hey there all back for some more advice since i got some great help here b4, am a beginner going intermediate (i think) , and weigh 68 kgs. just got a new 120litre board recently and have started to get the hang of it, however sail kit is a bit lacking. have a new 4.9 which ive had out once in too light winds for it, so dont know what wind range its likely to be any use in yet, and have a 7.0 freeride which is a heap of fun in medium to stronger winds on flat water, but dont rekon id like to use it in the bay, could be a handfull, so for bay sailing on a bit of chop in 15 to 25 knots, i figure at least 1 more sail would be a good idea, so quesion is what size(es) and what wind ranges would they suit and what would be best and easiest to handle.thanks heaps in advance coz i know ur a helpfull bunch...
p.s. can you get a reasonably priced wind speed guage thingy to get some idea of wind strength b4 rigging up....
thanx ....ciao
I think that if you got a 6.0 to add to your quiver you should be pretty sweet from 15 knots to about 35 knots.
I've only got one sail at the moment, it's a 5.9 freeride and on a 125litre board it's sweet from 20 knots to about 27.
7.0 should be good in the 15 to 20 knot range. And the 4.9 from 27 to 35, maybe.
I want to buy myself a sail around the 7.0 meter mark, then I'll be right most of the time in Queensland.
cool thanx nikita, am i right in thinking my 7.0 freeride would be too bulky or heavy on bay swells or am i not giving the sail enough credit for being easy enough to use.
hi x-sprt guy,
the best tip would be to buy all the same model sails in their different sizes. that's not always possible though.
getting lots of different brand sails can lead to gaps or cross overs in the quiver.
that said.
what type/brand of sails are you using?
If you cant get same model, try same sort of sail (i.e. wave, freeride etc etc)
I think 5.7-6.0 would be the go. Smaller gaps in sizes between smaller sails, bigger gaps in sizes between bigger sails.
thanx gestalt youve actually led straight into my next question, i have a 2005 neil pryde 7.0 v8 and an 08 neil pryde 4.9 zen. my next question was i'd heard that (from a shop who apears to have a vested intrest in mainly selling pryde gear) that the maufactures design their masts/sail and other gear to be compatible, which makes sense. however had partly dissmised this figuring the manufacturer would say this to keep u buying their gear, and was starting to wonder if mixing brands was a good or bad option
This is true -sadly... Particularly for NP... Some sails may work on Pryde masts, some may not...
I'd get something between a 5.5 and a 6.0. This would be good from 15 - 25 knots, easy to throw around and will let you get into some waves later on.
I would get a wavesail with lots of x-ply, being relatively new you'll punish your gear, and X-ply is more resilient than monofilm 
. Most brands have something in this range.
Regarding wind strength, look at the water. If it's not very windy, rig the 7. If it's nicely windy, rig the 5.8. If it's f'kn windy rig the 4.9. Easy 
thanx ppl, great answers and great info, figured most sails i would buy from here on would be wave/crossover, i had become aware of the strength of x-ply and figured them a good option, am loving blasting but ambitiously headin toward some basic wave stuff, so i figure having already dented a mono panel with harness hook, that punishment is gunna be par for the course for a while, thats why trying to keep brand options open so i might have more options with late model s/h sails. is starting to look like im caught in a NP loop with my NP masts and other gear tho
A 6.0 would fit in between your existing sizes. I'm 69kg and I use the following:
4.2m 25+ knots;
5.0m 20-25 knots;
5.8m 15-20 knots;
6.6m up to 15knots.
I'm looking at buying something around 7.5 to 8.5 for winds around 10 knots. I seen other sailors of similar weight use bigger sails but I don't knnow how they do it. I tried using my 5.8 (downhalued to the max with floppy leach all the way to the clew) in 20knots but still got hammered (think a smaller fin may of helped).
hey mate,
im 68kgs, ride a 84litre board and have a 4.2, 4.5, 5.0,6.0. all sails are neil pryde. these sizes get me out in almost every condition!! i think a 5.7-6.0 would be the way to go! i also have all pryde rigs! i think that the same brand everything is the best way to go. since i got all the same rigs i found my sails rig alot better and feel lighter.
thanx again everyone, i guess its off to my not so local shop to look through their fairly decent range of s/h sails for something tough around 5.7. hmmm.... i guess to make the trip worthwhile id better take my board since the shop is right next to a good sailing spot.... oh well the things you have to do eh
