Hi guys, I am new to this forum, I am glad to be here with all of you.
I have bought a formula kit recently: a starboard 162l, and 11m sail. I am 72 kg weight, thin fit. I have tried to handle it, but it's impossible to me: I can uphaul it, with some effort. But when uphauled, the weight of the sail avoids me to controll its position. Perhaps is it too big sail for my weight?
I have read several forums where the recommended sail sizes are from 10m minimum. But If I cannot handle an 11, then neither a 10 (only 1m less). Is it possible to use a Formula with less sail, for example a 8.5 o 9? I can handle without any difficulty a 7.5 (8.5 tried once on a slalom, and ok). I would like to plane from 8-9 knots. I have seen at a sail calculator that an 8.5 would allow from 8 knots, but.. is it realistic? I only have one fin (70cm).
Thank you very much!
I'm sure others will give a proper answer. At your weight I would be thinking a larger slalom board 130 liter with a 9m would be plenty to get you planing. Sometimes larger and larger isn't helping and just causes usability problems.
For early planing and mostly reaching, an old formula board works extremely well with much smaller sails. The only reason why the Formula sailors carry ginormus sails is becasue they are SOLELY concerned with sailing up-wind and down-wind at the most extreme angles possible.
Years ago a friend had one of the early formula Boards. I think it was the SB186X. While we were sailing the wind gradually dropped out to the point where I could not get my big slalom board planning at all. I had a 6.5m sail which was pretty grunty and would normal get me going in OK in 12 knots. I slogged pulled into the shore and he offered me a try of his Formula. he had an 8.5m sail on it but i said I would plug my own in because it was set up for me. He didnt expect me to get planing. But I stepped on and was planing almosy instantly, and did so for the next 15 minutes. bear in mind this was reaching back and forth.
Year later I bought almost the exact same model old Formula Board for low$ and still use it for light wind cruising. I am around 75KG and never use more than an 8.4m No-Cam sail. I can easily cruise round in 8-10 knots with the old 8.4. Upwind and downwind, just not at extreme angles like the racers. I have 9.8m and 10.5m Formula sails. I used the 9.8m a couple of times and said never again. Too heavy and unwieldy and just no gain for just cruising around. never even thought of using the 10.5m
BTW. A big rig Formula board is pretty much uncontrollable on a reach in anything over high teens wind strength. That probably not what you want. 
The only advantages of a BIG slalom board is top speed on the reach and easier gybing. Depends what you want to do really. I wouldnt be thinking of antything larger than a 9m if I were you, preferably, a lightish no cam one.
my lightwind blasting setup for about 10 years was a Formula board with an 8.5m. up to 20 knots it was great fun. highly recommended if you want more time on the water.
Thank you all very much for your answers!! I really want it only to have fun, no competition.
Don't give up on the 11 just yet, if you have the fitness and you can uphaul it the rest will become substantially easier once your technique adapts a bit to it.
As far as I'm concerned there is nearly no excuses for anyone as until I became a foil convert I used to love my 11.5 with formula board and 70cm fin and oh I forgot to mention..... I'm only 57kgs
Anyway yes thats my opinion that anyone who can uphaul the sail and has the right techniques developed will have a great time on a nice day with not much effort
I raced formula for years, but now just for light wind. I have an 11.0 and don't use it because of the gusty winds where I sail. It's range is very limited for me at 70KG. Any gust over 15 knots and it's a hand full. When the wind is steady, it's fun for cruising, but that's not often. Now, I only use my 9.2 in the lighter winds and can plane in about 9 knots with some pumping. I used my 8.4 and 7.6 for some races where it was windy and even a 6.5 once when the wind was 30knots. I am not sure that the small early planing advantage of a formula board over a big free ride is worth it, but now that you have one, just get a smaller sail - 9 or 10 m.
You can use 5.7's if they are longboomed and cam.
Some dumb "experts" said otherwise, but current use of Formula boards for foiling prove them way wrong.
Seen 4.7's on Formula boards used effectively...not racing.
I had 10 and 11 sails on formula and the 11 was a lot harder than the 10. 1 meter makes a difference. I started with that kit when I was not very good at windsurfing and it made me improve a lot, don't give up. Make sure the 11 has plenty of downhaul, the issue like said before is the gusts. If overpowered go upwind and then put the foot in the chicken strap when you turn downwind. Try and keep the mast more vertical when you jibe otherwise you will drop the sail. Also make yourself an easy uphaul so you can lift the sail hooking to the harness. Then you need long harness lines and an adjustable outhaul...
And also a smaller fin would help, you can go 60 with the 11 , even smaller for reaching or smaller sails
Just sailed my formula on the weekend, used the 7.8 with a 45 cm fin. Im 90 kg. On the plan most of the time. 8 to 10 knots
Thi fin is a 70cm curtis cut to 45 cm.
And yes a lot of sail pumping. Only only had the formula board for 3 weeks.
If you decide on a 10, check out my ads
www.seabreeze.com.au/Classifieds/Windsurfing-Sails/~lbt59/Severne-Reflex-6-10-metre.aspx?_page=19&search=P6K%2Ftsb2rZrARE%2BQ6m0Zxw%3D%3D
Select to expand quotejgsev said..
Thank you all very much for your answers!! I really want it only to have fun, no competition.
Thats why i got mine, to have fun on light wind days but experiment with set ups, especially the sail, bagging out etc. Dont get caught up in too much technical side otherwise it kills the fun a lot. Sometimes i look at my set up and doubt myself a lot until i am on the water and blasting. Just make adjustments as you go.
Enjoy!
Hi guys!
I started trying an 8.6 sail. I have to say that it is a quite comfortable sail. But I experienced that I need at least 12 knots to go (measured, not estimated). So I was trying it a little, and it gaves to me quite a good range: tried even on 22 gusts, quite good, although the swell made it not very stable to control.
After that I decided to have a try to a 10 with a good fin. I can handle it, although it is much more heavy. I think it requires a better technic, especially when tacking. Once put my feet on straps, I feel very confortable. So I think I could sail better with more technic.
I would like to ask you some questions, if you could help me:
- When pumping, where should my feet be, to get a good result? I can see in videos that people put them very close to the traps, or even on them. I put them nearer to the mast, then I feel that I get tired pumping, getting planing and losing planing.
- Tacking, using my feet better than luffing the sail, I suppose. I feel that luffing the sail, i lose my stability and have to do a big effort to get it stable again.
Thank you very much again!
Further to what Powershloshin says about using plenty of downhaul on the sail, actually make sure that you have the correct downhaul. 1 or 2 cms too much or too little downhaul will make the sail unruley and so difficult to handle. It is amazing how these small adjustments make such a big difference. Also the outhaul is important too: best to use the adjustable outhaul. When going upwind, pull it on, and when going downwind, let it off. it makes a big difference.
Also, use an www.easyuphaul.com/easy-uphaul .... and save your energy. This does all the uphaul work for you. Make sure your harness lines are in a perfect spot too. Formula sailing is about having exact settings and saving your energy, not fighting it.
The further back your mast track the more power you will gain from your fin, which is good in light winds but makes the board leave the water when windy. Move mast track forward as the wind picks up and the nose will stay flat and the board wont lift so much.
They are wierd beasts to tame at first but keep trying and enjoy the pure grunt and torqe upwind and the wild deep downwind rides.
Select to expand quoteRoger303 said..
Further to what Powershloshin says about using plenty of downhaul on the sail, actually make sure that you have the correct downhaul. 1 or 2 cms too much or too little downhaul will make the sail unruley and so difficult to handle. It is amazing how these small adjustments make such a big difference. Also the outhaul is important too: best to use the adjustable outhaul. When going upwind, pull it on, and when going downwind, let it off. it makes a big difference.
Also, use an www.easyuphaul.com/easy-uphaul .... and save your energy. This does all the uphaul work for you. Make sure your harness lines are in a perfect spot too. Formula sailing is about having exact settings and saving your energy, not fighting it.
The further back your mast track the more power you will gain from your fin, which is good in light winds but makes the board leave the water when windy. Move mast track forward as the wind picks up and the nose will stay flat and the board wont lift so much.
They are wierd beasts to tame at first but keep trying and enjoy the pure grunt and torqe upwind and the wild deep downwind rides.
Thank you Roger.
Yes, downwind is Wild, I love It haha!
I have much to learn. Just put the adjustable outhaul, have to learn to use it. Also a hand-made easy-uphaul. It gives Life haha.
I agree with all the comments above, including don't give up on the 11.0.
I raced formula for a few years, and thus got the gear for it, but always a couple years behind the young jocks that got new stuff every year. I wasn't all the good anyway, so I never won much. Sometimes I took the podium for my **very advanced** age group.
About 10 years ago I stopped racing and continued to use the formula gear for easy cruising on Puget Sound. When the wind was blowing 10-13 mph, the 11.0 with a 70cm fin on a formula board was the absolute cat's meow for 30 mile cruises. I weigh 90 kg.
At your lighter weight, you could do the same thing with a 9.0 or 10.0. But keep the 11.0 for those "light" days of 8-10 mph.
If you later decide to get into foiling, your formula board is an excellent platform to learn on. For the winds of 12-15 mph, you will be able to use a 5.5 to 6.5 sails on the foil.
I have a 2005 Starboard Formula board, which I sailed recently for the first time in a while.
Tried it previously with a 10.7m RS6 and the 70cm fin. This needed a huge boom and mast and was hard work uphauling and holding up in light wind.
I bought a JP Superlightwind 3 years or so back and found it very easy to sail in comparison to the Formula and had not used the Formula board since until recently. It is for sure my most used board with an 8.6 and sometimes 9.5.
Recent sail on the Formula which was prompted by seeing AusMoz sailing his a few weeks back, was with a 9.5 Overdrive and 58cm fin. Had a friend who was sailing with me on his SLW and similar sized sail.
His JP SLW is the same age as mine but is the slightly larger version from when there were two in the range. We are similar weight, (bit above 100kg) but he would normally always be planning before me.
On the Formula I was consistently planning earlier, and more than him. Formula is similar volume to my SLW, 10cm wider and quite a bit shorter.
Trade off is that the Formula is more intense to sail. Very outboard foot straps and short nose makes sure you have to be concentrating pretty hard the whole time.
Good to be planning in that wind strength though. I would have slogged 90% of the time or switched to a long board on the day otherwise.
