Windsurfing consumables
justal - 20-3-2003 at 21:31
In his diary entry for
18th March
2003, ajdesq wrote:
quote:
After a few runs the footstraps finally died. Jarring & stubbing my (booted) feet in caused crashes and catapaults galore.
From getting 50m upwind I ended up with a walk-of-shame of 100m. I wanted to tell the other 50 or so people on the beach that it wasnt
me, it was the straps.... Time to go shopping.
Sorry about the footstraps on the Axxis Andrew.... They were pretty crappy when I sold the board to you and I'm sure they haven't
improved over the last year! 
If its any consolation since selling the board to you I'm already onto my second replacement board for the axxis after breaking the
first (Max2Air) and I've got through a couple of sets of straps too. They're just one of the consumable items in windsurfing. All three
of my boards could do with new sets of footstraps at the moment. They only seem to last a year or so. Harness lines last about 3 months
( I broke one last time I was out), and downhaul rope only seems to last a month...often less.
Mind you, I seem to get through a wetsuit every year as well, and a boom!!... Still, not as bad as Steve who somehow seems to get
through a mast every 6 months!! 
All of this is exactly why I didn't add a way of tracking the cost of equipment, petrol, parking etc in the diaries...It would make
miserable reading to see just how much each session costs us. Of course some sessions are worth every penny.
Al.
SeanBo - 20-3-2003 at 21:40
Hmmmm, Al you seem to break/wear out some strange stuff!
I confess to having had a run of bad luck recently where I went through (sometimes literaly) a load of sails, but how do you
break/wearout foorstraps?
I have managed to snap one harness line in three seasons After a bad catapult, but all my downhaul rope is original/three season
old!
An accident wiped out my first boom on its first outing (Grrrrr), but the three we have now are fine and have lasted a minumum of 2
seasons!
Wetsuits are all still original (but I dont where the 15 year old Long John and Bolero jacket anymore!)
What do other people break? Have I been unlucky with the sails and lucky with the rest of my kit?
[Edited on 20-3-2003 by SeanBo]
justal - 20-3-2003 at 21:51
Is it that strange??? My harness lines just snap after a while... I do like sailing along no-handed though so I guess they get a lot of
use. I quite often rip the webbing on footstraps when cranking the board around off the lip!!!.... Honest.
They also just get worn out with the constant abrasion caused by sand/salt etc. Sunlight degrades the neoprene in them as well so they
just kinda fall apart after a while.
I know the downhaul thing is weird... I can't explain it, but ask anyone who's ever seen me rigging and they'll tell you I seem to snap
a line every time I rig a sail. Its not my pulley hooks or anything either because I've checked them and it happens with new ones too.
Mind you, come to think of it I need new mastbases/extensions at the moment too because all the cleats in mine have worn out and no
longer hold the rope. 
Somehow I seem to wear the grip covering away on booms quite quickly too... Must be me gripping too hard when I scare myself with HUGE
jumps!!
I have in my time managed to destroy some sails as well of course. including a pretty impressive destruction of a so-called bomb-proof
4.5m North Voodoo.
Also, when I say something lasts me a year, that could quite easily be 100+ sessions. Hehehe.
Al.
badexcuseforasailor - 22-3-2003 at 20:40
Ive managed to snap a few harness lines think im on my 3rd set, one set per year so far. I haven't had any down haul break on me yet I
guess I must change it too often once a year or when it shows signs of wear.
I managed to rip a 6 inch hole in sail at brogborough last year on bit of sharp concrete what hurt was it wasn't catapult damage. Ive
been lucky so far the only damage ive done with a catapult wasn't my kit! I put two knees through a sail when in moon beach, above the
boom, some how!
Im stocking up on duck tape for easter trip to borth
Stevievee - 23-3-2003 at 22:46
My mate once drove over my mast by mistake. Does that count??
Unfortunately I don't get out on the water enough so haven't worn anything out, except my patience for this frustrating sport.
100 sessions in a year....humpf. I haven't had 100 sessions in a lifetime.
SV