Tabou Rocket

Note: This post seems to be very popular. As such, i have added videos from youtube and vimeo at the end of it :) ENJOY

Since I have an evaluation of the Rocket compared to the Fanatic Ray and Hawk, I have moved this post back to the top of this blog/website ...see the followup section further down if you have already seen the "intro".
btw i am surprised how many people were interested by this post as it was !!

Well, I wrote to the infamous Matt Pritchard and yes, he would be able to supply a Rocket 125 directly to Canada. This is just amazing in terms of accessibility from an average joe windsurfer. If you are interested in purchasing a Rocket and live in North America , I suggest you contact Matt at this e-mail: matt@pritchardwindsurfing.com

Model	Volume	Length	Width	Weight	Box	Fin	Sails Size

Rocket 125

125

250

69

7.8

Power Box

FR 44

5.5 - 8.5

Why do I consider Tabou Rocket? Check out the mpora review:  http://boards.mpora.com/boards/freeride-boards-kit/tabou-rocket-125-gt-2008.html

and boardtests: http://boardtests.com/2011/03/tabou-rocket-125-ltd-preview-2011/



Here is the "teaser video" from Tabou in 2010. The 2011 version seems very muffled !!


Tabou Rocket 2010 from Tabou Boards on Vimeo.

In the 2011 WindsurfMag board tests one reviewer is quoted as saying of the Rocket 125: Sweet and very balanced performer! Great combination of comfort, speed, control, and ease of use. Felt very natural immediately with no need to "figure it out". Definitely a test favorite of mine in this size range. And James Douglass says: the Tabou Rockets 105, 125, and 145 get nearly unanimous praise.

 For those of you , who have not heard, Kevin Pritchard gave the kiters a piece of their own medicine when he sped past them recently in  a race where they offered to separate kiters n windsurfers and kiters said NON. Check his blog on my blog list at the right ...

Follow-up: One of the avid windsurfers with whom I "chat" quite a bit via e-mail was a big fan of Fanatic and Maui Sails. I purchased my TR-4 10-oh from him. He still is a big fan of Maui Sails. What was interesting was his evaluation of the Tabou Rocket 125 compared to some of his best Fanatic boards.

This is just one man's opinion, but it does make for interesting reading !!

There are always unwritten reasons for peoples opinions on boards and sails.  I have come to the opinion that a board/sail/fin/conditions/sailor weight/sailor skill/rigging setup/strap positions all have to be balanced to make a setup work for you.  no one can recommend sails and boards without knowing a lot of info about the sailor and conditions it will be used in.  I was finding that I was always using the ray 140 and the hawk 123 with my 7.5 switch in my given conditions.  I concluded that I needed the best 7.5 board I could find to fit my conditions and skills.  The ray was awesome but the sweet spot was an 8.5.  with the tr 8.4 and ray I was in love.  With the 7.5, I preferred to be on my hawk 123 (sweet spot is 7.0).  The hawk with the 7.5 was still a great board. The hawk with a 6.4 was a great board as well.  however, when I got 6.4 conditions, I wanted to be on a smaller board like my freewave.  There was to much overlap with the hawk and freewave.  The tabou kind of just fits my needs perfectly.  All boards have a sweet spot.  For the rocket 125 a 7.5 is the sweet spot.  My conditions here really are 7.5 (considered good wind for me) and 9.5 on the light winds days.  The drop from 9.5 to 7.5 is pretty easy.  I can plane the rocket/7.5 in 13 comfortably.  I can hold the 9.5 with gusts to 20 (averaging 15 or so).  This quiver just works.

That being said, the rocket is less lively than the hawk as the wind picks up.  The rocket is a lot more alive than the ray 140.  The rocket is so smooth that I get really comfortable and just have fun. The hawk had a tendency to get a little scary (for me and my skills) when the wind really got honking.  Some better riders may prefer the ride of the hawk.  I think the rocket 125 s the perfect blend of performance and easy sailing.  Not boring at all.  just easy to blast, easy to gybe.  The rocket is also super stable when not planing.  Probably closer to the stability of the ray then the hawk.  With the 7.5, the rocket planes almost as early as the ray with the 7.5.  it planes noticeably sooner than the hawk/7.5 combo.  The tabou is easier to pump onto plane.  It seems to glide better than the other two boards here.  The board is just perfect for me (and my skills, conditions, etc……………………..)

I was out last night on the rocket/switch 7.5 combo.  Winds were averaging 15/16 gust into the low/mid 20’s.  I could have easily planed up with a 6.4.  I never once considered coming in rig down.  The switch sails for me seem to have no upper limit.  They are steady as a rock and the center of effort never moves in the gusts at all.  I look forward to the gusts to just rip the board forward.  The rocket was just flying across the water with just the fin and a small piece of the tail in the water.  However, I was in total control.  The sail was stable.  The board was stable.  Everything just works with this setup.  The hawk would have been good as well.  just that the hawk would be more “alive” in these conditions.  I prefer the fun tabou to the more active hawk in these conditions. 

You read and read and read about opinions and conditions and size and weight, etc………………….
there is no perfect answer.   It has to fit the sailor.  
However, if you can get a ride on a new rocket, take it.  I really like it so far.

One other thing I forgot to mention about the boards.  Get the stiffest, lightest construction you can.  This has a lot of effect how a board feels.  The stiffer and lighter boards are easier to plane and ride than the heavier and slower reacting boards with the same shape. 

Cheers

Paul

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

in other words, get the LTD version of the board, IF you can AND IF you have the skills !!!

these versions are more $$$ and more sensitive ie may need a nose job sooner than you think if you are still catapaulting all over the place ...

After REDSURBUS' comment, we communicated via e-mail and:

The only reason I posted that was because I bought a mistral SL 95 RD, which is  full carbon and light as a feather (no joke.....I worry about it getting blown away even in a f4) but took me a lot of sessions to get used to. You feel every bit of chop, especially in the muscles on the front of your legs near the bottom (the ones engaged when lifting your toes). In big swell its not a problem as the water is generally smoother, but in offshore wind about 100m out where it goes boxy it is hard work at first until you learn how to drive the board rather than being a passenger.

To get comfy on a board you just need a week of sessions on it, without a break! Then you will start to really know the board and what is easy, what needs more 'finesse'. For example my kode is a very easy going board in wood/carbon, It is very light all the same but I can sail for hours on it without a break now. The mistral took me a good few months of sessions through the winter (gaps too big between each session), as soon as the air warmed up and I got out on it regularly I became comfy on it......and then moved down to a tabou 74l......which is 20l less than my weight so a big jump but an easy one after the mistral.

I am by no means an experienced or good windsurfer, I have just been out a lot in the past 2-3 years so have learnt quite a lot. Portland Harbour is windy quite often, really safe as well so I can take more risks in terms of learning.

Take Care
Redsurfbus
http://www.redsurfbus.com/ 

Before I forget ... end of August 2011 I spoke with a fellow who surfs California and Montreal. He had some experience with JP, Fanatic Hawks and AHD Rebound. He said .. the JPs were NOT worth the extra money, Hawks could jibe on a dime and the AHD ate chop. He did not have any experience with the Tabou unfortunately. 

Here is a youtube of a fellow test driving his Tabou Rocket 135 !! 
 
Tabou Rocket 105 & 125 from youtube 

Tabou Rocket 125 with Ezzy 6.5


Windsurf 19 Jan 09 from rotorhead guy on Vimeo.

boardtests.com on 2011 Rocket 125 w/ Tushingham 6-oh

Dani Sfeir seems to be a speed "freak" who likes GPS and freerace equipment. He gave the Rocket 115 a 7/10 and the Ray 115 a 9/10 in the comments section. He gave a video link that shows the TR7 8.4 and Ray more than the Rocket 145. I have added the video here cuz I am also a Maui Sails fan :) The TR-7 is the first year Barry Spanier and company are using the clew cutout and the 8.4 also only requires a 460 mast now. This should make for a really light feeling and FAST 8.4. On the MS forum people seem to be raving about it. For others it means purchasing a 460 - for people like me :( I would like to try a RAY, but the issue for purchasing one is my fins are all powerfins and NOT tuttle :( For me the battle is Hawk vs Rocket. One friend has a Hawk 135 and another the Rocket 125. Only time will tell. Have found a local Tabou rider who sells the Rocket 125 at a very decent price - not the GT version... In any case... here is Dani's vid:


MauiSail TR7 XT 8.4, Fanatic Ray 115 LTD. from Dani S. on Vimeo.



The riggeek also seems to love his Tabou Rocket 140 as seen here:

http://www.riggeek.com/gear-head/2011-04-19-1

Apparently windsurfing magazine screwed up in their recent evaluation of the Rocket 145 {amongst others !!}: http://boardsurfr.blogspot.com/2011/06/windsurfing-magazine-board-test.html

Maui Sails Pursuit vs MS-2

At the end of 2008 I purchased a new 2006 Maui Sails Pursuit 8.5. As I could not afford an MS mast and did NOT realize at that time the importance of the exact / correct mast - especially with hard top/head Maui Sails, I purchased an Autima 490/90% mast with this kit.

Clique to enlarge

As I discovered the Autima mast may be a constant curve (rather than hard top), I tried to validate this with the company - to no avail. They did NOT answer e-mails NOR phone-calls. Other people have confirmed that this mast is CC or constant curve. Britt Viehman, an expert trainer and windsurfer, who also happens to use MauiSails, feels that the mast is less critical in the non-race MS sails - like the Pursuit ...

Prior to purchasing my TR-4 10-oh, I purchased an HPL boom, which i later discovered was a full carbon boom and with the carbon reinforcement at the head, as suggested by Bruce Peterson of SailWorks fame, is a solid and very stiff boom. This boom is now used for my sails larger than 7-oh.

In 2011, my Pursuit started to show signs of wear n tear. Asked in forums, including MS , what is the best approach. Some said ditch the sail, others said ride til it dies and some said fix as required. The main issue seemed to be that in general, monofilm will DIE after about 250 hours of UV exposure. I used this sail in 2010 about 20 times with the shortboard and probably as many times on the longboard. That winter I also started using it in 10 kph winds on my snow sailboard. If we say 50 times in one year and over one hour exposure each time, the sail will barely last three(3) years :-( AND guess what, that is where I am. Some have told me of their experiences downhauling and the monofilm just exploding in their faces %^&*() This sounds like an exaggeration to me and i am sure this sail will still last a number of years if used carefully.

So, I decided to wait - until i found an 2007 MS-2 8-oh with MS 490/75 % combo at a decent price. Here is photo of the kit WITH the HPL boom

Clique to enlarge

So now I had the mast that was to go with the Pursuit as well ....

Paul, who sold me the TR-4 10-oh is VERY interested in an analysis/comparison of these two(2) sails in terms of low end, high end, lightness in your hands, stability, etc.

The first thing I did was rig the Pursuit with the MS 490/75 to see how that compared to the Autima 490/90. This is from my journal notes :  

Tried the MS 490/75 on the Pursuit 8.5. First rigged it as i would the Autima 490/90. It felt like it was not enough. Putting 2.5 less cm on the mast base (which i do ONLY with the longboard) - 22.5 rather than 25 did not seem to work - the battens were further on the mast than usual. Is it really an MS mast ? It rigged GREAT on the MS-2.
OK, let's experiment - put 25 cm on the mast base and more outhaul. Sail felt light n lively even on the BIC Dufour longboard ie even when hauled tight. Winds were from the S at about 10 knots and very pleasant...
Maybe i will use the Autima with the Pursuit when on the longboard ...
we will see....

I have rigged the MS-2 twice, both with the MS mast and love the pocket of power and the cam rotation. Cannot wait to try it on my AHD FF 160 in 20 to 40 kph winds. It should just RIP !!! and for me rip does NOT mean rest in peace/pieces :-)
I tend to rig the TR-4 and the MS-2 with a very deep draft or pocket - that is the way I like it !!!

When we compare the MS-2 8-oh and the Pursuit 8.5, they both rig in the 490/75 mast, which is a recommended mast for both. They are made around the same time frame and obviously by the same manufacturer. The MS-2 has seven(7) battens and two(2) cams, whereas the Pursuit has six(6) battens and NO cams. The MS-2 is about 20 cm shorter in luff, 5 cm thinner in the boom and one pound or half a kilo heavier. The MS-2 has a tack strap and the Pursuit does NOT. So, are we comparing apples and oranges here ? I would tend to say NOT. However, it does seem like they are different "breeds" of apples.

Also, will i be able to remain unbiased ?? The Pursuit after all is my favourite sail of my entire quiver !! This is partially due to my weight, which requires bigger sails AND winds tend to be light here in Montreal. There are spring and fall winds, butt i stay away from 25+ knot winds - for now ...

Have not been out on the shortboard since about JULY 23rd - that's about three (3) weeks. :-(

Well, I finally got to take out the MS-2 8-oh sail with the MS 490/75% mast. The Pursuit 8.5 weighs 4.8 kilos and the MS-2 8-oh weighs 5.45 kilos. So, why did the sail feel so light?? I rigged it with a little more outhaul than I prefer since winds were gutsy (my version of gusty) between 16 and 20 knots. Cams flipped like a charm and the sail performed well even when it was overpowered. It felt like there was no end - just keep pushing - or pulling actually. It did not feel like it had low end grunt - instead it just wanted to go. With a smaller board than the AHD 160 I am sure this sail would rip em all up!! The sail also beach started with no issues in terms of cams or luff sleeves. This version still rigs with the cams on. The new Titans now have the luff sleeve like the TR's. When the wind dropped, I released the outhaul and I was the only one going anywhere. Then again, some of the lightweights were rigging 5.x and on really small boards. Is it time for me to lose fifty (50) pounds / 20 kilos ?? In summary the sail was great and I was ashamed that I was falling in love with it. After all, I just celebrated my 25 year wedding anniversary :-)

Next time I am going to have to try both sails on the same day - hopefully with the same conditions. Both riggings will need to be similiar and I will use the same MS mast.
btw the mast stuck today #$%^& had to dry my hands and mast and give it a good twist #$%^&*()

MON 29AUG2011 - took the Pursuit 8.5 out in very lite winds - with the MS 490/75% mast. Paul was correct, the sail does better on the MS mast. For example: I always had problems with the bottom batten sticking. Today, even in lite winds, pulled sail into wind and ALL battens "popped" to the other side. Considering this is an 8.5, it is surprising how much i can throw that sail around. Perhaps not sell it and keep both ??

SAT 03SEPT2011 - went to test the MS-2 with the BIC Dufour on the local river Milles Isles. Winds were quite lite out of the west. I was nervous about rigging it with my retro mast base since the sail calls for 6 cm extension and the minimum i can give here is about 10 cm. Also was worried that the open leech would not work with the long board. I read in some forums including MauiSails that the MS-2 is actually good for longboards. OK, i rigged it with a tight leech and not much outhaul. This created a huge pocket at the mast and the sail pulled like a mother ie more grunt than when i rigged it for higher winds on the shortboard. It was a little difficult to pop the cams to the other side and the bottom batten did not always want to go ...I did try to tighten the outhaul, butt i think a little more downhaul was required too..

TUE 13SEPT2011 - had the MS-2 8-oh out on the AHD FF 160 in 15 to 20 + knots.Was disappointed that i was overwhelmed in gusts, butt investigation showed gusts as high as 30 knots !! The bigger issue was beach starting on this day. Had major difficulties and ended uphauling instead !!

Conclusions: The Pursuit 8.5 is easier to beach start than the MS-2 8-oh. This is a cam "issue". The Pursuit works very well with a constant curve mast and PERHAPS a little better with the hard top MS mast, I now use the MS-2 with the Fanatic Ultra Cat and that will be my favourite combo in light winds. I am still contemplating selling the TR-4 10-oh since the MS2 and CAT combination is SO good. I have NOT tried the Pursuit with the CAT. As i am a cam fan, this discussion may be a little biased. I prefer the MS-2 over the Pursuit in terms of retaining shape, grunt, actually feels lighter and am VERY comfortable with it. I WILL try the Pursuit with the CAT and put comments here. In terms of cost, I believe the Pursuit 8.5 is much less than the MS-2 8-oh.
Found a Titan GS at $730 and Pursuit 8.5 at $625 - both at WorldWinds. Thus the difference is less than I thought. Both rig on the same mast and boom. Note: May be difficult to find a mast base with only 6 cm for the MS-2 8-oh. That is only an issue if you like to rig the lines all the way down to the pulley...
Disclaimer: This analysis was done with and MS-2 and NOT a Titan GS. The ONLY reason i say this is: there are people out there that were big fans of the MS-2 and are NOT fans of the Titan GS. No explanations are given and are basing their opinions on feeling. In the sail world this means everything.
For 2012 MS is supposed to come out with a sail called Blaze that seems like the MS-2 and Titan were.

Windsurfer dies after Windsurf Session in Quebec

Just a few days ago, in early August 2011, a well known windsurfer died after a windsurf session on the Island of St-Jean de l'isle d'Orléans - near Quebec City. Information was posted on a kiteboard/windsurf site in French: http://www.akvq.ca/profiles/blogs/triste-evenement-a-st-jean-auj.

Basically Marc Munro was coming off the water, had severe chest pains, and collapsed. Fellow windsurfers performed the appropriate first aid until the ambulance arrived, but all to no avail. His wife has expressed a hope that as many kite and windsurfers as possible show up at the ceremonies.

Obviously, the heart is considered the culprit. At work a "young" executive also just recently died from a heart attack while out jogging. And people are always quick to remind us of some infamous athlete, who died while performing their favourite sport.

What I do not understand is: how is it these people have no inkling or warning ? They just have massive attacks and die ? Perhaps there was a genetic predisposition ?

There is some interesting information here where they speak/write about sudden death and athletes ... http://www.hughston.com/hha/a_16_4_4.htm

"The most common causes of sudden death are congenital abnormalities of the heart and blood vessels, or those that are present at birth."

"The second most common cause of sudden death in athletes is abnormal coronary arteries (the blood vessels that supply oxygen to the heart muscle)."

"Another cause of sudden death among athletes is Marfan syndrome"

"Athletes who are older than 30 are at increased risk for heart attack if they smoke, have high blood pressure, diabetes, elevated abnormal lipids, or a strong family history of heart disease."

Obviously this does NOT mean we should stop the sports we are already doing, nor stop venturing into new sports. Over 30 (which i think is VERY young) is when one is to start carefully and discuss with doctor if there are medical issues like blood pressure, genetic predisposition to heart attacks, etc.

One colleague of mine summed it up: "The windsurfer died doing what he loves the most. I hope i go the same way!"

Buying a Windsurf Sail?

This is a kind of continuation of my post called
“When is it time to change a windsurf sail ?”

If this is the first sail you have EVER purchased, you are in for a big task. I hope you at least have some experience windsurfing because if you do not, then the task becomes even more difficult !! Not to despair though.

There are many questions to be answered.
1) What size sail are you looking for?
2) Do you already possess a mast and/or boom?
3) Are cambers to be considered?
4) What type of sailing is the sail meant for?

The first question depends on your size, your board, your experience and what you want to do with the sail. In other words, the above questions are NOT mutually exclusive... James Douglass has a sail calculator spread sheet that can be used as a “rule”. The reason I call it a “rule” is I developed a strange quote one time that has some truth in it: “Rules are meant to be broken and guidelines are meant to be followed!” In other words, take these numbers with a grain of salt. They are merely a starting point. This “calculator” can be found at : http://www.vims.edu/general/sailpaddle/sailcalculator.xls If it is your first sail, you will need to downsize since you are NOT accustomed to the power of the appropriate sail for your weight in the related wind speed. Hopefully a local shop or on-line forum will be able to help you!

A couple more questions I neglected to list above which are equally important are:
1) Do you really need that sail? I have issues “stopping the shopping”
2) Are you inclined towards certain materials – example: monofilm okay or not?

Okay, back to the original discussion – sorry, I do get side tracked -  even in my own mind ...
The mast and boom question ...  The boom just needs to fit with the least extension if possible; and on larger sails, for racing and/or heavyweights some people consider carbon booms. With the word carbon in them, you got it, it gets expensive. There are booms approaching carbon stiffness for less money. Believe they are the “Aeron” booms with a special triangular shape on top making them stiffer.

Now masts on the other hand .. “buying a Mast is a joyless purchase, a boom or a sail is a great feeling” . People say one must or should buy the mast with the manufacturer’s brand stamp on it. This may be the “ideal”, but nowadays there are charts and measurements showing you which brands are in which category ie hard top (Maui Sails, Gaastra, Severne) , constant curve (majority of the sails/masts) or flex top (Neil Pryde, Tushingham). There is a company called UNIFIBER that makes masts in the various categories and has a grid of the various well-known sail producers and where they fall. Their grid can be found here: http://www.unifiber.net/2011/mast-selector So, if you already have a mast, then ideally you need to find the sail that works best with that mast. If you have the money and no mast on hand, purchase the mast with the manufacturer’s brand stamp. Of course carbon content becomes another item to consider. Unless you are made of dough, usually 55% and 75% is as far as you will need to go. Even the race sails like the MS TR-7 has been shown to work fine with the 75% carbon masts.


Not everyone likes cambers and they are NOT just for racing. They lock the sail shape better and thus help retain shape as one “glides” through wind lulls. They are typically found on larger sails ie larger than say 7.5 and on race/slalom sails. This is a personal choice. I like them and have them on my 6.0, 7.0 and 10.0. I do not have them on my 8.5, but am reconsidering at this time of sail re-evaluation. {Actually in 2011, I purchased a used MS-2 8-oh with matching 490/75% mast. This sail has two(2) cams and works well on my longboards too}

There are many styles of windsurfing such as formula, slalom/racing, freeride, wave, bump n jump and longboard. Each discipline requires a different type of sails and these often are in a size range as well.

Do you really need that sail? The reason I ask this is I analyzed the sails I used the most and discovered that I did NOT really need a 7.5 sail – for now. My most used sails are the MS Pursuit 8.5 and the MS TR-4 10.0. Sometimes I use the Gaastra Flow 3X 7.0. There does NOT seem to be any hole in my sail quiver.

The whole reason I started this discussion is more about monofilm versus X-ply. I have a 2006 MS Pursuit 8.5 that I purchased at the end of 2008 for a reasonable price – about $500 with taxes in. This sail has been used in the summer of 2009 and 2010. This is ONLY two (2) seasons. Before I purchased it, I asked many questions about monofilm because it has been quite some time that Ezzy Sails has bragged that their sails are NO longer containing ANY monofilm. Everyone seemed to console me that monofilm was okay and durable. The monofilm has gone milky, has some heavy creases and even the stitching around some battens – like #2 – does not look too good.

After sending the question out to several forums and receiving different answers like: use it until it breaks, trash it and repair it yourself; I decided to keep using it until it breaks.

Okay, I did use the sail in the winter as well, but even that was “okayed” by Barry Spanier of Maui Sails. So, when does it come time to replace the sail, what do I intend to do ??

Locally it feels like the sails are just way too expensive – from new to used. People do not seem to use 8.5 much here. As a heavyweight I love this sail in 10+ knot winds on the snow, 10 to 15 knot winds on the longboard and 15 to 20 knots on the AHD FF 160liter/79cm shortboard. If I do not buy locally, it seems the best option is internet in the USA where shipping within the 48 States in usually FREE.

What about monofilm? Do I buy a 2009 MS Pursuit 8.5 or go for something like a 2009 Severne Elelment 8.5 with 2 cams and apparently NO monofilm?

I found a used 2009 Severne Overdrive 8.0. What disappointed me was: the owner was three(3) hours away and did not know that Severne is hard top flex. He was using a NP mast which is flex top and was satisfied with the results. What does that do to a sail when rigged incorrectly on the wrong mast?

As I have already stated, I will continue to use the 2006 MS Pursuit 8.5 until it dies. At that time I will make a decision. If it is sooner than later, it is VERY likely that I will NOT replace it with the same sail and instead get the X-ply Severne.
If it does last another season or two(2) , the likelihood that it is replaced with the same sail goes up !!

Follow-up: Found a set that a fellow did NOT want to split - MS mast 490/75 + MS-2 8-oh prototype. The mast was like NEW and the sail slightly used. This way I can see if the Autima constant curve is really as good as the mast that was meant for the MS Pursuit... and i have a spare when the Pursuit dies. Not sure how the MS-2 will go with a longboard or in the snow - butt i will definitely have fun trying !!

Since it was a prototype sample, i asked about it on the MS forum:
http://www.mauisails.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=3342
what i do find interesting is:
the sail seems to be a PP sample / pre-production signed by Barry
the mast ? it is like a "no-name" from Phil ie NO MS markings and came in a NP bag with a 490 marking
bizarre
Barry replied:

not bizarre at all. we sell protos, photo shoot sails, team stuff, and sometimes pretty much anything that someone else (the odd mast in the odd bag) that anyone wants sold. the marked up sail is something we used and it may or may not be a final design, and the way it works is also possibly not production worthy, the chance that comes with buying the non production gear. most things are not far off, or they could even be 'the one', but definitely not the same as when you get the real thing from a dealer.
all that said it probably still works reasonably well.
aloha
barry

conclusion: for me $600 + for a new sail is out of my budget. Especially if a boom and/or mast are required. I will be only buying used or end of season specials from now on !! MauiSails often puts stuff on e-bay and i may try that next time i really need a sail. For now I am all set !!! For a new buyer - this is NOT easy. And I am having issues selling my Pursuit 8.5 and Autima 490. Both are good to go for a few seasons !!!

Longboard Races in Ottawa end of JULY 2011

Dominique Vallée, Silent Sports, Andrée Gauthier, Suzanne Roberge and MANY others are organizing a longboard event in Ottawa for the 31JUL2011 weekend. Some details can be found here : http://windsurf.ca/ just need to clique EVENTS and then CMWA 2011 Notice of Race and a PDF will open. Suzanne has explained to me via e-mail that one does NOT need to be a member - just means NO official trophy. Camping is apparently free and they are hoping for a big turnout. As seen in the PDF, one needs to book in advance - food n all.

Kona Ones were purchased through Silent Sports of Toronto and the hope is to have a Kona ONE race. These boards are difficult to get here in Canada.

Here is a quote from one e-mail correspondence that i have had regarding the event:

"Bruce at Silent Sports is a dealer and Kona’s can be purchased through him in the future. The price is going up by a lot but he usually gives good deals. 

By the way, Dominique is officially going to hold the Kona World’s in 2013 at Point du Lac.  That may be the year for you to purchase the left over lease boards.  

She is really planning a big event with long distance, shuttle bus to and from airport and day trip to Quebec city.. 
We would love to have 30 or so Canadians show up at this race."

As you can see here, one day I would like to try a Kona ONE and perhaps purchase one to replace and upgrade my current longboard - BIC Dufour Wing from about 1980 !!


Aber Wind Cup 2008 with Kona ONEs from opop on Vimeo.

I still prefer my longboard on the lake at the chalet due to wind shadows and gusts. It also allows me to windsurf on the local river after work quite regularily. One week I windsurfed six(6) times where only two(2) of those on the AHD FF 160.  I keep wondering when will I actually use the Fanatic BEE LTD as it should be ??

So, if you are in the area - or are interested in supporting or watching Kona's and other longboards, CHECK IT OUT !!

If weather keeps up as it has so far - it should be great. Only today was the FIRST day i have not longboarded in about the last ten(10) days !!!

----------------------------------
FOLLOWUP :

BAD NEWS - I never made it :-( GOOD NEWS follows :-)

http://windsurf.ca/
Thirty windsurfers (17 open raceboards and 13 Konas!) converged to Ottawa for the annual CMWA championships. We had gorgeous weather all weekend accompanied by wind on Saturday and Monday. Open class did five races and Kona One Design managed to finish four races on Saturday. The wind arrived a bit late on  Sunday so we just windsurf freely at the end of the day. Monday morning brought some wind so we held a long distance race, followed by lunch and awards and a safe return home for everyone. The results are posted here. We would like to thank everyone involved from the participants to the volunteers to the staff at the Britannia Yacht Club.

Andrée Gauthier is organizing a second Kona One Design group purchase. Find more information here.
The latest CMWA  newsletter is now available online...here.

Addendum:  Since July 2011 I have purchased a Fanatic Ultra CAT and met local "Sailboarder"  who has a Kona and RIPs with his Ezzy 7.5 in 25 knot winds !!!

In Ottawa Citizen from the Event

lesson #1 - copy the material - stuff disappears from the bloody internet %^&*()_

When is it time to change/replace a windsurf sail ?

As I am working with limited funds, most of my sails are purchased used or received free. The ONLY sail I have purchased NEW to date is the 2006 Maui Sails Pursuit 8.5 which I purchased in FALL 2007 for about $500 with taxes in. I still have the original BIC Dufour sail from 1981 that absolutely sucks, butt is retained JUST for historical value. That sail has NO full battens and obviously NO cambers. The reason it stinks is simply due to its swing weight. The boom length of this sail is phenomenal !!

I still have an NP 7-oh and a Simmer 6-oh from the 90's that are still just OKAY. Both have cambers and mostly suffer from things like broken zippers on cam pockets and batten tensioners that slip over time.

My 1998 Gaastra Flow 3x 7-oh is still going strong and rigs on my current 490 mast. This is a GREAT sail, but was pre-Barry Spanier era with Gaastra.

Also have a 2008 Maui Sails TR-4 10-oh that is also a GREAT sail IF one can handle such large sails. I purchased this sail for light winds and NOT to race. One year I used it almost 45 % of my outings in that summer season. It is too large to use for winter sessions, as these tend to be quite FAST!!

Now we get to the real reason for this post ... my MS Pursuit 8.5 ...

This is my MOST used sail and I use it on my BIC Dufour Wing 200 liter longboard, on my AHD 160 liter shortboard AND in the winter on my snow sled. Donut believe I have used it on the ice sled - again, would be too FAST. This sail has a GREAT deal of range and I rig it tight leech for snow and longboard. It can be downhauled wonderfully for the shortboard and rigged tight all over for some bigger winds around 20 knots and some really decent planing.

This sail is made with monofilm and i had some discussions on durability of the material when i first purchased it. I was re-assured and it seems true - it is slightly cloudy, the logos are peeling, butt the monofilm seems FINE. The stitching on the other hand seems to be wearing out at the batten pockets.

I posted some questions regarding this on the MS forum and the Auzzie forum. Barry has asked for some more info and I posted this photo:
 

On the Auzzie forum some folks said ride the sail until the end and even put mylar tape or duct tape until it dies. Others said chuck it and replace it and comedians that they think they are, posted the following pic of a sail they say they had to throw away !!

I have ridden some sails until the end and they looked NOTHING like the sail above :-)

The sails I consider my GOOD sails are ALL in GREAT shape and I hope to keep em as such. My question on the forums was to determine whether people replaced panels and/or stitching on their most-used sails. I did NOT get a clear definitive answer. One answer that did surprise me was: someone mentioned that North Sails had an excellent five(5) year warranty and they had used it successfully with some monofilm issue. In other words they said - the extra money for the North was well worth it. I donut know the warranty policy from MS and would be surprised if they paid for a stitching repair. Such things can be blamed on usage and/or poor rigging...

I did a calculation or estimate and came up with a figure of $5 per outing with the 8.5. This seems VERY acceptable !!

New sails in the 8.0 to 8.5 m² range all seem to be well over $600 now.
Found an almost new Maui Sails TR-6 8.4 for $800 asking. That seems expensive.
AuVentFou has a used MS Titan 8.0 for $650 - no negotiation for items on consignment.
Found a 2009 Severne Overdrive 8.0 asking $450, butt is about a 3 hour drive away.
Decisions, decisions ...

Followup: In the end, I decided to keep the sail and ride it until it dies.THEN I saw a used MS-2 8-oh with the MS 490/75% mast !!! Well, I purchased it. So now I am trying to sell the Pursuit 8.5 and the Autima 490 mast. So far only had a few nibbles. My w/s buddy suggests I sell them separately cuz the mast it still very good to go and the sail is B material - with lotsa life ...
See my post about MS-2 and Pursuit: maui-sails-pursuit-vs-ms-2.html

This discussion is about replacing sails and NOT changing sails.
For me - changing a sail means the sail is NOT performing as expected or one is using a sail in conditions it was not meant to be used. That is a different discussion entirely. When you are on the water - how to know it is time to change the sail ??  

Formula Boards and Longboards

Sometimes this discussion is called Formula vs. Longboards. I do not consider this a competition nor do I consider these board types to be mutually exclusive. It should be a symbiotic relationship in terms of helping windsurfing. Both are meant for the lighter to mid winds and start to be beyond their means when one speaks of 25 + knot winds.

Before I get too deep into discussion, perhaps I should briefly describe what these board types are, generally speaking.  I will assume that the name Formula was derived from Formula car racing :-) These boards are typically low rider , wide boards – somewhat similar to the Formula I racing car. Nowadays Formula boards are typically one meter wide and shorter than they used to be and not nearly as long as a longboard.  They usually have very long fins – around 70 cm and use very large sails – from 10-oh to 12-oh. The longboard, as the name implies, is a longer windsurf or sailboard – typically over 11 feet. Measures are relative and it is a simple measure to say that both Formula and Longboards will not fit into the average North American motor vehicle. The Formula boards are really wide and the Longboards really long. Longboards typically have what one calls dagger boards or centre boards. These act like a keel and help the board go upwind. Both boards work well with 8.5’s and I am unsure how large a sail a longboard can handle – probably depends on the board - in races it seems 9.5 is the max.

This discussion of "Formula Boards vs Longboards" is found in windsurf magazines, forums and at the local beach. Interestingly enough, locally there is more discussion and evidence of formula boards than longboards.  Just as I met a fellow who wants to be considered an ambassador of SUP {stand up paddling} in the province of Québec,  I wish to become an ambassador and advocate of longboarding in Montréal !!

I believe longboarding is less about racing than formula. Formula requires a certain amount of wind because it is very inefficient when there is almost no wind – like fewer than 10 knots (i say 10 knots cuz i am a heavyweight of close to 100 kilos). Longboards are fine in light to mid winds and the centre board helps when it comes to those lighter winds. People discuss what happens when longboards and formula boards race and it seems the results are extremely dependent on the course and the conditions. At a certain point, the formula board will just blow the doors off the longboard and other times the longboard will be the predominant winner. This is why I say they are NOT mutually exclusive AND as such I am surprised there are not more people or racers doing both. Perhaps it comes down to cost... Formula boards, sails and masts are extremely expensive. A race longboard is also extremely expensive. Interestingly enough, there are older race longboards that DO show up in the used market OCCASIONALLY.

A bit of history ... The earliest sailboards were longboards. They were long, heavy, had small fins, a centre board and no footstraps. Apparently the first world championships were in 1973. The International Mistral Class Organization/IMCO started in 1976. In 1984 windsurfing became part of the Olympics for men. Board choice has been an issue ever since and there was talk of removing the event from 2012 Olympics.  Early longboards had boat like hulls, but flattened out quickly ... The most famous longboard of today has to be the Kona ONE and perhaps the Starboard Phantom. In the early race days, there were boards like the Mistral Equipe, Mistral Superlight, Fanatic Mega Cat, Tiga Race, the One Designs and F2 Lightning. Today’s longboards are still over 180 litres in volume and usually more than 11 feet.

Racing example:

The Starboard company was infamous (and still is) for coming out with new and innovative concepts when it comes to sailboards. They recovered the industry with the wide GO board and also started the Formula line in about 1999. In around 2002 the boards hit the one meter width and it has stayed there since. Other companies like AHD, BIC, Exocet, F2, Mistral and others have tried to keep with up with Starboard in the Formula arena, but have had difficulty.

Racing example: 



In general people are saying that a Formula board will require about 2 knots less wind than a modern longboard in order to plane – when using the same sail for the same person. This is an interesting idea because typically people say one cannot use the same sail on these different boards since the formula prefers a sail with a loose leech and the longboard prefers a sail with a tighter leech.

So, the longboard can handle lighter winds more readily. The formula does not schlogg well. The formula board can be faster in planing. Both can go upwind quite well. Apparently it takes some getting used to when getting in the footstraps on the formula for the first time – due to board width. The formula has quite a long fin and as such has issues with shallow waters and rocks. They say formula boards are fragile. If you are not racing, one board and two(2) sails should be adequate in either of these disciplines. Both board types get you on the water earlier and both can handle quite decent winds – to about 25 knots.

So, it is just a matter of personal choice !! Since I like to go on the water and almost drift about and explore, I use an old longboard for now (BIC Dufour Wing) . I hope to try a Kona ONE end of July 2011 in Ottawa. These longboards are quite capable of planing and fast...Perhaps one day I will manage to purchase a used one...

For me it is all about TOW aka time on water. This week I sailed every day so far. My w/s buddy, who is selling his 160 and will have only a 130 liter board, would not even consider going out unless steady 16 knot winds. However, he too is considering the possibility of a Kona ONE. Some people "argue" that a large freeride board with larger sails is the "way to go" - rather than formula. I have a 160 liter/79 cm board that i use with an 8.5 and 10-oh. With my weight, the starting point is 12 knots. Under that, I go for the longboard. With a formula i might gain 2 knots ie be able to start planing at 10 knots. I have determined that i can do the same thing much more cheaply - just lose some more weight !! {Allison Shreeve of Australia says she can plane in 6 knots on a Formula board !!}

My motto: Get out there and ride. You're gonna like it :-)
Unfortunately, my skills stop me around the 25 knot mark - also when waves get over about one foot... {for now !!}

Follow-up: Re-discovered a piece on James Douglass' blog: http://jimbodouglass.blogspot.com/2009/09/wind-thresholds-and-kitestration.html In this post it discusses and shows on the graph that longboards can reach planing thresholds around 12 knots whereas Formula boards do this around 8 knots. However, it is NOT until 12 knots in the Formula arena when pumping is no longer required. Personally, I have never been a fan of pumping and use it sparingly. Have NO idea how the Olympic RSX folks do it cuz it is TIRING !!

For me the issues for Formula are cost and pumping. For the longboard the issue is availability !! Cannot easily find Phantoms or Kona ONEs !!! Will check out the Konas in Ottawa the weekend of 31JUL2011 and go from there - will probably stay with what i have since sails are starting to need replacement...

Update:  Since the original post, I have purchased an MS-2 8-oh with matching 490/75 mast and a Fanatic Ultra CAT, a classique longboard. This CAT can plane when even the kiters got off the water at OKA Park and it can handle the 10-oh. The Formula solution for me was too $$$, too specialized, too long a fin and too sensitive. The longboard was inexpensive, can go in 7 knots, has a short 12 inch/30 cm fin and fully retractable centreboard and can handle any abuse. This was a NO brainer for me and it gets chuckles or comments wherever i go :-)