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Mast track positions
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dhanson928



Joined: 12 Mar 2012
Posts: 99

PostPosted: Sat Nov 16, 2013 11:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

isobars wrote:
a bouncy POS with the mast stepped in the middle of the track, but moving the mast forward just an inch absolutely transformed it into a neat board with a fine ride.

When experimentation is as simple as moving a mast or A-box fin fore'n'aft, screw theory and just experiment ... with one thing at a time.


Theory is just that...

Experimenting with all the parameters of your rig, that is the real-world stuff. Screw the theory, if it works for you.

I think there's a lot of 'sheep mentality" in windsurfing...People look around on the launch and see what others are riding, then they go..."Hey, everybody has fat short boards with mast way back and fixed fins. Must be what I need" and that is what they get, then they adapt their sailing to make that equipment work.

Given a bit of time, one can usually adapt and sail almost any board...but is it really "The" set up? According to the latest theory, mebby so.

I've been away from the sport for a while and upon my return I began messing around with different equipment...without much peer pressure....seeing what works best for me..
Heck yes, sails have certainly evolved for the better but the boards don't seem to have progressed any..just changed.

It takes a while to 'learn' where things work best for each board and each sailor..Looking at what someone else has and thinking it will be right for you, too....well, probably that is a good starting point, but don't be afraid to experiment...theory be damned...the river doesn't "do" theory.
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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Sat Nov 16, 2013 3:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

dhanson928 wrote:
Heck yes, sails have certainly evolved for the better but the boards don't seem to have progressed any..just changed.

IF the sailor's objective is earliest and longest planing, drawbacks be damned, shortfats (stubbies) are an improvement. But "The older boards don't work any more" is just PR.
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whitevan01



Joined: 29 Jun 2007
Posts: 607

PostPosted: Sat Nov 16, 2013 5:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Things (any man-made thing) may become "obsolete" at some level, but they don't automatically stop working when something newer/possibly better comes out.

For example, I absolutely love my 2013 Fanatic Ray 130 with an 8.5 or esp. 7.5 sail (in fact, I'm upset that Fanatic has made the Ray a heavier version of the Falcon instead of a separate board line). The Ray replaced an RRD Z-Ride 133 that was a sweet, sweet board, but a bit heavy. If I had gotten a Z-Ride LTD back in 06 or 07, I might still have it today.
I do not regret getting the Ray, it's made a huge difference in my enjoyment of windsurfing.
The Ray is a "stubbie" compared to older boards. However, when I go with a 6.3 or 5.5 on my 102l RW custom from a few years ago (242 cm or so long - so not a stubbie like the newest boards), I prefer the bit of extra length. It helps to ease me onto a plane instead of a jerk onto a plane. I can handle that jerk in lighter air on the Ray, but prefer an easier planing board as the wind comes up as the water in which I sail starts to get real choppy and I prefer a somewhat easier sailing board in those conditions.
That's not to say that I can't plane early on the RW, in fact I've gotten two complements from much more experienced sailors on how early I can plane on the RW. One of them was actually Andy Brandt who asked me one time how I was planing (and fully lit at times) on my 5.5 in not much wind. A better, more experienced sailor couldn't even come close to planing on a 5.8 in the same conditions (same weight as me - it's not all about weight - the RW board is not even especially light). Of course, there are other sailors that I know who can plane with smaller sails than me in the same wind.

What it really comes down to is personal preference.
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dllee



Joined: 03 Jul 2009
Posts: 5328
Location: East Bay

PostPosted: Sat Nov 16, 2013 5:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Very Happy
Heck, I like taking out a 2000 RandyFrench freeride out against serious slalom racers and frustrate the heck out of them as they barely creep by, them on a meter to 2 bigger full slalom race sails, while I on 6 batten freeride pre 2000 sails, stock TA Convert around 27 cms, and them on Tectonics/RecComps fins.
And when I go out on '09 WarpSlaloms, I go about the SAME speeds.
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