Yeah, you can make it black again, but tough to replicate the weave. My boards are solid red now, I need to do a set of rudders sometime soon. thankfully the trailing edge of rudders don't get dinged up too often.
I think it comes down to personal preference more than anything. I dont think anyone can prove that the gybing boards on the original cap and the infusion mark 1 didn't work. Like i said i think it was fashionable to lock them off so thats what everyone did.
This is pure speculation, but my theory is that if your a pincher, then you want your boards locked off. If you like to put the bow down a bit and give the boat its head then you want gybing boards. You can see in any fleet a range of sailing styles. Not sure if this makes sense but im running with it until i find a better theory.
Personal preference maybe but the mk. 1 infusion boards were getting chewed up in the dagger board casing. Really nerve racking for the skipper to think his $2K in boards are getting damaged slamming around in the trunk, even if they weren't really.
Pinching vs. driving down doesn't matter there is usually one fastest way to the top mark.
You are right, there is usually one fastest way to the top mark for sure. But when your sailing in a fleet thats not the case. How are you suposed to sail perfect VMG when you have a pincher camped above you taking your wind? Or if you get rolled by a boat travelling faster at the start how are you supposed to keep any height? In reality in a fleet you have to find a spot and get a start that lets you sail to your strengths whether it be pinching, perfect VMG or footing like a demon.
You have to be able to do it all. But you should know where your strengths lay.
I dont have any mathematical equations to give you. Like i said its just a theory, and im happy to be proven wrong. But if your pinching you want to be in super low drag mode. So you want the boards locked off straight so they are not giving you any extra drag so you can keep your height.
Sounds like the 2K boards in the nacra were the problem not the fact they were gybing. Rolf said they locked off the capricorn boards too and i dont think they chewed their boards up. Sailed a 10 year old cap this year with gybing boards. Wow what a weapon upwind.
That answer confuses me. On the Viper it is reported to work well, while on the Capricorn it was not judged to work well - and now both boats are said to have the same setup.
Sorry I just assumed the same guys who judged the caps boards not to work well would have fixed it. It's not a big job.
So what's the blade getting? I reckon you should put hydrofoils on it. That certainly seems fashionable at the moment.
Back to Blade related stuff heres a link from Emile Barret from South Australia, showing how to sail a one up F16.
I've sailed in this particular spot in SA. Let me tell you its way rougher than the video shows. I think you would find most of the worlds sloop crews upside-down or sitting on the beach in these conditions. Awesome stuff.
The on board video flattens the waves a bit, to give a better perspective of the swell here's a photo taken from Granite Island about where he was knocked off the side
Jeff Southall Current boats Nacra 5.8 1703 Animal Scanning Services Nacra 5.8 1667 Ram Raider Nacra 18 Square Arrow 1576
