old custom to naish

davep · Joined: 26 May 2001 Posts: 6

ive been sailing an old custom Fox 82 for about 10 yrs now bought in hatteras, nc- just moved to gorge area and bought a used 2000 naish 84. tried it once didnt do well, hopped back on the fox for the rest of the day. its an old style single stringer, very little rocker and mast track forward. any advice on sailing the naish? im 511 165 using 99 naish koa sails 4.0 to 5.0. also can it reasonably be rigged so that the boom rests on the board for waterstarts? it didnt that first try using my 2-bolt rubber mast foot and i havent had time to mess with it since.

gemoore · Joined: 14 May 2001 Posts: 494

I have an 87, which isnt the same but from the principles of the Naish line it ought to be similar. I had similar problems in going from a Mistral Ecstasy. To balance it up, youll probably need to lower the boom from what youre used to, but its still probably not going to rest on the tail of the board. If you need to have the tail help you free the sail, put one hand on the stern of the board, making an extension of the board with your forearm, and use your free hand to draw the boom across your forearm. Its actually a pretty easy trick.

If you like to slash, put the mast base back and front straps forward. At first, youll feel uncomfortably close to the mast when you jibe - and it will feel REALLY awkward. Youll probably fall a lot. The guy who let me demo the 87 said to do it this way, and at first I couldnt do it very well. But I rapidly figured it out. So with some TOW, youll get the knack and be ripping big time. I dont think youll want to go back to the Fox, once you get the swing of the Naish.

GEM

goltz · Joined: 09 Sep 2000 Posts: 84

I second that. I went from a 10 year old Haut asymetrical to a Naish last year. It was really awkward at first, I felt too close to the sail, lines seemed too short, I wiped out a lot. It took a little while, but I got used to the set up of modern boards, and I would never go back. You will love that board pretty soon, and Ill bet you pull off bigger moves than you did before.

By the way, my booms wont rest on the tail when it is set up properly.

davep · Joined: 26 May 2001 Posts: 6

thanks great advice. it was tough- my first new board in yrs, i rig quick and take off- at my first jibe i go flat on my face and come up sputtering WHAT the hell was that! then i start floundering around, the boom wont go on the tail, this girl sails by frowning at me (im thinking whats HER problem???) till i look over my shoulder and see the barge looming and think OOhh... kinda sad- sailing since 1986? and reduced to nothing but fish bait. A couple more struggling starts and aborted jibes and i dragged my sorry ass ashore thinking wow thats 700 bucks down the tubes...i went out on the fox then just to make sure i could still sail...its good to hear its a tow problem i really could use more height on my jumps (the naish feels really light). Thanks Dave
P.S. how about this kiting stuff!!! i was down later when the wind dropped this guy on a kite board comes ripping at me like hes mad im in the way, at the last sec he yanks a line- takes off over my head and sails downwind about 25 feet up laughing...it was just too cool...lifes too short (and my wallet too empty) for all there is to do around here...

1aloop · Joined: 09 Jun 2000 Posts: 62

I had the same experience with my new F2 this spring and my reply is the same as the previous 2. After some time on the water your old style board will start to look funny and collect dust. It is odd at first but that won’t last long and you’ll soon forget that you use to rest your boom on the board. What goltz said was true for me, all aspects of my sailing improved a lot, almost immediately