Bouncing through chop

StillSailin · Joined: 02 May 2001 Posts: 64 Location: Portland/Vancouver

Yikes!. Must have changed my stance or something. Been sailing for years, but now seem to be getting bounced around more than in the past. At the Event site sailing a 4.2 on 85 L board in 10-30 wind and it was like survival sailing once I got out. Same thing at Stevenson on w 6.5 on 103 board. Any suggestions be greatly appreciated. Thanks

biffmalibu · Joined: 30 May 2008 Posts: 556

Strong current often results in disorganized water and more chop (instead of abundant smooth swell. I suggest ye olde skool heavier and less-volume pintail polyester board to counteract the bounce and annhilate the chop. For extreme chop, a V-bottom in the tail is awesome and very comfy.

Chubby and virtually symmetrical new school windsurfboards may indeed be good for early planing and windsurfing the board backwards. But sometimes the multiple fins and wide shape are no good for the conditions you are in right now on the Columbia River. Too much lift from the fins, too much surface area. Reduce lift and reduce surface area to counteract chop. And you need to be adequately powered-up to counteract the flow and swirl of the river flow.

Waiting for the hate, wishing for the love...

jota · Joined: 28 Feb 2001 Posts: 205

I assumed he was joking.

"At the Event site sailing a 4.2 on 85 L board in 10-30 wind"?

Sounds like bounced around survival sailing alright.

stringp · Joined: 20 Aug 2000 Posts: 176

If it's any consolation I've noticed the same thing on the 2 days I was out at Stevenson last week. Was getting bounced on an old F2 Ride with lots of vee. Old open ocean was better. Went kiting late after sailing and was getting slapped around on a 6 ft surfboard.

kmf · Joined: 02 Apr 2001 Posts: 503

There is lots of current....John Day damn was flowing at 382,000 cuftsec this morning. It's choppy, put a smaller fin in and go a bit slower. You will be fine.

KMF

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20935

Biff is smack on target; no hate here.

There are reasons, and cost is the least of them, that I infinitely prefer "traditional" -- e.g., a little narrower, a little longer -- wave boards for Gorge sailing. Hell, ANY sailing where it's windy and there's some swell. I might match volume with the wind range and launch and water conditions, but even in my big boards -- anything > 80 liters -- gimme plenty of vee aft, extra rocker, less width, and preferred/personally tested boards mostly built before about 2008.

Fortunately, they cost squat now. Unfortunately, they sell for squat now. I keep wanting to cut the clutter, but I'm down to only one or two boards now that are not spares or all-time favorite performers, are not used often, and/or do not offer unique performance qualities worth keeping. I hope the guy who bought that really nice 2001 F2 Maui Project 8-4 wave board at last week's swap meet appreciates what he has now. The first one of those I bought changed my sailing life by opening my eyes to life beyond tiny sinkers but with minimal performance sacrifices and several improvements. I trust explicitly and love dearly that particular board in ANY conditions from hammering 3.7 (when most guys are on 3.2s) to modest 5.7 (most guys on 5.2s but, IMO, underpowered). Like, if not better than, most old school wave boards of its volume, it soaks up the chop not only in reaches but in extremely tight, high-speed, high-g turns and jibes in chop. It has NEVER limited my modest sailing skills, unlike many of the newer, wider boards, even from the same shaper, do. All my other WS boards, from 60 to 114 liters, are variations on that board's characteristics, by choice. Heck, even my 135L windSUP is designed expressly for snappy turning, whether planing or not. Up on one rail, which is my nirvana, it has an even narrower tail than my smallest wave board.

Narrow, thin tails with plenty of vee light my fires like no other shapes I've tried, but keep in mind: I LOVE POWER, for many reasons, so my board choices are personal. If I preferred efficiency and instant planing over maneuverability and control at high speed in chop and big swell, I might change my tune. Maybe I'll prefer the former in another ten years ... when (and if) I hit 80.

surfersteve · Joined: 24 Apr 2007 Posts: 203

Now you see why I stressed "500 words or less" during my last posted question.

westender · Joined: 02 Aug 2007 Posts: 1288 Location: Portland / Gorge

On a 6.5 at Bob's, be glad it wasn't windier. The chop would be worse. Everybody gets beat in the spring. With the Rock Creek Sandbar getting bigger the chop seems to hammer you more than B4.

Personally, I try to hike way out and take the weight off my feet. Try to ride the fin and get the board above the chop.

Gotta love the big smoothies.

StillSailin · Joined: 02 May 2001 Posts: 64 Location: Portland/Vancouver

Thanks for input. My boards both have a double concave V and are the old narrower boards. Mistral flows. The 103 about 23" wide and the 85 L is 21.5
Smaller fin makes sense.
Someone (elsewhere) mentioned too much lift due to pressuring the fin too much with back foot. Also longer harness lines (evidently new school), with arms closer together.
Soo, I was looking for similar ideas to smooth out my ride. Thanks! Appreciate the comments.

richcampbell · Joined: 17 Jun 2006 Posts: 10

[quote="isobars"]

"I hope the guy who bought that really nice 2001 F2 Maui Project 8-4 wave board at last week's swap meet appreciates what he has now."

I do!

Small repair to complete tomorrow then it's my 'new' board.
I sail windsurfing equipment until it dies then buy good used stuff.
Did you see the 8'9" Rutger I got at the swap as well?

Sail on,

RNC