running ropes on the sail

Question
QUESTION:  i have a wind surf board its pretty old and very large.I've just moved from texas to s.carolina.I've had my board in the water only once several years GO .since then it has sat out in the weather ,my ropes were in bad shape well like an idiot i removed them and have no idea how to put em back on .HELP

ANSWER: Hey Kimberly,

South Carolina has good windsurfing memories for me. It is where I first learned how to sail. I've had the pleasure of sailing many places in that state. I hope you enjoy it too.

Old and large fits a number of boards so I will have to be a bit generic not knowing the specific type of board you have. The main thing is the boom to mast connection. If by chance it is a clamp type boom, then replacing the rope should be easy. If it is the old tie on type, then it is a little more involved. The downhaul and outhaul are very easy.

For starters, if your ropes were in bad enough shape that you removed them, then you need to replace all of them. If there isn't a windsurf shop near you, find a boat dealer that sells sailboats. You need to get non-stretch nylon rope 1/4" in diameter. If you are not sure about it fitting, take your mast base with you so they can compare the sizing needed. There will be a hole/loop of plastic next to the pulleys that the rope needs to fit into. It should slide through easily but not sloppy. This size will work for all your needs.

You will need three lengths of rope. You can get the shop to cut them and they can burn the ends so they don't fray. Easier to let them do it than yourself.

Lengths you need;
Mast base/downhaul ~ 5'
Outhaul ~ 20"
Boom/mast ~ 18" for clamp on,  ~ 36" for tie on.

Downhaul rope will go through the loop (with a knot on the end of the rope) I mentioned and then you thread it through the sail grommet, down through a pulley, back up through the grommet, down through the opening with the cleat. Be sure to route lines so they don't cross and cause binding.

Outhaul rope will be similar to the downhaul. At the tail of the boom look for two openings on either side of a pulley or two. One opening will have a cleat the other will be just a hole. Knot the rope and insert it from the outside of the boom towards the sail. Loop through the grommet, back through a pulley, and through the hole with the cleat.

Boom to mast if clamp on type. There will be a hole on the top and bottom of the boom head. One will have a cleat. Knot the rope and open the clamp all the way. Loop the rope under the mast and up around the elongated hook and back through the hole with the cleat. Close the clamp to tighten the boom to the mast. If the boom is loose, open the clamp and tighten the rope, close the clamp.

Boom to mast if a tie on type. Stand the mast up and hold it close to you. At the point where it is level with your sternum grab the mast with one hand and line up your thumb with your sternum. Lay the mast down holding onto the marked spot. You will be tying the rope on just above the point where your thumb is.

Now take your rope and make a loop with it, lining up the ends of the rope. Now loop the rope around the mast and thread the ends through the loop. Do this again so that you have two loops around the mast and the ends are through the loop. Snug the rope against the loop ensuring that the loops around the mast are laying flat to the mast and not crossing except at the rope loop.

Now take your boom and determine side should be on top. For all booms, where the adjustment pins and holes are on the tail, these should always down to allow water to drain. Slide the tail of the boom over the mast and work the boom head down to the rope on the mast. The mast should be under the boom head and over the tail of the boom and the boom should be laying parallel to the mast. There should be two holes in the boom head. Thread one of the two rope ends through each of the holes. Now tie a square knot in the ropes. Square knot is - With a rope in each hand, put right hand rope over left and loop (just like tying your shoes), then take left hand rope over the right and loop (just like tying your shoes only backwards) (unless your are a lefty and you do it opposite :)
Tighten the knot.

Now grab the mast above the boom with your right hand and lift. Grab the boom about 18" from the mast with your left and swing the boom away from the mast. The rope should be tightening and wedging the boom to the mast. If it feels too tight, back up and loosen the knot a bit. If you get the boom to where you are able to connect the outhaul and it is loose, back up and tighten the knot.

Now work your outhaul rope onto the sail as described above. This should get you back onto the water.

Hope this helps.
Keep on sailing,
Windlover

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION:  well hey your answer sounds great and thanks let me ask another.1)where's the good spots out here in s.c. (2)does a wind surf board have to be tagged like a boat?mine has stickers on it from like 1999 .if you have any particular helpful info my board is about a ten foot cobra race board

Answer
Hey Kimberly,

I don't think that S.C. requires any licensing on windsurfers so you should be alright there. As for where to sail, kind of depends where you live. I learned and sailed a lot on Lake Murray just outside of Columbia. Also sailed Seneca Lake but it can be hard to find a decent place to sail as there are so many hills around the lake which affects the winds. Lake Wylie has some good sailing. It is just southwest of Charlotte at the border. The lake is in both N.C. and S.C. Sailed at the coast a fair bit. Myrtle Beach is okay but lots of people around. The best coastal sailing is down in Charleston area. Head out onto the islands with the first stop at Fort Moultrie. Be sure to check in with the local shop in Mt. Pleasant to see what the tide is doing. Sailing at the Fort is done ONLY on an incoming tide. Otherwise you can be swept out to sea even if you are an expert sailor. Keep on going out on the islands and there is a spot on the first island (can't remember the island or the beach) but it is not long before you cross over to Isle of Palms. Isle of Palms has some good ocean sailing at a variety of launch sites. If you stop in at the local shop, be sure to ask about launch locations.

As for your board, it is made by Fanatic. It is sort of a transition board, meaning transition from longboard to shortboard. The daggerboard should retract into the board. Down for light winds and rope starts, up part way for medium winds, and fully retracted for high winds. I don't remember if the mast track was moveable on the Cobra. Being a race model, it may be moveable. If so, there should be a button or tab that when pushed, the mast track will move. The button or tab may flip up so that you can push it with your foot and move the mast while sailing. It should at least have the long track which uses a standard type mast base. The length of the track allows you to position the mast according to wind conditions. Forward for light winds, center for medium winds, back for high winds. There is probably two sets of forward foot straps and two for the back foot. The forward set is for medium to high winds and the back set is for high winds. This is about all I can remember about the Cobra and not sure how much is accurate. Some memories are a bit fuzzy as I get older.

Hope this helps.
Keep on sailing,
Windlover