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enterprisenw
Steve 21350
United Kingdom
40 Posts |
 Posted - 09/25/2007 : 19:57:18
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Kicker, How much, How good, when to use it. It is the most important part of the ent. Its the gear shift from the egine of your sails. If You look on Nick Craig's boat he has tons of kicker on, even when its not that windy force 3 -4. Kicker = power use it but not too much.
This is the question when does the power stop and turns into downing the power. you can't tell from just looking at your sails? can you?
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Paul Holdsworth
Starting Member
United Kingdom
10 Posts |
Posted - 02/16/2008 : 14:14:50
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Q: How much? A: Always a tiny bit more or a tiny bit less than you've got on at the time, infuriatingly.
Q: How good? A: Amazing when you get it right - an incredibly important control - I'm still trying to get my hands sorted out so I can play the kicker properly, rather than snatching at it when I get the chance.
Q: When to use it? A: ALL THE TIME! I've got some very old but little-used (well, little-used by my standards) North Sails cut with a really tight leach, and even on them I only have the kicker completely off in the very lightest conditions - I still have to take up the slack of course.
Pete Lawson showed me how to depower properly with the kicker at Abersoch last year - what an amazing experience - go out one day and get knocked about all over the place, go out the next with the kicker sorted and we could actually sail!
For me the kicker seems to make a massive difference, and is very sensitive indeed - a hugely important control I'm a very long way from mastering. |
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Critch
Starting Member
20 Posts |
Posted - 11/26/2008 : 03:30:16
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| I lent my boat to former Ent Legend Ste Hunt a couple of year's ago as my sister crews for him. It was quite windy and he won both races agains some good competition - but I noticed he had virtually no kicker on at all! I mentioned it to my sister and her reply shocked me. She said "Oh, I don't think he worries about that sort of thing!" |
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Wirralsaint
Starting Member
United Kingdom
29 Posts |
Posted - 12/02/2008 : 04:48:51
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I find it is desperately difficult to get right in lighter winds. The Speed Sails tuning guide talks about having the top tell tale flying 80% of the time!!!?? Paul Elvstrom makes it simpler he says the lower batten should be parallel with the centre line of the boat. Mike Birch adopts a similar approach and reckons the top batten should be parallel to the boom.
Tim |
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Kicker
