Is it normal for the board to get flipped upsidedown when you are waterstarting or is that a sign that the board is too large for the conditions? I'm used to the board getting flipped over etc but just thought of this yesterday..I went out in 30-35kts consistent with my 3.3m + 78ltre board and was grossly overpowered..
only lasted 20mins..and did a painful faceplant into the rig on one gybe..The sail was a 91 delaminating model so it was a pain..either on or off..I've been spoilt with modern sails they are so much more user friendly..this one had it in for me..
The water was pretty flat for the conditions..
Hi sboardcrazy. I'm no expert but I'm thinking your last few sentence's say it all - your '91 model sail is the cause of your problem. I'm relatively new to the sport but I hear that vintage never had much in the way of a "loose" leach etc. ie loads of power?
ditch that 3.3 and buy a new one. I had a 3.5 Simmer Wave back in the day. It was a great sail for places like the Gorge and the South of France. I think the strongest I used the sail in was a 60 knt day in Marseille.
That said I dragged it out last year to for a 50 knt day and in the end I found the 3 year old 4.0 had a better range.
The main problem seems to be the boom length. In those days they made the boom of small sails stupidly short. The result was, as you said, very little between on and off.
You will find that you have little option but to buy a 340 or 370 mast for that small sail though. From my experience those sails just don't work on 400 masts. As far as the boom is concerned you could probably get away with using a 145 boom.
well if was 30-35 knots so not much stays on the water, i get the same problem, its just that your moving through the water faster and theres more chop, kinda normal, part of high wind sailing 
I sometimes find the board gets flipped upside down when waterstarting. Not sure why.
Last time it happened to me it was 25 knots+ and choppy and I was overfinned and overboarded, so maybe board size is relevant. Maybe it was the chop? It was a 2010 sail so modernity of the sail had nothing to do with it.
As you fly the sail, you are getting pushed downwind. If the lee rail catches, the board will flip. Tends to happen a lot as a wave lifts the board and pushes it a bit more downwind.
Keep pressure on the windward rail to keep the lee rail clear. It can be tricky.
Sounds like bragging to me!
Seriously though - boards are light & and with a mastbase in the middle of the board, add some wind chop & a bit of wind tunnelling under the sail, lifting the board - it will flip.
Technique-wise, point the nose downwind more & rest your foot on the back of the board (and as mentioned, keep the windward rail down) & it shouldn't go anywhere. If it does, flip it back & away you go!
That's why I like to waterstart with my back foot in it's strap. You have real control of the board like that.
In fact when really over powered you can have both feet in the straps.
New gear? Bah, rubbish.
It happens to everyone when it is really blowing. The chop lifts the rail a bit and it doesn't take much exposed bottom for the wind to flip it when it is really strong.
After flying the sail you can leave the front hand on the boom and use rear hand to grab the rear strap to position the board well. And it won't flip over whilst you're holding it!
The leech may flap like mad but you can stay in that pre-waterstart position for ages
.I don't want to pay $500 for a mast I might use 4 x a year.
You may be able to find a 370 standard diameter mast for little money. As people move to new sails made for RDMs the SDMs have become very cheap, yet they work almost as well.
Its still important though to buy one to match the sail. ie, is the sail designed for a constant curve mast, a soft top mast or a stiff top mast?
Having said that, i wouldn't expect a pre 1998 sail to handle well, even with the right mast. A few did, but compared to properly rigged modern sails, they all compare badly.
I hadn't thought of secondhand..a bit wary as how do you know if its been dropped etc but that may be my only option..
Done it once, and nearly snapped the boom/mast.
