Looking for Advice for a Beginner

[wallacej]

Can anyone tell me a good place to get windsurfing equipment on the Island? I have purchased an older 80's F2 Strato and have a mast that I am trying to pair with it. I am in need of a mast foot and extension to work with this setup but can not seem to find anywhere nearby to go to for advice on what I need to buy. I live in the Comox area.

Thanks

Jason

[winddude]

hate to burst your bubble, but unless someone has one kicking around, you'll spend more more money getting a new universal joint to fit with the the old board then the board is worth. Good luck.

If someone on the island doesn't have one, your best bet is give Windsure in Vancouver a call, They used to have lot's of miscellaneous parts left over from years of running a school.

[KUS]

Hey, WELCOME!! (ok how many smilies is appropriate?)

Chances of finding an F2 uni are near zero and even if you do, the uni rubber is likely shot and replacing it will result in shearing the bolt probably.

HOWEVER: Relatively easy fix but it won't be bomber tho I doubt you would care about that at your level or would jump that board, right?

Your luck is that the track is aluminum railed. Find a two bolt Chinook mast base,
http://www.windance.com/Chinook-2-Bolt- ... -WSBE2366/

attach with two stainless screws into a pre-drilled set of holes, one in each side where you want your mast base to be, suggest as close to back of board as possible, done. If you can actually get a nut inside the space with an offset needle nose pliers set (or the tiny fingers of your small child or girlfriend/wife) and onto a bolt from underneath, which you might be able to, cannot tell from the pic, you can use a stainless bolt and locking nut.....THEN it will be bomber.....well, or as bomber as your mast track was to begin with. You then need the universal and fit most extensions, you can purchase the whole thing as one.

Another way to do this is use a single bolt Chinook plate (which already has a universal attached) and remove the brass nut, put on a stainless steel 1-1.5 inch (whatever fits across, file the corners a bit) plate with a 1/4 inch hole that fits though the mast track opening, rotate it 90 degrees, tighten where want it, voila......check often so it doesn't loosen and pop thru. Advantage you can actually move it along the track

http://www.windance.com/Chinook-1-Bolt- ... SBE3009MC/

Chinook universals or plates are the most common unit around. You should find used universals but I recommend new.

that will be $5 donation to the site, thank you

[tbrown]

WELCOME.

If your mast track is like the old mistral ones I've seen, there are screws in the bottom of it holding it to the board. I'd expect you could undo those and pull the aluminum track out. At which point, inserting a plate like KUS discussed should be simple. In fact you can probably do it without taking the track out, just fit the plate so that it goes in on an angle and won't come out when flat... but make it longer since it won't be touching as much of the rail.

KUS said stainless. I used aluminum... you're going to be mixing metals and if you leave it setup, there will be corrosion, but I'd prefer it to be between the plate and the bolt than the plate and the mast-track that you can not replace... and aluminum is easier to work with. That said, I am no metalworking expert, nor a nautical engineer.

I believe mast base bolts are normally a standard M5 bolt, so drill and tap your plate for that (or get the base first and check the bolt against your M5 die -- this all assumes you own or have access to a tap and die set). I had a quick search, but can't seem to verify that M5 size.

[disclaimer: obviously this is a home-made repair for an ancient board, don't expect too much from it, etc, etc...]

Good luck.

-Tom

[KUS]

KUS said stainless. I used aluminum... you're going to be mixing metals and if you leave it setup, there will be corrosion

can't seem to verify that M5 size.

good feedback, yes. Stainless is known to provide minimal metal corrosion between metals but yes, except good luck finding alu bolts or screws and they have no tensile strength, esp in the thread, it would take years to corrode stainless on 1/8" alu. If you do use screws, use coarse thread to maximize holding alu. Tapping it tho is a great plan but again, no tensile strength in the thread so tap AND add a nut would be best...again probably unnecessary. Home Depot has decent "stainless" selection, albeit questionable quality stainless but that'll work....may find a plate there too. Otherwise marine store or make the plate out of thick plastic, McGiver would use something out of the garbage like a broken shovel handle piece or chunk off a curving landscape bricklaying tie or lid off a drywall bucket

As for the M5, I' pretty sure the base plates bolts are SAE, at very least they are coarse thread, not like the fin bolts. But if you use the screws with stainless washers, all this is not an issue. Tap and die sets (at least for one time use crap tools) are cheap at Crappy Tire

[tbrown]

The bolt comes from the base plate. It ain't going to be aluminum. The _only_ piece I'm talking about building is a longish flat plate that goes in the mast track that's already on the board. And yeah, try to make it reasonably thick so there is enough metal to hold a good thread. The normal nuts used are brass, not known for strength but they are probably 3/8" thick.

As for the thread, AFAIK most of the windsurfing companies are European, which would account for the metric thread.

ah hell, maybe personal animosities are good for something, it got me to go check one of my bases. It's M8 not M5 ... M8 x 1.25

-Tom

[wallacej]

Nice. Thank you guys for all the great idea's. I am going to go home and look at what I have and see if I can't rig something up. When it is all hodge podged together I will post a picture. I appreciate the low level of scrutiny on my silly old board purchase. I was just looking for something cheap to get out and try on. Here is hoping it works.

Thanks again everyone.

Jason

[KUS]

The bolt comes from the base plate. It ain't going to be aluminum. The _only_ piece I'm talking about building is a longish flat plate that goes in the mast track that's already on the board. And yeah, try to make it reasonably thick so there is enough metal to hold a good thread. The normal nuts used are brass, not known for strength but they are probably 3/8" thick.

As for the thread, AFAIK most of the windsurfing companies are European, which would account for the metric thread.

ah hell, maybe personal animosities are good for something, it got me to go check one of my bases. It's M8 not M5 ... M8 x 1.25

Indeed it is in mm, and I was referring to the two screws or bolts you choose to hold the base plate down.....Chinook being US I figured their two short bolts on the 2 bolt plate were SAE but I compared it to the single bolt one (metric) and it is the same....as is the rubber uni....which I could swear used to be SAE but which would make sense from a manufacturing view and most stuff in windsurfing is Metric....apart from a few fin screws. My mid 1990's Ford Van had a number of metric bolts on it but was mostly SAE...so when things slipped or didn't fit, WTF?? you say, just switch system

Yes, an alu plate would be fine, thick enough and they sell alu stock at Home Depot too....go figure, learned something to save more money you could buy a large steel washer, already has the hole, eh?, and hacksaw/grind two lateral sides off until it is turned into a rectangle fitting across the track....rounded ends and all....I thought something would come to me....

personal animosities? really? that enough?

[eastside]

Back in the day I bought the female threaded bolt that fit in my Tarifa (similar track as yours) from Windance at Hood River. The track broke soon after I bought the board, so don't bother fitting another one even if you find one. Windance has a bunch of bolts etc and might have one around. Thank goodness the Tarifa is still not in the garage.

You might want to look at previous threads on the use of old, obsolete equipment. At the peril of resurrecting this discussion, you will learn a frustrating sport way faster on newer gear. But welcome and give'er

[wallacej]

Hey everyone. I found some sliders that will fit the track on my old board from WindSports Alberta for cheap. They also have some really nice used gear and ship. Just for everyone information.

In my need for advice I have one more question then I should be ready to go flail around in the ocean for a bit and drink some sea water.

I am purchasing a fin for my board as the old one is broken. Same old board, does anyone know which fin brand/style fits this type of fin box? I might replace it later but for now wouldn't mind making it work. I won't be surprised if its the same scenario, old board, old outdated fin.

Thanks in advance everyone. This is a very informative group.

[JL]

The F2 track was crap. I replaced mine with the mistral unit & eventually a chinook 2 bolt base. I got over not being able to push a pedal to move the mast http://thumbs3.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/m/ ... qZwlGw.jpg

[wallacej]

Is this an "A Box" fin box that would use a standard US fin? Am I in correct in thinking this? Just use a sliding square fin nut and bolt. Slide it in the opening and put the fin peg in and screw the front down to the square nut.

[wallacej]

Thanks JL. That is not a bad idea at all. I am thinking I might go that way. I have pulled the push button track slide out and am going to get a couple brass sliders, for now I was thinking a single bolt mast base but would you suggest just going to the double bolt base? I would imagine it is quite a bit more solid that way.

[JL]

The mistral unit was aluminum so I left it in & connected the chinook unit to it. No holes just friction fit it. The mast release is handy as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lz64kSOB7OE I prefer the tendon joint, it's easier to replace

[winddude]

Is this an "A Box" fin box that would use a standard US fin? Am I in correct in thinking this? Just use a sliding square fin nut and bolt. Slide it in the opening and put the fin peg in and screw the front down to the square nut.

It's should be US-box / A-box, but could be an E-box... e-box is deeper and slightly wider. Us fins should fit ebox but might have a bit of play, especially in a plastic fin box that has wear. Make sure you don't get a US fin as found in longboard surfboards/SUPs, the fin base also looks the same but is narrower.
I don't think anyone manufactures e-box fins, so if it is, you'll have to shim an a-box, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1ki6_DiQL8