board and sail sizes

Question
Hi,I'm 5'6''(1.67) and I weigh 150 lbs(68 kg).
I have a bic 283(152 lts,68 cm width) and 6.6.
I can uphaul on this board and I am learning to beachstart.
I can tack, use the harness, and footstraps.
I want to get a smaller, lighter, faster board and I want to ride a smaller sail.
The conditiones are :
Till 2pm 11-15 knots (small chop)
After that 15-20 knts(small chop)

What board volume and sail size you recommend to me? Maybe a Starboard tufskin or Futura? Thanks,Ed


Answer
Hey Ed,

Going to a smaller board will challenge your current skills but that is a good thing. If you go too small, then learning waterstarts will be a must. You should be able to go to around a 120-130ltr board and still uphaul if needed. Anything smaller would be a challenge to uphaul. For sail size, a 5.5 would be the next size to consider to keep your sail/wind range close together.

As for the two boards you mention, the tufskin would be a little more forgiving and you would grow into it easier. The Futura is a fairly advanced board that you would grow into also but the learning curve may be a bit slower. As for long term, you probably would not outgrow either board but once your skills are at an advanced level, the Futura would satisfy your needs better.

Hope this helps.
Keep on sailing,
Windlover