Monday, January 16, 2012

Airush Sector 60 race board unboxed

After some consideration, research and some advice from Ivan Salmon, I ordered an Airush Sector 60 V2 race board (2012 model) from The Zu Boardsports.   I have just picked it up.

The Sector 60 is claimed to handles more easily than a specialised race board, and has great upwind and light wind characteristics.

Ivan removing the extensive packaging
The first step was to remove the extensive packaging.  The board would be unlikely to get damaged during shipping

First sight of the board, what a beauty!
The first sight of the board is impressive.  Clean lines, nice finish, solid yet not too heavy.

Awaiting straps
The front view reveals as carefully shaped nose and not too aggressive rails


Large fins for the front and smaller ones for the rear
The larger fins (24cm) are for the front, while the smaller ones (22cm) are for the rear.  Each fin has its own slot as they are angled out.

4 fins and three footstraps
The sum total of parts is 4 fins (with screws and washers) and three footstraps (with screws and plates)


Positioning the screw attachments and plate for the footstraps
There are three rows of screw holes in the end of each foot straps.  Ivan recommended going for the middle row.
Footstraps laid out

Holes for rear footstrap

Carefully screwing in the self tapping screws.
The screws for the footstraps are self-tapping.  Ivan was careful to get the screw going vertically as it cuts its own thread.  They can be removed and rescrewed.  Care is required to avoid over tightening them and stripping the thread (which can be repaired with a screw insert if this happens).


Footstraps on
Starting with the rear footstrap forward.  It can be moved further rear once the rider is experienced with the board.



Bottom of board
The bottom of the board looks built for speed.
Fins in position
 The big fins provide the great upwind capability.
And it fits in the rear of my X-Trail - bonus!
And is surprise bonus - the board fits in the rear of my X-Trail.

Some further tips from Ivan:

  • Use a kite 1 size smaller than you would for a twin tip or surfboard
  • Be careful to keep the kite in the sky in light winds when turning.  The board can function in 10 knots or less, but when you stop, the apparent wind reduces and your kite could fall into the water.  Keep it flying.
  • Don't edge the board. Ride it flat and steer by "twisting" your feet.
  • Be careful of the sharp fins when doing a water start. Approach the board with your feet on the rail to avoid getting cut by the fins.  They are sharp.
Some additional factors I considered for getting the Airush Sector 90 are:
  • Good for downwinders - you can keep going when the wind drops and you can paddle the board if the wind dies completely stops.
  • Speed. More speed!
  • Upwind tours - going upwind then back downwind to the same place - less logistics than pure downwinders
  • I might have a go at course racing
  • I will be able to kite on lighter wind days of 8-14 knots  (hopefully) 
I am really looking forward to going kitesurfing on this board . . .

See also: Airush Sector 60 V2 race board - Kitesurfing Handbook 

11 comments:

Rick Engel said...

Hi Peter, hope you are well.

Thanks for all the info.
I read your blog almost every day, mostly for a bit of inspiration.

I am interested in the sector60 too, for having some fun on light wind days. Are they expensive?

cheers

Rick

Peter Campbell said...

Hi Rick,

Thanks for the feedback on my blog, its appreciated,

I think the RRP for the Sector 60 is around $1250, which makes it about the same price as many kites.

Given you get extra wind range, it would be an alternative to buying a larger kite, and also allows you to kite even lighter winds with the biggest kites + do some course racing.

It was nice to use powered up too - I think its a great option for downwinders - or upwind then downwind tours.

kosta said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Hi Pete, i started reading your blog as a begineer kitesurfer finding it very helpful.

yes i agree. great board, i only being kitesurfing for 40 hours and got given the board as a present and after learning how to get on it i started really enjoying the capabilities of this board.
It really shines on those onshore days when u would struggle to tack out on a twin tip, with this i could tack into the wind (10-15 degeress) with so much ease, being out in the open very quickly.
I tended to ride it on the edge, but switching the weight to the downwind side of the board really makes it fly forward, hardwork for the legs !!

Peter Campbell said...

Furio, great to hear you are enjoying the Sector 60. It is a very stable platform of kitesurfing. This helped me learn the gybe, which I am now perfecting on a surfboard too.

The Sector 60 is very versatile, and forgiving. It is my choice now for downwinders.

Unknown said...

Hi Peter,
I am kiting in Abu Dhabi, where the average wind is 10-12knots. I own a Flysurfer 21m and owned a Flydoor, but found it boring, so I think to swich to Sectors. My weight is 86kg and want to use it for winds from 6-12knots. Do you think that is possible with this board and 21m speed3?
Do you think that I can cover this range with the Sector 52 or prefer the 60?
What about different fin setting?

Thanks,
Kostas

Peter Campbell said...

Kostas,

I think the Sector will work well in 10-12knots with your Flysurfer 21m, that is a big grunty kite!

I would go for the Sector 60 as it has more flotation and will work better in lighter winds.

The fin setting on the Sector 60 V2 is a quad only.

On the new Sector 60 V3 there are both quad and tri fin options. The tri fin is better for carving turns and swell/waves. The quad fins are better for going upwind and holding a line.

Have fun!

Unknown said...

Hi Peter,
Just tried the Sector one design (V2)with my speed 21 and really liked it. But now, there is a new board in the market, the RRD K-Free 60, that make me undecided where to go! For the Sector V3, I would go for the 3 fin option (Airush doesn't deliver it with the 3 fins, you have to add some 150$!!), K-Free, comes with three standard. As long as I searched in the net, I didn't find any test about it. Do you have any idea of the differences between the two boards? Volume of K-free is 38lt. What is the volume of V3? Is it important factor?
Which is lighter? Which is more easy for the legs?
Hope you are doing well,

Thanks,
Kostas

Peter Campbell said...

Kostas,

Great to hear you like the Sector 60 V2. The V3 comes standard with the four fins - 3 fin configuration is extra.

I don't know anything about the RRD K-Free 60 though - you may need to try one out to compare. If you do, please let me know what you find.

I am very happy with my V2 for the moment.

Regards, Peter

Unknown said...

I am using the V2 Sector 60 (amy other board is an ocean rodeo mako king). I love the sector for the lighwind ability and the pure speed. I jump it a bit, but I am very careful how high I go and I try to soften the landings as much as i can.

What I want to understand is the ability of the Sector 60 V3 in the tri fin set up as a carving machine, ridden more on the rails (3 fins, but also swept, smaller fins from what i've seen). Any experience there? I understand the intention for the lower cant, smaller, swept 3 fin set-up, but i'd really appreciate some real world feedback on how it performs, not inferences from how it works out with the sector 54.

Great blog and thank you for all the great info.

Peter Campbell said...

I haven't tried the V3 with the tri fin setup, but I spoke recently to a kiter who has tried both. Contrary to the marketing, he said the V2 with quad finds turns better on its rails than the V3 with tri fins!

He thought the board and rail shape was more important than the fin configuration. I notice that all race boards now have 3 fins.

I have seen one chap getting big air on a Sector 60 but he was careful landing too.