Kite, sail & wing size calculator
Your weight, today's wind, your discipline — the gear size that fits. Kitesurf kites, windsurf sails and wing foil wings, with the closest real sizes you can actually buy.
Closest real size: 11.0 m² (ideal at ~15 kt)
Wind picking up → 10.0 m²
Wind backing off → 12.0 m²
Rule-of-thumb for flat-ish water and steady wind. Gusty spot or waves? Take the smaller size. And remember the number that matters is the gust, not the average — check both.
Kite size chart
Kite size in m² for an intermediate twin-tip rider (kite ≈ 2.2 × kg ÷ kt, the J. Douglass baseline most kite calculators use). Freestyle riders often go one size down; lightwind foilers much smaller.
| Weight | 12 kt | 15 kt | 18 kt | 22 kt | 26 kt | 30 kt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55 kg | 10.1 | 8.1 | 6.7 | 5.5 | 4.7 | 4.0 |
| 65 kg | 11.9 | 9.5 | 7.9 | 6.5 | 5.5 | 4.8 |
| 75 kg | 13.8 | 11.0 | 9.2 | 7.5 | 6.3 | 5.5 |
| 85 kg | 15.6 | 12.5 | 10.4 | 8.5 | 7.2 | 6.2 |
| 95 kg | 17.4 | 13.9 | 11.6 | 9.5 | 8.0 | 7.0 |
Windsurf sail size chart
Freeride sail size in m² for an intermediate sailor. Wave sailing runs 0.5–1 m² smaller; slalom and early-planing setups bigger. Below ~12 kt you're pumping to plane on any of these.
| Weight | 10 kt | 12 kt | 15 kt | 18 kt | 22 kt | 26 kt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55 kg | 5.7 | 5.2 | 4.7 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 3.6 |
| 65 kg | 6.8 | 6.2 | 5.5 | 5.1 | 4.6 | 4.2 |
| 75 kg | 7.8 | 7.1 | 6.4 | 5.8 | 5.3 | 4.9 |
| 85 kg | 8.9 | 8.1 | 7.2 | 6.6 | 6.0 | 5.5 |
| 95 kg | 9.9 | 9.0 | 8.1 | 7.4 | 6.7 | 6.1 |
Wing foil size chart
Wing size in m² for an intermediate wing foiler on a floaty board. Add 0.5–1 m² while learning; drop half a size once your pumping is dialled.
| Weight | 12 kt | 15 kt | 18 kt | 22 kt | 26 kt | 30 kt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55 kg | 4.3 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 2.9 | 2.7 |
| 65 kg | 5.1 | 4.5 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.2 |
| 75 kg | 5.8 | 5.2 | 4.8 | 4.3 | 4.0 | 3.7 |
| 85 kg | 6.6 | 5.9 | 5.4 | 4.9 | 4.5 | 4.2 |
| 95 kg | 7.4 | 6.6 | 6.0 | 5.5 | 5.0 | 4.7 |
Common questions
What size kite do I need for 15 knots?
Rule of thumb: kite size = 2.2 × your weight in kg ÷ wind in knots. At 15 knots that's an 11 m² kite for a 75 kg rider, 9 m² at 60 kg, 13 m² at 90 kg — assuming a twin-tip and intermediate level.
Is the calculation the same for gusty conditions?
No — size for the gusts, not the average. If the spot reads 15 gusting 22, rig for something closer to 20. On gusty days take the smaller of two candidate sizes; a slightly underpowered kite is annoying, an overpowered one is dangerous.
What's the minimum wind to kitesurf, windsurf or wing?
About 8 knots for kitesurfing (with your biggest kite), 7–10 knots to start moving on a windsurfer (planing needs 12–15), and 8–10 knots for wing foiling once you can pump onto the foil. Below that it's paddle territory.
Do beginners need bigger or smaller gear?
Kite and sail: smaller — you give up some power for control while learning. Wing: bigger — the extra area helps you get on the foil, so wing charts add 0.5–1 m² for beginners.
The size is only half the answer — the other half is what the wind is doing right now.
WindNow shows live wind speed, gusts and direction from real coastal weather stations across France, Croatia and Slovenia — minutes old, not a forecast.
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