Gorge wind has not changed - your equipment is to blame.

[WMP]

[billgfc]

1"][quote="WMP"]

[quote="WMP"][quote="Bond
Thankfully, yes. Unfortunately, there's no longer any truly custom sail makers out there to match the custom boards..... none of the sail manufacturers offers a convertible wave / slalom sail like they did back in the early 90's. Back then, nearly every sail manufacturer offered these choices.... no cams, single cams, double cams, triple cams.


COMMENT
I beg to differ. I will speak just about the Maui Sails which I use. I d encourage other brands with offerings to comment as well.

I was a judge at the Pistol River wave bash and there were a variety of great custom boards just killing it. That said custom or production is not the point. It is about what the rig does for my situation.

In the Maui Sails line I d suggest you try the Switch Line. I have demos in 5,2 5.6 with rdm masts and bases at Bob s Beach in Stevenson today and likely tomorrow. These sails are a unique niche, ripping fast and still convertible. Then when wind is up , try the tough Legend. I have a 4.7 with rdm in the van.

I also have the TR race series 5.9 to 7 and masts.

Come one and all test and find out. Gorge Surf Shop is the dealer. Also test the sails of brands that interest you. The new stuff is a serious step up in all ways.

WMP, come say Hi at the beach test and report

[kmf]

Gee, I bought a RRD FSW 80 last year and it has an US adjustable fin box. Its a 2008 model.

Serve me up some cheese with that whine.....

KMF

[shreddbob]

Who likes the older style boards versus the newer may not just be personal preference. For Gorge type conditions and staying in control in high winds, some of us who are not of "average" body build may be better served on more forgiving older style boards. In my case I'm average weight but have much shorter than average leg length (and a longer than normal torso). I imagine light weight smaller sailors may have similar issues to me in high winds.

Windsurfing relies intimately on the sailor-rig-board interaction. Body geometry surely plays an incredibly key role here. I've been surprised at how little attention is paid to this subject. It seems this key piece of the puzzle is left to the user to decipher. If you are truly the "average" user you probably have no problem adapting to your gear. In that case it probably is just user preference that determines what gear you like. If you want to go faster you appreciate the newer lighter stiffer boards. If you are happy cruising/slashing at slow speeds then maybe the knee comfort friendliness of older glass boards is your thing.

Unfortunately if you are on the edge of the distribution of body geometry like me, you will have a much harder time getting balanced on your gear. You may actually never be able to be as "dialed in" as the "more average" sailor on the average new gear available today.

Essentially it boils down to having enough sail power to get the body+board+rig mass planing, and also having the body leverage to control that power. In flat water or steady winds it's not such an issue, but in choppy water or gusty winds body leverage really counts. Short legs (low hook height) basically means there's a problem. I find I require more power to get going than I can reasonably control given the geometry of gear that is made for a more average person. This can translate to being stretched out with legs too straight. Sailing too straight legged means the next gust or piece of chop pitches me out of balance much more than I'd like. Moving the boom lower would give me control but sacrifices maneuverability and feels like the board is plowing through the water. Moving the straps closer together helps a bit but at a certain point controlling the board in the water becomes too difficult with narrow strap spread. Also, on a fixed fin box board, moving the rear strap too forward destroys board trim.

I have compensated by (consciously or accidentally) gravitating toward the older style glass boards that are narrower and more forgiving in chop, and have adjustable fin boxes. These are my tickets to admission to the Gorge. (Me on a corky light modern production board in Gorge 3.0 - 4.2 conditions feels like a beach ball in a hurricane!) I also like/need sails with C.O.E. low and forward, set on a softer mast, and used with an adjustable outhaul. I select a different fin (or 2) for each sail, and tune fin position just right in the fin box. I pay a lot more attention than most to rigging my sail optimally and getting the boom height just right. To the more average person all this attention to detail will seem like lunacy. But to the leverage challenged, it is indeed a necessity to sail with any kind of proficiency.

Bob

[isobars]

[shreddbob]

My Swanson built newer Gorge Animal actually is pretty fast. Certainly faster than my Open Ocean. I do like the quickness of this GA because it manages to damp out the chop very well (bonzers). So yeah, older is not necessarily slower. You won't pry me off my heavy sorta slow older GA 7-6 blunt nose in sub 3.5 though! In all cases I think the narrowness is key for me being able to reach over to the single rear strap without straightening out the back leg totally.

[axl.cranium]

Interesting observations; I also have an odd-bod - Long torso, short legs. That's me. Definitely heavier than the average gorge sailer which makes it hard to find the right wave board. Typical 170 lb sailer will be on a 75L board. Equivalent board for me would be 95L. Not many 95L wave boards around. Anyway, equipment wise, my kit is one board, one fin, and three sails and it seems to work. Inceases sailing time since there are fewer options to go ashore and fiddle with gear. But I also just go home when it is slalom sailing. No me gusta.

[isobars]

[isobars]

[shreddbob]