Tech tip: Finding range in your sails

Tech Talk: Getting the most range out of your sails

With the spring season in full swing in some parts of North America, and the ice recently thawed in others, it's time to think about how to get the most range out of your current quiver.

Luckily if you're riding Sailworks, you're already benefiting from the low end drive, and high end stability. But is there more you can unleash from your sails?

Let's take your favorite sail and max out it's range of use using the following tips. Each tip is accompanied by an example of how our team rider Phil Soltysiak applies the advice to his every day windsurfing. 

Mast: Sailworks sails rig well on many masts, but using our recommended masts will ensure the intended shape and tension profiles and optimize the sail's performance and increase its wind range.

"I always rig my sails on the recommended mast, even if it means de-rigging a sail to re-use the same mast. It's worth the effort. If I try a sail rigged on the wrong mast I immediately feel the difference."

Boom: A stiff boom gives you a more connected feel with the rig, increased responsiveness, improved efficiency in lighter winds, and more control in higher winds. A good carbon boom improves your sail's performance in it's current wind range, and also expands that wind range both for less wind and more wind..

"I use the Streamlined HMX Carbon booms on all my sails. Whether I'm doing my best to get planing early with my 8.6 NX  or searching for a ramp on my 3.7 Revolution, I don't want a flimsy boom eating up my efficiency, or distorting my powered up connection to my rig. When I'm asked to try other sailors' rigs to see how they feel, the stiffness and quality of the boom often stand out as a piece of equipment worth investing in."

Board: When the wind conditions change, it's easier to increase the wind range of the sail you have rigged by just hooking it up to a different board. If you're underpowered go for a bigger, wider or flatter rocker board. If you're overpowered drop down to a smaller board. 

"If I take my 7.8 NX on my 77cm wide ISonic, the set up is an early planing light wind speed machine. If I get overpowered and want to be more comfortable without any re-rigging I can plug my 7.8 into my 67cm wide board. In the exact same wind with the exact same sail I'm perfectly powered and in control." 

Fin: A fin can drastically change the feel of your set-up. Feeling overpowered and out of control can easily be mitigated by using a fin 2cm smaller. Looking for more power you can go up 2cm in fin size.

"I ride my 8.6 NX on my ISonic 77 with a 42cm fin. If I get overpowered and my gear feels like a handful I change my fin down to my 40cm fin. It will settle down the board drastically. It's much less work to change a fin than de-rig and rig again." 

Downhaul tuning: Adjusting your downhaul to adapt to changing wind conditions can spare you from unnecessary sail changes. Downhaul tension releases the leech to twist freely, keeping the center of power low and controllable. Racers know that the widest wind range is achieved by taking a large sail for low end power and then tuning that sail for top end control and stability. Nothing trumps sail area for more power and a generously twisting sail is smooth and manageable to handle in overpowering gusts. A little extra downhaul is often all that's needed to keep a larger sail balanced and controllable.

"I tend to ride all my NX's very powered up or overpowered. The only way it's possible for me to use a sail with taht much area in so much wind is if I downhaul the sail to at least the cog tuning mark, and often up to 5cm past it."

Adjustable Outhaul: The bigger your sail the more benefit you get from running an adjustable outhaul system. Rather than debating whether or not you should re-tune your sail on the beach every time the wind drops or picks up, why not easily adjust the power on the fly? Highly recommended if you're at the level of planning comfortably back and forth and using sails over 6m. 

"Sometimes during the Gorge Cup races it's hard to estimate what the wind will be like during the race. These are the moments I'm thankful for having my adjustable outhaul system on all my slalom sails from 6.2 up to 8.6. It takes me a second to tighten or loosen my outhaul on the fly, and allows me to dynamically adapt to the ever changing conditions."

Combine the above tips with our "Tuning for Storm Days" and "Race Tuning Tips" articles, and you'll surprise yourself with the range of conditions you can be comfortable in using one size sail.