Not so fast Greg, Im not done yet You don't need to look hard for dissuasion, just read this blog especially the comments philswindsurfingblog.blogspot.com/2016/0...-wind-board.html?m=1
Nothing more confusing then a discussion by a bunch of know-it-all crusty windsurfers . The real world on the other hand is what Chris reports about his US 147. Which is that those boards are not magic flying carpets no matter what and if you expect a passive planing-sheat in and take off-you are setting yourself up for disappointment.
On paper the Fanatic looks like it has an advantage because of volume , but it is heavier and less stiff which is a low end disadvantage /glass fiber construction, not carbon hence the lower price tag/. So expect a planing threshold similar to the Ultrasonic or 1 mph lower at best and you still have to put some effort to make it happen. So there will be shlogging, you have to be sure about that, but hopefully less then with the Atomiq . My biggest concern from the beginning of this thread is that you may also start looking at bigger sails then your 8.5 instead of working on your planing technique. This will be a big mistake IMO, because without a proper technique a big heavy rig is only a dead weight which is a killer to early planing and youll get overpowered quickly on top of that once the wind picks up a bit. I'm speaking from my own terrible experience with a 9.0 Retro and want to spare you the misery. That's why when you mentioned a 10 m sail in your first post I started freaking out.
Anyway, to summarize-my personal opinion is that a specialist light wind board makes sense for our conditions if you have some spare change , but bigger sails then 8.5 for recreational use rather do not.
PS: You are more of a weekend warrior right? With the occasional after work/leaving early work sessions? If I remember correctly then you are indeed a good candidate for this boards unlike people like me with a flexible schedule. Because I'm choosing my sailing days solely on wind availability and there is usually one windy day a week on average and I can't afford more than that anyway, so if I don't expect to be planing with my 7.5/110 or smaller I won't go out, but work instead to be able to sail when it's windy.

Until this past Fall I was making the jump to a 100 L Starboard Carve but that leap really was too big. I found a 135L Hifly Madd twin fin (I've sailed the 83L Madd several times in the Gorge and have found it to be great) at a really cheap price so I picked it up without sailing it. I did get one day on it this past Fall in gusty 6.5 conditions and was impressed with it. Again not a speedster, but a very solid do all board. It should handle 8.0-5.5 conditions and provide plenty of float should the wind drop off.

STL-Chris wrote: So I thought . Greg will have to keep his 124L Atomiq if he doesn't want a gap between an eventual lightwind board and his new 100L Starship.

Thanks for the advice, Ady. I do like challenges and after 15-20 years without sailing and one season on the water, I'm pretty happy with how I came back into the sport. Much more to improve but there are no conditions that I'm not comfortable with - be a nasty shorebreak, or nice size swell, overpowered in +30 knots, underpowered (that one is easy, ha!), or sailing for 6 hours a day 7 days straight! Now 20lb lighter than when I got back a year ago, I'm pretty happy to handle more than your average 52 y-o gardener!
So, the Lightwind 90cm wide it will be, cause I can't always be OTW when the wind blows (you got that right). A larger sail - probably despite the warnings - cause I'm stubborn and curious (one has to make the mistake to realize it was one... or not!). The 124 L I keep for sure cause it's fun, easy and fast for a big freeride. The 100 L, likely to become the highlight of my season. All set! Thank you.

You are welcome! Can't wait for the water to warm up north so I can pay you a visit.

Ady, I think I'm coming to my senses and ready to ditch the idea of a full-on race sail. ...been doing some more research on the topic and the consensus is that a 4-cam race sail is built for overpowered top end performance and offer no advantages in early planing light wind conditions compared to a freerace 2-cam or freeride no-cam sail. Bummer! I really liked that MauiSails TR2016!

I will sail the Falcon Lightwind with the 8.5 Lion. I also can try to get a larger freerace or freeride sail to amp the power without the disadvantage of a large mast sleeve and heavy fully-battened sail. From 8.5 to 9.5 it is roughly 14-15% more surface. This has to be providing more traction, right?
The easy and cheaper option would be to go Ezzy Lion 9.5 that rigs on a correct size SDM mast and boom I already have. I just wish I could change the color of the sail to something less neutral and more fun...

In 30 mph wind 13-14% area difference is huge, in 10 mph is next to nothing. What matters in light wind most is weight! If you are over 200 lb guy go for 9.5, if not 13-14% may or may not lower your planing threshold with 1 mph. Is it worth the expense? And there is the uphauling/ waterstarting, jibing, shlogging, carrying out of the water etc etc. Give yourself a season with the 8.5 to get to know your board and rig better and then decide if you still need anything bigger or not. Meanwhile if you happen to sail with someone with a bigger sail, don't hesitate to ask them to swap riggs for a turn or two.
Ella has captured some of my struggles with oversized sails back then. In the pictures: gerting out and waterstarting with a 8:5 Loft Switchblade , beachstarts impossible with a 50 cm fin.






And yes multicam sails are designed for top end and speed, the low end rather sucks. In the pic below: 3 cam 8.5 still manageble when everyone else is on 6.5s or less.




In contrast the camless 7.5 has plenty of low end for my 170 lbs and is light enough to let me do stuff like Duck Jibes-a worthy trade off for a bit more shlogging .

Back to boom hight Just checked the 2017 Ezzy catalog and what draw my attention right away in the Cheetah pictures is how high Kevin Pritchard has his boom! Also ginormous harness lines to keep the rig up and away from his body on a straight front arm, he got it from me I guess

Look who knocked at the door today? One word: Spoiled.

Wow, nice board, Greg. Now all you need is an 11.7 sail to go with your 90cm of pure planing lust. And you too can be planing on glassy water like this guy at Eagle Creek over in Indianapolis.

Aerotech 11.7 sail
Starboard Freeformula 158
Eagle Creek, Indianapolis

@1:45 looks pretty fast for barely any wind. Be curious to know how much this guy weighs... 70-75kg?
That's ironic: yesterday, I was going to give the Falcon its first "bath" but the wind was blowing too strong? Ha!
Here's a few more views of the toy...

Awesome!