Well it got wet....unfortunately the wind didn't co-operate for a good test session but I got some reasonable first impressions.
Had been a windy Northerly all day but by the time I got away from work it was starting to back off a bit. Still looked reasonably solid as i rigged but of coarse as I put my wettie on it started getting dodgy. Stuff it...going anyway!!! 6.3 Race was the biggest sail I had (was meant to be really windy) and the only fin I have which was appropriate is a pretty trashed KA Slalom 37.
First Impressions
Float....With my winter wettie harness and booties I would have to be sailing at 95 Kgs maybe more. It floated me well and was pretty stable. The volume is back around the front straps which helps.
Spent the first 20 minutes dredging and was about to call it when it looked like it was filling a bit from the city end. A couple of puffs came through and it popped. Seemed to get up pretty easy but you do have to get the weight back. Bugger...cant get my feet in the straps, probably should have adjusted those. In I came.
Sorted and just enough wind to plane...that's better.
Ride.......It instantly felt very nice and accelerated up to speed effortlessly. The tide was running against the wind so there was a very steep close frequency chop and it charged through easily. The ride is active and lively but there was no thumping or harshness. The strap positions are spot on and with the mast base right in the design position it felt balanced. The board also didn't do that rail to rail rocking that I have noticed in some boards with lots of V.
Speed......Well I was never really powered up as the wind was very puffy and unstable, shifting around alot. Big holes in it as well. I freed off a couple of times and it accelerated really fast. I was happy to see a 30 on the dial considering i was half powered. I think there is a lot of speed in this board. I have posted in GPSTC.
The gybe....well i only did a couple as the wind seemed to fail every time I wanted to turn around but it is easy to gybe and I think in powered conditions it will be great.
So unfortunately not a great day to draw any huge conclusions but I am really encouraged and I give the first run a thumbs up!!
Can't wait to get better conditions.
Some good numbers there for its first outing on the bay, more wind on the way to give it a real blast end of week.
I see you have been busy mastering your vid production skills as well.... looks good !
Ahhhh...cringe!!!!! I knew I shouldn't have pressed the publish button on Facebook.
I think maybe too much wind this weekend for it Spotti.....and bloody cold...brrrr
It looks radioactive. Are you sure it's safe?
I now have 4 boards that colour and so far I haven't started growing a second head.
Second sail yesterday. Hampton Beach, very rough and messy with a lot of left over waves from the wild conditions we had earlier. Underpowered on a 6.3 race except for a few squirts. Didn't bring the Mojo and wasn,t prepared to push it so no startling speeds at all. It handled the mess well, I did notice it rolling on the V a little bit but nothing that effected control.
I was testing the 2 36cm fins I designed for it...both felt good, not spinouts and the board felt slippery and fast with both however one of them definitely nicer than the other. I need to more testing and a few tweaks and I will have a great combination I believe.
Happy days but a nice steady wind would help.
After what seems like ages I got to sail it again. Started off lighter than forecast and I struggled on the 6.3 Race, should have put something bigger in the car, however when I got the occasional gust it planned up easy and hammered through the chop. Ricketts Point is more a Bump and Jump venue and not really where to sail Slalom gear but it is the only spot near home that works in a Westerly. Just as I was thinking about pulling the pin the wind started to fill and I had a few reasonably powered runs. It felt great, slices the chop but the ride is still very alive and active so its engaging to ride. I saw 30 on the dial a couple of times which I am happy with in the rough water. Then the wind really filled and the swell increased immediately. I had a bit on and was having trouble stopping it from launching off the waves...it was getting a bit wild for the gear and all the guys on Wave boards and 5.0 sails appeared. Too cold to bother rigging Wave gear so home for a beer in the bath!!!
Its a very, very good board and I am going to have a lot of fun on this.
No...Been away a bit and when there has been wind lately there has been wind!! so small gear. Not far off the sea-breezes firing up again so soon I hope. Latest fins are nearly done as well.
IWC / SHQ Event at Inverloch in a strong Westerly and very messy as the tide was high and the sandbars were under water. I knew it was too windy for the board but jumped on it anyway and did a few pretty out of control runs tail walking all over the place. Came in and changed to smaller gear. Spotti was on his Mistral Slalom for the races but after that I coaxed him to jump on the Masterblaster 66 and take it for a spin as there was now a short speed bank and if you had the $%^&s you could slingshot out into the chop. I saw some 36s on the Weapon 64 and I was OK with those in the conditions, its a pretty big board for 25-30 knot winds. What did Spotti do...yep a couple of 40,s ( yet to be verified). Not bad for a 66.5 wide 107 liter board!!!
He had not ridden it before and liked it...commented that it smashed through the chop and loved the way it gybed, said you can really tighten it up and slash around like a Wave board or hold a wider full speed gybe, whatever you feel like.
Very gratifying to me that it both performed to expectation ( actually better than I expected) and was well liked.
Kato showing what great speed sailing conditions we had .
Well the Masterblaster 66 40plus 2sec is verified. Spottis 5x10 was faster than my 2sec
www.gpsteamchallenge.com.au/sailor_session/show?date=2018-11-03&team=16
Well the Seabreezes have fired up in Melb and I finally got to ride the Masterblaster 66 in the conditions it was designed for..20-23 knot southerly and messy steep Port Phillip Bay chop. Am I a happy man.....you better believe it !!! I am my harshest critic when I design stuff, always looking for what I did not get right...well I got this right....the best blasting board I have sailed!.
What i love about it is that it fangs through the chop but does so without losing that edgy, exciting ride that slalom boards have. It is still an Adrenalin fuelled experience but a controllable one.
This is a very, very good board.
So today I tried the 2019 Koyote 6.6 on it and was really happy with the way this sail performed, feels like a cam-less Race sail. I also had the production ready Masterblaster Freerace fin..a 32 and it was superb although maybe a size too small. Fast and grippy and cranked upwind.
All in all a super session and so stoked the gear is working to expectation....I am very happy
Played with it again today but my computer has thrown a wobbly so I can't post. I ran it through the small chop and did a few Nm attempts with a 6.6 fully lit. Had some 33 peaks and 32 10 sec and the board was very nicely behaved. Went back to a small Ca and speed fin cos I didn't want to risk crashing before tomorrow
I had a ride on it on LG yesterday, very light breeze but got planning on it with a 7m and 36 tribal weedie, beautiful board, smooth ride and comfortable, loved it. Thanks very much Mr Love for letting it come to LG
No probs Dezza, glad you enjoyed it. My only regret is that I could not accompany the board...bloody knee!!!
7 weeks off the water and my first session back today thanks to the Pod Knee brace I call Robocop. After 7 weeks of no exercise I am very unfit and carrying some pudge. Today was rough water and at times fully lit up on a Koyote 6.6. . Man the Masterblaster rocks, just blasts through the rough water and the top speed only limited by the size of your #$%^&. When you put the hammer down it just gets up on its tail and accelerates and when its time to gybe it is just so easy, carves what ever radius turn you want. I adore this board .
James at Carbon Art would love to make some more, just give me a yell if you want to know more.
Are you thinking of making one one size down?
I wonder what a 60 cm ish board of its kind with about 95 liters could do in chop in 25-30 knots!
It might be an absoulte killer for the Defi Wind if you don't happen to be a professional slalom sailor.
I have already designed a 59 .5 wide by 95 liter. Ready to build if somebody wants one. Same rocker and bottom shape as the bigger one.
Sounds like a happy ending mr love .
Nice to know it can crack 40 .
Already has with Spotty on it. I have no doubt that I could get the board to 40. For a large board it behaves very well
The big brother is in the Design stage. Maybe it should be called the Veteranblaster? Full blown slalom outline and rocker but a more forgiving bottom shape with nice V right through and a good amount of concave. A slalom board that is better in the rough and a bit nicer to the knees.
Just what I need!!!
235X74@120 Litres. Very straight to just behind the front straps then kicking in at the tail...just like the smaller one. Nothing fancy on the cutouts just a simple and clean release.
Probably be a while before I can prototype this one.