Slalom racers are obsessive about every part of their equipment setup, so when it comes to masts, what are the secrets of the pros? We lift the lid on the mysterious world of slalom masts as the pros reveal what lengths they go to in finding, testing and preserving their very best ones!
JOHN SKYE
I think the main secret is testing, testing and more testing. I think most racers will have around 4 or 5 masts all the same size, the top guys maybe a lot more. They then test them all and find the best number 1 mast, which becomes a contest mast and they leave only for competition. Then number 2 probably becomes a reserve contest mast, whilst number 3 maybe becomes their training mast, and the others get sold on. The mast is really critical, so many guys will have specific masts for different conditions, if it is flat or choppy for example. Finian Maynard told me that when he finds a good mast, he keeps it forever… I imagine his garage is pretty full!
For the average guy, even national racer, if you have the recommended mast inside the sail it will be fine. You will easily be getting 99.9% of the performance from the sail. When you get to World Cup level however, everyone is so fast that you need to look for every 0.1 kt improvement. Then the differences between two supposedly equal masts is important and finding a good one can make all the difference. As I said at World Cup level every 0.1 kt is super critical. I think most people approach their gear and testing in this way. If they can find 5 things that can add 0.1 kt to their speed, suddenly they are going 0.5 kts quicker, which is substantial. With boards and sails all stock production off the shelf gear, the main areas that riders can tune are masts and fins. There are always tolerances in the masts, just like everything. Our tolerances on the masts at RRD is around 0.5%, which is tiny, but that means that you have the possibility to have 1% difference between two masts. Plus if you consider that there can be a tolerance in the top, and the bottom and the IMCS, it means the masts can feel quite different. As I said for the average consumer these tolerances are probably not noticeable, but at World Cup level it can add up to that all important 0.1 kt.
Denne historien er fra Issue 381 - November/December 2018-utgaven av Windsurf.
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Denne historien er fra Issue 381 - November/December 2018-utgaven av Windsurf.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
New School
Slingshot’s windsurfing brand manager, Wyatt Miller, has noticed that kids are drawn to playing with wings and puts forward an interesting case as to why he thinks this could help entice them and others into windsurfing.
Changes
Wave sailor Flo Jung reflects on our changed world during his lockdown in Germany.
THE LAST WAVE
Lockdown stirred the creative juices of reader Björn Alfthan, who peers into the future to present a fictional story set in the wild waves of Norway, five years from now.
STILL IN THE GAME
After a horrific fracture in his leg from a crashed aerial in 2018, Alessio Stillrich is back! John Carter talks to the highflyer from Gran Canaria about his move to the Simmer team, recovering from injury and how he learned to windsurf in Gran Canaria!
MOVE ON UP - GET ON THE FRONT FOOT
This month we look at how our front foot weighting can affect and improve different aspects of our main windsurfing moves.
SOUTH' KIPA
Nik tweaking it over home waters.
A NEW NORMAL
On a trip to La Tranche-sur-Mer in France last year, Tris Best estimated over 80% of the windsurfers were foiling. This summer in Portland Harbour, foiling activity has increased dramatically too he reports. With the market offering plenty of choice to recreational windfoilers, our test team check out some of the latest foil offerings.
TACKING – THE SEQUEL
Having given you time to practice, Harty concludes his tacking series by critiquing various tacking options, including the carve tack, as well as offering solutions to common slip-ups.
‘NO VAPOUR TRAILS TO SCAR THE SKY' *
Realising we may be about to enter an extraordinary period in our lives, Harty decided to keep a windsurf-centric lockdown diary. Here are some of his choice excerpts.
REDEMPTION DAY!
Renowned for its windsurfing and variety of spots to sail at, Kimmerdige Bay is a wave sailing jewel on the south coast of England. Timo Mullen gives a guide to its shores while reflecting on why a recent session there was a reminder that there is no place like home!
