Filed under: C420, Gear, Laser | Tags: 370, 5", 50, adjustable, APS, atlas gloves, bag, barefoot hiking, black max, boots, bridle, C420, chinese handcuffs, Christmas, clew strap, cockpit pocket, Gear, gill glideskin, harken, hiking strap, Laser, s.e.a, sailing, vang, warm, water bottle, wind indicator, zhik
The next best way to figure out what your sailor wants, (next to straight up asking them) is to ask someone who does the same thing as them. Here’s what I would love to see under my tree this christmas.
$0-$25
S.E.A laser clew strap
S.E.A clew strap
These things are much more versatile than the metal sleeve, and they slide nicely.
Black Max Wind Indicator
Black Max Wind Indicator
These work nicely for those light days where you can’t tell where the winds coming from.
Atlas Nitrile Grip Gloves
Atlas 370 Gloves
Great grip and breathabilty, and even better price, but don’t expect these things to last very long.
APS cockpit pocket
Cockpit Pocket
Every laser sailor knows what a pain it is to have to deal with water bottles and drinks. Bungee just doesn’t cut it. Instead of going for the bottleport, you can get it all in one right here, carrying everything, without a hole in your boat. If you already have a porthole, see the bottleport.
$25-$75
Zhik barefoot Boot 50
Barefoot Boots
These boots are the ultimate for laser sailing. They are grippy, comfy, and allow flexibility. See the Ankle Straps for better performance but less longevity.
Gill Glideskin top
Glideskin top (left)
This top is basically the Zhik Titanium top at an easier price, plus its got snazzy shoulder detail. Great for warm-semi cold sailing weather as a wind chill reducer.
5″ wide hiking strap.
Hiking Strap
Those standard hiking straps can wear out or get stiff after a few years of tough wear, and this one is the Mack-Daddy of them all. 5″ will excite any true laser sailor.
“Chinese Handcuffs” C420 adjustable bridle.
Adjustable Bridle
This bridle is great for adjusting bridle height according to wind conditions.
$75+
Harken Laser Vang
new laser vang
Ready to go as soon as you get it, this thing is essential for racing if your sailor doesn’t already have one.
All of these are great bets, but if all else fails, a gift certificate to their favorite supplier saves. Happy Spending!!
Filed under: C420, Gear, Laser, Misc. | Tags: 420, C420, dyale, griptape, Laser, laser line, maffioli, nonskid, sailing, swiftcord
Hey Everybody,
Sorry for my unannounce hiatus. I’ve been really busy with homework, sailing, work, and the like. I’ve been up late and haven’t had time to any of the things that I enjoy. Oh well…
Ok, here’s some of the things that you’ve been missing. I’ve been sailing a lot lately, and the Club 420 States are coming up, and that’ll be interesting. We’re looking to win it after several years of disappointing breakdowns/bummer conditions. We’ve got new griptape, but thats good and bad. My crew never goes anywhere on the trap, but he’s gone through 1 pair of boardshorts and one of mine is on their way out. We’re thinking of sanding the sandpaper down. irony.
I got another shipment of laser lines again a few months ago. It was mainly all swiftcord with some amsteel 3mm red thrown in there for good measure. After all the hype about this italian line, I was bound to eventually get some. Well, WestCoast treated me good and their free shipping arrived much quicker than I expected. Thanks, guys. I got 60 some feet of black 4mm, 17 feet of blue 4mm, and 13 feet of green 4mm. (swiftcord) Sadly, 4mm is the only size they sell. I used some of the 60 feet for a new spin sheet on the 420 because the standard one is way too fat, somewhere around 6.5mm. It sags in light wind. Anyways, that left me with about 25 feet, which I used for the vang, and the blue and green for the outhaul and downhaul, respectively. I had tons of fun setting up the line on the blocks, and its really nice. The outhaul ended up being a bit long but I used the excess for my mast tiedown so it all worked out. It feels like soft string and twine, but much stronger.
Swiftcord
However, I’ve got 2 problems with this line. The first problem that I have with it is that, while it is easy to cleat, it also likes to come uncleated for the first day or so. I would cleat it, and a few seconds later, BANG! It would pop back out. That didn’t happen at all this week though, so maybe its just a case of it getting worn in.
The second problem that I’ve got is that it stretches quite a bit. It takes a good 15 pounds to get its initial stretch out, but after that its fine. Needless to say, this makes it quite fun measuring out line on the dock. In a puff, I can see the line stretch, when going to marginal planing conditions. Thats the price you pay for comfort. Oh, and good luck splicing this shit. Its very hard. APS doesn’t even offer it for diameters of 4mm-.
On the other hand, this stuff is pretty awesome. Its SUPER soft and comfy, and knots very easy. Its colorful, and runs through blocks amazingly. If you use prestretch, or the standard lines from the LASERperformance dealer, you’ll find this stuff runs amazing. I definitely recommend this line for everything on your laser but your mainsheet, hiking strap line, and traveler.
I’ll upload some pics of my laser and my rigging setup soon, after I get a becket block for my outhaul to convert it to the MOJO colie sails outhaul setup, aka the normal one with 1 becket on spectra that goes to tack, and 2 singles on mast. As I said, I’ve been busy. 
Filed under: Gear, New Releases | Tags: 450, best harness, boots, catalogue, Gear, harness, hiking, hiking boots, hiking pants, hybrid, neoprene, pads, pants, power, powerpads, racing, skiff, softshell, T-1, upcoming, vest, yachting, zhik, zhik boot 450, ZX-1, ZX-2, ZX-S
Today Zhik released their 5th installment in their range, this time including:
Zhik Boot 450
These boots are an improvement on the Zhik Boot 400, with more support and less weight. They have a new flexible toe area (the black part) that allegedly increases flexiblity and functionality. They also have a new rubber compound that contributes to a more durable and strong boot. 2mm rubber surrounds it, with a fleece inner to ease entering and exiting. New bigger ankle straps now work better with this boot.
$69USD (Same as Zhik boot 400, why wouldn’t you?)
PowerPads
These pads were originally invented for the 2008 Qingdao Olympics. These patented hikers will “reinvent hiking forever.” They fit inside basically a wetsuit (or not, if you prefer), and they clamp onto your leg without the pants. Zhik R&D worked hard on these, and they have won several world championships.
$119USD (stand alone)
Hybrid Gear
These were also developed for the 2008 Qingdao Olympics, but “you too can have these for your own campaign.” They are spandex (lycra) flatlocked with 1mm neoprene pasted onto ZhikTex. The off white is the spandex, and the black is ZhikTex. They come in short, skiff (pictured), and pant. Combine these with a Zhik Spandex top (or some other one) and you’re set.
short: $85USD
pant: $129USD
skiff: $175USD
lycra top: $39.5USD
Trap T1 Harness
This harness was created in their mission “to create the best harness possible.” It uses a double velcro adjustment system (what is that?) with a neoprene soft crotch (yay!) and kevlar butt. The stainless steel spreader bar is covered by velcro/neoprene to protect it.
$269USD (not yet, released mid-summer)
Yachting Range
This includes the ZX-S softshell vest, ZX-S softshell jacket, ZX-1 racing jacket, and ZX-2 jacket. Details thus far are scanty, but here are some pics from the catalogue. (shown in same order as listed.) Also, right click>view image. This will get you a much larger version of it.
Hey,
Today I’m going to review one of the more interesting products on the market today: the Zhik “boots you wear when you don’t wear boots.” 50.
Now supposedly these boots are some of the most innovative peaces of neoprene $30USD can buy you. They offer padding and grip, plus for another $12USD you can get ankle straps, basically watch bands that clamp it to your shin (but they’re ankle straps?) Now for $42USD you have padding, hiking support, grip, and a small amount of warmth.
I will rate all gear on a scale of 1-10, 10 being the best.
It will be based on 3 categories:
1.) Immediate Quality/Functionality
2.) Neat Factor
3.) Longevity/Durability
Immediate Quality: Wow! (Not WoW.) These things are awesome. I opted to use them with the regular wide seitech strap, as I figured it was cheaper and the boots would last longer. The grip was great, especially in 41 knot southerlies. I didn’t lose grip all day long because of the boots…(?) If you have a hard one day regatta, these are it.
Neat Factor: At first glance, one might say, in more or less words: “WTF? Why would I want a boot that isn’t really a boot: It has holes? It won’t keep me warm or offer support or keep me from bending back another toenail.” But it really takes an innovative and especially daring company to come out with these. They are just like your ace bandages from the ’80s and they work even better. They’re neat.
Longevity: I bought these boots from APS Mid December for a Laser Clinic. Now, on 01 June 2008, these things are out the door. They are ripping mid boot and the “Zhikgrip” is wearing off. The small patch of Zhik rubber on the bottom is totally slick, devoid of any initial grip. 5 months life expectancy. Keep in mind this is not 5 months sailing every other day. This is 5 months with a total of maybe 22-26 outings. Probably less.
In conclusion, these get an 8.6. They are really awesome for the time they last, but they just don’t. I recently emailed sales@zhik.com about this, and they said, quote:
“The boot-50’s are good, but we agree they could be better. We are working on making them more durable, with stronger rubber etc, so they last longer. You can bet this will happen in later productions, next season.”
So you can count on these getting even better, just as the latest Volume 5 was a major improvement over Volume 4 for zhik. Go to www.zhik.com/ to see their new website and their new boot 450, powerpads, and hybrid gear.
pics of damage upon request, or if I get time.
