Sport Today

I currently own the following:

2006 9.0 Retro
2006 7.0 Retro
Old Sailworks 1+1 6.3, 5.3, 4.6, 4.0, 3.5

The 6.3, 5.3 and 4.6 are gettin' old.  They still work fine but I would
like to begin replacing them with Retros.

Both my wife and I share rigs.

Boards

Carve 145
Electric Rock
Challenge flex

The older boards still kick ass so I plan on keeping them until they
fall apart.

Me:
6 feet 168lbs.
Her:
5 feet 3inches 125lbs.

Should the spacing be 6.0 then 5.0, or can I go 5.5, 4.5?

Thanks in advance

Check out a Hucker 5.6 and  4.8 to compliment the larger Retro sails
you
have now.  These Hucker sizes cover the same wind range that the Retro
6.0 and 5.0 run in.  The Hucker sails are powerful, fast and very
stable and they are well suited to the old school boards you have
too.

Fair winds,

Bruce Peterson
Sailworks

I'm 65kg.

Will the hucker 5.6 cover my current 6.1 and 5.3?
Does the hucker 4.8 cover the 5.3 and 4.6?

I figured that the hucker sail design would be similar to my older
sails (tighter leech) so it would have less range than the retros.

When you say that the sail works well for older boards as well, what do
you mean?  Does it have to do with where the fullest part of the sail
is?

Peter

Bill,

Talk to me.  Please share your experiences with the sail.  Do you also
own Retros?

Peter

I did a slalom race this summer effectively switching between a NX 7.2
and a Hucker 5.6.  It worked well.  However 5.6 to 7.7 is a rather
broad size spacing.  I'm not saying it won't work, but you're going to
want to be prepared to make adjustments to the downhaul settings, and
probably your fin sizes too.  Using an adjustable outhaul is imperative
to effectively cover this sizing gap.

Bruce Peterson
Sailworks

I think you can definitely cover the gap 6.3, 5.3, 4.6 with a 6.0, 5.0
Retro.  Those sails are rangey.

-Craig

I replaced my 5.5 Bravo (90's?) with this 4.8 Hucker. These are the
only Sailworks sails I've owned. I've sailed a huge Retro, but it
wasn't mine and I only used it once.

All my other sails are V8's. The have a huge range and I love their
stability, but I'm sold on the Huckers.

I have never felt so in control in the air on any other sail. This is
something new for me. Usually I'll jump the swell and land thinking...
that was fun, I survived (nose didn't go into the wave). With the
Hucker, I was jumping two or three in a row without feeling any worry
about control issues or the landing. Also, I think my jumps were higher
than any others I've done.

I took a few good spills learning how to duck jibe such a short boom,
but once I figured that out, I was set.

Bruce is right... switching the fin and changing downhaul settings
really affected my experience.  Oh, and I'm a fla***er sailor (no
waves for me). I like to freeride and go fast, so I'm not interested
(much) in the Hucker's ability to get you in the air. I found this to
be the fastest I've gone on any of my boards...period. I wish I had my
GPS with me to prove that statement ... sorry. At the very least, it
was the most fun I've had in high winds because I was always in control
while feeling at the limits.

Being a lightweight sailor, I love the idea of being able to use a
dramatically smaller sail than others on the water. I was sailing at
Friscowoods with a friend. He was using a ~95L board and I was shifting
between a 100L & 91L. He had a 6.3 camless Windwing and I had the 4.8
Hucker. Only rarely did I find I couldn't accelerate as fast as him --
but I think this was more because I was new to the sail. When the wind
picked up, I just downhauled more and more. I was noticably faster than
him (he was the more experienced high wind sailor). This is comparing
new to old gear, but in the past, in similar situations, the heavier
sailor (never me) ended up being the fastest person on the water.

I would love to be able to go out and spend the money for the 5.6 and
maybe the 6.6, but that will have to wait until next season or beyond.
My V8's have plenty of life left in them...and I still do like sailing
them.

You and Bruce have done a great job of getting me to consider the
hucker.  I think my wife will have to get me the 5.8 for xmas.  I have
some older 430 cm masts, a fiberspar purple (I think) and a sailworks
black label carbon (24.0??)comp mast.  Hopefully they can work with
these sails.

5.4 revo (flat battens for wave sailing, which, BTW Bruce, this 2006
sail rocked on sunday's 22-30 wind here.)
4.8 revo
4.2 revo
3.8 revo  (a little out of place)
3.5 revo

I sail
a madd 135
f2 max2air 265 (115l)
f2 max2air 254 (90l)
rrd wave one med  (85L)
f2 wave 250 (75l)

Also I use AO on all sails.  But really only adjust while sailing on the
8.0 and 6.5.  or when the wind drops to slogging on the rest.

You need more gear.

Your old 1+1 sails are a very punchy comparison to the Huckers.
Similar in many ways (low twist and full shape), albeit with a much
lower tension profile.  I'd call it even on low end, but give the
Hucker an edge on top end.

The Hucker sails pull hard so they work well on faster boards that
accelerate quickly and handle speed well.  With a slightly higher
center of effort its nice to be able to move the mast track forward
slightly for a bit more rake angle.  In the late 80's and early 90's
when slalom boards were the rage, board designs were narower and
flatter, with the mast tracks slightly further forward than todays
designs.  These attributes are very compatible to the Hucker.

Bruce Peterson
Sailworks

I was chatting with someone who didn't like how much the sails pull.
She didn't explain much to me on why she didn't like the pull beyond
that it didn't make her feel comfortable. I loved it. I found if I
didn't put much downhaul, the pull was outrageous (but I still liked
it), and if I downhauled to the recommended mark, it was very
reasonable.