Formula sails the good the bad the ugly

[Chuck]

Early wind seems to be the call sometimes. Like in the last 3-4 days here in Florida. Don't know the why's just the facts. So much for the puritan work ethic. Look, its 830 and its blowing already. Drop everything and go now. That's the bad

The good: had a blast with the 9.8 VMG early today.

The ugly: had to rig up to the 12.5 from there. Yuck by comparison. Steve tells me no sail mftr has made a peppy, "feel nice" 12.5 yet. Do you think its just the sails? Have the masts got the right bend in them? How do all windsurfers (who cares about the brand) find a way around this issue? What else can there be to help 12.5 from feeling spongy and unpumpable? Why can a 11.0 feel great and a 12.5 feel ugly?

[Chuck]

Why does the 11.0 feel normal (kinda) and the 12.5 freakish? Percentage wise, what's the diff? From 9.8 to 11, easy 10%. Then 13.6% from there. But, the current mast technology is still sort of behind the times perhaps? The jump from 9.8 to 12.5 is 25%, yet the feel is 50% different or more in balance, responsiveness, and handling. I suspect the skeleton is the weak link. But, I'm just a layman crying in my beer.

Another thought. maybe it's the fin. Would a bigger one balance the pull of the sail better? I was on a really good one. Best in the business. But, the whole kit felt dead. Maybe I'm focusing in too much on the mast. What was the deal with 70cm being the limit? When was that rule put in place? Were people using 12.5's much back then?

[Steve]

Hi Chuck:

A 12.5 is a huge sail. Even when you consider smaller sails it is very rare that someone likes their biggest sail best. A 12.5 is reaching the point of diminishing returns for the non racer. Although they often have better angle upwind in under 9 knots and off the wind in under 11 or 12 knots. They do not plane a whole lot sooner. In my opinion it is also the hardest sail to get right from a design and tuning point of view. The best thing about the 12.5 is they make your 11.0 feel really good. All that considered when it is blowing 7 to 13 you will not see me on anything else

Best Regards:
Steve Gottlieb
Aerotech Sails

[Koen B-12]

In 2003, I used the 12.5 m² almost 65% of the time (29 times).
I love it, although I must admit that you need some weight and strength to handle it. It takes also some time getting used to it, esp in the beginning of the seazon, comming out of the wintertime, when my body was not in shape. At that moment , it felt heavy. But in the middle of the seazon, I even did 360° with it.
I used 11m² only 4 times, but yes, at the end I realised its better and more fun to pick the 11m as soon as the wind is there.