Intermediate board

Question
Hello!

I am still gathering info for my next intermediate board.
I am now convinced that a 160 lts would be too little of a change from my current Rio .Perhaps a 145 lts or even a 130-135 lts  would  be more appropriate. At 79 kg, though, I feel that  a 135 lts would be the minimum I can go down to without compromising some basic stability and still retaining a fair up-hauling capability.

There are a number of makes I am looking at , with a substantially lower weight ( 8.5 kg as compared to 14 kg),a bit narrower but not too narrow ( 72-76 cm) . I notice though that they are all really short : 245 cm and I wonder whether this extreme shortness does not translate into more difficult handling.
The boards I am looking at are the Fanatic Shark, the Tabou Rocket   and the AHD Fast Forward ( the latter being the longest at 256 cm, but still much shorter than my  current 275 cm  Rio.)

One of the factors, though, which must guide my choice is that the new board must match the size of the sail(s) I have. Currently, I have a 5.9 and an 8.5 for the light wind end of the range and I  don't want to buy a new( larger) sail to fit the design of the new board.

So, going a bit backward, I'd like to know which board volume size can take an 8.5 for planing at the light wind end of the spectrum.( about 10-12 knts)
With a 8.5, would a 145 lts board be underpowered for such light-wind planing ?
Would a 130-135 be more recommended?

Thank you


Franco

Answer
Hey Franco,

As far as matching your sails to the three boards you mention, the sail range of the Fanatic and the Tabou are both 6.0-8.5. The AHD sail range is 5.5-9.0. This being said, sail range is just what the manufacturer recommends for the average size sailor on a particular board. For most of us, going with a little smaller or little larger sail than recommended will not be a problem. Most boards can be ridden with 0.5-1 meter larger sail and about 0.5 meter smaller. The only thing about using a board for it's full range is you may want a smaller fin for the small sail range.

All three of these boards should plane in 10-12 kts with an 8.5. The Taboo is getting the best reviews for light wind planing with the AHD and then the Fanatic. All three get good reviews for all round sailing with the Fanatic being a bit harder to keep on a plane when the conditions are marginal.

Hope this helps.
Keep on sailing,
Windlover