1. Getting my new windsurf board up to planing speed for the first time in the gorgeous light of a Gulf of Mexico sunset.
2. Returning home to have nice dinner and relaxation with my beautiful sweetheart.
Little Annoying Things:
1. Having the "twist-lock" mechanism on my fiberspar boom slip repeatedly during the windsurfing session, indicating that it's time once again to order replacement cuffs. And indicating that I'll likely miss a weekend of good windsurfing waiting for the cuffs to ship.
2. Getting bitten by ten zillion mosquitos in the parking lot de-rigging after the beautiful sunset.
3. Agonizing over the one Achilles' heel of my new board; the chintzy Allgaier daggerboard gasket, whose loose lips create drag in the water (or at least create drag in my mind) hindering my high performance potential. Putting an Allgaier daggerboard gasket on a high performance windsurf is like putting wooden cart wheels on an Indy 500 car.
I'm thinking I might be able to soup up my ride a little, though, if I put a piece of gorilla tape over the leading edge of the gasket. Hmm...
Still bugged with that? There might be another solution. If you look at the picture below with the daggerboard extended, it seems that the daggeboard doesn't need to go to the very front of the lips. If so, you could insert a plastic block under the lips, at the front, and glue the lips to the plastic block.
ReplyDeleteFor now I put a little piece of Gorilla Tape over the front split in the lips and it seems to be working great. Your idea sounds like a more permanent solution, though. :)
ReplyDeleteIt would be fine if all these recreational jumbo sails were made with a boom shorter than 235, to suit the typical big slalom boom. Very nice board and sail combo anyway, enjoy it!
ReplyDeleteMagnum- Yeah, I hear you about the short boom length. Interestingly, my 8.0 Aerotech Freespeed has a recessed clew resulting in a very short boom length; just 210 cm. It's the same boom length as on my 6.8 Phantom wavesail! I think the 9.0 Freespeed also has a boom length < 230 cm, but some model years of the 9.0 required a 520 mast, so there may be some tradeoff between short boom length and needing a long mast.
ReplyDeleteJame to temporarily fix your slipping fiberspar boom, Put a hose clamp behind the collar and tighten where you need it. This will keep the boom from slipping. After installing the hose clamp wrap it with electrical tape so anything rubbing against it will not get cut by the exposed metal at the end of the hose clamp.
ReplyDelete