VANCOUVER ISLAND WINDTALK

I'm looking at replacing my aging sails in the next while. I've been using 1998 Sailworks Revolutions for about 5 years now. My wife and I share the sails at Nitinat and I use them for ocean sailing in town. We've been able to get away with a 5.4 and 4.8 for the majority of our sailing. I've got a 6.8 that I'll use for light wind. I really need a smaller sail for winter sailing though - probably a 4.2.

I'm trying to figure out a good 3 sail quiver that will cover us for Nitinat and also the 4.0 days in town. Anyone have any input on figuring out quiver spacing??

I'm leaning towards Sailworks again as I've been really happy with them, but I'd be happy to hear your comments about what else is out there - Ezzy, Hotsails, KA, Northwave etc.

I'll likely be looking at decent used sails so let me know if you're looking to unload some gear

Cheers
Rob

For sure...

You are planning for a joint quiver for you and your wife. I think the best question is when you are on sail size X, your wife is on sail size Y, what is the difference X-Y? If it's 0.5m2 or so, then its easy, just get a quiver with the 0.5 spacing. Yeah it's definitely way overkill for a single sailor's quiver, but might result in less than double the sails for a couples quiver. Just a thought, but not from experience.

Example: 6.2, 5.7, 5.2, 4.7, 4.2, 3.7 may just cover it all for you and your wife. 6 sails versus perhaps 4 for a solo sailor's quiver for that same range.

I am very biased: Goya's. Lots of power & well built.

Sorry for intruding and posting from non-local experience, but hey, its a fine thursday morning and procrastination at the office is in full effect. Bad, very bad...

how critical is the mast used in sails these days? it seems every manufacturer has a recommended mast. That may sway your decision unless you are investing in new masts as well.

fall is a great time to peruse the used market, check the iwindsurf classifieds as well, some guys will ship stuff free up to blaine.

to space out your new quiver just pick the smallest sail you can get away with then multiply by 1.146341 for each ideal consecutive size up. Then you round up or down depending on what size happens to be a good deal and what works with your boom/mast. easy!

4.2 wave will do most heavy days around here, nuking days if they flatten well (Sailworks doesn't IMHO but Ezzy's do this well)
4.7/4.8 wave/ freestyle for some extra juice on marginal days (where sailworks excels)--going to 5.0 is a big gap
5.8 freewave or 5.9 free for light days, nothing bigger really works well on the ocean/in waves anyway

Moving from Sideshore Wave to Onshore/Powersails as size increases has worked well for me. We get onshore and chop which usually dicates power sails for me if you don't have a huge board quiver.

A decent free 6.6 is nice for the lake (if ya can't get going on a 6.6 ya might as well drink beers) but you can also ditch the barn door u have and get your wife's kite for light lake days

I have a primo shape red SR7 4.2 Sailworks; near new shape 2006 Gaastra Manic 4.7 and an eightball Revo 4.8 (cheap); a used 2008 KA 4.7 for $195 .......and of course any new KA stuff at wholesale prices

The question really becomes why pay $160-250+ship for a decent used 2-5yr old sail quiver if you can buy new for $350-380, tx....(saving from $390-570 total presumably and then have the one sail you need blow out when you need it, each day costing you probably $100 for gas, wear and tear, etc....) Rob, you only live once and your windsurfing window is quite small until you limp around like me

As far as masts, most manufacturers will agree that other mast brands work, KA's for example endorse KA and High %C PowerEx (but also basically say Ezzy masts are crap for their sails). It's the guys that ask for slightly different specs than everyone else I really wonder about

SW Revo 4.0, 4.6, 5.2 have been an excellent spread for me, at 155 lbs (71 kg), covering winter IV, Cook, Gordons, and Nitinat. I found the range a much better choice than 4.2/4.7/5.5 (Windwings) which it replaced.
Geoff

I concur with the other "Fish". Barbara and I sail about 0.7 apart and share our quiver - as we are minimalists a 4.0, 4.7, 5.4 pretty much covers most Island days for us, but we'll drag along a 3.5 if it's nukin and a 7.0 and big board if it is light.

Thanks for the input so far It sounds like we're all on the same page.

I'm thinking 4.2/4.8 will work for high wind stuff and something in the 5.5 range for lighter days. I'm not sure if I want to go with a 5.5 Retro or a 5.4-5.8 Revo.....or even a 5.6 Hucker. The 5.4 is a bit light at the Nat sometimes so I thought something a tad bigger would give me a bit more range. I should also mention that my wife and I typically don't sail at the same time as one of us is usually on kid duty.

The next dilemma, especially with used gear, is choosing from what's available. I've seen some good deals on quivers that are a bit bigger (4.7/5.2/5.7) and some a bit smaller (4.0/4.6/5.2) etc. I think with either of these I'd need a 4th sail. It's a tough call. I'm so used to what I've got

I've got a 460 and a 430 but I'll likely need a 400 for any small sail I get. I'll likely get something decent and then upgrade the others down the road.

Decisions Decisions

BTW, I'm not stuck on Sailworks. It's just what I know. I'm open to hearing about others.

Cheers.
Rob