First windsurf session on the freeride addicted self releasing spreader bar. So far it is great. You still get pulled forwards during the catapult but soon after it releases and you just end up falling in the water near the mast approx level with the boom.

The blue metal hook part is from aluminium, right? How come it's not made from stainless marine-grade A4/316 steel? I would imagine it would be tougher and less prone to corrosion.

The blue hook is made of "anticorodal" which is an aluminium that resist best corrosion.
Machining it out of stainless steel would be way more expensive that it already is...
Note that they are booms made of aluminium and that what causes corrosion on foil fuselage is that it is bolted to carbon...

thedoor said..
update: this thing seems to work great. It has quite a range of tension. Today I used it on foil, no crashes, switched to fin and initially it released a few times while planing, but was able to adjust the tension on the water so it did not release with fin loads. No catapults on fin today.

Can you share a picture of it?

WillyWind said..

thedoor said..
update: this thing seems to work great. It has quite a range of tension. Today I used it on foil, no crashes, switched to fin and initially it released a few times while planing, but was able to adjust the tension on the water so it did not release with fin loads. No catapults on fin today.

Can you share a picture of it?

It's hard to see on the pics, but is there a bit of corrosion/rust around the welded area?

No doubt it's a super product in terms of functionality, it's just that I'd like to be sure it will last reasonably long, or be aware if it needs religious washing with fresh water after using it on the sea, like most of the fuselages do.

thedoor said..

FormuIa said..
It's hard to see on the pics, but is there a bit of corrosion/rust around the welded area?

No doubt it's a super product in terms of functionality, it's just that I'd like to be sure it will last reasonably long, or be aware if it needs religious washing with fresh water after using it on the sea, like most of the fuselages do.

There is corroision over the welded area. Apparently this is cosmetic and mentioned in the user manual. Which of course I didn't read so was a bit concerned when I noticed it.

Sounds like the tool used to machine the surface contained iron, and some rubbed into the metal. So then you should be able to sand it off, and after some number of times sanding it, the harness bar should stop rusting.

I'm not a welder, though I've done a little bit of welding in the distant past, including on Stainless steel. It is entirely possible for a weld on Stainless steel to rust (it befuddled me the first time!) IIRC, it can come from just the heat of the welding process (destroying some of the rust-resistant properties of the stainless surface), can come from impurities in the filler material (ie, iron content) or even the environment, and can even result from cleaning the welding area with a regular steel brush. (I'm sure there are more that an actual welder could expand on, but those are the ones I remember learning about at the time.)

I love the concept of the harness and by all accounts it works as intended. However, it looks like a great way to punch a hole in a sail or board. Is it just the pics or does it seem it extends a bit more than a conventional hook?

It's hard enough getting on a 91cm board as it is.

Any feedback on this from users?

thedoor said..

It's pretty comparable i think

Thanks for taking the time to post the pic. Now I'm tempted.