Ocean Air : Windsurfing : Masts : 2007 North Red Series C35 : 7362310101 400/19,7362310201 430/21,7362310301 460/25,7362310401 490/28

Rating : (max 4)
Reviewer: Mike O'Connor
Date: July 31, 2008

Squeaking out some time on the water during a family summer vacation to sail the thermals at Canadian Hole. I'm 6'1" and about 195 used to be about 180 twenty years ago when I started sailing at home in the Hamptons on Long Island;-)

Ocean Air set me up with a Mistral Screamer 130 with a True Ames weed blade and with a 6.5 Neil Pryde V6, pretty sure both were 2008. I'm used to a straight blade fin but even though the weed blade took more foot pressure to stick the leeward rail on the upwind reaches it seemed to spin out less.

The wind was in the high end of the range for the 6.5 and I was able to get the Screamer screaming without ever feeling out of control. For it's size it rips around a carving jibe effortlessly and makes it really easy to plane though with good speed. I was able to point high with really good speed even though the rails are tucked way more than some more severe slalom shapes. I sailed it barefoot at first and thought the deck was really slippery, aqua socks solved the problem.

The V6 has two cams and holds it shape really well even with an epoxy mast and aluminum boom. It rotated really smoothly in a jibe for a 6.5 but the bottom batton would sometimes stick until I got back up to full speed again. I cranked the downhaul until the head flattened and the lee edge rippled down to the batton above the boom. I didn't have a chance to play with tensions to see if that helped the problem.

I could see myself buying this exact rig (with carbon masts and boom) as my large board large sail setup, I like speed and this rig delivered! I was really impressed with the rental selection available at Ocean Air, I also rented two beginner boards for my son and nephew.