Recently purchased RS:ONE package which comes with a 7.8 sail (twin cam)and a 48 cm fin. I would like to know what range of sails ( non cam) would be suitable for this board for wind conditions 10 knots to 25 knots and fin sizes to suit. I live on the lakes at Mallacoota Vic and there are many areas that are quite shallow which makes things a little difficult with a 48 cm fin. I am a novice to windsurfing and would appreciate any possitive feedback.[:)
Im not an expert on race boards but have sailed the RS-1 a couple of times,
I dont think you would benifit much buy puting a smaller sail or fin on that sort of board as it is designed for a wide range of conditions the way it is. If you put a smaller fin in it for shallow water I wouldnt think it would track very well unless you had the dagger board down and then you would still have a depth problem anyway.
An adjustable outhaul would be an advantage if you dont already have one.
Hello OC,
I don???t think there are too many RS 1???s about at this stage, so you are going to have to experiment. I sail an 85cm-wide, semi-Formula board and I can tell you that with a powered 6.0m sail, the board does not feel ???in balance???. Do-able, but not a good feel. Definitely made to be sailed with about a minimum of a 7.5m sail in powered conditions.
At about 18 knots, my board begins to fly off the face of waves (here in the Bay) due to the wide nose, wide tail and the speed it is going at. Would not recommend this for you and, sailing on a lake, you may never experience it, anyway.
There is no reason why you could not use smaller-than-a 6.0, particularly if you are still learning. The smaller sails are easier to uphaul than larger sizes. Suggest you try and get non-cammed sails but watch your boom and mast length because the smaller sails may not fit. Similarly with the larger sizes that you may consider, but I think that at 20-25 knots (real, NOT estimated), you???ll find the board a handful. On sails, for correct rigging, you???ll probably find that you are locked into recent NP sails. Other-brand sails WILL work, but may look terrible on land.
For fin sizes, you might try here: http://www.select-hydrofoils.com/en/selector/fanatic-falcon/ (I think the Falcon is the closest you may get to your board). You might also hunt around on the web to find out if others are sailing in shallow water, and if so, what size fins they use. Maybe a second-hand fin is the way to go?
Finally, you might also consider a Chinook downhaul tool shown here: www.chinooksailing.com/products/index.php?cPath=6_66. The high downhaul force for the 7.8 sail can wreck your back if you use the tug cleats shown below them (and if you get a tool, make sure it fits the bottom of your mast extension). Nowadays, I tend to use the tool starting at 6.7 and going up.
Hope this helps.
I'm pretty ignorant on these issues, but my logical side suggests to me that a weed fin of the same/similar surface area would provide the same lateral resistance whilst requiring less depth of water to accomplish this. I see that the "centre of lateral resistance" would be moved aft, but the whole rig (centre of effort) can be moved an inch(ish) aft to counter this.
Does this this make any sense, or am I way out of my depth?
