Euro pin vs. US base cup

spanker_jeep · Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2008 10:31 am Post subject:

An issue I have encountered with the euro-pin design is Sand!
Inevitably one day in a rush to get on the water you'll have a dirty connection. You'll forgo your usual preflight stuff and accept the sketched out connection as "good to go". In short-order you will find out what a pain it is to reconnect one of them things on the water Embarassed

.
The smallest amount of grit is enough to prevent a secure lock.
Stick with the chinook cup.

It not always on the stainless male connector, its the stuff from you gear bag that gets into the female side.

jpf18 · Joined: 13 Aug 2000 Posts: 347 Location: San Francisco

jpf18 · Joined: 13 Aug 2000 Posts: 347 Location: San Francisco

victor · Joined: 03 Aug 1998 Posts: 581

I was very interested in the North Power XT extension until a freind got one. His didn't last half a season.

It looked like an excellent idea. No downhaul tool required, infinitely and easily adjustable on the fly, but the execution isn't up to the task. The construction is way too flimsy for the job it is supposed to do. Plastic will not hold up to sun, salt water, sand and sufficient downhaul tension. Except for the price, it's like the tools you see in the dollar bin at a discount hardware store. It might be fine for ocasional, light service but chance of failure during a real workout is very high. I rarely see one in use around the Bay Area even though they've been available for years.

If they came out with one with some more durable components I might consider it.

keycocker · Joined: 10 Jul 2005 Posts: 3598

We have a salty and sandy spot launch. We attach sails while standing in the sea.A Chinook gives an audible double click you can feel in your hand and confirm by eye. Euro pin has the sole advantage that the pin is less likely to break than one of the nubs on Chinook.We change the Chinook clip for $10 in the store, and the old one still works with one nub. When the pin breaks you are screwed. Our gang broke the last pin setup any of us still had with a daring rescue afterwards so we got no mo Euro pin round here.

jpf18 · Joined: 13 Aug 2000 Posts: 347 Location: San Francisco

cbknap · Joined: 03 Jun 1997 Posts: 373

Many very sensible points in this thread:

1. Agree that Europin has an included risk of shearing. Agree that the Chinook desigh, which is one-piece machined instead of bolted internally, vastly reduces that risk.

2. Agree that the North winch base is far too flimsy for heavy duty work. I had one for a year and broke two tension gears, two gear release levers, and countless downhauls. Downhauling a 2007 North Warp race sail is not possible with this device. I use the Redline and a BIG homemade winch.

3. Agree that the Chinook two-pin cup is very reliable for moderate duty use. I used these with Chinooks aluminum and carbon extensions for years, stopping only when the downhaul required on North Warps ovalled the bases like they were made out of tinfoil.

Whatever you use examine it regularly. Replacing the tendons and pins once a year could save your life.

lavernegonzales · Joined: 04 Feb 2007 Posts: 0

I would not mix and match the two. I learned by experience. I placed a streamlined Euro pin into a Chinook mast extension. I tested the unit by pulling on it before I entered the water at Sherman. I made a turn out in the middle of the river, with the wind dying, of course, and the mast mast extension came out. I called Mr. Streamlined and he said the tolerance on the Chinook was not very precise; he was right. The chinook mechanical to chinook mast extension,nevertheless, is very easy to re-connect while floating in the chop. My choice at crissy on an ebb tide would be streamlined to streamlined.

likesitwindy · Joined: 09 Nov 1997 Posts: 49

I have seen alot of the europin extensions ...break with major use ....in the plastic that the pin goes in ..... it wears ok (unless you are in sandy conditions - maui ) and so you do not usually see them as much on these types of beach launch areas ! Plus they break ....I have seen them all break ...especially if the person wants to hold onto it a few years and not replace it when it gets faded !@@@ The regular 2 pin last forever ..get wobble ...but do not die ....they just get old and look like hell. The euro pin will never last as long ...too much plastic to fail ...too much plastic under a load ....the entire female part on the extension is plastic ....with a bit of shiny stainless - will not hold up over the years ....so I stay with the ugly stuff !