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Foundering on New Kona One
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Mgoetz



Joined: 06 Jun 1997
Posts: 53

PostPosted: Sun Jul 21, 2013 9:54 pm    Post subject: Foundering on New Kona One Reply with quote

Although I bought this board to get out on the water to tour around, I have been in numerous situations where the wind inevitably has picked up and am trying to get this 35 lb beast to plane in 13-15 knots. The issue I'm having is that it seems like it's getting ready to take off, you know, you can feel it wanting to just break free,
so I move back, rack back, set my feet in the straps, and.....it all sort of peters out. On any shortboard I've sailed, transitioning to the straps and raking back on the sail allows the board to really take off... but it seems like that approach does not work well with this board. It almost seems that I would be better off keeping my feet forward and in the middle than moving them toward the rear straps. Would appreciate any insight as to how to keep this board on a plane.
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wynsurfer



Joined: 24 Aug 2007
Posts: 940

PostPosted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 5:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

What size sail, and how much do you weigh? Sounds like you just dont have enough power. I weigh 150 and use a 7.5 when the wind is averaging 15mph. If it's only averaging 12 I find it difficult to get on a plane with the 7.5. I'm on an old longboard, F2 strato. Also try pumping the sail several times. You may be raking the sail back too much, don't over do it. Having a big enough fin also helps.

On days where the wind is just not steady enough I have the same trouble. I can get the board on a plane for a while, but in the lulls I drop off a plane and have to move forward. Nice thing about a longboard is they sail well undepowered. So maybe the wind is just not steady enough.

There is also a technique where you kind of try to lift the tail by sort of hopping up and down once your feet are in the straps. I forget what they call this. I also rig my booms a bit higher when on a longboard, about eye level. This I find helps to apply mast base pressure as you move back on the board.

Hope this helps keep trying!
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whitevan01



Joined: 29 Jun 2007
Posts: 607

PostPosted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 7:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

mgoetz,
not that I have a lot of experience with a Kona One (I don't), but did sail one in Florida for a week the year before last.

What I found is, the Kona One gets up onto a plane really slowly. You really have to bear off deep downwind (deeper than with a shortboard). It will then slowly ease up onto a plane.

I sailed one with a 7.0 for a week as I stated above, in all kinds of different wind conditions (4-30 mph) and actually had some good fun the whole time.

However, that's just my limited experience, hopefully some one with more Konaxperience will post up to offer their insight.
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Mgoetz



Joined: 06 Jun 1997
Posts: 53

PostPosted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 8:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Slinky, I'm 185 and been sailing with a 7.5. The winds this past weekend were typical 12-18 and, you're right, when it got down around 12, it was not enought. It felt like it wanted to get going but bearing off and pumping just didn't do it. Because it's more than twice the volume of my next smaller board, I guess I had expected to see a quantum improvement in jumping onto and maintaining a plane.
But yes, the good thing about this board is that it moves through the water well when not planing so you feel like your sailing and not slogging.
Thanks for all the suggestions.
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d0uglass



Joined: 28 May 2004
Posts: 1286
Location: Bonita Springs, Florida

PostPosted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 10:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I owned a Kona ONE for several years and I know what you're talking about.

When you cross the planing threshold on a shortboard you quickly accelerate and get a boost of power from the apparent wind, which is a positive feedback that helps you stay planing.

With the Kona ONE you need a more strong and constant wind to reach planing speed, and there's less of an apparent-wind feedback to keep you going. The wind needs to stay strong or you'll drop off the plane.

Two things that I found helped with the Kona ONE were:

1. Much less downhaul than I would use on a shortboard.
2. A big sail, like the 9.0 Kona sail.

With a big sail enough sail the Kona ONE will plane in about 12 knots.

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jingebritsen



Joined: 21 Aug 2002
Posts: 3371

PostPosted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 3:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

the mast base position is important too. if looking for planing, in a fair amount of wind, you need the boom higher, and base far back. if you are putting the base in the middle of the track and boom in the middle of the cut out, then the board will need more wind to pump onto a plane.

also, this board is meant to be a jack of all trades. it won't plane as early as a dedicated early planer, but it won't get all squirrely as soon either when the wind does pick up. typically, with all long boards, getting the right size sail has more to do with going big and staying big longer. that's the benefit of long boards: one kit for a broader array of wind conditions.

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Mgoetz



Joined: 06 Jun 1997
Posts: 53

PostPosted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 8:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the suggestions. James - I had thought that getting a 9.0 or 9.5 would solve the 12-15 knot gap but I was trying to stay within the confines of my 460 mast and comparable boom. If I can find a deal out there for a bigger mast and boom, I'll go ahead and get the larger sail. Now that I got a van, I guess it won't be that much more of a headache to carry around. I'll back off on the downhaul. Right now, the leach of my Ezzy sail is twisting only to the outside dot.

Jin - I did move the base to the back third of the mast track which helped somewhat but again, the problem wasn't so much getting it onto a plane, though that did take some effort, but the feeling that the sail had lost power when I raked it back and got back into the straps. I'll try raising my boom higher and moving the track all the way back. But yes, when the rogue gust of 25 came across the bay, I was impressed at how well the longboard (and my new Ezzy Lion 7.5) handled it.

I'm curious what this board would have weighed without the EVA decking.
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scargo



Joined: 19 May 2007
Posts: 394

PostPosted: Tue Jul 23, 2013 9:32 am    Post subject: Re: Foundering on New Kona One Reply with quote

mgoetz wrote:
It almost seems that I would be better off keeping my feet forward and in the middle than moving them toward the rear straps. Would appreciate any insight as to how to keep this board on a plane.


I've had a ONE for a long time, and I think that part of your comment hits the nail on the head.
Because it's such a heavy board, it's never going to "pop up" on a plane. So it helps to be very patient as you shift through the gears. I often make sure I'm on a good, fast plane before I even think about getting into the straps. (In fact, with the padded rails you can anchor the front foot on the rails, and don't even really need a front strap.)

In other words, just because it's a big board doesn't mean you can head straight back. In marginal conditions, you have to be pretty nuanced. That's one of the things I like about the board. It's great for beginners, but at the same time it encourages and rewards good technique.
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DanWeiss



Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Posts: 2296
Location: Connecticut, USA

PostPosted: Wed Jul 24, 2013 1:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi guys, since I've become very familiar with the Kona One over the last two years, maybe I can add a few points.

First, it will plane up fairly quickly in about 15 knots without much effort if you use a sail designed for a longboard and sized for your weight, which is what the Kona One is all about. I'm not trying to pimp the Kona One rigs -they work fine for one design racing but clearly aren't pure, high performance rigs. If you don't want to pump, just hook in and lean the rig to windward. This creates a lot of mast base pressure which is the key to planing every board. Follow John's advice about boom height and mastfoot placement.

For freeride performance upgrades, change to a race fin at about 50 cm, loose the centerboard to reduce weight and use a not-quite race cam sail or some big RAF with lower aspect, with carbon mast and booms.

Tuned this way, I can pump the Kona One to a plane in about 12 knots and the board will ride the fin upwind without much problem in consistent wind.

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konajoe



Joined: 28 Feb 2010
Posts: 517

PostPosted: Thu Jul 25, 2013 12:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nope! You'll plane as early as possible on a Kona One with the mast track full forward. The added benefit is that full forward is best for getting upwind with the centerboard. Sail out to where it is windiest and retract the centerboard.
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