I have set myself a little quest to break the 40 knot barrier. Not too hard I hear you say. But I want to do it on gear that I have acquired for less than $500.

Is it possible?

Some time ago I was given an Extreme slalom board circa 1992. Small, light and in perfect condition. I bought my mast and boom of ebay for $160 and a North Natural 6.2M for $220 second hand.

I have recently started to sail at Foreshore rd where I clocked 33 knots in 25 - 30 knots of breeze. It made me think that the sail had reached its highest speed and I am now looking for a more slalom orientated sail to give me a little more power and speed to crack the 40. (ebay is full of this stuff) I have also picked up a small "thin" fin that looks more orientated to higher speeds.

If you have any thoughts on if this is possible the best retro gear let me know what you think.

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Sunnyboy said...

I have set myself a little quest to break the 40 knot barrier. Not too hard I hear you say. But I want to do it on gear that I have acquired for less than $500.

Is it possible?

Some time ago I was given an Extreme slalom board circa 1992. Small, light and in perfect condition. I bought my mast and boom of ebay for $160 and a North Natural 6.2M for $220 second hand.

i cant see why you shouldn't sunnyboy,all you need to do is move the mast track and straps back then chop it down too about 400 and your in with a chance

Definitely... an old slalom board should hit 40, then find a somewhat decent used sail.

The real problem is you will need pretty flat water....

The Extreme slaloms were pretty fast in their favorite conditions. If it is a 270, my experience with it was that the rocker is a bit flat for ultimate top speed on flat water. I tried altering it with tail cutouts but it didn't help for me. Still have it laying around somewhere in my historical artifact pile of stuff.

Your success depends on a few things:

-How tall/heavy you are. Bigger guys will have more success at cracking 40 on a slalom board.

- Where you try to do it. You will need pretty flat water and a broad course angle.

- How much wind you get. Even with the above two factors working for you, it is unlikely you can do it with much less than 30 Knots of wind. Sail size to suit.

Good luck with it. I like the Koncept a lot!

Thanks for the help.

I have no idea on what model the Extreme is. However I am about 85Kg and it sinks up to my knees if I try to up haul it. So I would guess that it is about 80 Lts??? I know its light and even though its an old school shape it feels very fast.

I have been sailing at Foreshore Rd in Westerlies and you seem to get a good bareaway in with very flat water along the side of the run way.

I think the deciding factor will be if I can hold onto my 6.5M in 30 knots!

Well it looks like you have pretty much got all the factors in place. You will probably need a small slalom/speed fin (22-28cm depending on the shape) and maybe a slightly smaller sail. Good luck!