Keen to hear what size sail and foil combos people use then it's over 20knots of wind. Currently my smallest sail is a 4.2, but I need something smaller when it's over about 23-25kts. Would I get foiling on a 3.0 in 25kts? I'm 75kg, riding a Slingshot i76.

I know people will say "just ride a slappa when it's windy". The thing is that my local spot is rarely over 20 knots, and if it is, and I've tried getting back on a slappa, it takes me ages just to get used to sailing without a foil. Not to mention that riding a slappa is hard work

It could be fun to carve wind swells in 20kts+ and a tiny rig.

First thing I reckon is get your hands on an Infinity 65. Simply swap the 76 with the 65, no need to change anything, centre of lift is in the same place. You will love the 65 when it's over 20 knots.
You may find it's all you need with your 4.2
We get some days here where it blows over 25 so I added a 3.7 to my quiver
Simon

I have a second hand slingshot for sale with 65 front wing complete cheap

Yeah foiling is way less work than the fin.

a 3.0 and 76 could work, but probably a 3.7 is better. Certainly experiment with smaller wings eg infinity 65 or apollo 60.

I typically can make my 4.2 with lots of outhaul and my apollo 60 work upto 20 knots but that is on the freestyle 115.

Hello Nikita,

Got similar weight as you 73-74kg.
until last march my smaller sail was also 4,2 and I was using I76, H5 and warp 65 since I replace the H5 by i65 and add a 3,7 (at first for normal windsurfing).
Since with the weather condition I did use max the I65 with 4,5 with 25kts and gust at 30kts and haven't use the 3,7 yet.
Here is how I do my gear choice:
--> mainly flat water and consistant wind I will rig the smallest sail as possible with the bigger foil
--> tricky wind condition as I get on last session, the shore was in the shadow of the harbour with 15kts and off the shadow was 25 to 30ktsand swell 50cm.
Start with I76 and 4,5 to keep a bit a sail pressure properly control the board of the flight, to much power outside switch to I65 was under powered in the shadow but good outside.
The warp speed is the last option as it give you the same range as on normal windsurfing for the sail and super smooth pressure feeling with lot of speed.

depend your spot condition but before a smaller sail I will get a smaller wing so fast to change if the wind go up or down and increase your sail range

Seems like a smaller wing is the general consensus. That's interesting, I didn't really think about changing wings. Is the i65 or the timecode noticeably faster? I thought it'd be harder to carve a swell if you're going too quick. Maybe it doesn't matter?

Thanks for the offer Aussieboats. I wanted to try something other than Slingshot for my next foil though

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Nikita said..
Thanks for the offer Aussieboats. I wanted to try something other than Slingshot for my next foil though

Please try some Armstrong foils and report back how they work for windsurfing . Their engineering looks vastly superior.

Friends of mine in the Gorge go down to 2.6 m sails still on the i76 and Wizards for playful foiling in 25-35 kt winds. One friend claims that this combo is the easiest for learning to jibe in flight.

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Nikita said..
Seems like a smaller wing is the general consensus. That's interesting, I didn't really think about changing wings. Is the i65 or the timecode noticeably faster? I thought it'd be harder to carve a swell if you're going too quick. Maybe it doesn't matter?

Thanks for the offer Aussieboats. I wanted to try something other than Slingshot for my next foil though

I know guys who carve windswell on the Starboard 800 race wing and short fuselage. They have to keep power on and do cutbacks rather than just flagging the sail like guys do on the bigger wings.
Personally I prefer the flagging style which is also closer to what windwing sailors do. One of the keys to doing that is sailing high angles, not reaching and also using wave sails which depower nicely.

Starboard is releasing a bunch of new wings and tails for their surf/Supercruiser fuselage which look to bridge the gap between their larger surf wings and the race stuff. My experience with the current generation is that it's a better foil than Slingshot currently produces (they are endlessly showing prototypes but never releasing them it seems). I know many people disagree but at my skill level the difference was significant and the construction is far better.

Or you can look at Moses although I'd say they are a touch fragile if you are on a rocky beach. They probably have more variety in wings and tails then any other.

I use a 600 front wing for all around.
Bud has a 400 foil, same 4" chord but maybe 50cm span.
He foils a different spot so haven't seen how it works.

Sunset Sailboards, at 190 lbs., uses only a 4.0 and 4.4 for windfoiling. He's fine from 10-20 knots. I-76.

You can go a lot smaller than you think. 3.6 is for me enough in 7.8 weather for the "slappa" as you call it, so that would be 15-16 knots. From 20kts up a 3.0 is very comfortable, but above 27 knots it starts to feel quite big to me already. With those super tiny sails I'm generally most comfortable around 3sqm smaller than "slappa", 4sqm being underpowered but ok, 2sqm being max powered up I like to be on the tiny freeride kit (on 4.9 its already an entirely different story, could ride that sail the same size as I would on fin, but due to the often very gusty weather and difficult water states the usable range for the tiny sails gets smaller for me). I'm looking at buying a ~2.5 for under my 3.0. Using 900sqcm wings (one for low end and one for high end, different profiles but similar shapes), 105L board and 93Kg.

In the end same rules as always apply, if its 4.4 weather for the regular board, then its at maximum 2.4 weather for the foil.

Interesting

I have 4.7 smallest and i76 - maybe after 18- 20 knots not real comfortable - is next step smaller sail or foil ? Or both ?

if you go smaller foil on slingshot do you need smaller stab ?

Do benfits of foil specific sails diminish with smaller sail area ? I can see benefits of larger area sails or is it perhaps foil specific have larger wind range ?



cheers

Most foil specific have more low end.

All of my high wind foiling is on a 5.5m 4cam race sail. Initially I found it was comfortable from 14-18kts, now I can go up to more like 22-24kts.
Whilst larger race sails are heavy and uncomfortable, the small ones rotate easily, are light and most importantly are super stable in 20+ conditions. Sure I could easily be on a smaller sail, but the 5.5 gives such a huge range.
If we had regular consistent 20+ conditions I would be looking for a 4.5m. But sadly we don't.

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Nikita said..
Keen to hear what size sail and foil combos people use then it's over 20knots of wind. Currently my smallest sail is a 4.2, but I need something smaller when it's over about 23-25kts. Would I get foiling on a 3.0 in 25kts? I'm 75kg, riding a Slingshot i76.

I know people will say "just ride a slappa when it's windy". The thing is that my local spot is rarely over 20 knots, and if it is, and I've tried getting back on a slappa, it takes me ages just to get used to sailing without a foil. Not to mention that riding a slappa is hard work

It could be fun to carve wind swells in 20kts+ and a tiny rig.

Hi Nikita

What you want to do over there, sounds very similar to what a bunch of us is doing here in Perth.
We are using the same gear. As mentioned by a few, then the Infinity 76cm is the 'flagship' size and it is a lot of fun on carving down waves etc.

The Infinity 65cm is a perfect go to wing for the 20+ knots ( well even from 15 knots you can start using this wing)
It is faster than 76cm and the ability to do tighter turns / carving is better.

Like you mentioned with it being faster, if it is then suitable for 'slower waves'? Absolutely,, when you had a few sessions with it, then you will get used to the extra speed, and convert this into some nice linking turns downwind. It do have a lot of control,,

The main benefit is that you can much easier / quicker correct the 65cm in the water ( like adjust for too much lift / too less lift etc), this from the reduced area compared to the 76cm

I'm sure there is other brands with wave riding wings for 20+ knots, but would say when you already have the base Hoverglide set up with 76cm, whey then not just add a 65cm wing?

What board are you using by the way?

For the sail sizes in strong wind: You can defiantly go like a 3.0 for strong wind. Those small sails is heaps of fun, as the depower / power up so quick and are nimble in the hands. To compare there is a few of us using 3.4 here as the smallest (85kg)

Normster: The standard 42cm rear wing / stab is perfect for all options.
If you feel uncomfortable in 20kts+ with the 76cm, then the biggest impact ( gaining some control ) is to use the 65cm Infinity.
Smaller sail also helps of course - but most important is the wing size.

Cheers
Jesper