Managed to get a late 80s Mistral comp light for ?20, (surprisingly light compared to my old club version) and have only the board and fin, so will need to make a centreboard, and bodge on a chinook mast base ( should be ok, as the bolts line up with the 2 mast foot holes and can bolt it on with long bolts accessed from below) . So, was thinking that as i will be sailing with a modern rig possibly a 5.5 m ks3, so making the C of E further back. I might make a thinner centreboard and bigger fin, to either fit in the existing swivel mechanism, or glass in a new fin box.
My question is, does anybody know what i'm likely to find construction wise if i rout out the old fin box? and has anyone modified such an old board successfully?

Have you tried eBay for parts?

azuli said..
I restored a Mistral Superlight about 3 years ago. They are a great board worth restoring.
I felt that the original rotating plexiglass fin was a weak point so I removed the black plastic box insert, and formed a power box fin adapter in the recess using fibreglass / resin. I did not have to route / cut into the hull as there was enough space to house a power box base in the formed structure. this allowed me to use larger fins with my demon raceboard sails without fear of snapping the fin under load.
The board is amazing to sail in light - medium winds and much faster around a race course than an LT.
I sold the board to make room for some other resto board projects but still have some parts, PM if you are in Oz and need something.

Will no doubt do something similar with mine,. Thanks for the offer, I'm in the UK, but hopefully visiting my daughter in Noosa in August, assuming Doha is allowing flights! Should have it on the water well before then for the UK summer. Cheers

jontyh said..
Managed to get a late 80s Mistral comp light for ?20, (surprisingly light compared to my old club version) and have only the board and fin, so will need to make a centreboard, and bodge on a chinook mast base ( should be ok, as the bolts line up with the 2 mast foot holes and can bolt it on with long bolts accessed from below) . So, was thinking that as i will be sailing with a modern rig possibly a 5.5 m ks3, so making the C of E further back. I might make a thinner centreboard and bigger fin, to either fit in the existing swivel mechanism, or glass in a new fin box.
My question is, does anybody know what i'm likely to find construction wise if i rout out the old fin box? and has anyone modified such an old board successfully?

Would the CE be further back? The Superlight sail had a very long boom and that may have compensated for the pinhead shape.

jontyh said..

Chris 249 said..

jontyh said..
Managed to get a late 80s Mistral comp light for ?20, (surprisingly light compared to my old club version) and have only the board and fin, so will need to make a centreboard, and bodge on a chinook mast base ( should be ok, as the bolts line up with the 2 mast foot holes and can bolt it on with long bolts accessed from below) . So, was thinking that as i will be sailing with a modern rig possibly a 5.5 m ks3, so making the C of E further back. I might make a thinner centreboard and bigger fin, to either fit in the existing swivel mechanism, or glass in a new fin box.
My question is, does anybody know what i'm likely to find construction wise if i rout out the old fin box? and has anyone modified such an old board successfully?

Would the CE be further back? The Superlight sail had a very long boom and that may have compensated for the pinhead shape.

good point.... guess i'll find out. I'm going to put a USbox in, so can try different fins. I seem to remember the c of e being all over the place with the old rigs!

Chris is right, the COE on the old rig is way back, & the KS3 has it's COE further forward even than most modern sails.