Wednesday, July 29, 2015

New Mantas and Reader Feedback

Hi

2016 Mantas

Visuals of the 2016 Manta range are starting to show up.






Two bits of good news:
  • They look stunning.  Just look at the picture!  The artist responsible for this has a very special talent.  Carbon in a board always looks the same but this guy has incorporated the effect so cleverly into the deck design.  A serious piece of art!  
  • The 2015 shapes are pulled through into the new range (all except the 61 which has had a full revamp)


I am pretty relaxed about the shapes staying the same for 2016.  It simply means that they are considered to be as good as they can be at this time.  The 61 Manta should be something really special though.  The entire development effort concentrated on just one board.  Awesome!

Reader Feedback

You may recall me telling you about Lars from Norway who was shopping for a replacement 115ish slalom board.  I had suggested the Angulo Magnum and was awaiting his final decision.  Well, he bought the Magnum and has started to ride it.  Lars recons that the thing is a demon through the gybes.  He also mentions that he is able to tack it and, when limping home in light wind, it is not too uncomfortable.  This all speaks to the extra volume around the mast track and the extra length.  Nice!

His problems include the board flying off the fin in strong gusts.  He wisely moved the mast track forward and (I think) moved his footstraps forward.  These are two good things to do.  You will find that some sails may require you to come fairly far forward with the track.  Lars has NCX's which are inclined to be quite back-handed in the gusts.  This backward pull can cause your back foot to put pressure on the fin leading to spin-out and/or the board flying out of the water.  Don't hesitate to move the track forward to improve control.  You can move it back over time as you get dialled in and familiar with the board.  Also, move your harness lines back.  You should be able to let go with your back hand at speed and the rig should retain its angle of attack to the wind.   

I also advised Lars to try a smaller fin with his 7.5 and 7m sails.  He was using a 43cm Boss with these sails.  His 38cm fin should be fine and will certainly give better control with better top speed. The other thing is to ensure that your NCX's are pulled down properly.  Don't pussy foot with this and as the wind picks up, increase the outhaul a bit until the rig becomes tight and springy (not too much outhaul however).  Remember that these are not race sails and they need this extra support to compensate for their lack of cams.

Speak to you soon
Good winds  


Monday, July 13, 2015

New Equipment

Hi
Sorry for the long break but I have been concentrating on my commercial website for the past few weeks.
The two pieces of new equipment to bring to your attention are the iFoil and Severne's new line of boards. What??

The iFoil is a windsurf board whose foils ride on top of the water.  They have been designed to provide tremendous lift while submerged for rapid planing but as soon as the foils break the surface the lift falls off and directional stability takes over.

The designer is an aeronautical man who totally understands all of these things and I have to say, has come up with a striking concept, elegantly resolved.

iFoil at speed

The underside of the beast

Night sailing
Please go to Boards Magazine for a full review of this machine with detailed explanations.

The new Severne boards are about to break cover.  So far I have only seen wave and hybrid models. Hopefully we are going to be getting a nice slalom line as well. Please, please, please!

You will find some scraps of info on seabreeze.com.au



This is not the best visual but there is next to nothing online at this time.

Good winds
Talk to you soon

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Sad Post - Goodbye Peter Volwater

Hi

This is another of those sad posts.  Peter Volwater passed away yesterday.  He had apparently been suffering from severe depression and was unable to continue.

I must say I had been wondering about Peter lately.  He seemed to have been absent from all the competitions and now it all makes sense.

The man was windsurfing royalty - a fantastic sailor and a proper gentleman.  His passing leaves a huge hole in the fabric of our sport.


 
My profound sympathy to Peter's family and friends

Phil