hard rails

[StillSailin]

Anybody explain a little or recommend info source on what the characteristics of the rails do. I read about sharp rails, hard rails, tucked in rails, soft etc. Of course I love to go fast. I sail in some chop (Stevenson usually), and am always working on my jibe. Anyway winter's a good time to dream about getting something different. Thanks anybody for any info or opinion

[isobars]

Google it. Try terms such as windsurf surf boards rail shapes and follow your nose.

I'll still bet -- because I see it every windy day -- that an expert sailor on a fast wave board will usually beat an average sailor on a slalom board across a rough venue ... even while the former is slashing the swell in all directions. Moral: buy a board that's fun and versatile and learn to sail it the way it was intended rather than buying a specialized board and trying to make it do stuff it's not designed for.

If ALL you care about is a board's ultimate top speed POTENTIAL, buy a razor-railed race board. But even then don't expect to beat a really good sailor across the river in typical Gorge terrain even if he's on a custom wave board with soft rails and a 22 cm wave fin, and don't DARE try the tricks and of-the-lips and yet-unnamed stunts he's pulling off while you try in vain to catch him. Maybe, some day, you'll get good enough on that razor-railed racey board to beat him across the river, but even then you'll always know that if HE gets on HIS race board, he'll disappear so fast you'll think you only imagined him.

I also advise good dental and orthopedic insurance for people depending on race boards for windy Gorge sailing.

If you're really dead set on buying your speed rather than developing it, go buy a pair of used boards -- one racey and one smooth and turny -- at a swap meet or on consignment. $400 is a pretty cheap price to make an informed decision whether you want to have either or both in your quiver.

I'm biased by my very average, maybe even slow, sailing learning curve, so my advice -- which you did ask for -- is to err on the side of user-friendliness until one knows first-hand, from experience, that s/he really wants higher-strung gear. Experimentation is so DAMNED cheap and easy around here that there's no reason to commit real money until we know what we need.

Mike \m/

[jedi]

The freeride or freerace category boards are very user friendly and faster than wave boards. Many of the new designs feature bottom shapes nearly identical to slalom boards, but more tuck and softer rails going further back making it easier to turn and control. Full on slalom boards are quite nervous to anyone not used to sailing them, a "freerace" design board would be an excellent choice for a recreational sailor wanting the thrill of speed without the nervousness of a full on race board.

[isobars]

[StillSailin]

Thanks for the info!!Going fast is not ALL I care about for sure. Actually jibing blows me away with the rush and the challenge. Am continually working on it and trying to figure out why my jibes were better a couple of years ago. Part of why I love the sport is learning and relearning every year.
I know the good sailors kick my butt blowing by me, but it's still a rush to drag race some of the mere mortals, and even try to stay with the hotshots even tho it's only briefly. In South Padre it's a bunch of us oldies racing at times and sharing theories on the outcomes. Playing in the swell is a somewhat new toy and must say getting air (probably just feels like it) off a little ramp is all part of what I look for to say it way a great day. TRICKS? I don't even try em.
$400 sounds pretty doable. Any recommends for a used specific free ride or free race. Thanks for any suggestions

[DanWeiss]

Hard rails are one component to faster sailing because they release water more cleanly when compared to the soft-railed boards around which water tends to wrap.

Soft rails also are less voluminous, and this is one element of boards that initiate turns easily and tend to be more steady in the turns.

All that said, true slalom race boards always have been impeccable jibing boards -if we define a good jibe as one in which we plane out. They are a bit more technique oriented, but also teach good technique by making clear what works and what doesn't. Today's slalom boards sport softer rails than in the past because the modern rocker and outline allows the board to travel much faster though chop, and it is the chop that causes a challenge for most sailors.

If you really like drag racing, buy a modern slalom race board and a top-drawer fin that matches the board and your rig. You will have so much fun!

[StillSailin]

Racing or trying to catch somebody is more an occasional kick. Of course it's fun to smoke somebody, but right now I'm getting info.
Could you tell me what makes a hard or sharp rail. I may be a little slow on the uptake. My guess is SHARP IS CLOSER TO 90 DEGREES AND CLOSER TO THE EDGE OF THE BOARD? Please confirm. Nice not to be guessing or assuming.
I doubt very much I'd want to jump on a full bore racing slalom board. The idea of trying boards out of a consignment shop and learning the board as ISOBARS suggested sounds good. The idea of freeride or freerace as JEDI suggested will have me looking. Any sweet boards you know of. I'm about 170-175. Thanks for any replys

[isobars]

Here are Bic’s design objectives and PWR (3.5) Magazine’s testers’ comments on the 1993 83L Hip Hop you enjoyed so much.

Bic: “Designed for sailing in any challenging and demanding conditions. Excels in waves … easy to ride in all surf conditions. Very floaty due to thick rails and stable in light-air impact zones [and, by implication, onshore Gorge crap in big holes]. Curvy round pin tail and extra kick in the rail rocker works well going rail to rail down the line and snapping tight bottom turns on little waves, turning straight up the face for a tight off-the-lip. Also an outstanding jiber.”

i.e., Bic calls it a B&J board but describes a wave board. Maybe that’s also why they said
“A great B&J board that does not compromise speed for maneuverability. A great high-wind cruiser balanced 75% towards waves and 25% towards slalom sailing.”

Mag testers had these comments:
“Its extreme control and forgiveness defy credibility. Turny even for a wave board. Excellent speed for a wave board, very solid without harshness in chop and in careless landings. Ripped downwind very comfortably in giant Gorge conditions. So controllable overpowered we’d just throw on any top-notch too-big sail and eliminate the lulls altogether. It planed very early under Moose and floated him through tricks and swell-riding, yet raged in complete control under Minnie. A fantastic board in the roughest, windiest arena you can find … great confidence from 3.5-5.5.”

That’s not a freerace, IMO; it’s a freeride with a strong wave bias … a good combination for a rider whose jibes and jumps are still elusive.

There’s a board I think will perform very similarly available near you. At great personal sacrifice (I’ve been THIS close to buying it for a while) I’ve PM’ed you with the details.

Mike \m/

[cgoudie1]

OK,

A hard rail will have a sharp definable line associated with it. It could
be 90 degrees (which sounds like hell to turn to me), or it could be less,
but still sharp. Your rail could be tucked, i.e. It could be sorta rounded
and come under the board, and then be sharp (with a definable line),
or it could be rounded all the way under (soft). Most boards have
varying degrees of sharpness and "tuckedness" and tend to be less
sharp and more tucked toward the nose. A board that is sharp all the
to the nose, requires serious technique not to trip over in a jibe,
a board that's soft tail to nose will initiate a jibe quickly, but may
be a little harder to plane away at the end. My custom boards have
soft rails till about the back of the mast track, then they have tucked
"sharper" rails. For me these boards are plenty fast in the Gorge,
and as Mike says, I can ride them a lot faster than a slalom board
there. OTOH, Bruce Peterson and Dale Cook are always riding
slalom style boards in the Gorge, and they rip, and sky.

Slalom boards aren't great for improving your jibes. Wavey boards
aren't great for smoking your buddies. Pick something in the middle
and do both.

-Craig

[StillSailin]

Great info Craig!! Good explanation. I was just thinking I'd get a little info in the off season from you folks who know what's out there, and the next thing I know***I just bought a board!!! It's an RRD Cult fifty five. Thanks guys. Appreciate it. Been sailin th same boards for years and this new (old board) ought to be a kick. Thanks again!!