Hey everyone, I'm trying to work out whether I'm doing something wrong with my rigging.

I can never seem to get the desired downhaul that I want on either of my 2 main sails. I "feel" like I should have more downhaul, and usually when I get on the water I'm a little overpowered, and always fighting with my rig.

Here are pics of my rigging from today. i'm using a 2 cam NP H2 6.7m rigged on a NP430 mast (so there shouldn't be any issues with compatibility right?), my extension is an older Mistral race extension which I set to the right extension for the required luff. The leech is usually still tight.

I pull my downhaul as much as I can, and as you can see, I'm still at least a couple of inches from the bottom pulleys on the mast extension.

My other rig (sorry, don't have pictures) is a no cam Naish 7.7m Cruze, which I rig on a Powerex constant curve 460 mast. I can usually only get enough downhaul on this to get the top panel on the leech a little "floppy". So I seem to have the same issues with this one.

I wonder if it has something to do with my mast mast extension... I'm not sure though... Any ideas?

Thanks,
Ants

How old is the mast.
I had an old 4.9 NP mast that I could not get a larger Evo 2 to rig correctly on. Bought a newer mast and it worked perfectly.
I seem to recall reading somewhere that they have changed the curve characteristics over time.
That old mast is now being used on a modern severne NCX sail by a mate and he is happy with the way it rigs on it.
I thought that were supposed to be different ends of the curve spectrum?

Just had a look around online... It never occurred to me to check the age... From what I can see it is a 2001 and it says on the mast that it is "constant curve"... I assume this may be the problem as the H2 is a 2012...

you need to pull it all the way down ....those older mast need some cranking ..do you have a downhaul winch ..

if no muscle it ,till it comes down ...it should work ...

of course a new higher carbon mast will be better ...but i would try max downhaul first .

nice sail by the way .

Hello AntsC, I'm no expert but I have used 2 cam Pryde sails for a while, so hopefully I can assist.

The first issue is that the position of the pulleys in relation to the bottom of the extension isn't the correct reference point for your dowhnhaul. In the bottom photo I assume you have the bottom of the mast sleeve folded up. If you fold that down the bottom of the sleeve is your reference point. So if you have set the extension + mast to equal the recommended luff length the bottom of that sleeve needs to be aligned to the top of the bottom fitting on the extension for you to have the sail rigged with the recommended luff length. I'd say, looking at that photo that with the sleeve folded down it would probably be about right.

The second issue is that, in my experience, a NP cammed sail needs the correct mast to perform how intended. Your sail looks like about a 2012 model and your mast looks about early 2000's vintage approx. This will be a big factor contributing to your problem. If I were you I would invest in a late model mast with as much carbon content as you can afford.

The third issue is that the only NP sail that I have owned that rigs nicely at the recommended luff length is a 2017 V8 I bought recently when rigged on 2018 95% mast I bought recently. I was actually shocked that it looked spot on when I downhauled it to the recommended luff length and proved as much when out on the water. Prior to that, my experience is you need anything from 2-5 cm more dowhnhaul, maybe more, than recommended for the sail to perform well. IMO, the photos don't show enough slack on the leech high on the sail, down to between the second and third which means it needs more downhaul. You're better off having too much downhaul than too little in powered up conditions. You will know if you have way too much, the cams won't rotate nicely.

There are other factors you need to consider to have the sail feel comfortable. The amount of out haul, boom height and harness line position will impact on the comfort of the sail.

Get yourself a down haul winch, will be best money you ever spent.

Good luck, hope this helps, don't give up on the H2, a bloody nice sail. Don't be afraid to make minor adjustments to dowhnhaul, out haul, boom height and harness line position until you get it right for the conditions you're sailing in on a given day. Shout yourself a new mast for Xmas, this will make the biggest difference for a start

I think you should change you extension. NeilPryde sails use a 90 degree angle pulley and from what I can see your extension is a 0 degree angle. However, I believe the Naish use a 0 degree angle.So the best best is to invest in a Formuline rope (usually 1.8 m will do) and you will see a huge difference to tension your sail (added bonus is that rope lasts almost forever).
boardcrazy.com.au/shop/windsurfing/components/marlow-formuline-3-8mm/

Thanks so much OrangeWhip & Jusavina... that's really helpful. I'll definitely try giving it the extra down haul that you suggest it may need. I really do like the H2, even when it's been rigged poorly... so I can only imagine what it'll feel like once it's rigged well!

I'll be keeping an eye out for a NP mast that is "newer", and also wondered about the pulley orientation too.

Gosh... so much that you didn't know you didn't know about windsurfing! haha

If you google you can find instructions on how to rig the pulley blocks that are at 90 degrees to each other. It's easy and all my sails are like that. Go to bunning and get a piece of 1" steel pipe to use as a rigging tool. 300mm worth will do it. Loop the dh line round and put your back into it. Dave Ezzy shows how to set up your downhaul and loop the line in this video: