How to Plane
My Lazy Way
After getting quite a few question about planing on some of my other technique videos I decided to have another go at explaining how I plane and waterstart. This video will show you how to hook in early, shuffle back and plant all your weight on the boom to initiate early planing the lazy way - without any prolonged strain on your arms.
7 comments:
Tom said...
Great video and instruction. How many liters is that board and what size sail and make are you using? Is that a Starboard Futura 141 liter board? Looks like an Ezzy sail. I am big also at 6 foot and 230 lbs. I sail in Mobile Bay, Alabama USA
Henry Thomas said...
Hi Tom, Thanks mate, I thought I would try something different - glad you found it helpful. The board is a Starboard Go 165L (circa 04), and my sails range from 5.1 up to 11. However I find that my Ezzy Freeride 8.5m is my most often used sail. I am 5'11" and weigh about 240lbs. In force 4 winds a 7.0 m is a pretty good size for me, and my 6.0 m is good for force 5. My small board is a 140L Tabou Rocket - but I really need more than 16 knots to sail it.
Mick de Meij said...
Hi Henry, thanks for these nice tutorials. Learning a lot by watching them! I'm also what you've called a "heavy weight" rider and facing the same problems you've probably had. But it's great to see that when I'm still using my Tushingham Lightning 9.4, the lighter fellows must go back to 7.0 / 7.5 sizes. It's a great sail for us "heavier" guys by the way. Also using a SB Go like you but with 171 litres. Greets from The Netherlands.
Tom B said...
Thanks Henry - It is really helpful to see a larger guy like myself in action. Very encouraging and also inspiring. I hope to be regularly planing soon. Regards, Tom B. Auckland NZ
john smith said...
hi henry great video what type of harness are you using ? being a heavywieght myself im having trouble getting a comfortable fit
Henry Thomas said...
Hi John,
I use a Dakine seat harness. The first one I got was the large size and then I got an extra large. The L was just a bit tight, had to have all the straps in their max position and suck my gut in - the XL though is a bit big, I seem to swim around in it. Best to try them on in the store before you buy to get the right fit. Both om mine however work very well and are comfortable, but can look a bit like a big nappy at times. Its just the way large seat harnesses are, they provide a lot of room for girth and provide support all the way up to your mid back, but this makes them look rather unflattering standing on the beach beside a younger slimmer person in a waste harness ;)
Nevertheless I have tried both a seat harness and waste harness on the water, and I love the extra leverage I get from the seat harness. You just need to make sure you have longer harness lines to compensate for the lower bar position compared to a waste harness.
-h
Jim said...
Hi Henry, I have recently returned to windsurfing (first learned in the mid 80's) and I'm a heavy duty sort of guy ideal for the front row of a rugby scrum. Thanks to your great video's, I now feel encouraged that I can get planing on my large board and progress this year once the UK weather warms up a bit!
