Windsurfing equipment news

Extension and mast foot

2009-06-10T02:40:00.000-07:00

The extension

The extension is an expensive but should last a life: Do not save on this item. Look for it to make so you can easily find the glass for the foot in case of breakage. Plenty somewhat 'with the length to avoid use of maximum extension.
The foot of a tree

Check the compatibility with the table if the table has the classic Scassa Sinker there are no problems to buy a universal foot. Today, fortunately, all the producers are back to embrace the standard. In the past, some brands such as Bic, F2 and Mistral adopted standard tables on their own, generating problems of compatibility with the parts.

Windsurfing boom

2009-06-10T02:24:00.000-07:00

Do not save too much on this component. Should be adjustable in length, at least for beginners, embrace all the sails, for example, held a 165-210 cm extension is usually enough for sails from 5.0 to 7.0. When you have this, your boom will be until breaks.
Small diameter (for girls)

From a few years more companies specializing in this component, create boom tubes with small diameters. It 'something that must not be neglected just because the diameter allows for less fatigue.

2009 FREEMOVE PRISMA 6.5 - 8.5

2009-06-10T02:23:00.001-07:00

PRISMA's completely new low-end profile and the excellent twist dynamics ensure a powerful acceleration from low speeds. Thanks to the lower sail foil tension, it can be easily and comfortably pumped. Or just sheet in to start planing. The PRISMA simply ignores wind holes! These design features are combined with an extensive trimming versatility, which expands the upper wind range as well. In contrast to NoCam sails, two super-soft rotating HYPER.CAMS keep a solid profile even without wind pressure, providing extra draft stability. The PRISMA is particularly suited for the Race Board Class, and it's even officially certified for the Bic Techno Class!

Table Maintenance

2009-06-10T02:18:00.000-07:00

Strap

That neoprene is the most subject to wear due to the saltiness, but not items that are cheap so it's a good idea to rinse them in fresh water after each periodo.Per experience absolutely no advice to disassemble the table each time to perform this operation because you ruin the anchors (on many tables are self-screws). Council instead of opening all the velcro for a complete cleaning inside.
Pinna.

I recommend removing the fin as little as possible especially with the dear old U.S. Scassa (so avoid doing so when put to the table) because friction slowly there will always be more games between fin and burglary and that's not good. These considerations apply, although to a lesser extent, even for the break-throughs: the screw is very little when mating wedge between table and fin liso is also the sand does not come alone ... in short, that there is reason to disassemble the fin mount if not for the ferry?

Table windsurfing freestyle

2009-06-10T02:10:00.001-07:00

A historical table for all freestylers, freestyle exceptional performance and optimum control in all conditions of sea and lake are.
Potential freestyle exalted by the edges with your accent and bevels in the vicinity 'of the hull, reducing the superiicie wet and depreciated I'impatto Sailing with small waves and choppy. Ouest'anno mlgliorata construction with a mono unicofatto In-mold shell, which also made possible ottlmizzare weights in accessorl with plnne dedicated 'drops by select'. II remain to enrich the whole channel in the two carbon sight which I make even more 'technical nell'olimpo this historic piece of the freestyle world.

Table windsurfing freestyle

2009-06-10T02:06:00.000-07:00

At the top of the R&D agenda for 2009, Dream Team Taty Frans, Nicolas Agkaziyan, Kiri Thode and Sara Quita Offringa have set ambitious goals for the new freestyle range, working with Tiesda You to produce the World's lightest freestyle boards and the most advanced shapes possible.

WoodCarbon
Starboard's WoodCarbon technology is the first board construction in the World to utilize an ultralight, pure unidirectional carbon fibre that is flat-weaved for total mechanical efficiency. The unidirectional flat-weave fibre generates equal tensile strength as biaxial or woven carbon fibre but at half the specific weight. A layer of 0.6 Australian pine wood runs along the spine of the board to provide rigidity, additional integrity and increased strength in the most stressed areas of the board. WoodCarbon - the combination of a wood spine and ultralight carbon: a new composite material matrix that sets a new benchmark.

Windsurf sail: wave

2009-06-10T02:02:00.000-07:00

Windsurf sail: wave North Sails Windsurf
2009 EGO 3.0 - 6.3

The aggressive EGO is a completely new type of Wave sail, which can and intends to achieve more than previous Wave sails. It looks into the future, and is always ahead of its time. The EGO is the ultimate Wave sail for innovative riders!

After almost 10 years, a completely new product will replace the eternal classic, the VOODOO. This brand-new sail, which was given a new name for the simple reason that it is not a successor but a wholly new concept, is heralding the era of Concept Wave sails, which we intend to develop consistently in the coming years, applying radical approaches.

For us, the EGO represents a symbol of innovation, built with exceptional materials to incorporate the latest trends in sail design. Yet despite our passion for innovation, we are true to our motto innovation follows function . With this in mind, Kai Hopf developed the BALANCED.LUFF.LENGTH, a precisely balanced ratio of luff length to boom length. As short and compact as possible for radical handling and as long as necessary for a decent twist, ensuring a maximum wind range. In order to achieve sensible sizes, Kai uses the proven NORTH SAILS CROSS.BATTEN.CONCEPT in combination with the new CLEW.CUTAWAY, reaping real benefits for handling. When it comes to the number of battens, Kai is rather conservative, since good high end control and a wide wind-range still demand 5 battens. Of course, similar to the VOODOO, the EGO was designed as a hardcore sail. Therefore, all smaller sizes feature a window panel made of large-meshed Heavy Duty XPly, while the large sizes starting at 5.3 are made with monofilm for weight reasons.

Important: the EGO is the first sail exclusively designed for RDM masts due to its special characteristics (very elastic). The smaller mast diameter perfectly matches the softer sail and shorter luff.
All other features Size Boom max (m) Luff max (m) Vario Top Battens Camber IMCS Best Mast Best/Alternative Length

The aggressive EGO is a completely new type of Wave sail, which can and intends to achieve more than previous Wave sails. It looks into the future, and is always ahead of its time. The EGO is the ultimate Wave sail for innovative riders!

After almost 10 years, a completely new product will replace the eternal classic, the VOODOO. This brand-new sail, which was given a new name for the simple reason that it is not a successor but a wholly new concept, is heralding the era of Concept Wave sails, which we intend to develop consistently in the coming years, applying radical approaches.

Maintenance of the wing

2009-06-10T01:43:00.001-07:00

This is certainly the component that has the shortest life. The cause lies in the materials used. A sail is subject to many different factors of wear. Let us know and reduce the damage.
When the sun set the wind without hope that the dates and Riggi is already dry, do not cook further monofilm leading to the sun - if possible - your shade sail. WARNING: The "cooking" is the primary cause of aging because of the sail makes the monofilm fragile.
Abrasion. The base of the wing is "grating" on the table. With a good break, you can slip some of the seams and the monofilm scratch in less than a season. In the loft are excellent remedies cheap: you want over a broken machine the seams of the base and ask to apply the adhesive material for protection. You can see an example of this application in the wing used in the photo beside. Strongly advise you to disregard the question: you have this traction exerted by the downhaul?
Arming and disarming with strong wind. For arm: roll out the sail and put out the tree. You must have the wind behind. Avoid absolutely lay immediately across the sail and make it fly and try to put the tree! Every lash of monofilm heard that at least creates a fold dry, and also happens with the new sails!
Transport. Not wring your sails on the roof with the straps! Unfortunately, the transportation is a thorny issue or put in the car for long (if you are traveling alone) or arranged with a beautiful travel bag that, apart from making a flight case for airline travel, allowing you to cram 2-3 trees, 2-3 sails a boom and the table ... all with only two straps! With this accessory you spare several minutes to upload and download, also. Some, especially the campers, are built using container of water in plastic pipes with threaded caps on the ends. The "tubone" remains fixed to the medium and extracting only the sailing. Personally I gave up when I saw the cost of materials.
Conservation. After the last board in the water, supported the sail out of the sand and let dry. Alternatively, if you have a sufficiently heavy table, you can ensure that the remains Riggi made with thanks to the weight of the hull. If the type of holiday gives you the opportunity, pass the equipment under a shower or use the sound of dry water. If you can not do this, rinse the sails at home: equipment remains wet salted forever and aging very quickly. When you finally put your sail, arrotolatela carefully trying to do a roll tight enough to prevent the folds between adjacent layers.

Choosing the table for a beginner

2009-06-10T01:41:00.001-07:00

Choosing the table for a beginner

For a beginner, have the right equipment is more important for advanced non surfista disaffection from the beginning of this sport and not to spend more time than necessary to learn rigging and sailing.
The best thing is to find an occasion where you set the table to be sold all the rest because in this way are good business. Do not underestimate the cost of accessories such as the apparently minor extension of a tree with its feet.
Which table?

Currently available on the market models that allow both the learning of foundations that conduct in the plane. This type of tables is distinguished by the high beam (up to 1 meter), resistance to impact, the possible presence of a drift or pull disappearance, the coating in EVA, a material that reduces tenero very problems and contusions excoriation. In recent years the price of these boards is very down 800 euro for a new list. The used paper is still better to play. A good way to obtain them is to contact schools of windsurfing at the end of the season.
Dimensions. Volume: not less than 160 ÷ 170 l. The length is not important: it was realized (finally!) That rely on stability in the volume and width.
Drift. It is not essential. You'll find it hidden on boats round a few years ago but fixed or removable panels on large modern school. It helps to beat back when, because, you're too leeward expired.
Accessories. The table should be accompanied by fin and strap (cost one eye!). Best original. Attention to the foot of a tree on the tables until the 90: If the table has an attack of a non-universal, you have to demand the original foot because there are no more.
Other characteristics. It 'hard to make a speech on the general behavior of a water table. The magazines tend to treat this type of equipment with a simple enough but be aware that a modern school board is able to help you learn all the planing sailing.
Conclusions

Personal experience as I point out this: with a good "first table" can go on to learn for years and you learn very quickly all the basic maneuvers Funboard. Just updated with a sail ever more powerful as they become more experienced. When the plane you will become a prerequisite for having fun, with a sufficient length of sailing, a well-sized and this kind of food your limits of wind will be very low and you can glide very often. Have not the strongest of the change table before they have learned: gliding, trapeze, good driving with his feet, a jibe quasi power "and the departure of the water.

Choice of sailing for beginners

2009-06-10T01:40:00.000-07:00

For a beginner, have the right equipment is much greater than for a surfista advanced non disaffection from the beginning of this sport and not to spend more time than necessary to learn rigging and sailing.
Important: The best thing is to find an occasion where you set the table to be sold all the rest because in this way are good business. Do not underestimate the cost of accessories such as the apparently minor extension of a tree with its feet.
Dimensions
The best size to start is 5.0 ÷ 5.7 sqm. Only when you know you will affect planar dimensions greater. Moreover, when one day your first purchase 6.5, the "old" you will need 5.5 however when the wind is stronger. It 'totally wrong to start with large sizes as you need to recover from the sailing many times without ill get back.
Features
You will need to orient yourself on a sail-type wave or wave-slalom with 4 max 5 battens, absolutely without camber (now rare); material: not too much surface monofilm pure (one transparent) because it is fragile. Fluent is the monofilm reinforced (double-layer reinforced with plot) this usually to wave sails. The material for the freestyle is very good: light and fairly robust. If you are not an expert in the field: a wave-slalom is a sail with the base rather short and sticks quite divergent among themselves (in a slalom are almost parallel).
A sail with the features mentioned above, is eternal and also the multi for a future wind "bad."
Avoid camber: make sailing difficult it is to arm both for use in water;
Avoid ASSOLUTAMENTE type stuff hyper carbon battens, thin monofilm: we need a sail lasting, economic and above all easy

The sail used it forever?

2009-06-10T01:39:00.002-07:00

Sailing is subject to wear even if the owner is shrewd and precise, so the evaluation of used is critical. Now all the sails are simple monofilm and / or reinforced. These materials break down the exposure of sunlight, and then after a certain number of exits a perfect sailing also becomes fragile. Based on these considerations, the sail is used convenient only in certain cases.
Understood when ...
Are you a beginner and have a Mylar sail that can withstand many falls Initial
You need a sail that you will use very little (eg, from 2.5 to 4.0)
Find an excellent opportunity for the relationship between price and remaining life
You must start between 3 days and your wallet cries
Not when it ...
Benin already know to go sailing and try to use every day until his final death.
Costs too much! To understand the convenience tries to assess the "annual cost" of a sail (purchase price / estimated years of life) and compare with the equivalent new
You can afford a new economy: remember that there is only Neil Pryde!
How do I know if it is a good opportunity
Glance: the stickers could cover repairs or mainly in the area of the boom or below.
The base of the wing is subjected to abrasion for the frequent contact with the table: Check the integrity of the seams
If the sail is monofilm (all transparent) then should not present too many folds dry and have a good transparency is a sign of proper maintenance and acceptable residual strength.
The mylar (sails not transparent) is almost eternal, but no seams: controllatele.
Splints: to extract all of their pockets and check the integrity particularly near the tree where there should be no signs of sfibratura. If the wing has camber control too.

NeilPryde Information on product care

2009-06-10T01:39:00.001-07:00

Sailing The following areas of your sail, you should regularly check wear damage: -- All dents, wrinkles and large scratches in monofilm or X-Ply material, particularly in the area of the tree fork, bottom, clew, Segeltops and leech of the sail.
-- The area in which the threaded Vorliekstrecker is the eyelets at the clew and the stopper on Segeltop, in the mast is introduced.

Make sure that your sails long lives:
1. Build your sail, if possible, always on soft turf at. A construction manual with any Neil Pryde Segelmitgeliefert. This set-up instructions, you can also download our website at: http:///
2. Sails are easily damaged when they Aufriggen the unwary are stored by the wind and turn. Be especially careful when setting up and Abriggen.
3. Protect your sails from sunlight when not in use. The harmful sun rays can cause verfrühterMaterialermüdung of monofilm lead. Build your sails immediately after use, or cover it with a protective tarp sails.
4. Rigging your sail from the wind, roll it to store from the top from close together and push it into the sail bag - so protect yourself before the monofilm early fatigue.
5. We recommend that if possible sail horizontally on the ground to store. Do not place heavy objects on top of the sail so stored. If kept in a vertical position should the mast on the ground.
6. Rinse your sails with fresh water, if it for a longer period of time.
7. Stubborn stains can with warm water and mild detergent to be removed.

Masts
The carbon fiber mast of your are sensitive and can be fitted to a hard object, through pressure and longer exposure to the sun serious damage. Such damage is not always visible. Make sure that you in the event of a Mastbruchs never be in a dangerous situation and always made sure its own power to the coast can come back. Please see more information about the care and maintenance of your Neil Pryde mast attached to the product manual or visit our Neil Pryde website:

The following areas should be regularly checked for wear damage are:
- The area on which the boom head is attached
- The areas in which the mast touching Camber
- The connection between the base and sleeve Top
Make sure that your mast long lives:
1. Protect your mast from impact or pressure. The mast can be done by dropping or bumping severely damaged. Such damages are not necessarily visible.
2. Build your mast always directly after use. We recommend you always padded mast for storage and transport to use.
3. Carbon masts as well as other poles tightly attached to the boom front pieces damaged. The easiest way to protect your pole from such damage caused by exclusive use of Neil Pryde booms.
4. Use Neil Pryde mast. The mast must be closely attached to the Mastbase fit and at least 11.5 cm / 5 "in the mast there. The mast should not exceed 40 cm / 15.75 "extended. Use the 48 cm long Neil Pryde extension only if your mast for more than 28 cm must be extended. Use of the Neil Pryde Mast ONE only ONE original NP mast.
5. When using a two-piece mast, make sure that both Mastteile remain firmly connected after they pushed into the mast were. Slide your hand along the mast to the seat of the Masthälften to check before you take the whole Luff enforce. A gap between the two Mastteilen may be under strain to fracture of the upper sleeve lead connection.
6. Mastfüße, Mastverbindungshülsen, mast, sail camber and other components should be free from sand and dirt to be. Make sure before construction to ensure that all Riggkomponenten are clean. Use warm water and mild detergent to remove stubborn dirt.
7. Please be aware that a mast even when used in smaller waves and the shore break can brake. Mastbruch when used in shaft stations is usually not processed - or material error, and is to be the result of the warranty.
8. Although Neil Pryde carbon masts with a UV resistant protective coating must be both mast and other windsurfing equipment for the Windsurfing before sunlight.

Booms and renewals
Your Booms and extensions are fragile and can be fitted to a hard object, through prolonged exposure to the sun and by corrosion (aluminum Booms and / or renewals) serious damage. Such damage is not always visible. Make sure that you in the event of a boom extension or never break into a dangerous situation and always made sure its own power to the coast can come back. Please see more information about the care and maintenance of your fork tree Neil Pryde Neil Pryde, or your renewal of the attached product manual or visit our Neil Pryde website:

The following areas of the fork tree should be regularly checked for wear damage are:

- All parts of the front and tail: The lever of the front piece, the clamps and screws.
- The Trimmschot.
- All Verstellhebel at Holmen.
Make sure that your boom and your life-long extension:
1. Make sure that you Booms and mast after its use from the sun-protected storage.
2. All moving parts must be sand - and kept free dreck. Rinse your boom regularly with fresh water, so that there is no tough dirt can settle. Regular washing prevents the corrosion of aluminum booms and prolongs their life.
3. Let the fork of the tree Clipverschlüsse not open when you do not use.
4. Let the non-renewal of no use if the mast, as this could corrode.

Mastfüße The universal joint of the mast used tendon is exposed to extreme forces and should be periodically reviewed and if necessary be replaced when signs of wear occur. The polyurethane-string has a limited, approximate life of up to 120 hours and after this period should be automatically replaced. Please see more information about the use, care and maintenance of your mast attached to the product manual or visit our Neil Pryde website:
1. The following components of the Mastfußsystems should be regularly checked for wear damage are:

The tendon
The rubber material of the polyurethane tendon should be no cracks or defects. This check simply by entering the string at 90 degrees in 4 different directions and bend the center of the tendon observed. Appears to be a crack, the string should be replaced immediately.

The tendon holder
Both the upper and the lower retaining bolt for the string should fit snugly. This restraint can bolt with an Allen wrench to tighten.

Mastfußplatte
The Mastfußplatte should be consistent with the lower end of the tendons sit flush mount. Between these parts there can be no game type. These parts are sitting too loose, the bolts are tightened inside.

XT Powerbase - Adapter The adapter cups cups should be used with the upper tendon holder sit flush. If the adapter cup loosely sitting inside the mother must be tightened.

UXT Power Bases - U-Pin
The U pin should be compatible with the upper tendons sit flush mount and have no game.

If one of your products Neil Pryde one of the above-mentioned wear damage, please contact immediately your Neil Pryde dealer. A list of all Neil Pryde contact details, visit the Neil Pryde website

Beginners

2009-06-10T01:38:00.000-07:00

It 'very important to try to get the maximum compatibility of its compliance with the tree held sails. For a beginner this will mean keeping an eye on the mating shaft length extends longer than the paametro sailing as luff or mast (depending on brand). Beware of sellers: there are trees for all the prices without having to take the 100% carbon. Let's look to the materials available (especially in view of the used)
Fiber is considered "the Alberaccio" battle but to start is fine. Surely it is not a long-term investment because there are now trees, low-carbon (20-40%) at attractive prices and when you buy the first of 6.5 sq m sail, you can not put a tree whatever.
Aluminum is no longer a good investment because the trees low carbon cost the same amount, and last longer (see maintenance).
Carbon will be the de facto choice when you start to adjust the sails according to the conditions. Initially you will not have this requirement but the carbon is the only material currently available
Advanced

It 'very important to match the right tree for each sailing, a stiffness and in some cases a length too far from those required on the wing, can seriously affect performance. For example, if your tree is too rigid will happen to the tensioned tantissimo downhaul before seeing a minimum easing in leech. Similarly a difference on the length can cause discomfort such as the small sails with varied top, where you can then mount the trees are much longer in his pocket, the installation of a tree much larger than the size required will cause a tightening of 'equipment. Same thing happens when we use a tree too short sail on the largest lengthening the maximum extension. So look for trees that have long stiffness MCS compatible with your sails.

Why Windsurfing On Longboards Will Be the Next Big Thing

2007-08-04T04:39:00.000-07:00

I’m going to write three articles that I am wildly unqualified to write. Well, maybe not completely. An article on how to do stand up paddle surfing, an article on how to windsurf a longboard, and this one. I’m unqualified because in relative terms I’m a rank beginner at the first two things, and for the third, I wouldn’t recognize a trend if it bit me on the ass. But I think hearing from a beginner who is struggling with the basics is valuable to people who are just getting ready to try something new. And besides, I figure it’s like the old ski instructors joke:
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Fanatic Fanatic Shark 155

2007-08-03T06:10:00.000-07:00

What We Liked: One of few plus-size shapes that had testers looking forward to jibing. Set the rail and it would respond in a manner perfect for progressing techniques onto smaller shapes. Relatively stable platform for intermediates, inset strap options and a smooth transition onto a plane made for hands-free riding. Speeds were competitive with the fleet's, and the deck pad and straps were comfortable. Buyer Beware: Its planing power and spark factor suffered – its relatively small, free-ride swept fin was the target of tester complaints. Better than the Fleet at: Taking the lead in the turns; creating tester demands for light-air ocean test sessions. Best Suits: Intermediate to expert sailors looking for a big board that will prepare them for smaller ones. Sailing/Tuning Tips: Rig big, or purchase a longer aftermarket fin. www.fanatic.com

Specifications:
Year	2005
Sail Range	6.0-9.5
Weight	22.5
Volume	155
Width (cm)	79.3
Length (cm)	269
Fin Size (cm)	Shark 52
Box Type	Power Box

Advanced Hull Dynamics - AHD AHD Type F 160

2007-08-03T06:07:00.000-07:00

Review: What We Liked: It perked up light-wind test sessions with a peppy, fast, free ride. Great stability, good glide through wind holes and a steady acceleration curve for sailors perfecting the foot straps. Thick rails offered a unique high-riding sensation that mowed over chop and encouraged testers to keep the pedal down.

Full review >

Specifications:
Year	2005
Sail Range	5.5-9.0
Weight	21.75
Volume	160 Liters
Width (cm)	79 cm
Length (cm)	267.3 cm
Fin Size (cm)	Select 53
Box Type	Power Box

Wetsuit Questions and Answers

2007-08-02T22:48:00.000-07:00

I've been told that Blindstitching is the best form of wetsuit manufacture. What does it mean and why does it matter?
Leave aside the images of guide dogs and sweat shop sewing machines, in essence the blindstitch is a stitch that only goes halfway through the material, done with a curved needle rather like the ones doctors use to stitch up their patients. When the needle goes right through the neoprene (as in an ‘overlocked' stitch) the result is a series of holes to let in water, drastically reducing the thermal insulation of the suit (but perfectly alright for summer use). Instead, the blind- stitch turns through 180° without appearing on the other side. To give the seam added strength the ends of the neoprene are glued first and then stitched to form a watertight seal.
Should seams be taped?
There are two schools of thought. One is that taping seams adds to their strength. The other states that taping reduces flexibility and as winter suits are generally pretty thick and bulky anyway, anything that makes it even more inflexible has to be a drawback. A compromise is to tape only those areas put under the most stress, such as points where three or four seams meet, for example where the sleeve along the underside of the arm meets the body. Otherwise the argument boils down to strength versus suppleness. One further word though, even suits which do not have fully taped joints are still tough. It is more a matter of very tough and even tougher rather than weak and strong.
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WHY BOARDS PLANE

2007-08-02T22:33:00.000-07:00

Imagine a board floating in the water. It takes up some space, so if you suddenly took it away, there would be a board-shaped ‘hole’ left in the water. Of course, the water would quickly fill this hole.

Now imagine a board moving through the water (non planing). Obviously, it has to push the water in front of it out of the way. But just as importantly, it will leave behind a hole in the water where it used to be. This means that there will be a ‘pile-up’ of water at the front of the board (which means higher pressure) and a ‘hole’ left behind your board (which means lower water pressure). Both water and air rush in to fill the hole left behind, so what you see is an area of ‘white-water’ (water mixed with air) at the back of the board.
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TUNING YOUR WAVE BOARD

2007-08-02T22:27:00.000-07:00

Most windsurfers are fairly comfortable with the idea of tuning their sail to suit the conditions. More wind = more downhaul/outhaul. However, the idea of tuning the board is something that most sailors are much more vague about - a shame, since with careful tuning we can reap huge benefits. This is particularly so with wave boards, where a few simple tweaks can dramatically improve performance. From my coaching clinics I have seen time and again clients getting much better results on the water after tuning their boards correctly for the conditions.

So in this feature I will be examining the various wave board tuning options available, when to use them and how to make the most of them. The comments are valid for any normal wave board or freestyle wave board in the 70-90L range. As well as drawing on my own coaching and testing experience for this, I will also be including some insights gained from working with Team Fakefish riders Chris Audsley, Louise Emery and John Skye. Past world wavesailing champion and all-round top bloke Francisco Goya will also be injecting his wisdom.
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Freestyle — The Future of Windsurfing?

2007-07-31T23:43:00.000-07:00

You are a dedicated windsurfer. As such you haul your gear to the local lake or bay religiously each weekend and pray for wind. When the wind comes you find you're progressing, but not as fast as you'd like. You look for inspiration in the videos of Robby and Björn as they ride Jaws and Ho'okipa, but somehow the two things don't relate. You can never imagine yourself at Jaws. It's as if what you're doing, and what they're doing, are two different sports. Well, perhaps they are.

Now, picture this: It’s a pro competition and there’s not a wave in sight. The boards are bigger, say 90 to 100 liters, the sails, too, are not Gorge-sized 3.0s, but more realistically sized 6.0s. Now this is something you can relate to, right? It’s the new Freestyle format that’s taking windsurfing by storm and finally it looks like something a mere mortal can actually handle. Pro windsurfer Brian Talma put it this way: “Freestyle is the best thing to happen to windsurfing in the last two years. We have racing and we have waves; now we have something in the middle, something for everyone.”

You may question whether it’s really for everyone and I’ll admit that only a few people can nail those radical Star Trek inspired Vulcans and Spock 540s, or whatever they’re called. But, freestyle isn’t only about radical moves and if you’ve ever gone for a carving jibe, a laydown jibe, a duck jibe, a fast tack, or any of a number of basic transitions, then you too are a freestyle sailor. It’s not such a big step to turn a duck jibe into a sail 360, or a laydown into a carving board 360. So, you won’t exactly nail your first attempt, but when did that ever happen? Completing the move will come sooner than you expect.

The rapid acceptance and the appeal of freestyle windsurfing lies in three important areas. Firstly, you need less equipment. As Andy Gurtner, pro Swiss windsurfer and AW equipment tester, said about the allure of freestyle, “You only need one board, one mast, and two sails and you can compete. The board could be around 100 liters, which just happens to be about the most common size worldwide.”

Less gear makes travel a whole lot easier and keeps the dollar investment reasonable especially since you’re not throwing yourself into some Ho’okipa-size waves and breaking masts every day. The real key to freestyle, according to Gurtner, is to have more than one fin. I know fins can be spendy, but it’s far better to carry three fins around with you than another $1,500 board that gets occasional use.

Secondly, you don’t need much wind for good freestyle. Fluid, light air moves are like eye-catching choreographed dances on the water. The next time you’re out, try backwinding your rig in light winds. It’s easier than you’d suspect and it’s a lot of fun sailing backwards, steering your rig in this new position—and before you know it that move will turn into a heli-tack.

Thirdly, freestyle levels the playing field in competitions. You can’t be expected to compete with expert wave sailors unless you get to sail in Maui year round. But, you could go head-to-head with Web Pedrick on flat water lake sailing, and why not? If your local lake is small it doesn’t matter. Freestyle moves should be attempted often for success. As soon as you’re planing, go for a Duck tack or Hoss tack. Then return to planing and do it again—repetition is the key. Remember, many of Pedrick’s competition-winning freestyle moves come from flat water, light wind origins. When you advance in your freestyle abilities you can begin on Wymaroos and other such looping moves, but ease into them with something like a jump jibe first. Freestyle shows that you don’t have to be speeding around all the time to enjoy windsurfing; not that freestyle excludes speed though.

With today’s well designed freestyle boards you are not giving up much in the way of high speed performance when the wind does come up. These boards are capable and controllable in straight line sailing, yet they’re turny enough when the lake swell starts to build and you want the wave-riding feeling.

If you still believe that competitive freestyle is beyond you, then you should know that at least three competitors in last year’s Subaru Gorge Games Freestyle events—Nori Hubbs, Mark Doyle, and Jim Oaks—competed then in their first freestyle competition. That competition also included Web Pedrick, Chris Wyman, and the like. These newcomers all placed in the top four of their respective divisions.

I’ll leave you with one other thought: Waterstarting was once a freestyle trick.

Martin Trees, freelance writer and commentator, together with his wife Kristen Olson, sail worldwide and are sponsored by Chinook, DaKine, NoLimitz and Okespor.
American Windsurfer

Windsurf Foilboarding is here!

2007-07-31T23:30:00.000-07:00

The future of windsurfing is finally here!
Who said you have to do the same old thing on flat water, or even in waves?

We already thought about it in the eighties, but - as usual in Maui- things aren't just invented in mind; it's being made!
Rush Randle known from his foilboards for big wave surfing, is owner of Rush Foilboards and developed the windsurfing foilboard.

It's is the only true functioning hydrofoil windsurfer available in the world, with no way to describe the experience of riding the foilboard windsurfer than "riding a cushion of air". Clearing the water's surface by 2 feet, you leave the rough ride and noise of the chop behind. Amazing, exciting, exhilirating...all adjectives that barely do the experience justice!
There is nothing else quite like it!

A sport still in it's infancy, each board is a custommade hand made board. Rush Randle's new patented extendable fuselage is the key to the windsurfers control without boots, and every shaft is modified by Rush Randle himself. The boards are truly hand made works of art.

The boards are made of top quality carbon and kevlar for maximum strength & impact resistance. Finishing is done with Ameron car paint for a beautiful but tough color coating. Sky Ski foils are all chrome finished or available in anodized coloring.

The 8'0" is still an experimental concept board, and it's still not known just how fast it will go...no one has been brave enough to take that test! But the potential is incredible. And Rush can even loop it on flat water, too!
The 8'6" is the workhorse model, handling sail sizes 5.4 up to 9.8 (no need to go bigger, as the efficiency of the foil will have a 9.8 powered in 6 knots!). Incredible range, and always enough volume to get you home.

Windsurfing will never be the same!
Source: Da Surf Maui

RIPPER

2007-07-31T23:28:00.000-07:00

Designed with a lot of passion for our youngest riders, Sebastian Wenzel used his personal test team of three sons to develop the new Ripper:

“Bringing the sensation of windsurfing to the youth of today is the biggest pleasure since they are the future of our sport. With this in mind I designed the Ripper to be as easy as possible – so that anybody trying this board will get addicted to windsurfing, like I was, when I started over 20 years ago”

A very clean shape with loads of potential, also for freeriding. With loads of footstrap and fin options, the Ripper converts in seconds to a high performance Freerider with effortless control and ease of use – a great family board.

An early planing and performing scoop rocker line gets the Ripper going in the lightest breeze. An equally distributed volume through outline and deck flow, secure a secure stands also when not planing.

Soft rails and the very comfortable and safe EVA soft deck prevent injuries and make the first jibe an unforgettable experience.

But also when it gets windy or rough – the Ripper rocks.

Construction: HRS-SD
Designer: Sebastian Wenzel
Sizes:
102
lgth: 239 width: 69.5 vol: 102 sail: 2.0 - 10.0

NEIL PRYDE; on windsurfing's future

2007-07-31T23:22:00.000-07:00

AMERICAN WINDSURFER: At the end of the millennium, where’s windsurfing at and where’s it going?
NEIL PRYDE: I’m an eternal optimist. I believe that windsurfing has crossed the threshold of surviving and we are seeing growth in a viable sport. Much of this is coming through improvement in the equipment. It’s gotten a lot lighter. You don’t need as much equipment as you used to have to go to the beach with.
You can now plane in wind speeds of 7 or 8 knots, so you have many more places to sail. Secondly, the power range of the modern rigs is so wide that you need only 2 or 3 rigs and can cover almost every condition. All this has changed the dynamics of the sport dramatically. I think people are just now starting to realize this.
The other important area is the realization that windsurfing really needs wind and to really optimize the sport, you have to be prepared to travel to resorts. Just like skiers and snowboarders have their resorts, you have windsurfing resorts. The growth of windsurfing travel is very encouraging. We see it in our business. More and more of our equipment is going into rentals. People are renting not buying. Now that’s not great for the dealers and people who make a living from selling
equipment. This we accept in short term. There is going to be some pain from this.
AW: With this prognosis, where do you see the spawning grounds? How do we get new windsurfers hooked so that they will go to the windy resorts?
NP:This is probably the most difficult area, because it’s different everywhere. France, for example, is a country that has a long coastline. A lot of people live near the sea, so people look to the sea for recreation, naturally. It happens from friends, family, girlfriends, whatever. They look into the sport. There are schools. There are even government programs promoting it. Maybe it is not a very formal organization, but there is a structure there that gets people into the sport.
Germany is a different situation. It is landlocked and there are no good places to enjoy the sport within the country itself. So it is more difficult to encourage young people, even though they do have a very well-developed teaching system. But it doesn’t get people hooked. This is probably why the growth of the sport in Germany is not as strong as in France, where the sport is quite popular. Germany has problems. Let’s face it, there are 80 million people in Germany, so there is still going to be a fairly good-sized portion of people who will talk each other into going on holidays together and picking up windsurfing this way.
AW: Wasn’t there a survey that showed windsurfing as the number one sport people want to learn?
NP: I think it was the newspaper in France that ran the survey. That’s correct. I think windsurfing is visually very exciting. It’s an exciting sport to watch. That’s its first selling point as a sport. And there’s a natural, “Wow, I want to try it.” Given the opportunity, I think a lot of people want to give it a go. Probably this is where the failure is. People’s first experience is where a lot of them fall over the first hurdles. They are attracted to it because of the visual, but they find it physically very difficult when they try it. So they give up.
On the other hand, they might be very lucky and go to a place where the conditions are right and there’s somebody that’s patient enough to teach them. And bingo, they’re in. So it’s a bit hit and miss. I think visually it attracts people, but then people need to get over the first hurdle.
AW: Is there something that the industry can do to make this hurdle less challenging?
NP: I think the main thing is to keep working on making the equipment better, lighter and easier to use. I’m not sure the industry can support everything that has to be done. But I think this is where the dealer has a crucial role, because this is the person who has direct contact with buyers and potential consumers. Probably the most influential person here is the dealer, and the good dealers have schools. They are aware of what’s needed to turn people onto windsurfing and they do it.
For the industry it is difficult, because we sell to the dealers. The dealers sell to the public. So as an industry, it’s difficult for us to be too involved in all the teaching programs while
at the same time providing equipment. I think, more than anything else, we need an injection of new dealers.
AW: So where’s the source of inspiration going to come for new dealers to come into this water?
NP: Oh, we see it. You see new dealers coming into the sport, and they usually come in with a burst of enthusiasm. You see the business pick up. It happens. It’s not happening as much as we would like, but it is happening.
AW: It’s happening in South America, isn’t it?
NP: That’s what I feel. You’ve got an enthusiasm that we see for the sport in a lot of the so-called newer markets that is super encouraging. South America, Eastern European countries, even in Asia, we’re seeing quite high levels of enthusiasm and it’s great to be part of that as a company. We’re actually putting a lot of energy into growing the sport. We sponsor events in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania under the umbrella of the Baltic Cup and we have also supported the “Asian Windsurfing Tour”. This means putting money into and presenting five events around Asia. We are also involved in events in the Caribbean and South America and we are getting super levels of enthusiasm.
AW: Now, what’s this rumor I hear that you’re talking about retirement?
NP: [Groan] I still enjoy the sport and the business and I have no immediate plans to get out. Obviously, we’re not immortals. Unfortunately none of us are immortals, huh?
AW: How old are you now?
NP: I’ll be 60 this year. But I am pretty active and fit and race my yacht still.
AW: You’re remarkably accessible. The communication within your company is outstanding.
NP: That’s one thing I think we’re forced into. We are in Hong Kong, where we have zero home market and everything we sell is to another country. Communications are the absolute essence of our business. Other brands built their business on a home market and took it somewhere else. We didn’t have any home market. All we had was Hong Kong with nobody to sell to. So it’s a huge leap to have a global perspective on business. This I think is our strength. But it was a weakness when we were building, and it made it very expensive and perhaps painful. But once we built it, we’ve automatically become a global player and we are certainly the most widely distributed brand in the business.
AW: Tell me about the infrastructure of your communication? It seems like, with your busy schedule, every time I e-mail—
NP: Well, you just hit it—e-mail. That’s the key. That’s what’s making things easy today—electronic communications. It’s just making it so much easier to do things—marketing, product information, feedback to us. Everything relating to running the business is just so much easier today, because of electronic communications. The use of the Web to put out information, not only to the public but also to our distributors, speeds up the whole process dramatically. This is going to be a real boon to us. I am quite excited about it.
AW: Look into the new millennium. What would you like to see happen for windsurfing?
NP:One of the things I’d like to see, is getting the Olympics as a more representative presentation of the sport than what it is today. We’re in the Olympics, but the Mistral one-design class is not really relevant to what most of the world practices. So I’d really like to see windsurfing as we know it, in the Olympics.
AW: That’s interesting coming from a sailor and a yachtsman like yourself.
NP: That’s what makes it so odd. Yachting and sailing are not windsurfing. Windsurfing is a very unique sport. It’s not to be mixed up with yachting or even sailing, which are wind-driven recreation on the water. Windsurfing is windsurfing. I’d really like to see that unique form of the sport in the Olympics —where we’d have a true representation, with every young kid in the world eyeing it.
I am actually quite satisfied with the way the sport is going. Of course I would like to see it bigger and more popular, but in general the trend I see is quite positive. I think as more windsurfing resorts develop around the world, we’ll see more people thinking about and planning for windsurfing vacations and travel just like skiers and snowboarders do. This will be progress for our sport, because once they get hooked, they go to these resorts and are motivated, they come back and become part of the sport. Renting is an option. It reduces the cost. The cost of travel becomes easier, because you don’t lug expensive and heavy equipment. All these things are going to lead to a regeneration and growth in enthusiasm.
AW: We did a survey recently and 81.1% take an annual windsurfing vacation. 87.4% take 2 or more each year, and 66.9% fly to their vacations!
NP: Windsurfers are very mobile as a group, that’s for sure. That’s one of the key issues, I think, when you look at the industry. People tend to judge the industry as to whether it’s going up or it’s going down by saying, “Oh look how many boards are sold or how many sails are sold. Are we selling less of this and that? Oh, the industry is going down.”
But when you look at the total spending on this sport, including hardware, and you add up the cost of the clothing, wet suits, travel, the motor car and the petrol to get where you are going—all this is part of the sport. When you look at that spending, I’m sure you’ll find that it’s growing. Plus the vacation accommodations and all the rest of it, that’s part of the sport. When a skier adds up how much he’s going to spend on skiing, he takes into account the lift tickets, the cost for the ski lodge. That’s all part of the cost of the sport. So in windsurfing, the hardware is not the only part that’s driving the business or the industry. I don’t think everybody has quite realized that yet.
AW: What would you want to be remembered for? Your name certainly is world renowned. People are constantly amazed that Neil Pryde is a real man. [Chuckle] How would you like to sum that up?
NP: I never thought about it, to be honest. Of course, I suppose the most important thing is to leave behind a company that is a leader in the sporting industry—with a reputation for great products and quality. I think that is enough, actually. That’s the satisfaction. You feel that you have built a brand that is meaningful and valuable and remembered.
AW: When you started in this thing, did you ever think you would get this far into windsurfing?
NP: Windsurfing had not even been invented when I first started being involved in sail making. Windsurfing was invented about 1967, ‘68. I started sailing in 1963.
As a company we didn’t get into windsurfing until about 1976. But you’re right, we had no idea how involved we would become. When we started making windsurfing sails, it was just another
customer who needed sails. We didn’t think that we would be right in the forefront of driving and developing the sport. It was something that just evolved.
AW: Are you happy it happened?
NP: Yeah. I mean, it’s been very satisfying. Obviously extremely satisfying. Maybe it didn’t make us very rich, but it’s very satisfying. One always hopes that you can go out of the business with a good return, that you can live on comfortably for the rest of your life. That’s always a goal, isn’t it? I think that for every business it is. We have of course been quite successful and the company is financially strong.
AW: I know you had bad years, years when you thought you were going to lose the company. How did you deal with those bad years?
NP: Well, you just go ahead. You find solutions. That’s the simple answer. You never give up. You just keep working at it, and if you have enough fight, you’ll find a solution.
AW: Sitting now and looking back at the challenges that you had and how everything had to work together to bring you to where you are today, what comes to your mind as the single element that held everything together?
NP: In terms of my own personality or style, I am naturally a very competitive person. All my life I have been in sport. I came into this business from sport, being a competitive sailor. That’s probably the most important thing that’s driven me. You want to be Number One.
Secondly I had good grounding in business school, being a professional accountant. I came out of an industry with a good financial background, I think that gives you the discipline to know your limits and where you can operate, where you can not operate. That combined with a very competitive spirit makes a pretty good start toward making a success out of something.
The thing is, there is a large element of luck in this. I think there’s no substitute. Everybody needs a certain element of luck in anything you do. Sometimes maybe you say you don’t have to be lucky, but you don’t want to have bad luck! [chuckle] You need luck, that’s for sure. You get the breaks and when you get the breaks, you have to be smart enough to know this is an opportunity: Grab it and go with it. I think these are the key elements in building a business.
Once you’ve built the business, I think it’s probably a different skill to keep the business running. The key to it, is to be able to keep on evolving as market situations change. Let’s face it, this business has changed a lot and I think probably my other attribute, if you want to call it that, is that I’m pretty flexible. Even though I might be stubborn and competitive, if I have a fixed idea about something, if I see it’s not working, I’ll change 180 degrees. I’ll change my mind very quickly. If you talk to any of my people, they find it pretty frustrating because they’ll say that I’ve changed my mind a thousand times. You have to. If you see that it’s not working, you can’t go down all the way to the end. You evolve and you make sure the company evolves with the new circumstances. Businesses are a very dynamic environments. Everything is changing by the day. I mean, Internet didn’t exist 4 or 5 years ago and now we are using it daily. I think the ability to accommodate these changes is critical.
AW: Speaking of changes, any comment about North/Mistral acquiring F-2 and Fanatic and developing a kind of a monopoly in windsurfing?
NP: I’m not concerned, because historically monopolies seldom succeed. Sailor consumers are going to buy what they want to buy. They are looking for the right product at the right price. I really don’t see how a monopoly is going to be successful in the sporting goods industry anyhow. I could understand if there were some logic in what they were doing. For example, if you consolidate all the manufacturing in a single factory, you get economies of scale in manufacturing, but that doesn’t seem to be what they’re doing.
AW: What are they doing?
NP: Well, that’s a good question. I mean, nobody knows, I guess, but what we hear is that manufacturing is still separated and even subcontracted. Mistral boards are made by Cobra. It doesn’t seem to have any logic. So I don’t see any threatening moves in this that are going to impact us. I am sure they are going to try to exert pressure on the market and force dealers to take their products. But dealers are humans. They don’t like monopolies. I think they’ll react very negatively to this. And as long as there are alternatives in the market, not everybody has to buy their brands. So I am skeptical.
There are very few times that monopolies succeed. Actually, if you look at history and start asking yourself, “How many mergers and acquisitions actually succeeded in adding shareholder value?”, the answer is a very low percentage of success rate. A huge number of mergers go on, but in the end, you look at the balance sheets of these companies after they merged and you find that not that many of them really succeed. Let’s face it, windsurfing is a small industry. The volumes are low. I am just skeptical that they’ll succeed.
AW: Is there a danger that this monopoly could destroy the good companies they’ve merged?
NP: Oh yes. I think there is a very real risk, because to keep a brand alive, each brand needs separate product design. It needs its own marketing. All these elements that existed when the companies were separate are still going to exist even when they have merged. Otherwise brands die. I think what will happen is that commercial pressures will start forcing cost cutting. Marketing budgets will get cut. The products will lose their individuality. Pretty soon some brands will start disappearing.
You only have to look a few years ago when an American investor bought Fanatic. Then he bought Copello and wanted to pull all this together. Then
he bought Alpha. Look at it today. Alpha has
disappeared. Copello has disappeared.
AW: Right!
NP: It happened. So I think you’re correct. I think the real risk is that we will loose these brands. So actually, what’s been gained? So I’m a skeptic. Let’s face it, we’re in a sport where the brands are more than just a brand name on a piece of hardware. I think windsurfing is a very individualistic sport. I think a lot of people’s lives, personalities and feelings have gone into developing these products, especially in boards. They have shaped the products.
I think when people buy a board, they don’t necessarily buy an F2 board, they buy an F2 board shaped by Peter Thommen. That’s in danger of being lost in this whole thing. Even sails are a little different because a sail is an aerodynamic wing. It’s not an individually shaped product like a surf board. It’s created. It’s mass produced. If it’s the right shape and it has the right aerodynamics, it works, no matter what brand name is on it. But the brand names in the sail business have the resources to produce the right aerodynamics and the right shapes, so the brand name is a lot more meaningful than on the board, where shapers quite frequently change their minds about what the right shape is.
Look at surf boards. I mean there are hardly any brands of surfboards in the world that are internationally distributed. It’s a very custom shape oriented product. I don’t think surfboards are very much different [from windsurfing boards]. That’s why I say that in something like F2, the character of the brand is actually in the people more than in the product. Now that’s the sad part. However, we’ll see what happens.
AW: What do you think will happen?
NP: My gut feeling is that 4 or 5 years down the track we’ll see that some of these brands will disappear or they’ll be back, perhaps independent again. The ones that are existing will be on their own again. I have the feeling that somebody like Klaus Jacobs who is an industrialist, is probably not committed personally to the sport. He’s treating this as an exercise in building a company and if it doesn’t succeed, he’ll drop it at a certain point and go in another direction.
AW: So in essence, the whole sport is riding on the whims of one man.
NP: That’s one of the problems we have about being such a small industry and a sport, unfortunately. I mean, for a major industrialist like Jacobs, I guess this is relatively small money. This is one of our problems.
AW: What do you see your role here, if any at all?
NP: We are not going to adapt by doing anything special. We are just going to go on doing what we are doing already, which is trying to make good products and providing good service and supporting the sport where we can do it.
NP: So if Mr Jacobs comes and offers you billions, will you sell?
NP: No.
[Chuckles]
NP: Billions, probably yes.
[Laughter]
NP: Millions, I’m not sure. [Laughter]
NP: Of course, everything is for sale. Let’s face it, there’s a price for everything in this world. We would think long and hard, put it that way.
American Windsurfer Magazine

Goya Sails 2007: Wave & FXR 2007

2007-07-31T10:22:00.000-07:00

WAVE SAILS 2007

UK Goya Team Rider, Andy King, is one of the few to have sailed on the 2007 wave sails. Here is what he had to say:

Design changes: The 2007 wave sails have more pre-set shape to them. This fullness is designed to give a better bottom end so you get going quicker and a better top end speed. The sail has also been made more stable over the 2006 design.

Graphics: As for the simple graphics, well there is a very good reason for that. All the panels are actually one piece with no unnecessary panels with all the seams and stitching that goes with it. Extra patterns on a sail tends to mean different stretch of each material which leads to flex, warping and distortion. Goya Sails are designed to be are pure, clean products; no fancy patterns, just the highest performance sail possible.

X-ply thickness: There is also different thicknesses of x-ply throughout the sail with a reduced thickness the furthur up the sail you go allowing for more twist where you need it and more protection from your harness hook and/or knee in the foot area!
FXR SAILS 2007

We thought we'd ask Franciso himself about the FXR:

So Goya Sails go Freeride!! You have a total blank sheet so where do you start?

Francisco Goya: I wanted to make a high performance freeride sail but without the cams. The sail has to have a better low end and high end than a wave sail. That means getting you onto the plane quicker and faster in a straight line and at the same time being more stable in overpowered conditions as a lot of sailors will look at getting the most speed out of their ride thereby using larger sails than wave riders.

As far as specs go everything gets adjusted from the general outline of the sail to the foil on each batten and everything in between. The only constant from our wavesails is the construction. We continue using our full panel concept that reduces sewing holes and unnecessary seams, keeping a constant twist and flex through the sail. For the materials we choose X-ply over monofilm, as the weight difference is barely noticeable but X-ply will stop a tear and through its adhesive it is shielded from UV rays, outlasting a monofilm sail.

Did you try 'cams' during the R&D phase or did you never consider them for the FXR?

Yes we did consider them but the manoeuverability and simplicity of the design together with its fast driving profile through the added tube battens allowed me to have the performance of a full cam sail without having to ride and rig like a cam sail.

Gun Sails Nexus

2007-07-31T10:19:00.000-07:00

The Nexus is the NEW performance-oriented crossover sail from Gun Sails. It has been designed for use in flat and choppy water conditions for either total beginners, freeriders or freestylers.

Compared to the Gun Sails Target range, the Nexus has a bit more power to get planing earlier and more top end speed.
The more manoeuvre-orientated sizes up to 5.6m have 5 battens and a slightly higher leech. The bigger sizes with 6 battens and a deeper leech have more low end power and acceleration.

Graphically, Gun Sails have opted for a very bold and distinctive looking design in the new sail, which we reckon looks very cool.....and just check the value!!