Most of the disconnected board cases that I am aware of, happened because the euro pin disconnected in the wipeout. That is enough for me not to use that system (I know there's plenty people who love it instead...).
In the photos from the left the products of the only two brands I know: Chinook euro pin and double clips and Streamlined euro pin and double clips.
So let's talk about the double clip ones. Both Chinook and Streamlined have flaws.
The Streamlined has the advantage of having the two terminals where the tendon is attached made by metal (I assume aluminum). That is great. In fact, you just have to replace the "normal" safety line it comes with, with a spectra one and you'll have a mast foot that will always let you sail back when the tendon breaks.
Tendons do break. Sometimes for intense use (they spend long time in the sun and that damages the rubber they're made of).
Sometimes they break also if they're brand new. And that's a great thing! If the impact of a wave is strong enough to break something, in fact, it's great thing that the tendon breaks (12 dollars), instead of an expensive extension or mast or board!
As long as the safety line is spectra and the two terminals to which the tendon is connected are still intact, you can easily sail back.
Tendons should actually be less strong, in my opinion. They would break more often and that would save a lot of money in replacing broken extensions and a lot of swimming time...
What's wrong with the Streamlined is that after a while the two holes through which the double pins pop out, become ovalized. And that's not a good thing, because the pins can bend at "unnatural" angles under strong pressure in a wipeout and that'll break your extension.
In other words, I like everything in a Streamlined foot, but not the plastic cup that hosts the clips.
The cup on the right shows the "unnatural" angle I'm talking about. The clips of foot on the left have a nice perpendicular angle instead.
Chinook is a mystery. They have a great foot for the europin system, with both tendon terminals in metal, but unfortunately the double clips foot only comes with those terminals in plastic. The safety line goes through some little holes in those plastic terminals (second foot from the left in the first photo). Guess what. You break the tendon and if the next wave is strong enough, the line can tear those little holes open like a knife in butter... and the board is gone.
It happened to me a couple of times and that's when I stopped using them.
But it seems that the plastic cup hosting the double clip is better than the Streamlined one. So I've been using a Streamlined foot with a Chinook cup for a while and everything is working fine.
Anyone out there at Chinook that would care for a double pin foot with metal tendon terminals?
Anyone out there at Streamlined that would care for a better plastic double pin cup?
Change of topic, let's talk weather.
Very unusual conditions for spring time. The wind is none or light and the waves are up. Monday and Tuesday were in the epic category for surfing. From Hookipa to Kanaha, Maui surfers finally have seen those glassy conditions that have been missing all winter! AND in the afternoon a light trade breeze picked up. That meant, for me at least, glassy surfing in the morning and light wind wave sailing in the afternoon. Cannot ask for more. One of my best couple of days in a row in the ocean ever. Sorry, no time to take photos.
Tuesday afternoon, in particular, I was on this logo high wave, as clean as it gets, and while looking down the line all of a sudden the memory of one of those combination of bottom/top turns that Polakow does at Backyards in The Windsurfing movie came up in my mind.
Couple of pumps on the rail to get some speed and... I did it! I did a bottom/top turn combo that felt just like those. Of course I'm sure it didn't even remotely looked like those, but it felt like them. And that was an incredible feeling. One of those moment that makes you scream out loud your stoke.
Clearly I didn't manage to do it again, but I know now how it feels and I will surely try to make it happen again...
Quick gear mention:
- 4.7 Ultralight Superfreak: phenomenal light wind wave sail
- 81l Quatro twin fin: phenomenal light wind wave board.
So long.
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