First test of the cutaway sails
The absolute hot sh... in autumn 1986 were cutaway sails: depending on the brand, an adventurously flared top or a cut in the leech, which looks as if the mate had been heated into the rig with the fin, was supposed to provide twist and controllability. "The corner that makes you faster" (F2 advertising slogan) - surf was the first magazine to test whether this is really true. Cutaway inventor ART was brand new at the time, and the Wing wheel by designer Monty Spindler (now Loftsails) was the clear test winner in the end. In addition to ART and F2, now-forgotten brands such as Abnormal, Topsails and Unterberger had also generously applied the scissors to their sails in order to jump on the trend. However, according to the surf testers, the performance of the individual models was heavily dependent on the mast and the conditions. Even ordinary "normal" sails were able to keep up. Radical cutaways soon disappeared again, but ART had established itself through the coup and remained on the market for many years. However, we would like to know who came up with the idea of tensioning the six test sails on a windmill for the lead picture...
Harnesses for women
"What's unacceptable for men doesn't necessarily have to be bad for women", is the message at the beginning of the women's harness test. While the men criticised the fact that "all waist harnesses" ride up, the models are perfectly suitable for women. "This is primarily due to the often pronounced waistline of women", the author explains. In addition to chest and waist harnesses, the test also includes combined seat harnesses, very similar to the models currently popular among professionals. Seat harnesses, on the other hand, are not included because they are only suitable for "very committed" women, they say. "A woman who shows herself in a black wetsuit with wet hair and a seat harness has character," says Jenna de Rosnay, rejecting the aesthetic niggles of some men.
Divisible masts: turn one into two - or three
Separable masts were still relatively new in November 1986. And even though several airlines transported the 460-series booms in one piece without grumbling at the time, the advantages of the two-row are obvious. Curious from today's perspective: some masts do not have the separation in the centre, but in the boom area, others are even three-part with an extension at the top. Aluminium masts were also still common back then, especially on flat water, while epoxy was the order of the day in the waves and even "heavy duty" in very big surf, as surf introduces readers to the Heavy Duty category. Another problem at the time: although the sealing plugs let water in on some models, they cause under- or overpressurisation in the mast when flying.
The Wind Weapon as the granddaddy of wingfoiling
Tom McGruder's "Wind Weapon", a forerunner of today's Wings, makes its first appearance in the funboard section. Even though the construction is still connected to a conventional windsurfing board by an aluminium mast, the parallels are obvious. "I believe that we can fly 20 metres high and 30 metres wide with the Wind Weapon," says the inventor. In any case, test and photo sessions at the Gorge are mass events, and Pete Cabrinha and Robby Naish are already busy taking over. In 2017, surf editor Manuel Vogel was able to get a feel for what the Wind Weapon feels like: "Drifted off and almost drowned" - a day with the Wind Weapon
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And what else?
- To mark the opening of a new surf shop in Rosenheim, 100 free flights over Lake Chiemsee were raffled off. At the controls: the shop owner himself...
- ...while a propeller plane crashed into the water in front of the locals at Walchensee.
- In France, a German surfer came to the attention of the police because he wanted to sell a self-made board with a note on his car. The accusation: violation of customs laws
- Speaking of official madness: the DIN Institute has revised the requirements for surfboards. In future, only daggerboards will have to have a base plate with an emergency release, and fins may be "one millimetre sharper on the nose radius".
- In the August 1986 issue, surf ran a portrait of Jenna de Rosnay. But what makes a reader (no need to use genders here) ask about the lady's exact weight - not to mention the detailed answer (including measurements!) from the editors?
- Hard and angular instead of elegantly glided through: surf shows the slam jibe in the riding technique - for turning round without losing height and as a preliminary stage to the jumped jibe
- What is behind the myth of Maui, what is so fascinating about it? surf sent a camera team to Hawaii, which lured many stars in front of the camera and brought back the video film "Magic Maui"
- surf introduces the new sport of "snowsurfing". This of course refers to snowboarding, which was brand new at the time, but a vehicle like the snowsurfer with two ski-like runners is also trying to jump on the trend. Charly Messmer and Andy Tanner can each praise their favourite.
- Spot Guides that couldn't be more different: In addition to the Maldives, the "Friesen-Fuerte" Amrum is also presented
- Andrea Hoeppner, 17 years old at the time, sensationally wins the Funboard World Amateur Championships. The men Bachschuster, Maass and Schnellbacher fell short of expectations and had to tremble, as the World Championships were also the qualifiers for the World Cup
- At the World Cup on Sylt, which is getting bigger and bigger, the course races are held far out in the fog. Jürgen Hönscheid grumbles about the dirty weather, and newcomer Björn Dunkerbeck makes his first appearance in a wave final
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Tobias Frauen
Editor