Re: Recommend board for learning waterstarts

On Apr 24, 12:22=A0pm, BDB <noem...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> Michael wrote:
> > The one negative aspect of Technos (I own one, btw) is that the nose
> > is susceptible to damage from mast hits. =A0 If you're working on
> > waterstarts odds are your harness technique is less than stellar, and
> > a few good catapults could knock off the nose of a Techno.
>
> Heh, yes I do sometimes get hooked in and can't unhook before getting
> launched. =A0Hrm...that makes it a tough decision. =A0No sense saving a
fe=
w
> hundred if the occasional screwup breaks the board.

FWIW, hits to the nose can be reduced if not eliminated by sheeting in
incredibly hard and sitting down in your harness when you feel like
you are going over the front.

Sheeting in hard jams your feet into the straps and makes it very
tough for the rig to rip you off the board.  In the event that you do
start going around, sheeting during the trip will cause the mast to
rotate downwind.  In almost every case, the mast and boom head will
clear the nose of the board.  You might hit the board with your hip,
but neoprene and flesh are less likely to crack the board than carbon
or aluminum.

The reason it can be tough to unhook prior to the launch is b/c of the
upward pressure of your harness lines.  So work with this aspect of
physics.  Sheet in and sit down, hard.  Instead of a launch, watch the
speedometer rotate closer to 50 knots!

Finally, if you are getting launched going downwind, the cause is
likely a combination of a leach that is too tight and harness lines
that are too short.

-Dan