you can get a float for the end of the boom. I've heard this works well.

i've heard of guys doing a similar thing with pool noodles up the sleeve cut between the cams.

bin it, put the FUN back into sailing
go Ezzy Freeride, Sailworks Retro or KA Koyote

if your comfortable your faster anyway

Not sure what sail you use. I find that the boom opening zipper on the Pryde sails gives you more time before the pocket fills up.

Otherwise practice your falls so the sail is close to water start position when you dunk. The other trick, when you fall, is to continue holding the sail high above your head and out of the water if poss, even if you completely submerge. This way your ready to water start as soon as your head pops out of the water.

sausage said...

Gestalt said...

i've heard of guys doing a similar thing with pool noodles up the sleeve cut between the cams.

I thought that happened on Oxford Street.

[edit]
Nebs,
Another option is filling a bladder with about 300 ml of HTFU. (just joking)

crack me up mate....

Cement will fill the luff pocket nicely like Elmo says don't fall in and HTFU.

or no more gaps, keep moving the mast so it doesn't stick and you might be able to gybe and it will definitely float, probably only use for LOC

This wouldn't be a North WARP by any chance?

Thanks for the replies.

The problem isn't the normal "stuff the rig flip on exit" style of falling in, it's the "Swim 30m to get to your board which has the mast pointing at the bottom" style.

In flat water it's not an issue, I can either muscle the sail up or stand on the board and uphaul (which then lets the water drain out the boom cutout). In swell that's over 1m high though, it's a right royal pain in the butt, and something that I think was addressed in later models of this sail....

I was just wondering if there was an easy fix.

Pool noodles are about the easiest things to displace some water.

Unfortunately, getting the sail up (race sail or not) from what you have described with the mast buried is always going to be a painfull and physically taxing job.

If I remember the way I have done it and it all really depends on which way the mast is pointing.

If the sail is downwind of the board then drag the board back into the wind hopefully the current will push the sail and level it out.

If the sail is up wind of the board, try to get the leading edge of the sail pointing to the wind.

With the sail in the water the filled luff tube will have no effect on the weight of the sail, that pleasure awaits you when you try to lift the sail from the water.

If all else fails get the tip of the mast upwind then starting from the tip lift it from the water, try to control the direction of the sail as the wind may try to push it under the water again, gradually work your way down the mast as the luff tube empties.

Unfortunately there is a detrimental side to be a competent gyber, that is you don't get much practice at this type of recovery.

Just think Shark

put a bouy on the end of your sail or make the luff sleve inflatible or air tite

All the sails I have above 6 meters are cammed sails. An older one, the Neil Pryde RX2 6.6 doesn't have a huge luff tube and I can water start it, its my favourite sail. The others, a North Warp 7.8 and Neil Pryde RS6 7.2 have wide luff tubes and are difficult to water start so I just uphaul them normally, unless I fall in the right position. So I'm not going out in ocean swells with them.

Its tempting to trade all of them in for some sails with narrow luff pockets like the Pryde V8s.

With this sail, there's no easy way for the water to drain out the TOP of the tube. You can use the buoyancy of the board all you like, but all the water that's above the cutout won't exit the sail until it's up in the air -- and when it's level with the water it's really really sodding heavy!

Might talk to a sailmaker I think.

nebbian said...

With this sail, there's no easy way for the water to drain out the TOP of the tube. You can use the buoyancy of the board all you like, but all the water that's above the cutout won't exit the sail until it's up in the air -- and when it's level with the water it's really really sodding heavy!

Might talk to a sailmaker I think.

I know what you mean. The masts in these sails have quite a severe bend when rigged so the the big luff pocket forms a perfect valley to trap the water. My 90L slalom board tail sinks under the weight of my 7.8m even with out water in it.

I do remember seeing KA Koncept from a couple of years ago which had drain holes in the sleeve. They were small round button holes with the edges sewed so they wouldn't fray. Maybe the sail maker can pop a few small grommets in the sleeve, like the ones in the clew but smaller. Or you could even stick some 50c size patches on the sleeve with a hole in the middle, in the right spot, and then cut a hole in the sleeve to match the hole in the patches.