Earliest planing with 8.5 m2

[Per]

Early planing on cammed vs. no cam sails depend on a lot of other factors than the actual area of the sail. A 6.2 freestyle sail may pop up a lot earlier than a 6.2 cammed race sail. But the actual range for the two may be something like 12 to 18 knots for the freestyle sail and 14 to 25 knots for the cammed racer. Speed will be seriousely in favour of the cammed one and on manouverability the freestyle sail it the winner. It´s two different worlds.
It's more interestng when it comes to cam vs. no cam freerace sails where you expect the same performance from the sail. Modern no cam freerace sails are very close to the performance of their cammed counterparts (I talk about freerace, not competition slalom/race sails, it's a different game).
To me, for freeriding/freeracing (what 95% of windsurfers do) the no cam is the winner. It's very powerful and fast don't mistake this, and handling is superior to the cammed ones.

[steveC]

Hi Per,

You make some insightful points about the merits of no cam sails. Today, there isn't that much difference when it come to freerace/freeride performance. While I was dedicated to race sails for many years, I now prefer no cams because of their solid performance and exceptional maneuverability. Also, the mast compatibility and rigging ease are very strong incentives to hang tough on no cams.

[Per]

Exactly.. And now back to the subject. Max planing (board) with an 8.5..
Today I tried my 8.5 on a formula 158 with the 70 Drake fin. Winds were like 8 to 14 knots...
Planing was way superior to anything I've ever tried with this sail size. And when the thing was off nothing could stop it.. And I was only on a 8.5 no cam.
Some say that formulas don't work with this (small) size. Well to me there was no doubt. It was great freeriding with a very handy sail in very low wind...