Removing Cams

[bmergen]

Im new to windsurfing. Ive posted various messages on this board recently having very good luck with helpfull responses so here goes...

I was just given 4 North Infinity sails by an old college professor of mine. Theyre old, but in great shape, perfect for someone at my skill level. There are 2 91s and 2 92s. The sizes are 3.7, 4.3, 5.0, and 5.6, which sizes are which year I dont recall offhand. They all have one cam. I was wondering if anyone has experience with these sails, or similar, who would be able to tell me if I can remove the cams w/o any serious performance drawbacks. I suppose I should give you a bit of my background. I sail in the gorge exclusively. I am getting comfortable with the straps and harness. I can waterstart proficiently with my only other sail, a, 98 NP Combat 4.5. I havent actually used any of my new ones yet. Bump and jump sailing is what I am most interested in. This should be enough info.
Thanks,
Ben

[spyder]

I can tell you about these sails, I used to have a bunch of Infinitys. They are older entry level slalom sails. That doesnt mean they wont work, but its an older design. They are a bit heavy, but bomb proof.

However the plastic camber breaks, and MAYBE you can find replacements. Hopefully your camber is not broken.

These sails wont work well without the cam.

They are very easy to rig. They take medium downhaul. check the mast size & IMCS that is required, should be listed on the sail bag.

Just downhaul them till the leech starts to fall off, and set the boom according to the sail bag size listed. Its pretty simple.

Dont expect miracles out of these sails, but they work and should provide a lot of fun.

BTW, the NP sail is a much better sail, so hang on to that one!!

[bmergen]

Thanks for the tips. The sails should be great for where I am in the learning process. Besides, free is a very good price.

As for the cams, one is actually missing. They seem to be interchangeable.(?) I also noticed that when you pull off the camber piece along with its little nylon pocket, there is another pocket at the end of the batten sleeve where the batten can be tucked in. I remember one time a few years back when I first tried windsurfing on a friends gear. I wasnt at all familliar with the equipment at that point, but paid as much attention as possible. I seem to remember him saying he would rig the sail without the camber since it was my first time - somthing about the sail having less power. If Im remembering all of this correctly then it makes sense now. Can my sails be rigged similarly for someone else who is just starting (I want to teach my wife)?

Ive rigged the 5.0 and 5.6 so far and they just dont seem to end up looking quite right, at least not as well as my NP sail. The luff sleeve isnt tight against the mast from the foot of the sail to about half way to the boom (wrong mast stiffness?). The leach between the boom and the foot seems to be loose. Is this from too much downhaul something else? Also, with the boom set at 185cm, which is 5cm long, the sail can easily touch the boom in the trailing 1/3 of the sail? Im wondering if these things are just because the sail is of an old design and maybe its worn out, but that doesnt seem likely.

One more thing... There is a strap at the foot of the sail below the downhaul eye, what is the correct position/adjustment for this? My NP sail doesnt have this.

Thanks again for your help. By the way, the Neil Pryde is an excellent sail. I do plan to keep it. Its easy to rig properly, has plenty of power, and is very easy to sail.