Looking for a Boom, and Boom advice....

[Derikthin]

I guess this quickly turned from boom advice to boom and sail advice.

Since I'm sure its important I'm 6'4" and 185lbs.

[isobars]

[Derikthin]

Thanks Iso, you just saved me $12. Was thinking about getting a pulley hook for the downhaul.

I'm gonna keep my eye's peeled for sails. Hopefully hit the Swap meet thing on May 14th. I can easily see how I'm going to end up spending a lot of money over the long haul. I mean seeing the list of sails you guys have they are so close in range, it seems to me, that having just 2-3 and thinking i'll be ok is probably insane.

The money I spend in the future will hopefully be wisely spent.

The boom I have now seems to be smaller and can get much smaller so if I get a boom that can go from 180-240 that seems like it would cover a good range of sails. I'll have to do some more research I guess on the size sails I want and which boom size they typically require.

[hanrahje]

Look at the sail calculator on James' blog for an idea of what sail sizes to use.
http://jimbodouglass.blogspot.com/2010/11/updated-windsurf-calculator-online.html

I got back into the sport last summer with an old Superlight and a mid 90's rig with a 5.7 sail. I bought a new Superlight Mast Base from Wind Power because the stock mast base is not designed to provide sufficient downhaul for sails made after the 1980s. It makes a huge difference.

I'm heavier than you at 220 but I used the 5.7 sail all last summer in winds from 10 to 30 mph. It was rarely optimal but it was fun and fit my budget. In lighter winds I worked on sail handling. In higher winds I worked on the harness and water starts. It's a wild ride on a 12+ foot board with no foot straps in 30 mph wind and big chop!

I bought a used 7.0 Ezzy Wave SE at the end of the season. It's the biggest sail that will fit on my rig. I look forward to getting out on that soon.

[cgoudie1]

Greetings once again Derik,

So you and I are very similar size wise, and yes that does matter since
this is a force driven system.

Those O'Briens are the sails I remember from 30ish years ago. They'll be fine for
learning basic sail handling and weather helm, but once you get ready to
plane those sails will hold you back, because they just weren't designed
for a large wind range. The one in the picture is definitely rigged without
enough outhaul, as you can see the batten above the boom protruding
from the front edge of the sail. Older sails like those do however, pull
a lot harder than modern sails, so you'll plane up in a little lighter wind.

It wouldn't hurt to have a longer boom for sure, but that mast looks plenty long enough. 180 -240 should cover larger sails from say 6.0 to about 8.5,
but it depends on the sail, so check the specs, and expect some stretch
in used sails in both dimensions.

So.... learn basics, uphaul, and sail in both directions and turn around,
without doing too much splash and climb in winds from 5 to 10 MPH. Maybe get a little thrill with the 6.4 and 18MPH winds as you plane up,
and see what that part of the sport is like. Then start to think about a
different quiver.

3 sails is a totally workable quiver, and depending on the wind range
you want to cover could be doable with 1 boom and 1 mast. I typically
carry with me 4 sails, 2 booms, 2 masts, and 2 boards, but you'll see
why you want more rigs if you stay with the sport.

I ride Sailworks Retros in Utah in the larger sizes. These sails have an
incredible range, but notice their rig chart
http://www.sailworks.com/the-gear/sails/retro.html.

If your venue sees mostly 15MPH average winds, you could go with an
8.0, 7.0, 6.0 combination, and rig it on one mast and one boom.

If the wind where you sail averages 18MPH most of the
time, you could build your sail quiver around a 6.5 with a 7.5 to cover
average winds down to 14MPH, and a 5.5 to cover winds up to about 25
MPH for planning purposes. That would require 2 masts (for these type
sails) In the learning displacement mode stage all you'd need is the 5.5.

When you are at the swap, try and buy sails from the same manufacturer,
and if possible in the same model, it saves frustration and money in the
long run. Look for sails that don't have a lot of wrinkling in the monofilm
and ask about how much time they have spent rigged in the sun.

Good Luck,

-Craig

[Derikthin]

Han I loved that chart! I'm gonna do about the same I suppose. Keep an eye out for the deals on sails and if they come then I'll pull the trigger if not then I'll get crazy and buy something newer.

I'm going to get a chinook boom that will better fit the sails I have right now. I'll post a pic of them still soon.

The winds I've been going out in have been I guess 15-25/30.

This is my first year in jersey so I don't really know to well the average wind speed around here. I'll ask the guys at the local shop.

[cgoudie1]

That chart presumes you have a mast base extension, just warning you
those can run $60 to $80.

-Craig

[DelCarpenter]

Thanks for the picture.

You appear to have an orange extension. Though it is between the mast and the base the extension is not being used for your sail trim because the downhaul is too loose. Guessing from your height the exposed orange is about 25-35 cm long. The foot of the sail should be pulled down close to the board. That will bend the mast more giving the sail a better shape.

Experiment first by pulling down only part of the way. You might be using a longer part of the extension than is needed. But do the part pulling down the downhaul first to determine the optimum luff length, after that you can adjust the amount of extension to achieve that desired length with the extension/mast combination. The newer your "new" Chinook mast is the more bend it can take compared to the prior mast. That should make your experimentation more comfortable as there is less worry about breaking the mast. (It took me years to find out even the older masts could take more bend than I was giving them.)

A hand cleat or just a length of rod with the downhaul wrapped around it helps a great deal in giving you enough pulling strength. When I use pulley hooks on the old narrow grommets I use the thinner pulley hooks with only two pulleys because the ones with three pulleys are usually too thick to slide into those older grommets.

In the picture the top batten is resting on the wrong side of the mast. That will often happen after a tack. After making the tack, after you are stabilized, pull sharply on the boom, the hard pump will usually cause the batten to snap/slide to the other side. Sometimes it takes more than one pump.

Sometimes the length of the extension used depends on your height and the size of the boom opening. In the picture it looks like you have a nice amount of adjustment available. Pulling the sail foot quite a bit closer to the deck will move your boom up to the top of the boom opening.

My first package purchase was a mixed set of 6 used sails, sight unseen, for $300 plus shipping from MA to IA in the early 90s. The deal would work for me if even two were good sails. They ranged in size from 8.0 to 4.5 and they were all good. That boosted my quiver from 3 to 9, adding sizes on both ends.

[Derikthin]

I got a new Mast extension when I got my new mast. I did not realize the other red one piece mast also fits my new mast extension also. The new mast is a tad longer.

Having a hell of a time posting pictures right now. Keeps saying "empty file"

[Derikthin]

Maybe this will work