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Northwave Mast compatability
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U2U2U2



Joined: 06 Jul 2001
Posts: 5467
Location: Shipsterns Bluff, Tasmania. Colorado

PostPosted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 10:41 am    Post subject: Northwave Mast compatability Reply with quote

Iam looking at trying several Northwaves, the Nano and or the Surflite.

Since they did sell Powerex and now NoLimitz, and since Ezzy are similar to both, my conclusion would be Ezzy masts would work pretty good, any confirmation ?

As well the Northwave site doesn't not show size masts for the Nano, anyone know what mast size is recommended for the 3.2 ?

Cheers

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kmf



Joined: 02 Apr 2001
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 12:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

If you can wait until tomorrow, you can call up Chris at NW and ask him.

KMF
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U2U2U2



Joined: 06 Jul 2001
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 12:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I called on Sat, they have winter hours now.
They are not open till Tues. No hurry on my end and I need to ask some questions anyway.
thanks

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johnl



Joined: 05 Jun 1994
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Location: Hood River OR

PostPosted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 3:01 pm    Post subject: Re: Northwave Mast compatability Reply with quote

U2U2U2 wrote:
Iam looking at trying several Northwaves, the Nano and or the Surflite.

Since they did sell Powerex and now NoLimitz, and since Ezzy are similar to both, my conclusion would be Ezzy masts would work pretty good, any confirmation ?

As well the Northwave site doesn't not show size masts for the Nano, anyone know what mast size is recommended for the 3.2 ?

Cheers


I would guess a 370 since that is the smallest size they normally recommend. But it also would stick out the top quite a bit. My understanding is that EZZY and NoLimitz are made by the same company but their specs are not the same. This is my understanding, and this could have changed. So in theory a EZZY would work, but it might not be the same as a NoLimitz which is their recommended mast.

Why the surflite over the ZX or the Featherlite? The only reason I would pick that sail over the others is if I was actually using it mostly for wavesailing. I can say the surflites are really bomber though. I still have my 1999 and 2000 surflites. They are pretty much in the same condition that they were when I bought them used in 2001.....
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U2U2U2



Joined: 06 Jul 2001
Posts: 5467
Location: Shipsterns Bluff, Tasmania. Colorado

PostPosted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 3:17 pm    Post subject: Re: Northwave Mast compatability Reply with quote

johnl wrote:
U2U2U2 wrote:
Iam looking at trying several Northwaves, the Nano and or the Surflite.

Since they did sell Powerex and now NoLimitz, and since Ezzy are similar to both, my conclusion would be Ezzy masts would work pretty good, any confirmation ?

As well the Northwave site doesn't not show size masts for the Nano, anyone know what mast size is recommended for the 3.2 ?

Cheers


I would guess a 370 since that is the smallest size they normally recommend. But it also would stick out the top quite a bit. My understanding is that EZZY and NoLimitz are made by the same company but their specs are not the same. This is my understanding, and this could have changed. So in theory a EZZY would work, but it might not be the same as a NoLimitz which is their recommended mast.

Why the surflite over the ZX or the Featherlite? The only reason I would pick that sail over the others is if I was actually using it mostly for wavesailing. I can say the surflites are really bomber though. I still have my 1999 and 2000 surflites. They are pretty much in the same condition that they were when I bought them used in 2001.....


the Surflite// 2x// 2x9 acome in 3.2m size , the recommened mast size is 340 them all.

the Featherlight comes in 3.7 as the smallest.

the Nano is 3.2 but it has no specs for a mast, it is most likely a 340.

from my materials the NL and Ezzy are "close" in mast bend curve

being 12 13 or 14, but that is only a portion of the story. Somewhere back Northwave sold and recommended Powerex as well...certainly in 2001

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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 4:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nolimitz didn't have a 340 when I bought a 340, so I use a 1.1-kg 340 Gulftech 100% Carbon Needle with my NW 3.2s. It weighs next to nothing, got rave reviews back then, and holds the sail up, so I'm happy. You now have more choices.

Here are excerpts from my pre-season Nano 3.7 test drive review last year:

<< Very aptly named. It's very light, crisp but forgiving, broad range considering its size, very lively and extremely easy to throw around. Should be a hit for highly active shredders in high winds in this size, and, in larger sizes, for anyone intrigued by its name. Even when I finally got blown off the water the COE hung tough; I had too much power (relative to my late afternoon first-day-of-the-season fatigue level) rather than experiencing back-hand pressure.

I didn't get to compare it directly to my 3.7 Featherlite, but I suspect [and subsequent teats verified] the FL is a bit more "quiet" ... more stable yet still extremely maneuverable. As I was bouncing around in the terrain, the Nano was moving around quite noticeably in my hands. That made it easy to flick deliberately, but it needed constant attention to keep it fairly still when I wanted to mow a stretch of lawn when powered way up. I think that for my needs, I'd prefer the FL's quieter feel. As soon as I get a session on my 3.7 FL, I'll let you know what 3.7 to build me. Absolute minimal weight isn't a big factor in that size range.>>

I ended up having my 3.7 built this way:
• Fickinlite (says so on the sail) model (because the Nano was so busy -- not twitchy, just busy -- in winds gusting towards 50 on big chop).
• Dacron leech for slightly softer (than Technora) gust impacts.
• Lower window panel of pvc instead of mono (to soften the square edges of the biggest gusts, which are rough on old shoulders. They added a load strip in the window to lessen its softness, and the result is perfect, for me. I can feel the window giving just enough when Thor pounds the sail to round off the square edges of the worst pulses, so all I feel is smooth acceleration without the fricking WHAM so common to super-gusty springtime frontal or jet stream winds.)
• Extra foot batten seam shaping (to be called the SS model, last I heard).

I went a step further in gust-busting performance with the 3.2 last season.
My previous 3.2 was a Technora-leeched 2010 ZXL, and since it's my smallest sail, it sees square-wave gusts into the 50s, where its super-strong leech can hit hard. I considered a more forgiving Dacron-leeched ZXL (they don't make Featherlites in that size), but after much testing and discussion with Chris, I went with the Surflite in the 3.2. I also substituted carbon tube battens in the Surflite for maximum stability in those same gusts. [ZERO second thoughts. That damned sail makes even the very biggest, squarest gusts feel like sine waves of power. No BOOM, all ZOOM.]

I used to like maximal crispness in my sails' response, but it's a drawback in the unusually strong, unusually harsh gusty winds we had last year (the desert didn't heat up until late summer, so we had frontal winds much of the season). I was very glad I had changed all my leeches (I think that includes my 6.2) to Dacron from Technora for 2012. The last thing I want is an instantaneous 200-300% increase in power due to a sudden doubling of the ambient wind speed slamming unexpectedly into an unyielding leech just as I dive off a lip into the trough. Soft is good, IMO ... in this sport.

In summary, and IMO (plus feedback from cheechakos like Dana Miller, in part):
• Featherlites fantastic, IMO an increment over ZXLs in range and speed.
• Technora leech provides most instantaneous acceleration in gusts, but at a penalty of really feeling the harshest gusts. I didn't care at 65, I do at 70.
• Dacron leech pads the front bumpers of those gusts.
• Extra seam shaping option adds a bit of grunt power. I noticed no rotational stiffness with it, as was a slight concern. I'll have it put in all my 2013s.
• Around here, for me, 3.7 usually means averages well into the 30s with huge square gusts on non-thermal days. I really appreciate the softer feel of a dacron leech and small vinyl window in sub-4.0 sails in those conditions.
• Who needs 5 battens in a 3.2? The Surflite is a phenomenal sail in small sizes, transforming gusty frontal CRAP into smooth thermal marvels. My first whole day on a Surflite 3.7, while most people cursed the frontal gusts and rerigged often, was 10 hours of perfect, untiring wind.
• The Nano boosts ultimate handling responsiveness at a slight cost in RIG (not draft) stability in harsh terrain and extra-gusty wind. It's simply a busier sail than the other NWs, IMO, and since I rig big and try to sail powerfully, I appreciate the slightly quieter feel of the others. A finesse sailor may well prefer the Nano.
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U2U2U2



Joined: 06 Jul 2001
Posts: 5467
Location: Shipsterns Bluff, Tasmania. Colorado

PostPosted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 8:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I will see what NW has to say about Ezzys masts


the Nano sounds like it is twitchy, even though you described it as busy

but most smaller sails are. prime ingredient here for me is the mast.

I have n older SX, is that the predecessor of the Surflite, or what ?

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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 10:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I don't remember what the SX is; Google implies it's a wave sail from the late '90s.

I very deliberately chose the word "busy" and ruled out the word "twitchy" in reference to the Nano. I've owned literally dozens of 2.8 to 3.8 sails of many brands and tested another 12-15 of many more brands, in winds from upper 20s to lower 60s, from 1982 to today, so I know twitchy. It's a constant, necessary, and sometimes desperate search for the correct sheeting angle at each moment due to a fine line between power, no power, and too much power.

That's not the Nano. Its power is steady, its sheeting angle tolerance is wide, and its foil is very stable. What's changing, unless I make a conscious effort to quell it, is its position in my field of view. It just feels so light and compliant that it is willing to move around in my field of view when I don't need that distraction. I'd probably get used to it, but just as I can't walk without falling down while carrying anything blocking my view, a sail shifting around in front of my face exacerbates my impaired balance. I don't need the extra distraction.
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johnl



Joined: 05 Jun 1994
Posts: 1330
Location: Hood River OR

PostPosted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 10:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Personally I just use a 370 with my 3.2. Sure you COULD buy a new mast in the 340 size. But I find my 3.2 gets used 2 - maybe 3 times a season. Hardly worth the price of a new mast. And it also works "okay" with a 370. But my 3.2 is ZX-11, I can't say if a nano would feel the same...
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U2U2U2



Joined: 06 Jul 2001
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Location: Shipsterns Bluff, Tasmania. Colorado

PostPosted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 10:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The question is if the Ezzy mast will work, AS in an acceptable level of performance with the Nortwave sails.

I have a 340 .

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