VANCOUVER ISLAND WINDTALK

Hi there
I just got my new board and rig. The 28 cm extension I got seems to have a much less convenient adjustment system than the old Fleetwood I had before, which just had a small pin which could be put through one of the pairs of holes in the extension. But this one, a Neil Pryde XT-28 aluminum extension, has a simple sort of circlip which fits into grooves every two cm. Then there is the metal ring which fits on top of the clip, and on top of that is a rubber o-ring.
I'm assuming that the clip should be pulled off the extension and then put on at whatever level is need for the sail/mast, rather than working it up and down the extension. It's definitely a bit of a pain to get off and the little bit of fiddling I've done so far has already scratched the extension a bit. I don't look forward to doing this little job with cold fingers. And the little rubber o-ring doesn't look like it would last long either.
Is there something I'm missing here, or is this just a poor design?
Thanks
Ross

try first rolling the o ring up out of the way then move the extention clip part. Thats how my proline base works anyway. good luck!

I just read the fine print on the NP extension, which says to never pull the adjustment ring off the side of the extension. Glad I didn't do that...don't want to wreck the thing the day before my camping trip.

Also, on the NP website someone said that the rubber o-ring is just to keep the metal band from getting lost when derigged. I didn't think it looked skookum enough to withstand repeated downhaul pressure. But upon closer observation I see there is a small button at the top of the extension which would prevent it from coming off anyway. Now I'm not sure whether to use the o-ring or not. I don't see what purpose it would serve.

I've just taken the adjustment ring off and run the tips over some 600 grit sandpaper and they don't scratch the extension anymore. There was a bit of a burr on one end that was the culprit. Now I can see that it's not difficult to move the adjustment ring up and down - I was trying to do it before without scratching it.

Thanks for the reply, Dave.

Ross