floater to sinker progress

Question
Hey Windlover,

What size board do you recommend for the perpetual intermediate to transition from floaters to sinkers? I'm 5' 10" and 215 lbs. Except my newer Bic Nova "flying pancake," I have a Bic 320 Calypso and an 1987 Cobra 310. I've never known what liters any of these boards are, so I'm at a loss for comparisons. I'm able to plane, use my footstraps, and hang on in some pretty good wind. But I'm getting left on the beach when the rest of the sailors are flying along in 4.5-5.5 on little boards. Is it just a question of the right sail/board combo, or is this more a matter of practice?

Answer
Hey Rich,

You definitely need a smaller board for 4.5-5.5 conditions. If you haven't started working on waterstarts, then you may need something that will just float you enough to rope start but still give you shortboard performance. Something around 135-145ltr should float you well enough. If you are up to a challenge and plan to really work hard at learning waterstarts, then a 115-125 would be something that you would grow into. You would have to grow into a 135-145 too, but the learning curve would be a bit shorter and you would still have a fast light air board. The key is what the predominate winds are and do they warrant going smaller and working harder to learn shortboard sailing? If you have the ability to take some shortboard lessons, I highly recommend it. If not, Google 'Peter Hart' for some of the best instructional videos available. They are like getting lessons over and over with only one payment.

Hope this helps.
Keep on sailing,
Windlover