Looking for a Boom, and Boom advice....

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20935

The Corps says the weeds are expanding, and they are very temperature-dependent. Some people complain about them, others just laugh at them and their results, which at 30 mph boat speed can produce some pretty good slow endos. Launching at some venues requires walking and/or sailing through them in neck-deep water, getting past them, then dropping in to clear the fin before heading out to play. Even a single stringlike strand will feel like a tee shirt on your fin; a clump is like a sweat shirt. Coming back to shore on a screaming broad reach requires confidence, power, rearward weight bias, a small fin, and some luck, and beats getting bogged down and having to swim in through the $#!+.

The pillow or mattress-sized clusters offshore are thicker and (thankfully) more visible and will often stop even a small wave fin; it's all a question of how rapidly they stop you and beats the HELL out of hitting anything solid. Weed fins are nowhere near necessary, but slalom fins will snag much more vegetation than the wave fins most of us use.

shreddbob · Joined: 31 Mar 1987 Posts: 361 Location: Hawaii

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20935

At least the law is on our side. It requires that the river water temps be kept below 73 degrees to minimize salmon fingerling kill-off. They -- the Corps and the fish -- got burned last year, and the Corps is trying to find new ways to keep water temps down. Personally, I want it warmer. A few years ago I sailed in board shorts -- no neoprene necessary -- until Sept 30. In 2015 I never got by without at least a 1mm vest (I dress for the swim, not the air temps.)

Derikthin · Joined: 22 Mar 2016 Posts: 141 Location: Highland Park NJ

Iso where are you guys located?

I was told today that I should aquire a weed find fora spot near me.

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20935

skyking1231 · Joined: 10 Jul 2000 Posts: 280

hey derik....

it's me Frank. If you plan on sailing Hecksher in summer...than yes weed fin. Not sure if there are weeds in NJ. May 14th swap meet... you may find something there. Your board most likely has a US fin box.

reading the discussion so far... all good advise.

The sails you have as some have said are ancient....they wiil get you out on the water. But definitely try and fine something more modern...like a wave sail. No need to spend a lot of $$$$ so as long as it isn't torn or trashed. And pretty much go with a 2 sail quiver (maybe 3)...for now. plenty of sails at swao meet...however 'early bird gets the worm....or sails (good ones)'

once you can get into stronger winds then a smaller (160sih Liter board). you mention something about a BIC techno....that would be a good board...depending on the size.

anyway....nice meeting you..... maybe i'll see ya at the swap meet....gotta dump my excoet 290 Pacer.....(anyone want one ? Very Happy

)

Derikthin · Joined: 22 Mar 2016 Posts: 141 Location: Highland Park NJ

Frank! =).

Yeah my sails are ancient, and I'm embarrassed I paid money for them in hind sight. But, hopefully I'll learn some things on them and then the wind will rip them to pieces and I'll lift them on fire and dance around them after I get newer-ish ones.

Hopefully I'll see you on May 14th.

Love the Harness by the way. I now need to figure out how to set the harness lines and how to use it.

cgoudie1 · Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2016 12:05 pm Post subject:

Hey Derik,

Don't beat yourself up about those sails, they are fine for learning
the basics of sail handling and displacement mode sailing,
and there's no reason to spend a lot of money on a sail to do that,
so you did the right thing. They're just not so good for planning
conditions (in their time they were a passable sail, and very durable).

In this sport, it's really hard to just buy a set of equipment at the
beginning, and still be riding it a few years later (though it can
be done). Most performance sports are like that.

Once you're done with the learning opportunity those sails provide,
you can use them to teach other people the basics, and you'd probably
prefer not to have them using your nice sails for that anyway.

-Craig

scargo · Joined: 19 May 2007 Posts: 394

Just to be clear, the advice above--"try and fine something more modern . . . like a wave sail"--posits a false correlation.

You should eventually try to find something more modern, subject to the good caveats set forth above by cgoudie and others, but you don't need a wave sail for now. Just a nice freeride sail made within the last 10 years or so.

katiedog · Joined: 09 Jul 2000 Posts: 117

Derik, I had planned on posting as I sorted out items that I have .If you are coming out east for 4/14 swap send me a private msg. I am giving sails ,weed fins.and a boom away for FREE. Check out your fin box for what you need. To all others I will be posting Items on buy/sell ,pickup only.