QLD
144 posts
Yep fair enough. Should have bought the matching extension to sail but wasn't fully aware that each manufacturer has a different "system" if you will. Sure I'll be able to work around it with some experimentation. At least I'm getting the matching mast/sail combo so I got something right.
It does feel like we've moved to more of an "ecosystem" style of buying gear, I just didn't really notice the change as I wasn't actively buying gear while it happened.
QLD
144 posts
I'm a minimalist but also an impulse buyer. I'm in a perpetual sell/regret/buy loop.
QLD
144 posts
Ahhh OK, see that's quite interesting, block to block. I would never have thought that would be the way to go, I've only ever known the "bottom of pulley" method (as per the Maui Sails rigging diagram in the previous thread you linked to).
When you are at block-to-block, are you at that sail's "high wind" setting? Or in Simmer/Severne-land, is there only "normal" (block to block) and "light" (downhaul eased off a bit)?
That information certainly changes how I think about this, so I appreciate your time taken to type that out.
I'll watch that video you linked to in order to try to understand it.
Out of curiosity: if you set your Severne extension at a number "X", then put a tape measure from the top of the collar (i.e. where bottom of mast would be), at what point on your extension would your tape measure read "X"? At the top of the extension's pulley block? Or some place above that? If the latter, is that place marked on the extension somehow?
MP
QLD
144 posts
Yep, absolutely understand the first step of setting the extension.
My question is (and always has been): how far do I pull? In other words, where should the sail pulley be in relation to the extension?
MY understanding (and correct me if I'm wrong) is that the lowest part of the sail pulley should be in-line with the arbitrary pont on the extension that is the distance away from the bottom of the mast of the amount of downhaul you're aiming for.
So, as an example, if I'm aiming for a downhaul of 21cm (because that's what's printed on my sail), the bottom of my sail pulley should be 21cm away from the bottom of the mast.
So, what I (and from what I gather from the last thread you linked to, most other people with more than one extension) end up doing is marking that reference point on the extension itself, and just eyeballing the bottom of the sail pulley against that line that I've drawn. If it's windy, I eyeball in an extra cm. If light, I eyeball in a cm less.
So, just to expand my knowledge here, if I had a Severne sail and a matching Severne extension, how do I know exactly when to stop pulling so I have the exact downhaul specified on the sail? Is there a marking on the extension that you're lining up with some point on the sail that tells you "yep, exactly there, I now have exactly 21cm of downhaul"?
QLD
144 posts
Oh it doesn't worry me! It just annoys me.
If you're gonna produce and sell a product that you're asking the consumer to use a certain way, then give them unambiguous tools to do that.
I still check my setting with a tape measure every time because my memory doesn't let me store those things away. I just wish I didn't have to.
MP
QLD
144 posts
That seems to be the common theme, rig it till it looks right, but I just don't get out enough to be able to equate what the sail looks like on the beach with how it's feeling on the water.
And because I don't sail as much as I want to, the last thing I feel like doing is braving the shore break to tweak the settings by 5mm for a change that may or may not be better, or given the other 200 variables, noticeable!
So I'll always be a "numbers" guy, and I'm ok with that.
QLD
144 posts
That old thread was quite a ride, but if anything it just proves to me how much the industry stuffed up the overarching measurement issue. They said "be precise" but failed to design in the tools that would support that precision.
My brand new Goya extension doesn't remove any of the confusion. It has a fairly obvious gold coloured pin that (I presume) anchors the carbon tube to the plastic pulley housing. Now, you would think that this very visible point would make a great "0" reference point for the bottom of the sail pulley to line up to when rigging.
But does the distance from the top of the collar to that point equal what measurement the extension is currently set to? No. No it does not. That turns out to be an (unmarked) point unevenly between the pin and the top of the plastic collar.
Opportunity missed.
QLD
144 posts
Do sail manufacturers typically commit to a mast bend curve for a certain amount of time? Are you generally safe to mix sails and masts from the same manufacturer a few years apart?
Is it feasible to test mast bend curves at home?
MP
QLD
144 posts
I have a custom wave board that doesn't have any options for the width of the strap (i.e distance between the fixing screws).
I have narrow feet so in my production board I like to run my straps one hole "tighter" than standard.
The current Dakine straps I have on the custom have these little plastic mouldings at each end that rule out the use of the usual "offset washer" style of narrowing the straps, also, the board is setup for two screws per end rather than the single central one at each end, and I've never seen a two hole offset washer.
Has anyone come across a brand or model of footstrap that provides good width adjustability "built in" to the footstrap, or failing that, any other hack I could use to run my straps a bit narrower?
Matt P
QLD
144 posts
As I get closer to retirement, I really want to commit to my windsurfing a bit more, and at least make it to "competent" in small waves. I have no delusions about my ability. I've never really invested in equipment, just bought what I could afford at the time.
I'd like to hear people's opinions on types of boards and rigs that will give me a relatively easy time on the water, particularly on the rig side. What are the "user friendliest" sails, and which booms are the easiest on the hands?
Also any advice on how I can rig that stuff for an easier, cruisier time on the water, which will hopefully lead to more time out there, which will hopefully lead to some improvement.
Current setup is a Fanatic Tri Wave (quite like it) and a couple of Hot Sails Firelights from a few years ago. Inexpensive carbon mast and ALU booms. I'm late 50's, around 80kg. Fairly cardio fit for my age but not particularly strong.
Any advice or insight hugely appreciated.
Matt
