How To Rig Your Windsurf Sail Correctly

Windsurfing should be fun and the less time you spend trying to figure out how the various bits of kit fit together the better! It is particularly important to know how to rig a windsurf sail correctly. A properly tuned windsurf sail feels light, responsive & makes your windsurfing session much more fun! A badly rigged windsurf sail will feel heavy, sluggish & put a real downer on your windsurfing!

When you break down the stages of rigging a windsurf sail it really isn’t that big a deal to get it right. The common misconception that it takes a lot of time & effort to setup windsurfing equipment is blown away when you know exactly what to do!

You can follow the same basic principles for rigging any modern windsurf sail. Just follow the points step by step, making slight adjustments according to your specific sail manufacturers rigging instructions. All windsurf sail brands have a similar visual downhaul marker system at the top of the sail and give a range in cm for adjusting the outhaul.

If you need to learn how to windsurf then click the link to read through a great multi-part guide to windsurfing.

You can always follow the rigging guide that is printed at the foot of all good windsurf sails, to know exactly what length mast to use, what length mast extension to use and what length to set your boom at. Good windsurf mast extensions & booms have an incremental numbering system, so all you do is read off the sails spec sheet to get the exact setting for the given sail.

How To Rig Your Windsurf Sail Correctly:
1. Lay out all the components and check you have everything with you!
2. Read the spec sheet, usually found at the foot of your sail or on the sail bag
3. Adjust your mast extension & boom to the specified lengths
4. Partially roll out your sail across the wind
5. Insert the mast into the luff tube of the sail
6. Insert the mast extension into the foot of the mast
7. Fasten the downhaul rope and adjust according the visual indicator at the top of your sail
8. Attach the boom & adjust outhaul according to the measurements indicated on the sail
9. Tighten the batten pockets just enough to remove vertical creases in the sail, either side of the battens

Job Done!

Now you will have a perfectly rigged windsurf sail that will feel light, responsive and make your windsurfing a lot more enjoyable. In total rigging to go windsurfing should take no more than 5 minutes, when you follow the above guide and get into a good rigging routine.