Mistral One Design: Three Years of New Zealand Sailing

[@wlyounce375]

Thank you for these wonderful videos. I'm still learning on this board and every bit of analyzing / balance / footwork helps !

[@skipper_chris]

Glad you enjoyed! It takes a while to get used to these longboards, but I think its well worth the effort! My main piece of advice would be to get that mast track all the way back (and raise the centerboard) if you want to go fast, and get it forward to go upwind or deal with overpowered conditions.

[@wlyounce375]

@@skipper_chris Thanks for the info. I've had some other guys tell me the same thing but it's a slow progression for me. I just started windsurfing seriously about 2 years ago and being a heavier guy (about 210 lbs) I've been using the centerboard as a crutch for way too long. It' about time I tried. Keep making vidoes...they're really helpful ! I do have one question. Is there a specific speed on the One Design where you generally lose all control and can't sail any faster unless the Centerboard is kicked up completely? I feel as if I've been at this threshold for some time now and was wondering if it was based on speed or rider weight to determine when the centerboard can no longer be used ? Just curious. It's hard for us guys who've never really had formal instruction on these boards. Also: Are you the Gooner Longboards guy ??? I just noticed in one of the other comments and I've seen some of those videos, as well.

[@skipper_chris]

​@@wlyounce375 There is a speed where the centerboard will very rapidly develop enough force to hydrofoil itself out of the water - which makes for a very exiting fall as the board twists right out from under you! This will happen right around when you start to plane, so your weight will play in a bit. I'm around 210 lbs as well, so even these big boards feel small sometimes. Your ability to control and prevent this will depend on the wind speed, sail size, fin, mast track, and foot position. At 2:49 I'm using the centerboard all the way down and mast almost all the way forward with my feet in the forward footsraps to rail the board over to the leeward side - this is useful to get upwind and maximize speed. That's an advanced technique that will take a while to get to. For starting, keeping the centerboard partway down will help with balance and getting upwind and won't slow you down too much in non-planing conditions. In low wind you can stand further forward on the board to keep it from sinking the tail. As you start to go faster, the fin will provide enough stability and you can start kicking the centerboard further up , moving the mast track back, and moving further towards the tail. And yeah, I'm also the GoonerLongboards channel. You can find some of my really early days of windsurfing there. Just keep sailing and having fun and you'll continue to learn and progress. I didn't have anyone to learn from for a long time so have just been messing around with feeling what works and what doesn't.

[@wlyounce375]

@@skipper_chris I have definitely felt this transition … but never moved past it. I have felt the center board “teeter” as you could say and have struggled to keep the board balanced while the foil begins to “foil”. It almost feels like the dagger should have a foil so it could plane everything up… We’ll, obviously, that’s not the directive with these longboards so I need to focus as you say on moving my center of effort towards the rear (kicking up the dagger) and start driving off the rear fin. I’m just not quite there yet. Thanks for all the tips…very much appreciated

[@petralahousse5959]

Wat een prachtig filmpje.I love the One Design. Very cool 👍👍

[@meridi4ns155]

nice to see some onedesign action

[@wordreet]

Nice video. I have an IMCO and two Competition SSTs, but at 240lbs I really need a Superlight or something else for it's higher volume. Gonna have another go when summer comes back around to England!

[@wlyounce375]

I'm around 215 lbs and have all three of those boards. My Competition is the 1980's TCS version, I have the IMCO OD, and I also have a Mistral Equipe II XR. I've found generally that the Competition is my beater (Go-To) board when all hell breaks loose and I just HAVE to get in the water. I've used it in a few tropical storms and it's softer rails are user-friendly. That said, I generally use the Equipe II XR full-time due to the higher volume (which is similar to a Superlight II) in all winds up to about 20 knots, where it's more justifiable to take the IMCO due to its smaller volume and uncanny ability to cut through chop. They're all great boards, I love them all... and wouldn't trade any of them.

[@Hirsutechin]

I see you using the dagger and sailing the board railed over on reaches (I did the same), but I'd suggest trying the boom a little higher in proper planing conditions. This lifts your weight off the tail a bit, keeps the nose from bouncing around in chop and balances a planing hull better for more speed off the wind. We couldn't work out how others drove their Mistrals better than us in the same conditions until we played with boom height. It doesn't hurt sailing upwind either.

[@skipper_chris]

Thanks for the tip! I've definitely struggled putting too much weight in the back, it makes sense that raising the boom would let more weight get transferred down to the mast base, which should help hold the nose down. Will try that the next time I'm out. I'm back in the US and on an Equipe XR now, basically this same board but lighter. So much fun! kzbin.info/www/bejne/mHewh5uZfb97lbs

[@Team33Team33]

Great fun. I do the same on an équipe 1 - Keep the board. It'll never go out of date ! All the marketing around the newer boards isn't worth the bother. I have several other smaller boards for different conditions. But ruising around with a 12m2 Gasstra Vapor in Bft 2 is what I do most.

[@skipper_chris]

I'm on an Equipe XR after moving back to the US. Amazing board! Like the One Design but significantly lighter. I totally agree - modern boards may have some advantages in a small range of conditions, but these longboards can do pretty much anything and get you out on the water as many days as possible. Perfect for the more varied wind conditions we get on the lakes here in New England. I just need to get some bigger sails, I'm mostly on a 7.5 or 9 but I really miss the 11 I had in NZ... Blasting on the Equipe XR, last day of the season here in mid November: kzbin.info/www/bejne/o4mtpKd-f86BnrM

[@Team33Team33]

@@skipper_chris There are plenty 12m2 sails going for cheap because they were ruled out of Formula sailing for some reason. Get one sent to you. Its really worth it.

[@pablorequenadiaz3917]

WOOOW😲. I have a raceboard to, i practice windsurfing for some years, but i could only do it on summer, so it was so frustrating because i was always at the same point, i didn't increase my level. This year i thoght about do windsurf again and to shell my board to buy a funboard but seeing how do you planning i think that i'll never shell my board. Sorry for my english and greetings from spain

[@skipper_chris]

Keep it up! It took me at least whole year of non-stop sailing and trying a few boards to learn how to properly sail this Mistral and appreciate what it can do. What kind of board do you have?

[@pablorequenadiaz3917]

@@skipper_chris I have a f2 lightning raceboard

[@pablorequenadiaz3917]

It's so hard when de sea is not flat, when you start to have some waves

[@skipper_chris]

The F2 Lightning is another great longboard. Anything that size gets really difficult with choppy conditions, but at least the narrow tails on these old boards means that at high speeds they break through chop easily.

[@mikthe2004]

I'm thinking of buying a One Design off Marketplace on Facebook. Is it a good board to learn on? I have done windsurfing before - about 20 years ago for a couple of sessions. I'm normally a surfer, but I'm thinking of switching to windsurfing as it's more a summer sport. As I get older I can't handle the cold so much!

[@skipper_chris]

It is a very capable all around board - it was designed to sail in 3 - 30 knot wind for the olympic races. It's certainly not the easiest to learn on as it is narrower than a lot of modern boards and has quite a narrow, low volume tail making gybes tricky. But is has the volume to float you easily for tacking, uphauling, and getting upwind along with a shape that does great in low wind displacement sailing as well as smashing through chop. What kind of conditions / locations are you planning to sail in?

[@wlyounce375]

I have a similar story, yet I don't surf as you do. I picked up windsurfing again after learning about 25 years ago. You'll find, as I did, that longboards are so versatile that you may think of windsurfing as a summer sport now.... but you'll be buying a good wetsuit and sailing year-round like the rest of us in short order. Yes, it's THAT addictive. And Longboards are KING. They are good is such a variety of conditions. Everybody is starting to get into Kiting and Foiling now, but in my opinion, that's just filling the void that the shortboard market stole from raceboards when they gave up on them years ago.

[@MrScb27]

Fantastic videos showing what an IMCO can do! How did you find the Gaastra Flow sail? I've been looking at more longboard-friendly sails for my Malibu S and my friends IMCO and wondered if you felt they were worth sourcing (assuming as new condition) vs more modern sails such as V8s, Lions etc..

[@skipper_chris]

I really liked the old Gaastra Flow. Compared to a very cambered modern 8 meter with a lot of twist off, the old 7.5 had more power and felt nicer on the board. The 11 meter that I used is also a relatively modern style sail with a ton of twist off, but it sailed great. I think that sail was so big the center of lift winds up being well suited to an old longboard. I did also sail for about a year with the original One Design sail. Easy to rig, super light, but impossible to control in overpowered conditions due to its complete lack of any twist off and super stiff mast. I believe they are making some new sails specific for longboards, so that could be worth looking into as well.

[@craigspinks4174]

Nice work 🙂 (from a fellow one design owner)!