I'm a 95kg intermediate sailor riding a 119l Exocet XMove...75cm wide.
The board specs say max sail size is 8.4m.
Would a 9.2m sail be too big for this board?
Trying to increase my time on the water in lighter winds.
Cheers in advance...awesome to read all the forum posts and glean everyone's collective wisdom!!

Do you already have a 9.2m sail? If so then just try it! If not then I would not be tempted to go out and buy one.

I haven't ridden that board but I would say that a 9.2m sail is going to be too big.

9.2m is a lot bigger than the recommended 8.4m. Also, for relative "heavy weights" like us (I weight 91kg) there is less scope to exceed the recommended sail size for a board.

Putting a bigger sail on becomes counter-productive at some point. In terms of improving your skills in light winds (including pumping on to the plane), you'll get more out of using a sail that matches the board.

First of many answers to come, I am sure!

Thanks for the advice mate.
I've sailed the board with a mates 9m rig...but it was a 100% carbon mast and carbon boom...so heaps lighter than my aluminum and 30% rig.
Sailed ok on on the 9m, but I'd be worried my gear will be too heavy.
I've seen a 9.2m at a good price...so haven't brought or tried it. It's second hand so probably won't be able to demo.
Cheers.

No worries.

You're right - 100% carbon mast and a carbon boom makes a massive difference. I only switched to a carbon boom earlier this year and it's transformed my rigs. In particular my 6.5m Gator which I use a lot on a Kode 103 and always felt on the limit in terms of weight for the board but now feels perfect.

Good luck!

Well said, and I agree! Wouldn't recommend using a 9.2.

Try a bigger pointier fin first and see if that helps?

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musorianin said..
Try a bigger pointier fin first and see if that helps?

That is the main issue.
A bigger sail will require a bigger fin to prevent spinout and to track well.
The board may not have enough width to provide sufficient leverage to keep the rail down against the lift from the fin.
That is why there is a max sail size specified for boards

at 105 kilos I have tried a 10 m² sail on various boards in light winds

first on an AHD FF 160/80 freeride
then on a JP SLW92
and finally on a Mistral Equipe 2 XR longboard

the sail is heavy and cumbersome when dropped or when the wind drops
in order of preference I would say

1) JP SLW
2) longboard
3) freeride

you are pushing the envelope and would definitely need to make the sail/mast/boom as light as possible
and require a bigger fin than the 38 cm fin supplied with the board
on the JP SLW I use a 66 cm slalom fin
on the freeride it was a 51 cm fin
longboard was 40, but these boards are exceptions when it comes to fin lengths

some people would prefer to err on the other side of the equation
ie board too big for the sail rather than sail too big for the board

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musorianin said...
Try a bigger pointier fin first and see if that helps?

+1
Not sure of your skill level but maybe improve your pumping technique, it's surprising what a little effort can do.

^^^^ sigh
the girlfriend told me the same thing.

(Don't tell my wife)

The problem is if you need a 9.2M sail the assumption is the wind is very light and you will be marginally powered up which could be really bad on a small board as it will want to sink, be tippy and plow water and because you are a relatively heavy person at 95kg the problem is magnified.
The volume and shape of that board requires relatively strong wind to get it planing, it's not that wide so it can handle the rougher seas that come with stronger winds. For typical "9.2M conditions" you would want a wider floatier board that would pop onto a plane easier. Then there is water starting to consider, may not be enough wind to water start so can you uphaul on such a small board @ 95kg?

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Beaglebuddy said..
The problem is if you need a 9.2M sail the assumption is the wind is very light and you will be marginally powered up which could be really bad on a small board as it will want to sink, be tippy and plow water and because you are a relatively heavy person at 95kg the problem is magnified.
The volume and shape of that board requires relatively strong wind to get it planing, it's not that wide so it can handle the rougher seas that come with stronger winds. For typical "9.2M conditions" you would want a wider floatier board that would pop onto a plane easier. Then there is water starting to consider, may not be enough wind to water start so can you uphaul on such a small board @ 95kg?

Uphauling a 9.2mt sail on a 118lt board would be a challenge. I have used an 8.4 on a 125lt board and I weigh 75Kg. In a rolling ocean with light wind this is really really hard. On flatter water it's not as hard but I prefer to use my Super lightwind board in that circumstance anyway as it's wider and has a much bigger fin.

For more time on the water planing I would highly recommend a SLW board and the 9.2 Sail as a good combination.

^+1

check out cluffy !!

Sensible response now - I agree with above to not try it.
Especially Windxtasy's description

I have often used a smaller sail than recommended (with appropriate fin reduction) but I have never had a board that felt right with the max sail size, let alone bigger, no matter how I set it up and played with fins.

For light wind sailing, a foil would be a better investment than a larger sail.

now you're talkin, but even that is $1000

Lose weight