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Dufour Wing Longboard
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acwillis



Joined: 12 Jul 2013
Posts: 2

PostPosted: Fri Jul 12, 2013 5:24 pm    Post subject: Dufour Wing Longboard Reply with quote

Hello, All,

I must thank many of you for providing me with the information that finally allowed me to identify my sailboard. My wife surprised me with the sailboard in the summer of 2005. We got it for free from an older couple that were cleaning out their stuff. I can't recall the history they provided but they did not know much. They provided me with the board and complete rigging along with two sails and replacement mastfoot clips (I have attached photos).

I was hoping for a bit more information about the board. From what I have read, people are generally pleased with the board.

I am from the midwest in the US. I live in Indianapolis and will be heading up to Michigan for an annual vacation on the shores of Lake Michigan. For those familiar with the area, we will be staying in Arcadia. Arcadia is on the famed road of M22, known for awesome wind.

I have never taken the board up there. This will be my first year.

Some of the questions I have:
Is there a difference in my sails?
Do the two mast hole options really matter?
Has anyone ever rigged up a trapeze apparatus on something like this? I would like to rig one.

Thanks for any response.

Aaron Willis



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Dagger board and fin.
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Mast holes.
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The board. Obviously, much of the decals and such have worn off.
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This is sail#1. Only differences between sails are the two logos and sail #2 has a red tinted window instead of clear.
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Sail #2
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Sail #1
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FreakDrew



Joined: 03 Oct 2008
Posts: 18

PostPosted: Fri Jul 12, 2013 7:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Aaron -

Hello from a few hours north (Pretty Lake, north of Kendallville IN) Smile

This is a great board for lake sailing in the summer. I have a BIC 250 which is essentially the same board. I use newer sails with it, so I can't tell you a whole lot about your sail choices.

If you use the more forward mast-step, the board will probably go unwind a little better, and be less "turny". I normally use the back mast-step because I like doing freestyle and having a loose board is better for that.

I grew up in southern Michigan, but have been up north to sail a lot. Had some great days up in the Harbor Springs ~ Sturgeon Bay area.

Oh, and sure you can use a harness (windsurfing version of a trapeze) with this board. Depending on your sailing skills, it could be a good idea... but Lake Michigan probably isn't the best place to learn to sail with one Smile I would suggest a chest harness, with the hook slightly above your belly button so it won't put too much downward stress on the booms.

have a great trip!
Drew
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DelCarpenter



Joined: 06 Nov 2008
Posts: 499
Location: Cedar Falls, IA

PostPosted: Sat Jul 13, 2013 12:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi Aaron,

I've owned both a Dufour Wing and a Bic 250 (started on a Bic 250). Your daggerboard is the same as the one on my Bic 250. While in the board the daggerboard is only 60% retractable which makes the board very hard to steer in stronger winds...such as 15 mph (maybe even at 12 mph). The stronger the wind the more the board wants to turn upwind when the daggerboard head is pushed all the way forward and 40% of the daggerboard is sticking out of the bottom of the board angled toward the stern. (In strong wind, if the full daggerboard is all the way down (unretracted) there will be a lot of pressure trying to lift up the windward rail and put you in the water.) The original Dufour Wings had a straight, drop-in daggerboard which was pulled out entirely & carried in strong wind.

Until you are well experienced in sailing your board I would limit your sailing to much smaller lakes.

And very carefully inspect your universal joint (bend it over while looking for cracks) before you sail on anything. Yours might be 25-30 years old.

Assuming your boom is a tie-on: when you tie the boom head to the mast have the clew end of the boom near the sail head (top) so when you pull the clew end of the boom down to the sail clew the rope around the boom will tighten...tightening the boom/ mast connection.

I think there is a group of Indianapolis area sailors who sail on the reservoir on the west side of Indianapolis.

If you haven't windsurfed before you could start out using the board as a stand-up paddleboard and get experience staying upright on it that way.

Ted Schweitzer has a group in northern Michigan that races original Windsurfers with similar sails.

A modern (less than 25 years old) sail rig (full battens, mylar or monofilm sail panels, & clamp-on booms) would make sailing much easier for you. The cloth sails that you have will appear to collapse and will drop you in the water about a second faster than a modern sail. That second of difference with a modern sail can often give you enough time to adjust your stance and keep you standing up. Modern sail shapes are also higher aspect (shorter clew length & taller mast length) which would give you more leverage against gusts keeping you standing longer.

Been there, got hooked on doing that, still going in my 30th season, but upgraded the sail rig after 4 seasons. I hope you'll get hooked too.
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joethewindsufa



Joined: 10 Oct 2010
Posts: 1190
Location: Montréal

PostPosted: Sat Jul 13, 2013 3:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thousands of people have started windsurfing using a BIC Dufour Wing. There are different versions as discussed.
It is a GREAT lake board and there are two(2) weaknesses
1) the original sails and boom suck
2) the clips on the mast base break - you are already missing some
There was no photo of the mast base - no mast base means NO GO !!

On my blog the BIC Dufour post is the most popular of all !!
http://joewindsurfer.blogspot.ca/2009/03/my-bic-dufour-wing-and-how-i-started.html

I have changed the mast base to accommodate a pulley system for more modern sails and use cauter pins to replace broken mast base pins. I still use this board on the small lake at the chalet today and love it. Since i use it occasionally in bigger winds, i always use the front mast plug. That setup works for me.

I have tried this board with the centreboard removed, but find the tiny plastic fin just does not do the job on its own.

Try what you have and change it slowly...
ENJOY and welcome to the FUN world of windsurfing
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d0uglass



Joined: 28 May 2004
Posts: 1286
Location: Bonita Springs, Florida

PostPosted: Sat Jul 13, 2013 9:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

DelCarpenter wrote:

Until you are well experienced in sailing your board I would limit your sailing to much smaller lakes.


Ditto on that. Your setup will be harder to use than modern beginner gear, but it will perform well in light winds and calm water once your know what you're doing. If you're trying to use it for the first time you'll definitely want calm water and light winds less than 12 mph.

My dad had the same board for a while back in the 80s and I remember him talking about how tough it was to ride in strong winds. The big, battenless sail, wobbly tie-on boom, awkward curvy daggerboard, and square tail of the board will make it difficult to manage.

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http://jimbodouglass.blogspot.com/2010/11/updated-windsurf-calculator-online.html
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FreakDrew



Joined: 03 Oct 2008
Posts: 18

PostPosted: Sat Jul 13, 2013 9:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

A couple suggestions if/when you choose to upgrade:

HotSailsMaui makes a line of modern Dacron & Kevlar sails that have unique qualities that make them very good for beginners as well as advanced sailors. They are light, extremely durable, and have a little "give" that makes them particularly enjoyable in gusty conditions.

The "classic" SuperFreak is a great longboard or shortboard sail. I use my 6.3 on my longboard all summer. Drawback would be that you would need to replace your mast and boom and mastbase to use this sail (or most any modern sail).

They also have a "SummerFreak" sail designed specifically as a lightwind sail for older-style longboards. There's some info in their forum (at http://www.hotsailsmaui.com). IIRC there is a 5.5m, 6.5m and 7.5m size, designed to work on new or old masts. Here's a video that one owner posted:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=wFitjKa0PWo

Also, you can see some harness use in this video Smile

Drew, happy SuperFreak sailor since 2004!
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acwillis



Joined: 12 Jul 2013
Posts: 2

PostPosted: Sun Jul 14, 2013 1:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thank you all for the comments. They were extremely helpful.

First, I should have said that I do have windsurfing experience, but I am still in training. I first learned to windsurf back in 1990 when I was in Japan teaching English. It was loads of fun and all of the jelly fish in the water provided me with a strong incentive not to fall off (seriously, there was some weird tide stuff going on and a bunch of jelly fish were in that area).

I have used my Bic 250 several times on a reservoir just north of Iowa City, IA, but have not had the opportunity to go out on it for sometime now, mainly not having a way to transport it to a lake. We take an annual trip up to Michigan and this year we finally have a car with a luggage rack so we will be bringing the big baby.

One of the things that I wanted to do before taking it out again was to rig up a harness system. I have an extensive background with sailing. In my teenage and young adult years, my father was fortunate to tend to a 420 for several years as the owner was overseas. Wow!!! We still miss the 420, but hopefully I can have some fun with the Bic next week. We still have the seat harness that we used with the 420 and considering chest harnesses coast at least $100, I'm going to go with the one we have.

Fortunately, where we are going, there is a decent size sheltered lake that is connected to Lake Michigan through a channel. I will get reacquainted with the board in the smaller lake, before I try the action with the big lake and the big wind.

I'll be 40 this Fall and my cautious side is now dominant over the wild side. I still like to have fun, but I am not stupid and so I will not try to force anything with the Bic and Lake Michigan.

Again, thanks for the info and I'll be sure to fill you all in on how the board and I do.

Aaron Willis
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swchandler



Joined: 08 Nov 1993
Posts: 10588

PostPosted: Sun Jul 14, 2013 1:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Aaron,

For your trip to Michigan, I would make sure that your luggage rack is up for the job of transporting the board, and that it firmly attaches to your roof in a solid way. At freeway speeds, a 12 1/2 foot board mounted on a roof introduces a hell of a lot of uplifting force. Also, for sake of caution and safety, I would highly recommend tying off the board to the front end of your vehicle in addition to the straps fastening the board to the rack. Although it's usually not as important to tie off the rear of the board, you still might want to do that too.
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d0uglass



Joined: 28 May 2004
Posts: 1286
Location: Bonita Springs, Florida

PostPosted: Sun Jul 14, 2013 5:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The 420 harness is probably worth a try. For the harness loops, you could just get some rope (about 1/4 inch thickness) and lash it around the boom. On those old no-battens triangular sails it's hard to find the sweet spot for the harness lines because the belly of the sail wanders around so much. So you might have to set the lines pretty wide.
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http://jimbodouglass.blogspot.com/2010/11/updated-windsurf-calculator-online.html
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FreakDrew



Joined: 03 Oct 2008
Posts: 18

PostPosted: Sun Jul 14, 2013 9:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ha! I spent a lot of my teen years sailing my grandfather's 420 (#16235) with my best friend. Learned to trapeze, fly a chute, etc on that yellow decked sweetheart. Great boat Smile

Drew
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