Sail upgrade

[joseluiscosta]

Dear Roger,
Need your help with a sail upgrade I am considering. I weight 175 lbs and sail a 2004 GO 165, my rig is an 8.5 RETRO (490 joystick mast), I use a seat harness, and always sail in open ocean. I also own a 6.5 retro that I never use since wind speed here is VERY low most of the time. In good days we get gusty wind averaging 12 knots, peaking at 14 knots. Most of the time we have 8-9 knots peaking at 11, so even with my 8.5 I find myself schlogging most of the time. When a gust hits I try to follow the steps to get planing, but it is a short-lived effort since the wind drops quickly and I end up rounding up the board.

I was considering upgrading to a 10.0 Retro (plus carbon mast and boom), hoping that it would overcome the marginal conditions at my site. Do you think that would be enough? I would be keeping the current board since the new rig is already a sizable investment. Having said that, I would also appreciate your take on that new JP super light board. Have you tried it? Magazines tend to highlight equipment designed for marginal conditions but they never mention what exactly do they consider marginal.

I appreciate all your help. Cheers,
Jose Luis