As it happens I had a go on an old Tencate (the original) not long ago which
was the board I learnt to windsurf on about 20 years ago.

To summarise briefly: it was very hard work and it left me wondering how I
ever managed to carry the thing as a skinny 45kg teenager, let alone sail
the beast in waves and all without a harness !!!

One of the more surprising observations were just how unstable it was
despite the high volume, length, weight and huge daggerboard (it felt less
stable than a my 125 litre Techno). As for the rig ... well ... the tie on
boom, almost as long as the mast, everything flexes and wobbles and very
little of the considerable effort seems to translate into forward movement.
Best of all the mast is so soft that I could bend it significantly by simply
leaning on the boom - allowing the baggy sail to change shape completely.

Having said all of that - it was still fun !!!

regards

Wolfgang
(currently in Amsterdam)


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