Best mast foot plate for changing on the water?

[antonputman]

Is there a mastfoot plate that can be easily moved to other positions in the mast track without having to "come in"?

I sail in a place where it is difficult to go out and come back in and right now I change the position with the mast attached to the pin but it is very difficult, especially in waves. I am also afraid that one day I will not tighten it enough because of tired fingers and the base will rip out the track.
In light winds with no waves I sometimes inclip the mast, change the position whilst holding the mast in the water and than re-attatch the mast again in the North pin but it is a tricky business.

Sometimes I am baffled about the WS hardware. Why is it not possible to control downhaul and outhaul while sailing?? Why wood screws in plastic for the footstraps??

[cgoudie1]

You might want to consider a Chinook mechanical universal. Not my
cup of tea, but in your case it could be good. If you have experience
with your shortboard, i.e, you've already experimented and found your
mast base sweet spot, why would you then need to change the mast base position.



Oh, and there are "on the fly" outhaul and downhaul systems (at least
I have seen some) for huge windsurfing racing rigs. I don't know how well they work.

Race boards have exactly what you describe, a movable mast track.
I don't know if they make them anymore, but 30 years ago, they were everywhere.

-Craig

[adywind]

[scargo]

+1 on the adjustable outhaul. I use a modified Chinook system (nice double blocks at the clew instead of the "burgers") on all my sails, even a 4.7.

As for on-the-fly adjustment of the mast foot on a short board, I think you're asking for trouble. I use the two-bolt system for security, and once I have the position dialed (usually smack in the middle, almost like the board designer knew what he was doing), I never move it.

[adywind]

I'm glad they left us that short track and lots of holes for the footstraps at least. Look what they did to the poor long boards: no track; no footstraps; flat and barren like Kansas ...and they want us to call them SUPs now?!?
Just kidding

[isobars]

Ever since (and before) Robby Naish said back in the last century that he doesn't change his mast foot position even between sail sizes, let alone offshore, I figgered that's good enough for me. I haven't changed one yet except once or twice on tiny sinkers that needed it. Maybe when you're competing at world champion level you might find a need -- or at least an excuse, such as LOSING -- to dweeb with it.

Among the reasons I just slap it in the middle and go windsurfing are:
• With the double-bolt base I use for reliability and convenience, there's often only an inch or two of play anyway.
• Every bump is different. A board tuned to the third decimal place for one bump will react differently to the next one, so why bother?
• I quit competing for world champ the first day I got on a windsurfer. It made the sport SO much simpler and more enjoyable.
• We can and do compensate for imperfections or preferences in that third decimal point tuning several time per second unconsciously anyway. Like the lateral offset of a single-bolt base ... nobody cares.
• I'd much rather windsurf than dweeb.
• I'd almost always improve my performance MUCH more by changing board, fin, and/or sail, by sailing on that wave instead of this one, by DOING this vs that, or by changing booties or underwear than by futzing with my mast base position.

Changing my outhaul tension takes maybe 10 seconds offshore, and that's with box stock line and boom end. I uncleat it, tighten or loosen it, and cleat it; done.

IdonWANNA change my downhaul tension; I set it where it needs to be before I launch. I adjust my average power level with outhaul tension, not downhaul tension.

Oversized sheet metal screws on toothed "bottlecap" washers hold my footstraps down in plastic blocks pretty well for weeks of sailing. If they ever loosen, I hit 'em with a blast of Craftsman torque set on 18 'til the clutch stutters. Done.

[nw30]

Never disconnect your rig from your board in the water, you are just asking for trouble, even if it's on reasonable flat water (unless you can stand on the bottom). Consider yourself lucky to have been able to get away with it so far, someday you won't, and it will cost you, either with total exhaustion from swimming in your disconnected rig and board, or from the cost of having to ditch your rig to get back in.
Just don't do it, it's not worth it.

[MalibuGuru]

[swchandler]

Better than 20 years ago I made the mistake of trying to adjust my mastbase on the outside. Unfortunately, the universal popped out of the mast track. From there, it only got worse. While adjusting the threaded plate, it spun off and immediately sank. I ended up having to swim the separated board and rig in. Definitely a hassle that didn't need to happen.

I only needed to make that mistake once. Never again will I be so foolish.

[GURGLETROUSERS]

Having once lost a wave board when the mast base slid out of the track under high wind stress, and not being able to swim fast enough to chase it down as it blew and drifted away, (never saw it again - probably ended up ramming a dyke in Holland), I've ever since joined board and rig with a couple of feet of luggage strap elastic, with closed spring clips on each end.

On short boards it means fixing an extra bolt at the front of the track with flat washer to lock a short rope loop beneath (for one end clip) on every board. On longboards with sliding tracks I drill a couple of holes in the flat sides at the front of the track, for a rope loop, to clip to. (Also works as a carrying handle.) The other end of the elastic is clipped to the downhaul ropes in every case.

It can be a nuisance at times if you forget, and continually turn in one direction, winding up all the slack. (Comical in mid gybe, if the board springs back with a mind of its own, or worse, if you accidentally trap your foot through the loop when tacking, and end up being dragged by the leg, with head under water - but I've learnt, by great self control, to resist using up valuable lung reserves of oxygen with shouted strings of obscenities at such times. )

But at least, I've never lost another board since, which saves the anguish of boo-hooing for a week, should it have been one of my old favourites!