Bigger fin for the Viper?

[GURGLETROUSERS]

Our windsurfing paths and philosophy are similar S.W.C. When I started the sport in the early 1980's short boards hadn't reached our shores, and the whole longboard concept, with daggerboard, was sort of seen as, the poor mans yacht. i.e. to GO places, as in cruising. (They were not racing boards back then Beagle, just go anywhere and get back again boards.)

We quickly learnt that there were snags. If the wind died on you, you were stranded a long way from 'home'. Hence I started carrying split kayak paddles on deck, and evolved an efficient way of using them without having to de-rig. (Sit in front of mast track facing rear of board, lower boom and sail over back of board, push legs and feet beneath the sail to support it, and paddle the board fin first at about 3 m.p.h. The biggest problem if there was any swell was that with each drop down, in windless calms, the sail would waft the rig up in the air which called for lifting legs and feet to balance it and stop it falling sideways into the water. I once had to paddle a full 9 miles doing just that!!!)

But as you say, that couple of years longboard cruising and mastering it by trial and error (no lessons needed or wanted) meant that the learnt techniques of gybing, tacking, and planing were easily transferrable to the first short board. The only difference was that I learnt to waterstart the longboard, which while being a bit harder, paid dividends when the technique was transferred to a short low vbolume wave board. (A surfer, as you are.)

As you say, it is a pity that the longboard learning route has been replaced with short wide 'easy' boards, and the need for lessons! Much of the satisfaction of mastering things by ones own drive, enthusiasm, and determination has been supplanted by 'ease of access'. Is that really a good thing? I don't believe so!

[konajoe]

General comment: Centerboard rotates. Dagger board has to be raised and lowered through a slot in the hull. Unless the board is really, really old, it's a centerboard.

[konajoe]

This is directed to rtz, so I hope you're still there.

o You won't be able to get on a true full plane unless the centerboard is completely retracted. You won't get any reasonable disagreements.

o Bigger fins help with early planing. The real hotshots can get planing on a smaller fin that someone who is not as talented. But it is common for sailors to swap fins out mid-session. They may go to a bigger fin to get planing, or go to a smaller fin if the board gets unstable at high speeds. At your weight, with that wide board, I don't think you could ever get to the point where you have too much fin.

o There's been a feud going on the last few pages about the use of the centerboard, which wasn't part of your original questions. We're all good folks here. But when Gurgle and I see comments about centerboards being a "crutch" or 'not necessary' we kinda cringe.

The vast majority of sailors on the forum are mostly back and forth sailors. Even more of a majority don't go sailing unless they can plane. The majority of lessons are geared towards back and forth sailing. Guys like Gurgle and I would be so bummed if that was all we could do. But, again, we are the minority. One of the things we do is 'destination sailing': sailing to a bar, sailing around an island, looking for topless sunbathers, etc. Centerboard is a necessity.

o As the wind picks up from 0, the lowest wind speed required to get a given board and sailor on a plane will be slightly downwind, not 90 degrees to the wind. A centerboard gets a board upwind more efficiently. So if you want to plane on a very marginal day, you have two choices: Sail back upwind slowly and inefficiently without the centerboard, or put the centerboard down, and sail back upwind in less time, using less energy.

o If someone tells you that they can get upwind in sub-planing conditions without a centerboard, never listen to anything they say again. Or, better yet, arrange a contest a year from now...for a case of beer.

[beaglebuddy]

[konajoe]

[windward1]

Good correction KonaJoe.

Even wavesailors have to sail upwind to catch the next wave. And they obviously do it well enough without centerboards.

In fact windsurfing boards without centerboards or daggerboards would never have been developed if what you initially said was true. No one actually enjoys doing the walk of shame. At least not over and over ad infinitum.

[cgoudie1]

Now just a danged minute. I look for topless sunbathers all the time from
a short board. Don't find'm very often, but it could happen. I have also
sailed around a couple of islands on a short board. And, I have sailed right
up to a bar on El Yaque, hopped off my short board and grabbed a quick Caipirinha.

So there!

-Craig

[GURGLETROUSERS]

Indeed! I once nearly fell off in surprise (the longboard naturally) while contentedly wafting over a sparkling sunny sea, absentmindedly picking my nose,- (one of those annoying itches that bedevil us salt encrusted cruisers) as a speedboat with a topless beauty mermaid like on the front deck with hair blowing in the breeze, roared past!

And just a danged minute to you sir - you were PLANING, were you not?

That's cheating!

[cgoudie1]

Greetings GT,

I am a consummate cheater, but if this is long boarding,