Hello.
I,m about to reduce board size to 95lt from a 133 tabou rocket. But I want a 95lt that can take the biggest sail as I have a 6.8m loftsail oxygen. The range of the 94lt exocet is up to a 6.8m sail. The range of the 95lt severne fox is up to 6.7m sail. But I guess companies will always promote there kit by bedding the truth.
Just interested in coastal blasting in scotland in high winds. No jumping ability needed. Not good enough for a salom board, probably never will be But I can waterstart and plan in the straps
Has any one sailed a 95lt (ish) fws board with a sail bigger than 6.5. (Or even 7m?) Does it plane?
Or are these companies trying to pull a fast one.
Can the 95lt fox, cross, 3s type boards (ie the ones that are good for blasting) sail range be increased with a different fin?
Cheers
Thebruce (100kg)

Most boards out there will be on the edge of their ability with that size sail, especially if you are 100kg, that's 5 litres negative buoyancy straight away without the big rig. I'd say go for something nearer 115 litres with a bigger single fin, thats a bit wider. Possibly a more freeride board rather than FSW.

Thanks madge.
One of the biggest difficulties heavier sailors need to overcome is that we eat too much!
Prepandemic weight was 90kg. So, if I laid off the deep fried mars bars and got under 90, or event nearer to 80kg - Just thinking about the sail size, fin and a 95lt exocet cross or severne fox - could it plane with a 6.8m sail?
Thebruce

I've got an Exocet Cross 94l, version 4 from 2016. I use it mostly 4.5m to 6m, but have used it a few times with 6.5m Ezzy Lion, which is just a bit smaller than your Oxygen. I was around 78kg when I used the 6.5m. It comes with a 30cm swept back, thick and wide chord fin, fine for B&J on the ocean. In Poole Harbour I used a 29cm Select Freeslam, which is more upright with a swept back tip, but reckon 31-32cm would be better with the 6.5m. It was ok so long as I had plenty of wind, if I had to pump a bit to get going it wasnt much good, I had a 110l/67cm wide board I used most of the time 6.5m - 7.5m.
All those boards you mentioned would be ok with a Select Freeslam or slalom fin.
For 100kg, you wouldnt get away with a 6.8m on the 94l, the 116 would be a better bet. I used 7m max on the Cross 106.

I used the Cross 94/6.5m here as there was a bit of a swell, but once the wind dropped a bit I used the larger board.

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Thebruce said..
Hello.
I,m about to reduce board size to 95lt from a 133 tabou rocket. But I want a 95lt that can take the biggest sail as I have a 6.8m loftsail oxygen. The range of the 94lt exocet is up to a 6.8m sail. The range of the 95lt severne fox is up to 6.7m sail. But I guess companies will always promote there kit by bedding the truth.
Just interested in coastal blasting in scotland in high winds. No jumping ability needed. Not good enough for a salom board, probably never will be But I can waterstart and plan in the straps
Has any one sailed a 95lt (ish) fws board with a sail bigger than 6.5. (Or even 7m?) Does it plane?
Or are these companies trying to pull a fast one.
Can the 95lt fox, cross, 3s type boards (ie the ones that are good for blasting) sail range be increased with a different fin?
Cheers
Thebruce (100kg)

My reaction to your questions here is that you may be asking the wrong questions.

All these decisions go against what I would choose, although I am in a lighter weight bracket from you.

The issue as I see it is you seem to want to overload everything, leaving no buoyancy reserve. That means you'll struggle to get going unless in very strong wind, and you will quickly drop off the plane in any lulls or during the turns.

Specifically:
1) At 100kgs sailor weight, I wouldn't be in a hurry to get a 95 litre board. The 80kgs sailor won't often be on a 75litre wave board either.

2) Changing from a 133litre Tabou Rocket to a 95litre FSW is a helluva jump in terms of float. Have you thought about a 120litre board instead?

3) With bigger boards, you need to look at board width as well as the labelled volume. The Tabou Rocket is 81cms wide, I think, whereas a 95litre board is often around 60cms wide.

4) Sticking a 6.8m rig on a 95 litre board may already be stretching the upper sail size limit - although again that depends on board width and on sailor weight, and on the weight of the rig. But with a narrow board and a heavier sailor you're in total overload territory.

I find a lack of reserve float just worsens any skill deficiencies or board handling issues you have.

Thanks Phil, Thanks basher.
Main reason I was looking at a 95lt is that (I belive ) this is the maximum size that can be used for high wind windsurfing. As (so ive been told) anything over 95lt us too unstable over 30 knots.
Since I don't have alot of storage space I was looking for the 95lt board with the biggest sail range and the exocet website claim for the 95lt cross sail range from 4.0m to 6.8m which should be wide enough for (almost) all winds.
So with 1 board and sails of 4.2, 4.7 5.7 and 6.8 (loftsails cover this with only 2 masts) I could get a good kit set for minimum storage space.
But I guess most windsurfers would have more than one board as 95lt would be something to progress to - not start on.
Anymore advice out there would be gratefully recived.
Thebruce

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Thebruce said..
Hello.
I,m about to reduce board size to 95lt from a 133 tabou rocket. But I want a 95lt that can take the biggest sail as I have a 6.8m loftsail oxygen. The range of the 94lt exocet is up to a 6.8m sail. The range of the 95lt severne fox is up to 6.7m sail. But I guess companies will always promote there kit by bedding the truth.
Just interested in coastal blasting in scotland in high winds. No jumping ability needed. Not good enough for a salom board, probably never will be But I can waterstart and plan in the straps
Has any one sailed a 95lt (ish) fws board with a sail bigger than 6.5. (Or even 7m?) Does it plane?
Or are these companies trying to pull a fast one.
Can the 95lt fox, cross, 3s type boards (ie the ones that are good for blasting) sail range be increased with a different fin?
Cheers
Thebruce (100kg)

My 2018 RRD FSW 90 at 60 wide can take a 6.5 Point-7 ACX with its 70 Kg pilot and a 30 cm upright fin (a Tectonics Falcon). It works, but it is happier with 6.0. Go up a size, an RRD 96L, www.windsurf.co.uk/test/rrd-freestyle-wave-v4-ltd-96l-2018-test-review/ and I would be very fine with a 6-5/6.8 and 32-33 fin. My FSW 90 sort of covers down to 4.2, with a 25 fin, I dropped three-fins long ago, sea conditions getting a bit too big there for its bulk.

Slalom board? You might be surprised by modern slalom boards. I have a AV Modena Slalom 88 liters by 60 wide that takes a cambered 6.8 without a problem. And it is a VERY comfortable board to ride.

For reference, easily 90% of my sailing is done on those two boards: RRD FSW 90 4.7-6.0 and AV Modena 6.0 to 6.8, basically in the same winds, say 15 to 25 knots.

Your own body weight at boards under 100 litres is very critical.
Someone of 70 kg can ride an 80 litre board with 10 litres reserve bouyancy. Someone of around 100kg must also use a much bigger sail which in turn weighs more. Therefore if someone was 100kg and used a 110 litre board with a bigger heavier rig then their reserve bouyancy would be less than 10 litres and would be better off using a 120 litre board in the same winds as someone on an 80 litre board. One would be using a 6.8m rig and the other on a 5.3m.

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Thebruce said..
So with 1 board and sails of 4.2, 4.7 5.7 and 6.8 (loftsails cover this with only 2 masts)

Which sail size do you use most?
What % of time are you on each sail?

People here can recommend you boards that can be used with a 6.8 in a pinch if you have to but are ideal for 5.7.. However that isn't the right board if you're on 6.8 most of the time and only very occasionally use the smaller sails.

In contrast, at your size if you're nearly always full power on 5.7 it's 25 knots and at that point pretty much anything will plane all the time so the 95l board is more viable.


That said Most of the 100kg guys I've seen can ride a 105litre x 63w in a ****load of breeze even when a 80kg guy is on 4.2 and an 85l.

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Thebruce said..
Thanks Phil, Thanks basher.
Main reason I was looking at a 95lt is that (I belive ) this is the maximum size that can be used for high wind windsurfing. As (so ive been told) anything over 95lt us too unstable over 30 knots.
Since I don't have alot of storage space I was looking for the 95lt board with the biggest sail range and the exocet website claim for the 95lt cross sail range from 4.0m to 6.8m which should be wide enough for (almost) all winds.
So with 1 board and sails of 4.2, 4.7 5.7 and 6.8 (loftsails cover this with only 2 masts) I could get a good kit set for minimum storage space.
But I guess most windsurfers would have more than one board as 95lt would be something to progress to - not start on.
Anymore advice out there would be gratefully recived.
Thebruce

Forget the manufacturers suggested range as they base it on average weight people (75-80kg?) and decent skill level.
On the sea, when I am using my 94l & 5.2m sail, people who weigh 95-100kg are on 115l & 5.8m. They tend to add more board volume than sail size, relatively speaking. At heavier weights, you can hold down a larger board on rougher seas than lighter people.
I think the 4.7 to 5.7 sails will have a wider wind range with a larger board. A lot depends on the water state, flat water you can get away with less kit than difficult choppy water. A 94l & 5.7m will be faster than a 104l & 4.7m on dead flat water but over swells with lot of peaks to cope with, the 104/4.7 will be easier to keep on the water, albeit slower.

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Madge said..
Your own body weight at boards under 100 litres is very critical.
Someone of 70 kg can ride an 80 litre board with 10 litres reserve bouyancy. Someone of around 100kg must also use a much bigger sail which in turn weighs more. Therefore if someone was 100kg and used a 110 litre board with a bigger heavier rig then their reserve bouyancy would be less than 10 litres and would be better off using a 120 litre board in the same winds as someone on an 80 litre board. One would be using a 6.8m rig and the other on a 5.3m.

Yes, that's why I mentioned my weight, 70Kg. But sail weight does not go up that much at all with size. For a Freerace sails (e.g. ACX) if a 100Kg is on a 7.5 and I am on a 6.5 the difference in weight is around a 1/4 Kg. 100 grams and change more if the number of battens is different. Irrelevant from a floatation point of view.

What makes a sail work or not on a board is not so much its volume but width, tail shape and fin. If TheBruce wants to use a 95L, and I know plenty 100Kg who use a 90-100L board, as long as he does not pick a thin tailed wave board he can very happily use a 6.5 on it. The great advantage of a heavy weight is that a bigger sail is no problem if you are just blasting around in coastal waters.

I used a 6.6 on a Kode 94, I felt I needed a bigger fin. If your board has US box it could be dangerous to use a fin bigger than 30. I was weighing under 80 kgs at the time.

I am 220 lbs and use a 95 quatro fsw with up to 6.2 but really that is the max for me. Now I use a goya one 118 2018 model and I have used it in strong winds.

5.2 at Jericho pretty windy and choppy on the 116 last part of the video

Thanks guys.
Happy Blasting!

I don't think that a 95l + 7m sail will work very well with your weight.I am 62kg and have a 105l FSW and my biggest sail is 7.0 gaastra pilot (5 batten, very light). The board planes fine but the trim is a bit wonky and uphauling even in flatwater is a nightmare with that combo. I also tried a 6.5m freeride sail (6 battens, similar weight to my 7.0) and it feels a bit more managable...and keep in mind im MUCH lighter than you

Honestly with your weight, I'd go with a 105l minimum...the 95 is gonna top out at a 6.5m crossover sail. If you want the board to feel small, go with a model that has thin rails and is narrow like the fanatic, goya, severne...definitely want to put a 30cm fin on it though

My patrik 110 is super fun to ride and I'll go up to 7.2 on it. It's wide enough for my big feet thru the gybes & I can grovel on it if need be. I'm 96kegs. you will need suitable fins for that range of sails too. go bigger than 95, in the 100-115. pls explain wind speed & water condition that you'll be using this in. twin or single rear strap. why not go for another Rocket?

Just another fragment of info for you:
Exocet cross 94 + Ezzy Cheetah 6.5 + Select 33 slalom fin + 85kg sailor = perfect setup for me on wide-open rough bay conditions. Upwind, downwind, gybing on swells, gybing in chop. It all works beautifully.

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BSN101 said..
My patrik 110 is super fun to ride and I'll go up to 7.2 on it. It's wide enough for my big feet thru the gybes & I can grovel on it if need be. I'm 96kegs. you will need suitable fins for that range of sails too. go bigger than 95, in the 100-115. pls explain wind speed & water condition that you'll be using this in. twin or single rear strap. why not go for another Rocket?

I've had 7.7 sail on this board in Albanys flatness. 20cm delta

Been on Foxes from 95 to 120, for 6+ sail I'd easily take 120L, sure can be sailed on other sizes too and can get em going but just lot more fun on the bigger board for just blasting. Yeah near 100kg too...

Had 6.7 freeride sail and used it on a 109L freestyle board for the lack of anything better to use with it. Biggest issue seemed to be the shortness of the board. Ended up selling the sail instead of buying a bigger board. Happy with the 5.5 being the biggest for 93L wave board now, anything bigger I'm not bothering with. It sure isn't for float and ride kind of conditions.Point I made to myself, big sail on a board bit too small is just annoying to ride, to get going etc. It's doable sure, probably on most boards, but just didn't find it fun.
And the same goes for riding a 95L using 3.0 or 3.5 just not that much fun, but on a 85L it's awesome.