Hola! Joint time!

Any joint recommendations for cold conditions?

Had a little session today and the GA tendon joint just broke as anything. Wasn't old, wasn't over used and has happened before for the same reason. Water was about 0.5C air near 4C.
45 knots, it took some bashing but nothin unusual.

Would rubber tendon do better?

Used to have Chinook BOGE joints but the metal pin itself broke on that one.
Lost the whole rig. Not going to try it again. I realise most of this stuff probably comes from the same factories but no...

On a positive side, was a nice little session with some swimming in the shore break :D

I've used rubber u joints for over 2000 days in 50-54 f waters around San Francisco and suffered 5 total failures.
Yes, I change them out every 4 years or when they break.

Very close inspection of tendons and bogies will usually show impending failures. When I see tiny cracks, the tendon gets replaced.

Very high stress points are (1) those joints, (2) boom tubes right behind the head fitting, and (3) fin and foil right under the finbox fitting.

I personally don't favour tendons, having had a few that failed due to inconsistent manufacture.

But with any U/J a lot of the failure happens because the bearings of your mast extension or deckplate are worn. This means, if the bearings above and below the U/J can't rotate, then the U/J itself gets twisted - and then fails earlier.

So this is something to check.

Are you sure cold weather would accelerate failure? We are not talking about extreme cold or long exposure to low temperatures.

I've really noticed that the uni takes a massive beating in rough conditions. Much worse than my body!! Check &
double check & replace before failure. $20worth of insurance for a year, simply a no brainer.

Those cheap clear things don't last. Get the genuine chinook or steamlined one.

+1 Streamlined last forever!

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seanhogan said..
+1 Streamlined last forever!

Maybe now but in the old days, those flesh tendons would rot sitting on a shelf (or my case, enclosed trailer). They may have been good but not forever.

I sailed the other day in 4C and my similar GA tendon didn't explode. Of course, I wasn't crashing in 45 kt winds either and lighter than most.

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BSN101 said..
I've really noticed that the uni takes a massive beating in rough conditions. Much worse than my body!! Check &
double check & replace before failure. $20worth of insurance for a year, simply a no brainer.

Yes. Tendons are consumables like tires on a car (but cheaper and easier to replace).

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Tanel said..
Hola! Joint time!

Any joint recommendations for cold conditions?

Had a little session today and the GA tendon joint just broke as anything. Wasn't old, wasn't over used and has happened before for the same reason. Water was about 0.5C air near 4C.
45 knots, it took some bashing but nothin unusual.

Would rubber tendon do better?

Used to have Chinook BOGE joints but the metal pin itself broke on that one.
Lost the whole rig. Not going to try it again. I realise most of this stuff probably comes from the same factories but no...

On a positive side, was a nice little session with some swimming in the shore break :D

I've no idea about how the cold affects any of them.
The pin breaking on boge type has happened to me, and the last 2 people I helped when theirs failed in the last 2 years. Thats why I dont use them. If the pin breaks the safety rope cant help you, like with your tendon failure it will do. But I dont do much wave sailing, mainly free ride. A tendon is better for that as it gives a more direct feeling. I put up with the harsher feeling on the sea for B&J as I cant be bothered to have 2 types.
I have had just 1 tendon break and the safety rope worked. The place it broke, Kimmeridge, I was around the corner under the cliffs with the possibility of a very dodgy walk back. I replace the tendon each year/100 sessions.

In the end, everything will break, so use whats the best for the type of sailing you do. I dont think there are many slalom sailors who use boge and many wave sailors who use tendons.

On FB, 'Artic Windsurfer' uses tendons. I'll ask him.

www.facebook.com/arcticwindsurfer/videos/393837142506122/

I've good experience with the Goya and also Chinook base and bad experience with the Severne base. The tolerances of the Chinook are quite bad but they work. Severne maybe had some production issues with the lot I used because I killed 3 brand new ones in 1 week. They mostly snapped after Forwards or Backloops. However I change the tendon every autumn no matter if they look good or bad.

Why would anyone use old u joints in the ocean?
I maybe sailed 7

..700 days in the Pacific Ocean, didn't break a joint or base, or pin.
Broke an extension in 4' shorepound and sub 10 wind.
Broke 2 masts in +8' surf.

Wear and tear and breaking after few years it's all normal. Regular inspection of the gear is part of the routine as well.
But this thing had done maybe 20 sessions. First time in cold and it breaks. By cold I mean not 50F but 32F, 50 I'd consider warm still. But in near zero C the tendon seems noticeable stiffer and that's why I think it broke. And it wasn't the first time one breaking as soon as it's getting cold. In warm climate never had such problem. Anyhow I'll change it and see how long it holds next time. Third for the science!

Broken pin on chinook baseplate happened because there was an air bubble in the metal. That's what they said from Chinook as well, they never said sorry thou :D

I gave up on tendon joints 30 years ago when those flesh colored joints 1st came out.
Succeeding black, gray, yellow, and translucent were worse.

Chinook, streamlined (must be fresh and used in non humid climates). Using Bic right now so far so good.
Stay away from the Chinese black tendons!

Manuel7.....
Just got back from 30 days in Eastern Puerto Rico.
Ist 4 days great, but we were jetlagged. Last 6 days were 5.5 and 100 liters with tiny surf at Ceiba.
In between were too many 5-13 mph days.

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Tanel said..
Wear and tear and breaking after few years it's all normal. Regular inspection of the gear is part of the routine as well.
But this thing had done maybe 20 sessions. First time in cold and it breaks. By cold I mean not 50F but 32F, 50 I'd consider warm still. But in near zero C the tendon seems noticeable stiffer and that's why I think it broke. And it wasn't the first time one breaking as soon as it's getting cold. In warm climate never had such problem. Anyhow I'll change it and see how long it holds next time. Third for the science!

Broken pin on chinook baseplate happened because there was an air bubble in the metal. That's what they said from Chinook as well, they never said sorry thou :D

The Clear ones are injection molded thermoplastic Elastomer may be more prone to affects of cold. The Black Chinook tendons are cast Urethane & are more prone to aging in humid climates but may do better in the cold...

Maybe it was something like this?

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Mark _australia said..
Those cheap clear things don't last. Get the genuine chinook or steamlined one.

Second that. I freedive and all clear rubber components such masks, snorkels, fin foot pockets don't last/ get brittle faster than black ones. It has to do with the chemistry/production process of these.

From Hobart/Tasmania , gets cold but not that cold, . well coldest place to windsurf in Australia
never seen a particular higher breakage between summer winter- been in a shop for 20 years.
i use a boge joint, i think they last longer.

40 knots at 4 C?

Another vote for the Streamlined tendon, have had for 3 years with no sign of cracks, in Florida so no real cold temps, but it is humid year round!

Cold enough? Duotone iBase. No problem.

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bel29 said..
Cold enough? Duotone iBase. No problem.

Indeed my iBase still from North has held up very well too. Haven't tried it in cold but it has got lot of high wind wave sessions over 2 or 3 years can't even remember.