Just wanting every bodys thoughts on board size to suit sails up to 7.8m.
Mainly ocean sailing. Ive been looking at tabou speedster and manta.Im 85 kgs.

I've got a 100l speedster and use it with a 7 & 7.8 gaastra phantom however Im 95 kg. It's a very quick board in the ocean within its wind-range, gybes well , planes quickly and the double concave helps smooth out chop . I have found a few fins will help also

However that being said, the current selection of slalom boards on the market is fantastic and they all offer something special. I think at your weight and your mentioned sail sizes you could look at 90 -100 L boards.

Most of the light , and fast local guys use 90l boards with 7m cammed sails in 15-22knots.

Hope this helps

iSonic 107

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CRO169 said..

iSonic 107

Yep for a one board slalom combo I would recommend the IS107 is the Starboard range.

I reckon 68-70cm wide which is usually around the 110L +/- 5L is a good fit for 7.8m. Enough float for 85kegs if the wind drops, will take anything from 6.2m to 8.6m with 7.8m as the sweet spot.

Check out www.pwaworldtour.com/fileadmin/user/main_editors/pdf/Competitor_Equipment_Korea_13.pdf and see what the medium board is for most of the pros

I can't comment on the current Tabou's but the older once where easy in the jibe and chop but a slow on the plane.
Before recommending a board size, do you have a bigger or will this be you biggest set? Also, what is your next smaller size?
If it is your biggest board and you have a smaller board around the 90~100l mark, you might also want to consider the iSonic 110 or 117, depending of your smaller size board availability.
Another important point is the wind stability, if it is quite gusty and you might to slog around or the wind close to the shore is smaller, I would opt for a bigger board.
If you have no smaller slalom board and you look for control and think about adding another 7.0, go for the iS107, it is my favorite board of the SB range.

~Shinobi