Windxtasy said...

re vent screws
after sailing boards without them for years I have had a couple of mishaps where I have forgotten to put them in until out on the water. Shock! Horror! Guilt. Quick trip back to shore to put in the screw.

What I do now: After each sail I undo the screw and put it into a little cloth drawstring bag which I attach to my front footstrap with a red pipecleaner.
It is so obvious I can't forget to put the screw in before each sail, and the screw can't fall out during transport.
I'm told it looks really girly but it works.

Great idea..Ill have to make one..

i remember when the first vented boards started to turn up at the local beach.

i think it was an ahd or something like that. it was new, and shiny and everyone was well impressed.

was awindy day so said guy left it in the car, vent sealed and went sailing for a few hours. got back to find the board a big bubble in the back of his car.

i thnik i also saw tears.

one of the wello guys a year or so ago actually melted the nose of his board in the car. the sun was like a magnifying glass on the rear window.

car=locked=bad

yep, the board that had the melt was in it's bag. "from memory"

Scully said...

i have a mate that had his laptop melt to the the passenger seat up in broome :P

No wonder they say not to leave kids or pets in a locked car! The materials they make the car dash etc from must be durable..

2nd sail
I did my usual thing & spent most of the sail subplaning with the 5.7m in c 8 -12kts.I was trying to work upwind before I "let loose". My old technique doesnt work with this board.On my narrower board I sink the windward rail & it goes upwind well & is stable.I found with the wider board sinking the windward rail made it less stable as the wider shape got pushed around more by waves & boat wake & was less stable.Also didnt help it go upwind.Ive since been told best to weight the leeward rail but keep it pretty flat.
The few times I got going I found the stance / footstraps much more ergonomic & user friendly than my old board.On my old board I have to get in & stuff around to try & get comfortable to go offwind. This one just asks to go once your in.I put the rear straps outboard as thats where i felt I needed them.
Due to being used to old 90's sails that were unstable & scary at the top of their wind range I'm used to rigging sail size for the gusts so I dont get overpowered . I think Ill have to get out of that mindset & rig larger esp as the sails I have now are more recent. I think this board will be great fun & less tiring powered up.
At the end of the day when i was buggered I got a 6.2 cambered race sail & went out for a run & wow! What a difference! I'm buying the sail so at least I should get going in 10kts +
This board does amazingly tight & smooth gybes( I didnt exit on the plane but still.. ) so that Ill be great for the times you dont want to lose too much ground gybing. I read a review & my old board is designed for wider turns which probably explains why I havent had much luck gybing tighter ones..
Havent jumped it yet. By the time I actually got enough wind to plane Id been out for 2hrs & I was buggered.

sboardcrazy said...
Modern boards mustnt be as durable as older ones. I have a 96 epoxy waveboard that hasnt got a vent , been in wet board bags etc etc & never any trouble..also the 2002 Hifly never has trouble in wet bags etc & Ive never opened the vent..never knew it existed.
Are they using different materials to the older ones..?

I think it's probably due to the different method of construction on the boards of the last 10 years or so.
The original boards were just a foam core covered with a layer of plastic or fibreglass. This is the same constuction as your old surfboard and none of these had vents or needed them.
The later boards have a samwich type construction, still with a foam core but the outer layer is multiple layers of various materials to get maximum strength for minimum weight.
Some of these materials inherently have trapped air in them or between the layers and it is the air which is the problem because it expands and contracts with temperature.
Thus boards using this type of construction need vents.

The up side is, they are very much stronger for a much lighter weight.
My old plastic triple fin Windsurfer, a great board for its time, weighed 14 kilograms. Most new boards of the same size weigh half that or less.

Thought Id resurrect this post.Well its only taken 6 weeks but I finally got some decent wind to test out the Rocket.
YAHOOO!!!!!!!!!!!
If only I lived in WA what a ball Id have!
Anyway reasonably solid 20kts maybe occ 25kts.I was a bit worried about how it would fare as I bought it for a lightwind 5 - 15kt type board & as its 125ltres & Im 64kg I thought it might be a bit of a handful in stronger winds.
It was onshore too & I wasn't sure how Id go working out to get some space.
Makes a difference when theres enough wind to plane..working upwind is so much better! Got out in 1 tack . It blasts! Pretty choppy some 2' waves but it just spat across the top smoothly & easily.Other tack was choppier but I finally got to jump it.Wore myself out chop hopping ( or attempting them ). Got 3 in a row last run..Let out some loud " yeehaa's ! anyone on shore probably thought I was a fruitcake..
I only lasted 1/2 hr but I was starting to wear out and I figured Id start to hang off like a sack of spuds & probably start to stack it as it was lumpy & required a bit of attention.Plus I was on a high & wanted to quit while I was ahead.. Havent had a sail like that for .......??
If only I could afford to replace all my boards with Tabous...

Congratulations Sue. Looks like you are on a roll. Like that last shot.