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isobars
Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20935
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Posted: Thu May 29, 2014 12:57 pm Post subject: |
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richcampbell wrote: | isobars wrote: |
"I hope the guy who bought that really nice 2001 F2 Maui Project 8-4 wave board at last week's swap meet appreciates what he has now." |
I do!
Small repair to complete tomorrow then it's my 'new' board.
I sail windsurfing equipment until it dies then buy good used stuff.
Did you see the 8'9" Rutger I got at the swap as well? |
Didn't see the Rutger, but my 8-4 Rutger is surely a sweet ride in chop. It's not as responsive as the MP, but then that's a very high standard to meet.
I'll be watching for your feedback after your first windy day on that MP. Push the hell out of it. Trust it. Learn (it'll take only a few reaches) to slash it very hard and tight in any amount of terrain, smooth or rough, with just heel and toe pressure from that strapped-in back foot. Rig handling boosts the maneuverability, but isn't required. If you're already at that stage, you'll be very satisfied. If you're new to this level of handling, you'll be blown away. If and when the speed and chop overwhelm my more high-strung boards, the MPs are my solution. If MPs were the only boards I owned, I'd still be a very happy camper, and '01 is reportedly the best vintage. Whether the 8-2 or the 8-4 is "best" depends on countless personal factors, but they come in sizes from 7-10/62L to 8-6/96L.
Examine the deck closely between the straps; these things have tender decks. That's why I have a pile of carefully chosen MPs on my den wall, waiting to pluck, pad, plug, and play if and when the next one breaks. |
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isobars
Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20935
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Posted: Thu May 29, 2014 1:22 pm Post subject: |
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isobars wrote: | Biff is smack on target; no hate here. |
Correction/update:
I also used to prefer poly and some extra weight, but have more recently learned to use hand-picked lighter, crisper-riding boards in challenging conditions. That's a personal call, dependent on many factors and conditions. I now enjoy most of my newer (but still pre-2009) wave boards over my old and now dispersed fleet of 65L Bonzers, but that's due to aging forearm tendons more than to technology and board shapes. My 76 and 82 liter MP waves weigh about 7-8 pounds less, plane through lulls much better, and provide most, maybe all, of the control the Bonzers did ... up to a point. Beyond that rarely encountered point I want more fins clawing for traction ... widely available these days. I have to use more careful technique and even limit some extremes with single-fin boards, but I do now appreciate lighter boards. "Back in the day", the only two multi-finned choices I respected for maximum survival on outta-control days were Bonzers and OO Tri-fins; their competition, frankly, wasn't. |
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biffmalibu
Joined: 30 May 2008 Posts: 556
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Posted: Thu May 29, 2014 7:07 pm Post subject: |
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westender wrote: |
Personally, I try to hike way out and take the weight off my feet. Try to ride the fin and get the board above the chop.
Gotta love the big smoothies. |
This is good advice for technique. I describe it as suspending yourself with the sail and getting "rubber legs" to absorb the chop. Relax the legs as needed.
Who got fatties yesterday? |
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surfersteve
Joined: 24 Apr 2007 Posts: 203
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Posted: Fri May 30, 2014 9:06 pm Post subject: |
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Spend a little money and buy aftermarket pads. You can get triple-density pads which will turn almost any ride into a different experience. I thought it was difficult to do, but it is quite simple and does much less time than you thought. |
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dhanson928
Joined: 12 Mar 2012 Posts: 99
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Posted: Sat May 31, 2014 6:55 am Post subject: |
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Sailing in chop is better if you pay attention. Get your 'game-on' attitude going. I find myself being lazy and casual with my sailing. The chop doesn't care how long you've been doing this sport...it's going to have it's way..So I often have to remind myself to pay attention, choose my line around the awful stuff, look ahead as I sail, keep focused, lift the board sometimes if I can't avoid a particularly nasty section of river.
This time of year, with high flows and oscillating frontal passage wind directions, the chop can be strange...Pay attention to what you see in real time...You can't always just sail it like 'normally is' at any particular site...
I've encountered some pretty nasty cross-chop and confused stuff around Arlington this spring so far....what with windshifts of 30-45 degrees coming fast and frequently. Different than I remembered from last fall....but, when I pay attention and don't just jump on my board and sail mindlessly "like I always did"...it's manageable...I just have to see it, acknowledge it, and then deal with whatever the river is dishing out that day...or hour..
But I agree, I have NEVER been able to 'decode' the chop at Celilo... |
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isobars
Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20935
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Posted: Sat May 31, 2014 10:06 am Post subject: |
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Launch and turn right. There's even some rideable swell a couple of reaches downwind.
But one of the things I like about WSing in challenging terrain is that, just like dirt bikes, it demands my full attention as, at its best, it drives me into an altered state of consciousness. Any lapse of focus leads to instant crash when pushing the control envelope, which is why flat water bores me. In gnarly terrain, surviving distractions tells me I'm not going fast enough or maneuvering hard enough. That's also the difference between small chop that we can just suck up and ignore vs the parking-lot-full-of-small-cars variety that punishes lack of focus so brutally. |
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johnl
Joined: 05 Jun 1994 Posts: 1330 Location: Hood River OR
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Posted: Sat May 31, 2014 11:19 am Post subject: Re: Bouncing through chop |
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StillSailin wrote: | Yikes!. Must have changed my stance or something. Been sailing for years, but now seem to be getting bounced around more than in the past. At the Event site sailing a 4.2 on 85 L board in 10-30 wind and it was like survival sailing once I got out. Same thing at Stevenson on w 6.5 on 103 board. Any suggestions be greatly appreciated. Thanks |
StillSailin,
One more thing (I forgot). In terms of wind. ASSUMING you are talking wind spread (as in lull vs gust), here is my rule....
25 mph average 22 - 27 mph spread AWESOME 5mph spread is butter
25 mph average 20 - 30 mph spread 10mph spread is pretty good
25 mph average 17 - 32 mph spread. Sailable, but getting rough.
25 mph average 15 - 35 mph spread 20 mph spread. Getting sucky
25 mph average 10 - 40 mph spread Go do something else.....
So to summarize 5 - 10 mph spread between lull and gust is pretty good. 15mph spread is getting a tad rougher, 20 mph spread is going to be some sucky conditions. Beyond that, I prefer to take up other sports. I manufactured the 25mph average as an example. I'm not even sure those spreads would work. |
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mschock
Joined: 19 Apr 2001 Posts: 3
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Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2014 10:53 pm Post subject: |
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Has anyone mentioned a glass board? Gary at Cascade is still putting out great glass boards, cut right through the chop. As mentioned earlier, the new boards are designed for quick start but don't do so well in strong winds and chop. If you are sailing 4.2 or smaller a good "Gorge" glass board is the way to go. IMHO |
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isobars
Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20935
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Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 8:41 am Post subject: |
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I meant to mention Cascades, too. They have always been exceptionally smooth performers in rough Gorge waters. I've been really surprised to see some really pristine ones (and Watsons, another GREAT ride in Gorge chop) GIVEN AWAY because they went unsold at swap meets. Looks like the short/wide PR has done its job; too many people aren't aware of their shortcomings. Cascades are not fast, but they carve and ride the swell with grace and ease and are a sheer pleasure to sail when it gets too rough for edgier, high-performance boards. What's not to love about a buttery riding, easy carving locally built board that often costs less than a new fin, or can be ordered new with some custom tailoring if desired? |
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westender
Joined: 02 Aug 2007 Posts: 1288 Location: Portland / Gorge
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Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 7:57 pm Post subject: |
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KMF's suggestion to try a smaller fin and go slower will soften the bashing for sure and may be the best option till you're ready for other ways. Try it at least. |
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