For my never ending quest for the earliest light wind planing, are they better than a large freeride ?
I tried one the other day, really early take off and planing !!!
Board is light and fast.
Did I mention it had a foil underneath ? 
Select to expand quoteImax1 said..
For my never ending quest for the earliest light wind planing, are they better than a large freeride ?
Short answer: NO
Long answer: what exactly do you mean by large freeride?
What you want is a Formula and before you say they are horrible and stick to the water like glue then let go like a cannonball you should put the one you already have back into its original set up, get a big sail, like 12.0mtr big and then learn to sail it. It will plane in 7 or 8 knots.
No different to learning to foil I suspect, just need to take a few stacks and pay your dues before you can really judge what they are like.
Select to expand quoteImax1 said..
^^^
160 liters , 80 wide.
Short answer: NO
Long answer: what exactly do you mean by large freeride? NO NO and NO
Select to expand quotecammd said..
What you want is a Formula and before you say they are horrible and stick to the water like glue then let go like a cannonball you should put the one you already have back into its original set up, get a big sail, like 12.0mtr big and then learn to sail it. It will plane in 7 or 8 knots.
No different to learning to foil I suspect, just need to take a few stacks and pay your dues before you can really judge what they are like.
I hear you , and I'll give it another go .
I think you can use a formula as light wind option up to about 10m sail, anything bigger can be a bit stressing and physically demanding. Talking from my experience, I am medium built and technically challenged
question for the Formula folks
what is your wind minimum for Formula + large sail n fin
and if less than 12 knots, are you obliged to pump (before planing)
or he could start foiling and have it all straight away ! 
(with a few stacks in bonus)
Formula is actually full-on racing in 7 knots of wind. You are definitely pumping with a 12m sail though. (hard work)
With a 10m sail you can still be planning in 8 or 9 knots, but you would not be going up and down wind (course racing), you would be reaching backwards and forwards...
Put a powerful foil on a Formula Board and you should achieve the same results with a 8.5m sail....
You will still have to pump to get on the foil, but it should be a lot easier than pumping a 12m.
Cheers
How do you see the formula class going forward, will it be on foils for light wind and back to fins in the heavy wind?
I'm gonna guess that they will just use smaller sails and foils but not go back to water slapping fins if the majority go to foils. I believe foils will become easier to handle than say a 10m sail. But then again, I've never raced a FM.
In a racing setting, in the quest for extra speed or better angles I would not be surprised if bigger and bigger sails find their way onto foils.
It will be interesting to see if a foiling one design or box rule becomes the dominate class.
If you were after new punters now would be the perfect time to establish a one design class. However, at last count there was about 1000 manufacturers offering foils. Ironically, though I'm yet to see an RSX convertible in person. Even though NP were early to push foils.
Select to expand quoteImax1 said..cammd said..
What you want is a Formula and before you say they are horrible and stick to the water like glue then let go like a cannonball you should put the one you already have back into its original set up, get a big sail, like 12.0mtr big and then learn to sail it. It will plane in 7 or 8 knots.
No different to learning to foil I suspect, just need to take a few stacks and pay your dues before you can really judge what they are like.
I hear you , and I'll give it another go .
cammd , I'm going to give it another go , I've removed the side fins and going to use the half km long fin that came with it . At this stage I'll leave the rear extension because it does give a lot of extra lift. I also moved the straps back ,because the back leg was copping way too much , ( the rear strap is now right at the back of the board ) kinda where it originally was , just a little more inboard , cos I'm heavy.
I won't give up on it just yet 
I like to put my back foot in the strap, hook into the harness, look for a little gust and bit of chop then bear away with a couple of pumps and the board lifts gently onto the plane. From there all I need to do is slip my front foot into the strap and I'm all hooked in and safe from catapults or uncontrollable bear aways or other bad stuff. That's just my technique others will prefer different
I also like to head up wind as soon as I am on the plane so that I can sheet in the sail and rake it back onto the deck, that way the draft is well behind the mast foot and catapults are unlikely. It all just happens with a bit of practice and you don't need to think about it.
Practice in 12-15 when there is enough power to plane easily but the sea state is still pretty mild.
Edit: I should mention if once planing it feels uncomfortable or your getting back hand pressure or excessive spinouts or a sore back or stuff like that its most likely tuning, an untuned formula feels like a pig, a tuned one is a joy, there's little inbetween.
Select to expand quotecammd said..
I like to put my back foot in the strap, hook into the harness, look for a little gust and bit of chop then bear away with a couple of pumps and the board lifts gently onto the plane. From there all I need to do is slip my front foot into the strap and I'm all hooked in and safe from catapults or uncontrollable bear aways or other bad stuff. That's just my technique others will prefer different
I also like to head up wind as soon as I am on the plane so that I can sheet in the sail and rake it back onto the deck, that way the draft is well behind the mast foot and catapults are unlikely. It all just happens with a bit of practice and you don't need to think about it.
Practice in 12-15 when there is enough power to plane easily but the sea state is still pretty mild.
Edit: I should mention if once planing it feels uncomfortable or your getting back hand pressure or excessive spinouts or a sore back or stuff like that its most likely tuning, an untuned formula feels like a pig, a tuned one is a joy, there's little inbetween.
I always start with my back foot in first , so that should be fine. I also hate catapults .
If I can get the straps in the right pozzie I think I can make it work.
Excessive spin outs on a 70 cm fin , wow , that's something to look forward to.
