A few years ago I bought a Fanatic Blast 115 L and I've enjoyed it. For the past 8 months I've only been windfoiling and updated my windfoil gear. Today in wind 18-23 knots I went out with the Blast. I rigged a 4.6 sail (Sailworks Revo) and had a really hard time planing. I I felt like there was power in the sail but the board was super sticky and didn't seem to want to pick up any board speed. At 65 kg, the gusts would have made it very hard for me to take me 5.5 Sailworks Retro although looking back, it might have worked (the wind dropped a bit from when I rigged). At the same time, a friend of mine with similar weight was on an older Fanatic Freemove 86L with a 4.8 Severne (he said it was a freestyle sail). My friend planed sooner than I did and once on a plane stayed on a plane. I mostly did not plane. He is a better sailor than me.

While there's no doubt my friend is a better sailor, it's not like I'm terrible. I think I understand the basics of board trim. But it was surprising to me the big difference between my friend and myself. I'm wondering if there's a point in board size where the board no longer planes quickly because there just isn't enough sail?

About the 115 L - it served it's purpose and helped get me back into windsurfing and learning to windfoil with it for 2/3 years. I no longer need the volume for lighter wind because of my windfoil gear and I might look to replace it. I think a 85-90 L board would be good for higher wind days when I don't want to windfoil but I'd first like to get a better understanding of what might have been happening with me today. Can a board be too big for a smaller sail? This makes some sense to me. Me lit up on 5.5 is going to put a lot more force on the board/fin than being lit up on a 4.6.

Thanks

Yes.
Us lightweights can't use 115 in 22 knots, unless the straps are fully back and the fin size is smaller.
Withat those adjustments, it can work up to 30 on a 4.6 sail....but good luck in jibes and keeping clear of chop.
18-23 knots is 4.5 for me, with 85 liter wave, fsw, or freeride.

First fin outing after long time foiling always feels terrible. Sail size seems a bit small for that wind...

At 73 kg., 18-23 Knots, a 4.5 that is powerful, like an NP Alpha, rigged minimum down and baggy out would be solid on my 14 lbs JP Fsw or 13lbs Naish Freeride, or 13 lbs but 59 cm wide Rogue Wave.
But my 16.8 lbs Tabou 3S, also 85 liters, would like gusts to 26, as would the much lighter JP Slalom Pro 84.
So different 85 liter boards can like different windspeeds.
I suspect your 115 to be REALLY wide, like 70 cm?
Width is drag when undersailed.

You need to match the sail to the board, a 4.6 wave-sail on a 115l freerace board is simply not a good combination. The board needs to be flying on the fin by using a race or free-race sail. Something around 6-6.5m^2 will work well for winds around 20knots.

Select to expand quote

shmish said..
A few years ago I bought a Fanatic Blast 115 L and I've enjoyed it. For the past 8 months I've only been windfoiling and updated my windfoil gear. Today in wind 18-23 knots I went out with the Blast. I rigged a 4.6 sail (Sailworks Revo) and had a really hard time planing. I I felt like there was power in the sail but the board was super sticky and didn't seem to want to pick up any board speed. At 65 kg, the gusts would have made it very hard for me to take me 5.5 Sailworks Retro although looking back, it might have worked (the wind dropped a bit from when I rigged). At the same time, a friend of mine with similar weight was on an older Fanatic Freemove 86L with a 4.8 Severne (he said it was a freestyle sail). My friend planed sooner than I did and once on a plane stayed on a plane. I mostly did not plane. He is a better sailor than me.

While there's no doubt my friend is a better sailor, it's not like I'm terrible. I think I understand the basics of board trim. But it was surprising to me the big difference between my friend and myself. I'm wondering if there's a point in board size where the board no longer planes quickly because there just isn't enough sail?

About the 115 L - it served it's purpose and helped get me back into windsurfing and learning to windfoil with it for 2/3 years. I no longer need the volume for lighter wind because of my windfoil gear and I might look to replace it. I think a 85-90 L board would be good for higher wind days when I don't want to windfoil but I'd first like to get a better understanding of what might have been happening with me today. Can a board be too big for a smaller sail? This makes some sense to me. Me lit up on 5.5 is going to put a lot more force on the board/fin than being lit up on a 4.6.

Thanks

Hi,
the difference was:
- your friend had a sail size which fitted perfectly to his board size
- his sail was slightly bigger, and freestyle sails are generally rather lightwind sails
- he is probably just more used to fin windsurfing

whereas:
- you had a board way too large for your weight, the wind and the sail.
- your sail was too small for the wind and the board. I'd say a 5.5 is the absolute minimum for this board. In the sailworks range, the Retro would have been the better choice for the Blast. With the Retro 5.5 you would have had a fun day...
- you were not used to fin surfing anymore. Maybe the technique of bearing away with the gust and fin pumping just wasn't there anymore...

If you want to go fin windsurfing again in such conditions, think about buying a FSW board like a Starboard Kode or a Tabou 3S in 85L or 95L (depending on prevalent wind at your spot). With a single fin, that should work with the 5.5 Retro for lighter winds, as well as the 4.6 Revo.

best
mariachi76

try around 32cm fin for 4.6

Select to expand quote

mariachi76 said..

Hi,
the difference was:
- your friend had a sail size which fitted perfectly to his board size
- his sail was slightly bigger, and freestyle sails are generally rather lightwind sails
- he is probably just more used to fin windsurfing

whereas:
- you had a board way too large for your weight, the wind and the sail.
- your sail was too small for the wind and the board. I'd say a 5.5 is the absolute minimum for this board. In the sailworks range, the Retro would have been the better choice for the Blast. With the Retro 5.5 you would have had a fun day...
- you were not used to fin surfing anymore. Maybe the technique of bearing away with the gust and fin pumping just wasn't there anymore...

If you want to go fin windsurfing again in such conditions, think about buying a FSW board like a Starboard Kode or a Tabou 3S in 85L or 95L (depending on prevalent wind at your spot). With a single fin, that should work with the 5.5 Retro for lighter winds, as well as the 4.6 Revo.

best
mariachi76

Yes, I think you're right. I should have rigged the 5.5.
Now that I no longer need a freeride board for lightwinds, I can sell the Blast for a decent price and get a 90 L FSW board, that would be perfect. I have dinged the nose of the blast several times when catapulting while learning foiling, so that complicates things. I've patched it but I would need to do a better job if I want to sell it. Then there's the whole issue of getting an affordable 90 L board where I live.

I do have an older Mistral Syncro 84 L, but that thing needs a lot of sail too. I didn't have it with me on the day I am writing about here, but I don't think I would have gotten planing with it and the 4.6, I've always had problems getting it planing (I posted about it here: seabreaze.com.au/forums/Windsurfing/General/Mistral-Syncro-84-L-experience- ). FWIW, I'm not always bad a planing! I've used the Blast from 16-24 knots with my 5.5 and 5.0 revo (which I no longer have) for lots of good days.

By chance there is a 87 L Naish for sale locally. 59 cm wide. My guess is that its the Global Wave. I wonder if this would be an improvement in the 84 L Syncro. vancouver.craigslist.org/nvn/spo/d/north-vancouver-southwest-windsurfing/7448717728.html

Its probably about the same as my syncro.