Has anyone had any damage done to there mast track when using a mast deflector.I have only just purchased a Jez's Knob after being recommended to use one then I came across this pommy site , http://www.windsurfer.co.uk/nosedamage%20.htm strongly recomending not using them....any thoughts ?? I have only been sailing a few times with it , no problems as yet....but now a bit concerned as to wether the warranty is still valid for the board when using one .

Knew I shouldnt have thrown the old mast protector out Doh !

I used to use my mast protector underneath the Boom when I started out and in reality I should still be doing it.

Whilst effective there was one drawback to doing this, and that was that the protectorat one end clips the sail luff pocket onto the mast and interfers slightly with the rotation of the sail when flipping (rectifies when poered up)

The problem is mainly aestetic, but it can be a bit of a pain if you regularly splatt jybe having the sail rotation catch.

Other than that it worked well.

I used a N Pryde protector hich had a spring clip in the top and used a velcro strap which went aroung the base.

Hope this helps

Alby

Hi Vbrant
Having sold over 6000 of Jez's Knob nose protectors, I have yet to recieve one complaint from any sailor who may have damaged their mast track. The current model comes with a base plate that helps spread the load across the deck of the board to reduce any point loading.
I would have thought that If someone using this product had a problem they would contact us either directly or through one of the many dealers worldwide, but this has not been the case.

If someone did have a crash where the track was pulled out of the board I would wonder what conditon the nose of the board would be in if they had not used the protector. Two pieces would be my guess!

Of course nothing in this sport is impossible when the dynamic forces are considered, but if it saves your board once it has saved you an $80 repair. It is up to the individual to decide whether the the risk of a .00016 of a percent accident is too great a risk to take against a fairly regular impact and costly repair to the nose of your board.
If you think about the dynamics, you can see that there probably would be less fulcrum/lifting force with de knob than without.
I can see how, if you hit other, solid deviators, there could be problems. That's why I made it the shape that it is & out of shock absorbing material.

Once again, this wonderful creation know as the WWW is used, as it too often is, to spread dis-information, create instant experts & confuse people who are trying to find objective information.
Not only have we had no complaints re destroying mast tracks, you'll notice the ambiguity in the use of phrases like 'Damage that a mast protector can cause'
You know for sure that if it did occur with any sort of protector/deviator that they would have said 'did cause'
The use of bash pads, whilst obviously useful, is by no means a foolproof method. With a body launch, the nose can still take a huge impact & crease further down.
We always recomend as many forms of protection, especially to sailors who are in the intermediate level, where things very easily go pear shaped.

No board manufacturer that I know of has stated that it voids waranties.
.
good sailing
Jez

Forgot to mention that we had a guy bring his board in for repair on Monday. Shattered the mast track. Wasn't using a Knob or Deviator.

quote:

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Originally posted by JEZ
If you think about the dynamics, you can see that there probably would be less fulcrum/lifting force with de knob than without.

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A bit of physics proves this statement to be false.

The lifting force trying to rip a mast track out will be many times greater with a fulcrum close to the mast base (as with a Jez's knob), than a fulcrum at the nose (as with a boom bra). I could give the maths if you want, it's a bit tedious though.
Spreading the load on the knob (with a base plate) will not help the situation at all, as it is not the pushing down force on the knob that's the problem, it's the pulling up force on the rear of the mast track.

Also I thought the knob was designed to deflect the mast to one side of the nose or the other, you'd have to be pretty unlucky to hit it dead on and the knob to just sit there pushing up with all its might.

I've never used a knob, if I saw one in the shops then I'd probably try it, they seems like a top idea! The nearest windsurfing shop is an hour away from me, which means trips are carefully planned with all the fervour of a devout christian attempting a pilgrimmage to mecca...

Perhaps putting the knob further forward than the mast track would reduce the chance of ripping the mast track out, but then it loses that elegant mounting simplicity that the knob has. Maybe just move your mast base backwards and hope for the best

Hi Nebbian
Give me a call and we can post you a demo one to try.
Ph 08 9317 2916
Cheers
Jez

heres a thought,
whats the cost of repairing a cracked mast track compared to mabey getting the nose put back on, or replasing a board thats in two peices???
probably much easier and cheaper .

Bics and Tigas with aluminium mast tracks (You can recognise them by their neat round plastic ends and black colour) are prone to being pulled out of the board. You dont need a deflector to pull them out. A garden variety catapult will do it, but a deflector will surely exacerbate this propensity. They dont seem to use this mast track detail any more.