rollers on camber inducers

Question
QUESTION: Hi, I am getting back into windsurfing after a 20 year absence.  A lot of stuff is new, and most interesting to me are the camber inducers have rollers on them.  How many times would I jibe and kick the lower cam's and punch the upper ones to get them to completely move to the other side I don't know. I also have not much money and the used sail I got ($30# is a 17 year old 6.3 Rushwind four cambered monofilm; it must have been one of the first monofilm sails. It is in good condition and is fast on my Mistral Equipe. Do these rollers work or are they a marketing gimmick. If they work can I get them to fit my sail, and where can I get them?  I have a standard #old) diameter carbon mast and am going to use it until I can afford a skinny mast. Will these roller cambers work on large diameter masts? Thanks, Louis

ANSWER: The rollers on some of the newer sails are made as part of the camber and cannot be taken out and used with other cambers.  Some of them work better than others.  I would not be too concerned if your sail still has life but no rollers.  Even my Sailworks sail with roller cambers still needs to be popped or punched sometimes depending on how it is rigged.
Some of the sails are made specifically for skinny masts some are made for regular masts, it depends on the sail.  If you have a particular sail in mind, you should look up the specs and requirements on the sailmaker's website for the best most accurate information.

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QUESTION: Hello, thanks for your help, and I have another question; My Mistral Equipe wants to turn downwind when on plane on a reach.  I have to counter by constantly angling the board to turn upwind. This is hard on my ankles and feet. The mast is all the way back in the track and I moved the fin all the way forward and that helped but it needs about another 3 inches to be balanced.  I have a lot of glassing experience and want to glass in a new finbox but where can I find one?  It must be strong because I have a large tuttle fin and I have
heard these long fins can break finboxes in production boards.  Will a standard chinook finbox be strong enough?  Thanks much, Louis Stamos.

Answer
First be sure you can use glass on the Equipe as the shell may not be compatible with fiberglass. The House at one time sold basic Chinook fin boxes but I do not see them on their website.  If you want to install a Tuttle you will need to go through the deck as it screws from the topside into the fin. I would say that this is a risky modification as you may never be able to build in the strength needed to hold a chinook box to avoid pulling the box out if you hit bottom etc.  The Tuttle box is definitely a stronger mounting system.  I do not know where you can get a Tuttle box. Try calling some of the shops in the Gorge who make custom boards.  My advice is to leave the board as is.  The Equipe is classic but it was never designed to be a fast downwind board. Are you keeping the daggerboard retracted when you sail downwind.  If not try that.  Also try a smaller fin but your upwind performance will be hindered.
Good luck!!