Hello one and all,

So I've just returned back to Blighty from 16 years in Australia, and as much as I loved Australia, its way windier here and got more punch to it too.

Anyway after moving back I had to re-assess my quiver etc and added a few items such as a slalom board and a Dutone XT RDM extension and I'm now going to buy another one for my larger sails in SDM.

What a revelation it is, no more sitting on damp grass and winding the rope around a screw driver and being able to adjust it on the water for both more and less downhaul, wow !!!! and I've never felt it slip. There's not as much wave action here for sure but super windy.

Anyway just thought I'd mention that I've been sailing now for over 40 years and in the past 20 years of sailing apart from getting RDM masts and carbon booms that this extension is definitely a new product that is brilliant and worth every penny, I'll never go back to a normal one again. Well done to the guys that have invented it and adapted it over the years. I did hear there was a few issues with the earlier models but cannot fault this product.

isthmussailboards.com/chinook-rig-winch.html

Also very good.

Just don't forget to leave them on the grass.

They're great, I love the ability to adjust the downhaul easily while out on the water.

I have one of the older styles, and the ratcheting shaft mechanism is held in place with a c-clip. It's popped off twice now. 8mm shaft size, so I just keep some on hand, but yikes. Not sure if this has been improved with the newer ones.

They are ace

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ozzimark said..
I have one of the older styles, and the ratcheting shaft mechanism is held in place with a c-clip. It's popped off twice now. 8mm shaft size, so I just keep some on hand, but yikes. Not sure if this has been improved with the newer ones.

See, just more things that can fail on the water, no thanks!
I never feel the need to adjust downhaul on the water but if you'd like that I can see this might be useful.

Severne Cyclops are great as you can pull with your bare hands which solved the issue with traditional extensions for me without adding parts that can fail or extra weight. I see that the XT is not heavier but it probably means they've compromised elsewhere given the ratchet system does have weight ;)
It's also a bit quicker when rigging as you just loop the rope.

Have mine for two years now. Started using it for sails 3.5 up to 8.0. Have gone back to a simple Chinook as I was never using it to adjust downhaul on the smaller sizes. Now I only use the XT for sizes 7.0 and up. I also found that the lever would dent the deck of my waveboards (after a nice rinse cycle in the waves). So flatwater use only for me now.

Have to say I have used the XT in all versions since invented, on my wave boards and can only dent the board if the lever is not locked up properly? I find itvery useful when sailing out to a distant reef fully powered, then downhauling more for wave riding when needed.

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ptsf1111 said..
See, just more things that can fail on the water, no thanks!

To be fair, both times happened somewhere between packing up the gear to rigging the sail. Once there's tension on the pulley, there's no way it's coming apart. I think I'm just too rough throwing my gear into my car when there's finally a breeze blowing.

I got my first one used five years ago. I have one SDM and one RDM now. I don't see myself ever going back to the non-ratchet ones.

The single best windsurfing gear invention since the boom clamp.

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ptsf1111 said..

ozzimark said..
I have one of the older styles, and the ratcheting shaft mechanism is held in place with a c-clip. It's popped off twice now. 8mm shaft size, so I just keep some on hand, but yikes. Not sure if this has been improved with the newer ones.

See, just more things that can fail on the water, no thanks!
I never feel the need to adjust downhaul on the water but if you'd like that I can see this might be useful.

Severne Cyclops are great as you can pull with your bare hands which solved the issue with traditional extensions for me without adding parts that can fail or extra weight. I see that the XT is not heavier but it probably means they've compromised elsewhere given the ratchet system does have weight ;)
It's also a bit quicker when rigging as you just loop the rope.

I found the loop system didn't work very well for my Severnes so I now thread it through and that works well.

I've been using them for years now including on large full cam race sails. With a bit of care they will last for years (eg, avoid getting sand in the mechanism; and derig by releasing the rope from the cleat rather than with the ratchet). Most of mine are on their second rope and are still working fine.

While I don't often change downhaul it is very convenient (and adds peace of mind) to be able to do it on the water if needed. But speed and ease of rigging are the main advantages to me.

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bel29 said..
I've been using them for years now including on large full cam race sails. With a bit of care they will last for years (eg, avoid getting sand in the mechanism; and derig by releasing the rope from the cleat rather than with the ratchet). Most of mine are on their second rope and are still working fine.

While I don't often change downhaul it is very convenient (and adds peace of mind) to be able to do it on the water if needed. But speed and ease of rigging are the main advantages to me.

Someone told me to rinse them with fresh water after use to avoid corrosion.

I use them for racing as theyre perfect for adjusting your sail shape based on changing conditions.

Best thing since sliced bread!!!

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sboardcrazy said..

Someone told me to rinse them with fresh water after use to avoid corrosion.

can't do no harm! though I hardly ever rinse mine (use in fresh and salt water, and in between) and haven't noticed any corrosion issues.

Its clearly a popular piece of kit but I can't say ive ever come close to struggling with a screwdriver and a thonged foot on the extension.
Is it just the ability to apply more downhaul easily on the water?
I already have a screwdriver and a thong (sometimes two) with me when rigging, im up for anything that makes a day on the water easier but what am I actually getting for $300?

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bel29 said..

sboardcrazy said..

Someone told me to rinse them with fresh water after use to avoid corrosion.

can't do no harm! though I hardly ever rinse mine (use in fresh and salt water, and in between) and haven't noticed any corrosion issues.

Regular application of silicon spray to moving parts is essential.

your windsurfing experience won't dramatically change -- you can rig and downhaul a sail perfectly well without it. it just adds ease and convenience in terms of rigging and precision in trimming the sail while rigged (e.g., incrementally adding & releasing the exact same small amount of tension one click at a time is pretty hard if not impossible to do otherwise), but that's it. whether that's worth the extra $ depends on how much you value those attributes. I will say that it is probably the most used extension on the PWA amongst the non-Duotone sponsored riders.

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John340 said..
Regular application of silicon spray to moving parts is essential.

or just sail more/leave less time between sessions ;)

But why is there no competing version (with another system because of patent)?

I would like a system with simple 3 modes.

We could send people to the moon (right?) but engineering something like that...

Some like to work harder than smarter.
I guess I'm a lazy bum that likes it easy.....

C.c.can I touch it?

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STUMP said..
Its clearly a popular piece of kit but I can't say ive ever come close to struggling with a screwdriver and a thonged foot on the extension.
Is it just the ability to apply more downhaul easily on the water?
I already have a screwdriver and a thong (sometimes two) with me when rigging, im up for anything that makes a day on the water easier but what am I actually getting for $300?

I don't have trouble down hauling sails. It's purely to adjust on the water. Instead of dragging your board out of the water , going to your car to get the screwdriver , adjusting with your butt in the sand, returning the screwdriver and then dragging your board back into the water. Or you can do it in seconds in waist deep water with a smile on your face thinking , " this is so ace ". Also it easily makes you understand rigging adjustments. Instead of rigging to the sails numbers and just living with it , it's easy and quick to go a couple clicks either way and noticing the difference. If you like experimenting with board settings , it's worth it.

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Imax1 said...


Or you can do it in seconds in waist deep water with a smile on your face thinking , " this is so ace ". Also it easily makes you understand rigging adjustments. Instead of rigging to the sails numbers and just living with it , it's easy and quick to go a couple clicks either way and noticing the difference. If you like experimenting with board settings , it's worth it.

I don't even go to shallow water. You need to be careful that the sail doesn't flip though. But that's easy to prevent.

Good points, I guess if im going to drop big dollars on sails then if nothing else it may help me get more range/performance from them.
Duotone has presented it well in terms of marketing, will it make me a PWA legend?

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STUMP said..
Good points, I guess if im going to drop big dollars on sails then if nothing else it may help me get more range/performance from them.
Duotone has presented it well in terms of marketing, will it make me a PWA legend?

No , it won't make you a PWA legend. But you will be come one of us. It's a kind of low down in the testical feel that the others don't know about.

Are they strong enough for Formula sails?
I think that would be a very good occasion to use them, but the first ones were to weak, are the newer ones stronger?
There seems to be a 2.0 version out now, what is the difference from the earlier models?

In answer to the above from SurferKris.

Theres quite a few differences from the original to the newer version.
The handle is longer and stronger, the mechanism inside is different so that you can adjust the release with just one click at a time rather than letting the whole lot go. The cleat is on the other side so it doesn't effect the lever, the clips on the mast collar have been coated with plastic so it doesn't scratch the shaft of the extension and it just works better overall.

Its doesn't work on all sail brands as I've found out but if its your only extension then you can make it work by threading it to their pulley angles, just a bit slower to assemble. For racing and free riding these things are great, first day I adjusted the sail int he water and it was just easy to use.

This is my second PowerXT extension, never had a problem with the previous one. Somehow yesterday the rope slid off the ratchet while de-rigging. It does not seem easy to put it back. Any ideas?

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flyingmujol said..
This is my second PowerXT extension, never had a problem with the previous one. Somehow yesterday the rope slid off the ratchet while de-rigging. It does not seem easy to put it back. Any ideas?

The rope is damaged. It must be replaced.