Welcome to the International Class Association website for the RS Aero. Here you will find all there is to know about the RS Aero including the latest news, how to register your boat, and links to relevant documents.
| Home >> Technical >> Which Sail Size? |
Dear Peter, thanks for your comments, this makes my decision safe: 7 first, and if it is for fun sailing at low winds not enough power later an additional 9.
Actually I am already in contact with the German Class Association. They are very helpful and maybe I can even sail a regatta as a test.
In my town Krefeld there is a regatta and two others are in less than one hour driving distance, which makes it very probable, that I will participate, once I have bought a boat.
I just need to do the test sailing, beeing still convinced about the choice and than I have the winter to find a boat.
Best regards
Michael
Reply
17/09/2018 20:46:00
Michael Heber
Posts: 63
Hi Michael,
Welcome to the RS Aero Class!
At 70kg you are right for the 7 rig. You are at the light end of the ideal band which is perfect for your small lake.
You might enjoy the 5 rig if it was very windy but as you sail on a small lake (flat water, sheltered, safe) you might be fine with the 7 rig when windy too.
Similarly, you might enjoy the 9 rig in light winds but at 70kg you are a little light as the wind increases.
There is a very good rig choosing guide here;
The decision is not just about your weight, it is also important to consider ability, fitness, location and attitude too.
You are based in Germany and most Class event racing there is currently biased to 7 rigs, which supports that decision. However, like you say, you might enjoy adding a 9 rig later for light wind fun.
There is a German RS Class Association website here; https://rsaero-kv.de/
and also a useful German RS Aero blog by Jorn Domres here; http://aero.domres.info
Reply
17/09/2018 17:18:00
Peter Barton
Posts: 4676
Hello together,
I am new here and sailing since more than 30 years Laser. At our small lake I practically only use the 7 sqm Sail, only for racing in stronger winds the Radial Rigg is an option for me.
Regarding the Aero I am not sure, if I should buy a 7 or 9 sqm sail.
My weigh is 70 kg and I am actually 53.
Maybe the 9 sail opens the possibility to have fun also in lighter winds. On the other hand for racing I assume, that the 7 rigg is better for me.
Is my impression correct, that most of the sailors in a regatta are using the 7er sail? This would be a strong point for me, to buy also a 7er sail and only if it is at low winds too slow for me, adding maybe a 9.
Best regards
Michael
Reply
17/09/2018 10:10:00
Michael Heber
Posts: 63
Although having been a windsurfer for some 25 years, I am a novice in sailing and a total newbie in one hand sailing of such a kind of nothing. My weight is 75 kg and I had a difficult decision what sail seize I should take. From my windsurfing experience I thought about the 9 because most of the time there is too little wind. Fortunately my wife convinced me of choosing the 7.
Today was my first day with the aero. Weak 3 bft. And I was very glad about the smaller seize. For a beginner this is much better. So I had a chance to survive the struggle.
It is such a different sailing compared to surfing or a cat. I will have to learn a lot and practice and practise and .....
Reply
26/06/2015 08:56:24
Cogito
Posts: 4
I have mainly sailed RS800's and Musto Performance Skiffs over the past few seasons, so when I made the decision to get the Aero I initially wasn't sure what sail size to go for. At 64kg I'm on the light end of the scale for the 800 (my crew is similar weight as well) and MPS, but have got used to using a relatively large rig for my weight.
However I felt the 9 was probably going to be a bit of a handful in breeze, especially since my hiking muscles haven't been used in a while!!! So I've gone for the 7 and so far I'm really pleased with it. The Lymington open on the Saturday was going to be the big test for me as it was my first "big breeze" sail in the Aero, and the 7 felt about right. I was maxed out on kicker and cunno, slightly board up upwind and footing off (would be interested to see if anyone has any opinions on this technique as it's very skiffy and I still don't know if it's the right way to sail an Aero yet) and I was roughly keeping pace with the 9 sailors who had dropped to the 7 rig, although as my stomach muscles started to tire I did start to drop back! Downwind I was making up a lot of ground and was where I had the most joy.
On the Sunday when we experienced the complete other end of the beaufort scale (drifting backwards with the tide at times!!) the 7 again felt good, and I didn't ever sit there wishing I had more sail to play with.
Fantastic boat, loving it so far
Reply
25/06/2015 21:42:17
Luke1801
Posts: 1
The 9 rig is a beast. I started with a 7 but was frustrated and feeling that my 80kg was underpowered in the light winds typical of a warm on the Exe so I bought Richard's 9 rig. Now I have a real quandary, I'm often overpowered upwind with the 9 but it's completely brilliant downwind. What do I enter for the summer series? I just don't know!
Reply
Reply
25/06/2015 19:08:52
Chris James
Posts: 17
Although having been a windsurfer for some 25 years, I am a novice in sailing and a total newbie in one hand sailing of such a kind of nothing. My weight is 75 kg and I had a difficult decision what sail seize I should take. From my windsurfing experience I thought about the 9 because most of the time there is too little wind. Fortunately my wife convinced me of choosing the 7.
Today was my first day with the aero. Weak 3 bft. And I was very glad about the smaller seize. For a beginner this is much better. So I had a chance to survive the struggle.
It is such a different sailing compared to surfing or a cat. I will have to learn a lot and practice and practise and .....
Reply
25/06/2015 18:50:33
Cogito
Posts: 4
Just thought I'd add my experience into this discussion as it's a hard decision when you first buy the boat... I'm an experienced inland sailor (76 kg) used to a full size laser sail and thought I'd only ever sail with a 9 rig.
Reality is that the 9 rig is fun to sail, but very powerful. I am using it every week for club racing where the winds are often light and the extra mast height is useful. However at a recent open meeting I had no hesitation in stepping down to a 7 rig... This made the racing fun, whereas in a 9 rig I would have been struggling to control the boat. I guess the wind was only around 15 to 20 knots, with some big gusts. I ended up beating some 9 rigs on the water as well as on handicap.
So - in summary - if I had to chose only one rig I might well have chosen a 7 - which is still faster than a laser. If you have the money and are on the borderline between rigs I would definitely recommend having a small sail too for maximum sailing enjoyment, and don't be afraid to use it!
Note I have also seen 5 rigs being sailed by adults in 30 -40 knots and they had more fun than me in my 7 rig!!
Reply
Reply
28/05/2015 21:04:14
David-at-BroadwaterSC
Posts: 42
I decided that the 5 &7 rigs were right for me. We are a similar weight but I am an old guy who has been sailing Albacores for many years and I also am new to single handed boats. I 've been sailing it for some 9m months and my boat handling has improved but I still have much to learn. Using the 5 rig from a F3 in the early days worked for me when I was getting used to the boat and over time I have become better with the 7 rig in stronger winds. I still use the 5 rig in a F5 + and find it an exciting enough ride and still remain in control; well, most of the time!
Alan 1031
Reply
29/04/2015 07:28:51
skitters
Posts: 20
I am feeling that I may have over reached myself by opting for the 9 rig. I think when I originally ordered the boat I interpreted the rig sizes as 5 - youths, 7 - women, 9 - men and didn't consider things more critically. Looking in more detail I am a little underweight for the 9 rig (about 69 kg) and also being new to single hander sailing am finding it quite a handful, even in relatively moderate winds. I am now wishing I had started smaller and worked up as I gained experience.
I would appreciate advice from those of you who have used the different rig sizes. It seems that the 7 would perhaps be a good all rounder for my weight, but I am also considering the 5 as a good starter rig to learn the boat before moving up. The 5 would also give me an option when the wind gets up and be safer for 'cruising' - i.e. sailing on my own, not racing.
I will put my 9 rig on the For Sale/ Wanted section if anyone is interested in exchanging with a smaller size.
Reply
28/04/2015 22:03:48
Aeronaut
Posts: 8
