How hard is it to retro fit an adjustable outhaul system to a boom. Just beginning to use bigger sails 8+ and would love to have the adjustably on the water..

Any ideas would be helpful...

He he... I was about to post something similar...

Second, third, forth questions:

Who uses 'em

What sail sizes

Love 'em, hate 'em

mine saved me from a 2km swim late yesterday when the wind switched off,as i didnt have an up haul i untied my outhaul on 1 side and used it for an uphaul...
thoughly recomend the addition of an outhaul...

I don't know why they don't just come standard on every single boom.

They are great. Even on small sail sizes. The wind range you can achieve from a simple pull of one rope from a cleat is quite incredible, and you are wasting the performance of your sail without one; even in consistent winds. If you want to bear away and do a nice run downwind you can let the outhaul out 3-4cm and increase your power and angle immensely.

They are relatively simple to set up. The only drawback is price. I believe NP (maybe other brands?) have a full kit you can buy with all the parts however its over $100 and the pulleys do not have roller bearings. Buying it all separately doesn't help you that much price wise, but at least you can get some decent parts.

Here's a bit of info to get you started: http://www.clamcleat.com/cleats/cleat_details.asp?theid2=66

I would suggest getting some Ronstan or Harken pulleys that have roller bearings and also investing in some decent rope.

FYI, there is a ton of guys on the PWA tour who run adjustable outhauls on their wave sails believe it or not. Usually, they just have a cleat on one side so it is not in the way, but if you think you need adjustibility on a 4.2m, how about on a 9m?!

OK OK...

I bought a kit this morning, but what do I do with it Got the back end and pulleys sorted

But where do I put the cleats on the boom? How far forward/back? cleat up/down/facing out/45 degrees and up

I have used these on long board racing.

Normally I would put them facing up on your boom about 3/4 along your boom from the mast end or say 1/2 foot from the clew.

Then I rang some fine elastic rope from the rop down to the universal joint and back up the otherside to hold your rope in an accessable place.

Make sense?

I use them on pretty much every sail I use from the 4.6 RS Racing for speed through to 11.8 for Formula. The extra wind range they can offer is worth having at your fingertips as it can let you plane through lulls by letting it out or hang on in big gusts by pulling it on.

Loved them down at Sandy Point last time I was there. Ran the sail nice and full for the trip down then strapped it out for the haul back in to 30-40 knots. With fixed outhaul that would have been torture.

NP's kit with clamcleat cleats retails at $80 and can fit pretty pretty much to any boom on the market.

I always use one; the difference between being overpowered and comfortably hauling @$$ can be a few cm of outhaul - having a deep sail or a flat one, even down to my smallest (5.0).

Mine's a cheapie, a $20 1-sided Sailworks job, with no pulley wheels or anything. It works!

Go on, get one! The only question you have to ask yourself when considering buying more windsurfing gear is: "why not?"

I have them on my long booms that I use for 7.2 and 8.5.
They are a bit dweeberous and fussy but they are a joy to use.
Mine are a home cooked, symetrical 5 purchase arrangement with clam cleats like most of the others about.

If you want to use them on the fly then you will need that amount of purchase. Those simple one sided triple purchase deals can not be outhauled on the fly with any pressure in the sail and the time you want to flatten the sail is when you are belting along with pressure in it. However the triple purchase things are so simple to set up its worth doing it just to get an appreciation of the need for MORE mechanical advantage and LESS friction.

You can build a 5 purchase system 2 ways.
1) 2 sheaves at the end of the boom and 1 on the sail plus a cascade of 2 single sheave pulleys at each boom arm. OR
2) A 3 sheave block at end of boom and a 2 sheave block on the sail plus a single sheave pulley on each boom arm.

The first is a tad lighter at the end of the booms and has a simpler sail connection. You can get by without a pulley at the sail clew. Because you are running only one line through the cringle it will run acceptably freely without a pulley. This in turn keeps the boom extension as short as it can be.

The second is what nearly everybody does possibly because it allows for more adjustment so its more tolerant of repeatedly hauling tension on one side and letting it off on the other.

Another wrinkle is the continuous line setup. But that's too much complication for a first try. However, in principle it is based on a purchase system as above but with an endless loop of line running through the "hands on" part of the system through the cleats. Instead of tying the "hands on" line to the booms for final purchase, it goes through another pulley redirecting it to the tail of the booms, thence through another pair of pulleys (one on each outer "corner" of the boom tail as it were) to redirect it back up the other boom arm symmetrical with the other side. After running through the cleats the tensionless part of the loop can be draped around the front end of the booms or dragged behind in the water.
Why would you want a continuous line? Well, when you're belting along you haul the tension ON. Then you gybe and you let the tension OFF to give yourself a bit more grunt. You've hauled the tension ON on one side then flipped the sail and let it OFF on the other side. If you do that two or three times you will run out of adjustment and your wonderful adjustable outhaul becomes a very fancy fixed outhaul. That said, all it takes is a little foresight to remember to let the tension off before you gybe.

Some important points -
1) In order to minimise friction use good pulleys. Those pulleys that come installed in some boom ends are less than wonderful. If you've got 'em you may as well use 'em but if you don't then get yourself some Harken or Ronstan blocks.
2) Use thin line everywhere except for the "hands on" bit that runs through the cleats. 2.5 to 3mm spectra or dynema core is good as long as its not stiff. Some people take the sheathing off and just run the core. I think the core has to be braided for that. I haven't tried that. My system is fine for what I want but if you are looking for the absolute last bit of slipperiness that's something to consider.
3) The front end can be either 5mm line through pulley and clam cleats or those webbing and buckle deals made by Sailworks and The Loft. The Clam cleat + pulley setup is more expensive but runs a little freer. Its also an obstruction on your booms and it WILL get in the way sometimes. The webbing ones are less obtrusive and cheaper but don't work quite as nicely.

More random tips -
Run a bit of thin bungy around the front tied to the "hands on" lines to keep them within reach.
If you go for the 2 sheave pulley at the clew option there is a beaut little block that used to be made by Riley. It is super compact and very easy to attach/detach. They are obsolete but ask around and you may find one. They were designed to be downhaul pulleys.
If you go for the 3 sheave block on the boom end then you should tie it on in a way that allows it to move about freely so you get the optimum fair lead whether the tension is on or off.

Just to add, Chinook make clew-pulley's that fit to the eyelet of the sail - cost about $20 or so.

Iv'e tried those Chinook pulleys and wasn't a fan . By far the best is the old Riley downhaul pulley . If anybody knows where there are some lying around please point me in that direction . I will be very greatful .

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Wet Willy said...

I always use one; the difference between being overpowered and comfortably hauling @$$ can be a few cm of outhaul - having a deep sail or a flat one, even down to my smallest (5.0).

Mine's a cheapie, a $20 1-sided Sailworks job, with no pulley wheels or anything. It works!

Go on, get one! The only question you have to ask yourself when considering buying more windsurfing gear is: "why not?"

yer sailworks come with one side strap in there Retros and NX race sails and do a full kit for $77, comes with everything you need and instructions, simple to fit. a decent boom with pulleys built into the boom end also help, like the hpl carbon booms.

I got a one sided setup with the Loft O2 freeride I bought a few months ago.Wondered what it was.It should setup sweet with the Loft wave boom as its got rollers in the tail section.
The adds for the boom led me to believe it had no rollers but it did.Will be an interesting exercise.
I dont know if they sell them separately.

its funny this thread came up to day because i really had a dabble in adjusting my outhaul today..never really botherd that much till today. i was felling really overpowered today so decided to flatten my sail out a bit..usually ill only adjust a small amount but i decided to go extreme and see what would happen...totally changed the characteristics of the sail...initially it was too much but i backed it off a bit and i was totally comforatable whereas before i was quite unconfortable with the nose of the board lifting right up as i tried to depower in the gusts...........it almost saved me a sail change.

the point of this post...any body that hasnt mucked around with your outhaul that much..do it..............itll make your windsurfing that much better..

thats why i love it..always learning..always improving

It can be necessary to move the harness lines a bit when you make an outhaul adjustment, such is the difference in the performance of a sail when you add or remove several cm of outhaul. Less outhaul and a fuller sail = more power forward, while a tighter outhaul means power spread further back in the sail..or have I got that mixed up?

...so you can never find THE perfect harness line position for any sail; it varies when you make adjustments...

Great article , good find !!!!