Women favorite windsurfing rig?

vtm81 · Joined: 03 Aug 2009 Posts: 50

Isobars,

She is an intermediate so I have been told that small rig/big board is a better combo at that level.
She does not lift weigh but do lap swim.

Swchandler,
Sometimes she has a good day = easy time waterstarting, then she comes back with a big grin.
Other times, she can get discouraged....but she has not quit yet so shhhhh..=)

boardsurfr · Joined: 23 Aug 2001 Posts: 1266

My wife loves the two North sails she has, a 6.2 Natural and a 5.0 Ice. She has no problems holding the 6.2 in 30 mph gusts, or planing on the 5.0 in 20 mph. She does have a lot of upper body strength for a woman, but does not need it for these sails (she never has blisters or sore arms, even after long sessions).
One thing that's great about the North sails are the visual guides for trimming and harness line positions. Makes rigging a lot easier for someone with little practice.

Regarding the waterstart: I have seen this being a confidence issue. Guys usually claim they can do a waterstart after doing the first one; I've seen several women, my wife included, do many waterstarts and still say "I can't do a waterstart". What solved the problem for my wife was one day of ABK camp where her group practiced waterstarts for several hours. She learned the few things she had trouble with, and now finds waterstarts easy; she usually jumps into the water instead of uphauling if the wind is strong enough. If you can't find an ABK camp that she can attend, see if you can find other good instruction for her (not by you).

As for the mast, I prefer RDM because it's so much easier to hold in tacks etc. A thing to consider here is her hand size - her hands are probably quite a bit smaller then yours. RDM masts can be a lot easier to hold with smaller hands than SDM masts. Very important if your wife uphauls or tacks a lot (unless she tacks boom-to-boom). For a little extra flotation, we always use foam boom bras, even if the boom can't hit the board.

keycocker · Joined: 10 Jul 2005 Posts: 3598

When someone comes in my store with a problem like waterstarts or too heavy a rig and wants to know the best sail to buy to help with the problem, I always say "lessons or a video"

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LeeD · Joined: 12 Jun 2008 Posts: 1175

Depends what you mean by "intermediate".
4.8-5.0 is good for winds around 15-22mph, planning on a 80 liter board.
If she's not there yet, same winds, go smaller.
If she sails in less wind only, the size is OK, but a little big.
There is no such thing as a "perfect" rig for her anymore than there is one for you.

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20935

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20935

beaglebuddy · Joined: 10 Feb 2012 Posts: 1120

Am I the only one that feels grabbing the mast when jibing and to a lesser extent tacking is a bad habit? I have some pads on the mast/boom nose that prevent this.

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20935

BAD habit? No, it works fine. But it is more cumbersome than grabbing the boom instead of the mast during the jibe, which in turn is more cumbersome than not touching ANYthing when jibing the sail. After 25 years of Throw, Throw, Grab, and Go, I find messing with the rig at all while it flips to be cumbersome and slow.