RichardG said..

jusavina said..
I tried the Lt in 15knts and was seriously put off by the rig.

When you guys are talking about going out on the Lt in planning conditions, do you swap the rig for a fully batten sail or do you keep the original rig?

I think this can make a big difference in how you enjoy a board (or not). For example, I love modern raceboards but I don't think I would like it with the Lt rig in planning conditions.

The LT is not perfect but in 15 knots it is a walk in the park to sail but it can be physically demanding in heavier winds. There are tuning and rigging details that the better sailors are right on top off too. I agree the rig could be improved but as it is it is still a fun board and any change increases cost and complexity which goes against the class objectives. I expect there would be some opposition to any changes. I sailed a few weeks ago here in a twilight race in winds of 29 knots and huge Swan River windswells, using the standard rig. It was extremely hard to sail the board including bear aways off the wind but that is part of the challenge and I would not just put that down to the sail, infact longboards are hard to sail in those conditions except with smaller sails even smaller than 5.7 m2. Only one sailor Craig Bell (Stuart Bell's brother) managed to get around the 15 km course that day but he is actually an extremely good sailor. His view was that 29 knots is about maximum for the board right on the limit.

That's impressive. I think the most I've had my longboard in was gusting to 20kts and I had a 7.5 and footstraps. It felt like the chop and swells in the open bay were manageable but would've been a bit of a nightmare without footstraps. Just thinking of the water state without that in close to 30 knots...

jusavina said..
I tried the Lt in 15knts and was seriously put off by the rig.

When you guys are talking about going out on the Lt in planning conditions, do you swap the rig for a fully batten sail or do you keep the original rig?

I think this can make a big difference in how you enjoy a board (or not). For example, I love modern raceboards but I don't think I would like it with the Lt rig in planning conditions.

That's fine - that's your personal preference that is to be completely respected, but that's all it is - personal. I gave up Raceboards (which I think you love, for good reason) because I'm utterly put off by the cost, complication, weight and rigidity of the modern Raceboard rig. My preference is just as valid as yours. We all have our own preferences. We don't expect you to like the same music, car, wine, beer, meals or houses either.

Like Craig Spottiswood when he did 32 knots, I use the LT rig on the LT at all times because I love its light weight and I don't really care if the CLE moves around; I actually enjoy the feeling of responding to the wind myself. In 22 knots + you can get an LT upwind with only one hand on the boom much of the time, if you have the rig trimmed properly. I find its weight is much better balanced than the RB rig, where you use so much rake, and the short and high foot allows the LT to tack without that slow turn the RB makes. Your personal taste is different and that's great.

Put it this way - three of the top 6 guys in the last Raceboard nationals you won own and have been recently racing LTs, while two of the top Australian LT sailors did serious IMCO Olympic campaigns (ie 2nd in the Youth Worlds, top 10 in IMCO world rankings etc) and many others have lots of RB/Slalom/Wave experience. There are lots of people who have lots of experience and success in other classes with "modern" rigs who sail LTs, and they don't do it because they are idiots.

RichardG said..

jusavina said..
I tried the Lt in 15knts and was seriously put off by the rig.

When you guys are talking about going out on the Lt in planning conditions, do you swap the rig for a fully batten sail or do you keep the original rig?

I think this can make a big difference in how you enjoy a board (or not). For example, I love modern raceboards but I don't think I would like it with the Lt rig in planning conditions.

The LT is not perfect but in 15 knots it is a walk in the park to sail but it can be physically demanding in heavier winds. There are tuning and rigging details that the better sailors are right on top off too. I agree the rig could be improved but as it is it is still a fun board and any change increases cost and complexity which goes against the class objectives. I expect there would be some opposition to any changes. I sailed a few weeks ago here in a twilight race in winds of 29 knots and huge Swan River windswells, using the standard rig. It was extremely hard to sail the board including bear aways off the wind but that is part of the challenge and I would not just put that down to the sail, infact longboards are hard to sail in those conditions except with smaller sails even smaller than 5.7 m2. Only one sailor Craig Bell (Stuart Bell's brother) managed to get around the 15 km course that day but he is actually an extremely good sailor. His view was that 29 knots is about maximum for the board right on the limit.

This is a digression now, but we had 25 gusting 32 on the weekend. A few of us finished the race, but getting back to the club upwind was when a particularly strong patch came through. Two of us made it back but it was extremely hard work with a couple of back slams (for me anyway). This was with settings maxed out. Heaps of fun :)
All of which is to say, the suggestion of a 29knot limit seems ballpark right (for getting around a course).