I've used rubber u joints for over 2000 days in 50-54 f waters around San Francisco and suffered 5 total failures.
Yes, I change them out every 4 years or when they break.

I personally don't favour tendons, having had a few that failed due to inconsistent manufacture.

But with any U/J a lot of the failure happens because the bearings of your mast extension or deckplate are worn. This means, if the bearings above and below the U/J can't rotate, then the U/J itself gets twisted - and then fails earlier.

So this is something to check.

I've really noticed that the uni takes a massive beating in rough conditions. Much worse than my body!! Check &
double check & replace before failure. $20worth of insurance for a year, simply a no brainer.

+1 Streamlined last forever!

Tanel said..
Hola! Joint time!

Any joint recommendations for cold conditions?

Had a little session today and the GA tendon joint just broke as anything. Wasn't old, wasn't over used and has happened before for the same reason. Water was about 0.5C air near 4C.
45 knots, it took some bashing but nothin unusual.

Would rubber tendon do better?

Used to have Chinook BOGE joints but the metal pin itself broke on that one.
Lost the whole rig. Not going to try it again. I realise most of this stuff probably comes from the same factories but no...

On a positive side, was a nice little session with some swimming in the shore break :D

I've no idea about how the cold affects any of them.
The pin breaking on boge type has happened to me, and the last 2 people I helped when theirs failed in the last 2 years. Thats why I dont use them. If the pin breaks the safety rope cant help you, like with your tendon failure it will do. But I dont do much wave sailing, mainly free ride. A tendon is better for that as it gives a more direct feeling. I put up with the harsher feeling on the sea for B&J as I cant be bothered to have 2 types.
I have had just 1 tendon break and the safety rope worked. The place it broke, Kimmeridge, I was around the corner under the cliffs with the possibility of a very dodgy walk back. I replace the tendon each year/100 sessions.

In the end, everything will break, so use whats the best for the type of sailing you do. I dont think there are many slalom sailors who use boge and many wave sailors who use tendons.

I've good experience with the Goya and also Chinook base and bad experience with the Severne base. The tolerances of the Chinook are quite bad but they work. Severne maybe had some production issues with the lot I used because I killed 3 brand new ones in 1 week. They mostly snapped after Forwards or Backloops. However I change the tendon every autumn no matter if they look good or bad.

..700 days in the Pacific Ocean, didn't break a joint or base, or pin.
Broke an extension in 4' shorepound and sub 10 wind.
Broke 2 masts in +8' surf.

I gave up on tendon joints 30 years ago when those flesh colored joints 1st came out.
Succeeding black, gray, yellow, and translucent were worse.

Manuel7.....
Just got back from 30 days in Eastern Puerto Rico.
Ist 4 days great, but we were jetlagged. Last 6 days were 5.5 and 100 liters with tiny surf at Ceiba.
In between were too many 5-13 mph days.

Maybe it was something like this?

From Hobart/Tasmania , gets cold but not that cold, . well coldest place to windsurf in Australia
never seen a particular higher breakage between summer winter- been in a shop for 20 years.
i use a boge joint, i think they last longer.

Another vote for the Streamlined tendon, have had for 3 years with no sign of cracks, in Florida so no real cold temps, but it is humid year round!

bel29 said..
Cold enough? Duotone iBase. No problem.

Indeed my iBase still from North has held up very well too. Haven't tried it in cold but it has got lot of high wind wave sessions over 2 or 3 years can't even remember.