Pieter Bijl is the Head Tester a

Pieter Bijl is the Head Tester at the Neil Pryde Design Center based in Maui. Pieter has been involved with the NP RS:X project from the beginning of design and construction and has therefore had a lot of on-the-water time sailing the NP RS:X. Listed below are some ideas from Pieter on how to get the most out of the NP RS:X.

Please note that this is NOT a rigging guide. For help rigging the sail you should refer specifically to the Rigging Guide supplied with your NP RS:X. The information provided here is in addition to this and is intended to help you get the best out of the board in as shorter time as possible.

Set Up

This guide will introduce you to the fundamentals of tuning the NP RS:X for high performance. However, you will still need to do some fine-tuning specific to your sailing style in order to get the best possible performance out of the NP RS:X.

The guide is divided into 3 parts:

A. Sub Planing Conditions.
Helps you set up for marginal conditions, when there is not enough wind to get planing with the centreboard up.

B. Ideal Planing Conditions
These conditions range from early planing, without the centreboard, all the way to the verge of having too much power.

C. Overpowered Sailing Conditions
Conditions where you will need to start to adjust the ideal settings to be comfortable sailing and up to the maximum wind strength that the board should be sailed in.

I have not specified the wind strengths for the above categories, as these will vary between individual sailing styles & body weights.

SUB PLANING CONDITIONS

For example if the wind strength is not sufficient enough to get planing and you need to use the centreboard.

SAIL
For these kind of conditions there does not need to be any, or very little, twist in the sail. This will mean that you are able to pump the sail and produce more power

Upwind:
Use slightly positive outhaul tension to enable a good tack angle to the wind as well as a direct feeling for short pump strokes.

Downwind:
Use no outhaul tension, as this will keep the majority of the wind in the sail by creating a fuller profile. For long strokes you do not need the direct feeling and having the sail set this way will allow you to catch more air.

BOARD
The board should be set up with the mast track forward. If the water conditions are rough the mast track may be placed 2 steps from the front. As the water gets smoother you can move the track forward to increase the water length of the board and enable better “gliding” performance.

Upwind:
Upwind the centreboard should be at maximum extension to get the best lift and directional stability. In addition this will help the board sit on the rail, thus creating extra grip for better upwind angles.

Downwind:
The centreboard should be lifted inside the board to have as little resistance as possible, whilst keeping the mast track in the same place as the upwind leg. Again if the water conditions are rough you can move the mast track back a little to ensure that the nose of the board clears the chop.

IDEAL PLANING CONDITIONS

For example if the breeze is sufficient too simply sheet the sail in and get planing.

SAIL
As soon as there is enough wind to get on the plane the sail should have plenty of downhaul tension so that there is a good amount of twist running all the way down to batten #5 (always count from the top of the sail). This downhaul setting can be the same over a large wind-range.

The downhaul settings are the same in upwind and downwind, the only setting that changes is the outhaul.

Upwind:
As stated previously, the sail has an ideal downhaul setting that is the same for upwind and downwind. While going upwind, the outhaul tension should be on so that the sail clearly touches the boom. This will ensure nice drive, lift and also help the sail keep enough power to coast through the lulls.

Downwind:
While going downwind the downhaul tension stays the same. The only change is again the outhaul tension.

When changing the angle from going into the wind to going off the wind the outhaul tension should be released to the maximum (ie. the sail should be touching the front harness line on the boom). This will ensure that the deepest part of the sail will move forward causing the sail to want to bear-off (point low) as much as possible..

BOARD
In planing conditions the track slides back to the (+/-) 2 nd slot from the back. (I would not recommend moving it all the way back as this may give you an excessive amount of lift). This setting will give enough lift to move upwind as well as being able to drive through the lows in the wind.

The track position should be the same for going upwind and downwind, only on the reach should the track slide forward a little to ease off the lift and maintain control of the board.

When the board is used in planing conditions the centreboard should always be lifted inside the board. The use of the centreboard in these conditions will make the board feel heavy and force it to “rail ride” all the time.

OVERPOWERED PLANING CONDITIONS

For example the breeze has now increased to the point that control starts to become more of a problem than generating lift or power.

SAIL
As the breeze increases, try moving the mast track forward. This will help make the sail more manageable. If you feel this it is not enough to get control you can add a little more downhaul to open the head, therefore spilling power and making the sail more controllable.

Upwind:
Don’t be tempted to put too much outhaul on the sail in order to try and get more control. This will effectively kill the drive in the sail, making it nervous as you sail in and out of the gusts. The sail will also become “twitchy” as it no longer holds any air. Too much outhaul will also make it very easy to over-sheet the sail and loose speed and the board will not want to lift onto the rail and track up wind as it normally would.

Downwind:
Downwind the outhaul should be released as much as you are able to hold. This setting may sound strange - but releasing the outhaul in strong breeze will make it much easier to handle as it makes the sail feel more balanced and stable. If you keep the outhaul on the sail it will give a lot of back-hand pressure and will make the board want to round up into the wind.

BOARD
When the power in the sail gets such that the board wants to lift out of the water and is hard to control, you should move the mast track forward a little. This will reduce the lift as well as the power in the sail, therefore ensuring that the board will sit back in the water better. You can keep moving the mast track until the board is under control again. The downside of this is that you will go slower as the mast track moves forward…

What is important to remember is that this should only be done when the board is getting very difficult to sail. When the mast track is further forward this will give you a little less performance.

The above applies for both upwind and downwind sailing.

KEY POINTS

A few key points to remember are:

Non Planing

1. Track forward.

2. Minimal downhaul (just twisting a little in the top panel).

3. Upwind – centreboard down and little outhaul tension.

4. Downwind – centreboard up and no outhaul.

Ideal Planing Conditions

1. Track forward.

2. Add downhaul tension to create a nice twist to batten #5. Downhaul tension is the same upwind and downwind.

3. Upwind ensure that there is enough outhaul tension so that the sail is touching the boom.

4. Downwind release the outhaul tension as far as you can.

5. Make sure you do not to use the centreboard.

Over Powered Planing Conditions

1. Slide the mast track forward as you start getting excessive lift.

2. Increase the downhaul to spill excessive power in the sail.

3. Increase the outhaul a little to reduce power, however ensure that you do not put too much outhaul on.

Please note – where advised above that it is necessary to have the sail touching the boom – that this is purely for performance. When you choose this setting I would suggest you stick some clear tape/stickyback on the sail in the area that the boom is touching the sail to ensure that you minimise wear and tear and your sail will last!