Has anyone used the Duotone Windsurfing Shox Upgrade Kit for the Duotone mast extensions and is it worth spending the money the extra money to upgrade my extensions?

Duotone say's that it helps smooth out the ride in choppy conditions and helps you go faster. For speed sailing this would be an advantage for sure but it would be great to hear from anyone that's used it and can tell me more so I can make a decision on wether I upgrade my extensions or not

If your speed sailing normally it would be somewhere reasonably flat so I see no advantage in the shox system, but the duotone extensions are your best friend nothing beats being able to adjust your downhaul with ease on the water.

I had an older version of the Duotone Shox, which hadthe fantastic adjustable downhaul plus was a shock absorber... but when I placed an order for another (a year or so ago) I was told they no longer included the shock absorber with the adjustable downhaul... and that due to minor changes in the device, I could not add it in later.I'm not 100% sure of the veracity of this... but this is what the retailers were telling me, plus a missive from Duotone. So these days, I just sail with the adjustable downhaul and my knees take all the shock.If anyone discovers otherwise, I'd LOVE to hear from them. Thanx.

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choco said..
If your speed sailing normally it would be somewhere reasonably flat so I see no advantage in the shox system, but the duotone extensions are your best friend nothing beats being able to adjust your downhaul with ease on the water.

It can be flat at the start of the run but gets choppier the further you get down the wall at West Kirby, so I could see an advantage in having it, especially when you need to slow down when its the choppiest. Having the shox system could also be an advantage bearing deep away from the wall into the chop so I may see if I can get to try one before I buy

Just updated all my old chinook extensions to duotone extensions and the ability to adjust on the water was one of the reasons why I bought them.

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cecil said..
I had an older version of the Duotone Shox, which hadthe fantastic adjustable downhaul plus was a shock absorber... but when I placed an order for another (a year or so ago) I was told they no longer included the shock absorber with the adjustable downhaul... and that due to minor changes in the device, I could not add it in later.I'm not 100% sure of the veracity of this... but this is what the retailers were telling me, plus a missive from Duotone. So these days, I just sail with the adjustable downhaul and my knees take all the shock.If anyone discovers otherwise, I'd LOVE to hear from them. Thanx.

My knee's aren't the best these days after a few knee injuries, From what I can see the Shox System is available as a upgrade that you fit yourself

i have a (North-branded still) Shox extension which i've used in the past for GPS speed sailing. most sites i sail are rather choppy and swelly.

my experiences were that it was very good in smaller and organised chop. it wasn't so great when the chop was in the 50cm+ range and had some criss-cross to it (common in our sites due to shifts in wind direction). it also wasn't so great on speed runs where one would be going over the back of swells of good amplitude and short period. basically, the "rebound" would create some unwanted board lift. it also necessitated some adjustment for gybing (one had to not create much mast foot pressure, so lean on the boom a lot less).

haven't used it in around four years, as i've been riding Severne sails since; and port-tack rigging of SVs doesn't line up well with the PowerXT system.

Did you know the power XT has two ways to feed the downhaul rope through the cleat so it accommodates parallel and perpendicular pulleys?

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WillyWind said..
Did you know the power XT has two ways to feed the downhaul rope through the cleat so it accommodates parallel and perpendicular pulleys?

yes, thank you, and used that initially. it isn't the pulley orientation that is at issue, it's the port tack rigging.

when rigging a cambered sail one has to downhaul substantially/put booms/outhaul/release some downhaul/pop cams/downhaul fully. the power XT cleat is set up in such a way that to release DH tension, one pulls the rope up (toward the sky) while
rigging in the conventional starboard tack most brands use. when rigging in port tack, that means pulling the rope toward the ground to release DH tension (not doable). so one has to flip the sail a couple of times (very inconvenient). why not just use the ratchet, you may ask? that isn't very practical for the large-scale downhaul movements involved (nor recommended by NS/DTW), not to mention one ends with shortages/excess rope on the wrong ends.

that got to be a PITA soon. add to that the fact with only two (from possible four) sail pulleys engaged, the forces involved felt like they were pushing the ratchet and its mechanism to uncomfortable places.

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WindFlyer said..
i have a (North-branded still) Shox extension which i've used in the past for GPS speed sailing. most sites i sail are rather choppy and swelly.

my experiences were that it was very good in smaller and organised chop. it wasn't so great when the chop was in the 50cm+ range and had some criss-cross to it (common in our sites due to shifts in wind direction). it also wasn't so great on speed runs where one would be going over the back of swells of good amplitude and short period. basically, the "rebound" would create some unwanted board lift. it also necessitated some adjustment for gybing (one had to not create much mast foot pressure, so lean on the boom a lot less).

haven't used it in around four years, as i've been riding Severne sails since; and port-tack rigging of SVs doesn't work out well with the PowerXT system.