North Sails on Skinny

[FFF]

This question has been asked (and answered) before on this NG, but I'd like to
know if there are any new insights and opinions on how well North Sails (Voodoos
in particular) rig on skinnies (nolimiz/Ezzy, powerex, gulftech?)

florian

[Dennis Lent]

All I ride is North VooDoos on skinnies(except for my 3.0 Ezzy Wave).
Mine are powerex except for a Fiberspar one piece that is over 10
years old (its actually a one piece). While I mostly kite unless its
windy (my big sail now is a 3.7. my small sail is a 3.0)I would never
go back to fat masts. Why would you? All you have to do is grab that
small little thing once and save a transition and you'll wonder why
you waited so long to get skinny! No problems on my 3.7 last weekend
on Cape Cod in winds 40 to 50 with gusts to 60 mph last Saturday
(check out Iwindsurf's graph for Kalmus for 11/29/03).
I've noticed no negative differences in how the masts or sails
performs rigged with a VooDoo on a skinny versus a fatty(I still have
some fatties lurking in my van).
No cams, no argument get skinny. My boom might break, my sail might
rip, my board might break in half but my mast...sleep soundly. I even
rode over my Fiberspar with my van once and no problems.

FFF <florian...@funnygarbage.com> wrote in message news:<20031203185...@News.CIS.DFN.DE>...

[KarabaszJP]

There is no doubt that the RDM (Skinnies) masts are a blessing in waves/extreme
conditions.

I must add though I just tried to get a North VooDoo (I can't remember the size
exactly but I'm SURE it was bigger than 3.?M) 5.?M and with both the PowerEx &
Fiberspar (even more so on the FS) I could not get diagonal/horizontal wrinkles
out of the sail. Adjusting both DH & OH.

This was only one sail (there aren't many North Sails around our way any more)
and 2 masts. So things COULD be different sail to sail (mast are very
consistent one to another)

That is my 2c Hope it helps

Jim
www.extremewindsurfing

[FFF]

On 12/4/03 10:49 AM KarabaszJP wrote:
> There is no doubt that the RDM (Skinnies) masts are a blessing in waves/

> extreme conditions.

>
> I must add though I just tried to get a North VooDoo (I can't remember the
> size exactly but I'm SURE it was bigger than 3.?M) 5.?M and with both the
> PowerEx & Fiberspar (even more so on the FS) I could not get diagonal/
> horizontal wrinkles out of the sail. Adjusting both DH & OH.
>
> This was only one sail (there aren't many North Sails around our way any more)
> and 2 masts. So things COULD be different sail to sail (mast are very
> consistent one to another)
>
> That is my 2c Hope it helps
>

That's what I thought; the smaller North wave sails probably profit from the
softer feel on a skinny, but I need a 400cm spar that works with my 5.3 VooDoo -
and I don't want the sail to feel like a wet dish towel on a stick.

florian

[Jeff F]

You are going to want a 430 for the 5.3

"FFF" <florian...@funnygarbage.com> wrote in message

news:20031204124...@News.CIS.DFN.DE...

[Chris]

I replaced my Fiberspar mast with a Powerex Z-Taper in August and I
immediately noticed a difference on my North Sails. I didn't have the
opportunity to use it on my small sails but 4.7, 5.3, and 5.8 all felt
real nice. So I was asking the same question last year since
everybody seemed to be going skinny here in SF and North Sails are not
"optimized" on a skinny mast. However they are optimized on a North
Drops shape which is similar in concept to the Z-Taper (fat at the
bottom and RDM from about 18" on up the mast. Though it is not a true
skinny, it feels like one (especially jibing,) is a bit cheaper than a
full skinny, and you won't have to replace all your mast extensions.

[FFF]

I also have a zTaper 460 for my big sail (6.4m Naish Edge) the sails is quite
happy with it - no surprise here: the zTaper is identical to the recommended
Naish Aeromax.

Yes, the zTaper is a similar concept to the North Drop Shape Masts, but still
quite different in make and actual diameter, taper and wall strength.

(I have an '01 North Sting and if that mast is representative for the Drop Shape
concept, they are not nearly as small in diameter around the boom area as either
zTaper or the full skinny; it can be used on standard boom ends without adapter.)

If your zTaper works well with your 5.8 North(?), an actual skinny should work
almost as well.

florian

[Wolfgang Soergel]

I use mostly North Sails with Skinnies and normal masts. The 4.4 and 5.0
DrX rig fine on Skinnies, the larger 5.8 works but feels more sluggish
on a 100% carbon skinny (Tecno Limits) compared to a 65% normal mast
(not a real fatty either, the top is hardly thicker than a skinny top).
On the other end of the spectrum however i have difficulty rigging a
2002 3.7 voodoo on a skinny: One needs extreme tension at the downhaul
to get the sail just looking somehow right. On a normal 65% Technofiber
it just rigs and sails fine. Haven't sailed the sail on the skinny yet
(no wind...) so maybe my impression from trying to rig it was false and
everything will be fine once the sail is broken in.
--
Wolfgang

[FFF]

On 12/4/03 4:32 PM Chris wrote:

I also have a zTaper 460 for my big sail (6.4m Naish Edge) the sails is quite

[Mike F]

The guy who makes my sails told me his sails work fine on RDMs, but said
normal masts provide greater low end power -- vital to my kind of sailing --
due to the thicker leading edge, .

Mike \m/