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Blown Universal @ Crissy 06/23/2007 "rescue story"
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spanker_jeep



Joined: 15 Mar 2002
Posts: 404
Location: Outer Richmond District.

PostPosted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 5:29 pm    Post subject: Blown Universal @ Crissy 06/23/2007 "rescue story" Reply with quote

Yeah some guys tendon joint snapped while dodging the "b" fleet.
I inspected it after SFPD dropped him off at the St. Francis. It cracked right at the base mounting holes. It was one of the orange colored Streamline Tendons on a chinook base. 5-6years old.

According to one of the guys at Streamlined you should inspect the universal "frequently". This means unscrewing the cup and base mounting sleeves and peeping out the hole. "If there are any cracks however slight- failure is imminent".

Guess where the number one spot for failure is? Under the cup or base mounting plates @ the mounting screw holes.

Totally out of sight, totally out of mind.

I had not replaced mine in about 3 years. The cup was loose and thats what got me curious

You would think for $60-70 they would last forever!!!!

Death by mis-adventure.

Bill
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benpfree1



Joined: 17 Apr 2004
Posts: 126

PostPosted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 5:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Very interesting. I had a fiberspar posi-lock euro pin universal. the other day I noticed a crack in the tendon. I only noticed it when the tendon was bent, as the crack was way up at the top of the tendon under the plastic. If I hadn't have noticed the crack when bent, I wouldn't have seen it at all till too late. I was lucky it didn't crack all the way through while I was in the channel. Its definately good to check and re-check all you gear. I just bought a radio and safety pack too...
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kurtmagness



Joined: 08 Jul 2006
Posts: 68

PostPosted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 6:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

those tendons are about $5 bucks. I replace mine every year. Also the straps at the top of the sail that go over the mast break alot too. I had a little wear on one from parking lots and such one out of 2 and I thought it was cool. i went out on a 20 mph day and heard/felt a big boom. All tension was gone in my sail it was hanging on by a thread. Hit a small log in the water one day, sheared off my fin. Kinda hard to get back without one. Ended up body dragging back.
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spanker_jeep



Joined: 15 Mar 2002
Posts: 404
Location: Outer Richmond District.

PostPosted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 8:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Does The Helm stock the replacement Tendons?
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npure2001



Joined: 15 Mar 2003
Posts: 51
Location: Far East Bay

PostPosted: Tue Jun 26, 2007 12:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

bigdick wrote:
Does The Helm stock the replacement Tendons?


Yes (as of last winter).

Gabor
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kevinkan



Joined: 07 Jun 2001
Posts: 1661
Location: San Francisco

PostPosted: Tue Jun 26, 2007 3:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I try to replace tendons every year... just to be sure... usually in the springtime. Tendons cost about $15 each, so if you just view it as a yearly "oil change" or regular maintenance, it's really a trivial amount of $$ for the safety and peace of mind. I occasionally bend my tendon unis to see if there are any cracks in the urethane where the attachement bolts go through. Only takes a second, and it can prevent a long swim.

kev

PS... seems like a lot of rescues lately... there were three at candlestick this weekend.
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boggsman1



Joined: 24 Jun 2002
Posts: 9118
Location: at a computer

PostPosted: Tue Jun 26, 2007 8:56 am    Post subject: Streamlined Reply with quote

Any problems with the base plate? anyone?
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afolander



Joined: 22 Jul 2002
Posts: 74

PostPosted: Tue Jun 26, 2007 1:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Regarding bases plates . . . I think one of the pins that holds the universal will go first and give some warning.

My experience is while sailing rental gear out of La Ventana in Baja, Jan., 2005 I heard a ping from the base plate on a 30 knot day and upon landing noticed one of these pins that holds the universal was gone. I then looked at the other rental boards and at least a couple more were also missing a base plate pin. The shop owner replaced the base plates in question once I pointed this out.
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Epenrose



Joined: 05 Nov 1997
Posts: 402

PostPosted: Wed Jun 27, 2007 12:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yup.

Change em every year, especially if you sail the waves.

Mine snapped on an over mast high wave at Davenport. Lost the mast, ripped sail and boom busted a month later.

$1000 versus $5, says it all.

Helm has them, call first, they run out. Easy to change.
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DonORiordan



Joined: 06 Feb 2001
Posts: 146

PostPosted: Wed Jun 27, 2007 5:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I haven't broken a UJ tendon since I adopted the yearly practice of changing them (about $15 per tendon) several years back. I don't think any of my buddies have either. Highly recommended practice. One long swim and you'll agree.

Get your significant other and/or windsurfing buddy to buy you new tendon(s) as a season opener gift. Or just get em yourself (along with replacement lines for downhaul/outhaul). And replace harness lines also (I just broke one again recently cos I hadn't replace it since I bought it. Its a pain in the butt when this happens, though obviously nowhere near as serious as a UJ break.

(You can always flip your boom over if you are far away from shore when the harness line you would normally used for sailing back to shore has broken...I've also used this technique when I broke a boom one time. The other side (the side I normally use on port tack heading out into the bay) was in good enough shape to use on starboard once I flipped the boom over in mid-channel)

Also carry some spare line with you (I"ve got about 15-20 feet wrapped around my spreader bar). Handy for towing if breakdowns happen, But I also used it the last time I broke a UJ to connect the sail back to the board. I sailed back using some rope as a UJ...better than swimming.

I've also "rescued" someone else using the same technique...

Re finless sailing (which I think someone also mentioned in this thread) , depending on the conditions, with some technique/pratice its actually often quite possible (if things aren't too extreme). You can practice this simply by waterstarting or beach starting onto the nose of the board on a calm day, and get the hang of sailing fin-first (i.e. with no fin under your back foot for lateral stability). You end up constantly "pulling" the board under your butt to avoid the "spin out" feeling. The "fin-first-freestyle" exercise/practice forces you to get it right. I used this one time in Maui to sail a friends board a quarter mile back to shore for him after he left his fin on the reef...(he borrowed my board and followed me back)
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