Anyone use the Gaastra MC2X?
PATHMAN123
I'm an intermediate longboarder (Bic Veloce 328) and am planning to
purchase new sails. I sail in the Boston area, primarily down on the Cape
and weigh 160 lbs and am 5'8". Can waterstart somewhat and I'm sailing in
the harness. Don't really jibe and I'm not in the footstraps. The 1995
MC2X 6.7 and 5.7 sails are available new at a good discount and I was
wondering whether anyone has experience with these sails, especially in
the sailing conditions that predominate in the Boston area. The MW5 4.7
was suggested as a third sail if I get a shorter board which I would like
to do when I have some money. Money is an issue and the 1995's seem like
a good deal at around $300 a piece. I'd appreciate any advice you might
have. Thanks.
Brian
William D Miller
I purchased a Pryde V6 7.0 the first week in May. It's mostly monofilm and
handles great. The sail is already showing a lot of wear though. Mostly
the edge trim around the batten ends where it gets rubbed when rigging. I
have to rig in a parking lot where I usually sail so that is hard on the
sail especially if it catches a gust and rakes accross the pavment one
time. I've been sailing about twice a week sometimes 3-4 days a week if
the wind is there. You should also consider durability in the sail
price/value equation.
Rick Purvis
Brian,
I sailed my MC2X 6.7 roughly 75 sessions in two years and just recently
sold it to a friend while it still had some life in it. The sails are
easy to rig and handle exceptionally well. I think you'll like them a
lot, and the price sounds attractive. Just to complete the story, I
replaced my MC2X 6.7 and older CS-2 5.7 with Pryde Shock 7.0 and 6.1.
Wanted more power and wasn't too sure I could use the '96 MC2X 7.0 on a
460 mast. I'll post a SHOCK review once I've sailed them a bit more.
Rick
Andy Brazier
In article <4qfsgp$1...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>, pathm...@aol.com (PATHMAN123) writes:
> I'm an intermediate longboarder (Bic Veloce 328) and am planning to
> purchase new sails. I sail in the Boston area, primarily down on the Cape
> and weigh 160 lbs and am 5'8". Can waterstart somewhat and I'm sailing in
> the harness. Don't really jibe and I'm not in the footstraps. The 1995
> MC2X 6.7 and 5.7 sails are available new at a good discount and I was
> wondering whether anyone has experience with these sails, especially in
> the sailing conditions that predominate in the Boston area. The MW5 4.7
> was suggested as a third sail if I get a shorter board which I would like
> to do when I have some money. Money is an issue and the 1995's seem like
> a good deal at around $300 a piece. I'd appreciate any advice you might
> have. Thanks.
>
> Brian
I have the 5.7 MC2X. It is great on my Screamer, really stable and I find I can
hold on easily when overpowered. The external cams make it a bit difficult when
rigging but mean that the luff tube is narrow so it doesn't fill with water when
water-starting. I am not sure if it is really suitable for a long board and
guess the 6.7 may not be so stable.
Andy
--
Andy Brazier Research Associate, Human Factors in Safety
email: an...@chemeng.ed.ac.uk phone: 0131 6508563 fax: 0131 6506551
Rick Dunning
that the mast sleeve is narrow, so it doesn't take on too much water.
Makes it a little tough to get the mast in, but worth it.
Rick Purvis
>
- snip -
>> Brian
>
>I have the 5.7 MC2X. It is great on my Screamer, really stable and I find I can
>hold on easily when overpowered. The external cams make it a bit difficult when
>rigging but mean that the luff tube is narrow so it doesn't fill with water when
>water-starting. I am not sure if it is really suitable for a long board and
>guess the 6.7 may not be so stable.
>
>Andy
Andy,
I think the CS-2 has EXTERNAL cams, while the MC2X has INTERNAL cams.
Have owned both, and much prefer the MC2x, though I do like my 5.0 CS-2
because I can remove the cams and teach using it as an RAF.
Used my 6.7 MC2X with a mix of long and short boards and it worked
well - Snake 335, Veloce 328, Bat 325, Xantos 325, Shark 291, and Rat
280. Nice sails.
Rick
John Blomberg
I have a 6.2 MC2X. I've been using it on my 9' F2 Sunset Slalom board all spring. I love it.
Because it's the best sail I have, I actually get dissapointed when I have to rig my crappy old
5.5.
Make sure you're shown how to rig it properly (if you don't already know). You should be able
to just flex the mast* and have the cambers pop into position.
* i.e. when it's all rigged and laying on the ground, cambers rotated as though wind were coming
up from the ground, have someone hold the mast base down. You should be able to just push down
on the top of the mast (maybe a foot), and the cambers should all rotate with a simple,
effortless pop.