going again isn't that bad. I wonder how I would find jibing the 99 now? I could probably try one day if I really cared to rig it.

I'm curious about the really high aspect large area foils that people are using for pure pumping or extreme lightwind winging, seems really silly but would be fun to try.

Examples of infinity 99 and 8.0 vs. the race option:

I'd say Chessie is arguably worse than FL because of lethal combination of boat wake and shore bounce back; in those circumstances max lift (so powerful foil) comes at an even bigger premium

Select to expand quote

US85 said..

foilMead said..
for bonus points, try the 10.0 on a tiny 115L slingshot wizard, so much fun!

You're joking, right? That does NOT sound like "so much fun".

In 9-10kts, I'm on 10.0m Flyer FR and 1000 course race foil. Magic carpet riding.

Haha! yeah, that particular setup was just for laughs during a session where some locals and I were trying each others gear. uphauling the 10.0 on results in the board sinking about about thigh deep until forward motion occurs, and the sail is way too big.

Select to expand quote

aeroegnr said..
I wonder what it would be like spending some more time on the infinity 99 (~2400cm2) with a big sail again. I started out that way because my pumping was terrible and the wind in FL sometimes sounds similar to what you're dealing with in the Chesapeake bay. I've seen at least one person here with the IQFoil board (~200L) and the infinity 99 with a 9.5 cheetah going in really light stuff (beginner foil). It looked to take very little effort.

Now, I usually just go with a 9.0/900/115+ setup shimmed to +1 because I know that I can get it going in just about anything that I could a whiles back with the infinity 99. I would love to see if I got even more bottom end with the 1000 front wing but I haven't been able to find one.

I find the speed and the glide of the higher aspect smaller foils more than makes up for the low end lift of the big lower aspect foils. I'm still touching down on the light wind jibes but sometimes I keep enough speed that getting going again isn't that bad. I wonder how I would find jibing the 99 now? I could probably try one day if I really cared to rig it.

I'm curious about the really high aspect large area foils that people are using for pure pumping or extreme lightwind winging, seems really silly but would be fun to try.

Examples of infinity 99 and 8.0 vs. the race option:

I have an 1100 you could try on your 115+ Works well for me on the black fuse although not as smooth as the Taaroa 1050. Haven't tried it on the 115+ or 95+ yet. I'll be down there early next week

Everything is a compromise.

Big foils get you going in light winds but they are slow. Big sails do the same but need a big board and are heavy to handle.

My biggest gear is a 7m foil glide and Alien 125 with a Slingshot PTM926. This gets me going in 9 knots. However I prefer to use a 6m non cam sail which gets going in 10knots with the same board and foil.

I've got a mate who has an 8m foil glide, JP135 & F4 800 race foil who gets going in 8 kts.

The Olympic IQ setup of 9m race foil sail, 800 foil and 160lt board gets going in 6kts

In my personal experience the big freeride front wing (settled in a slalom foil + 7.7 4 cams + 83 cm foil board + avg 76 kg) was the key to take off as soon as it gets STEADY and minimum 4 secs lasting gusts. Needs to be worked out to take off but then it almost never fade off.

One of my friend uses the 91 cm + 8.4 + big slalom front wing and take off a little bit earlier with more ease and he's faster.

BUT, when it gets 11+ kts i still foil secure and he starts to be on the edge....
...meaning, the personal level makes you choose the best stuff for you