RS:X (sailboard)
Encyclopedia
RS:X is a windsurfing
Windsurfing
Windsurfing or sailboarding is a surface water sport that combines elements of surfing and sailing. It consists of a board usually two to four metres long, powered by the orthogonal effect of the wind on a sail. The rig is connected to the board by a free-rotating universal joint and comprises a...
discipline selected by the ISAF
International Sailing Federation
The International Sailing Federation is recognised by the International Olympic Committee as the world governing body for the sport of sailing....
replace the Mistral One Design Class
Mistral One Design Class
The Mistral One Design Class was chosen by the International Sailing Federation , the governing body of sailing, as the windsurfing equipment for use at the Olympic Regatta in Savannah 1996, Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004. No other windsurfing class has been selected for three Olympic Regattas in...
class for the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
. The discipline has similarities to formula windsurfing
Formula Windsurfing
'Formula windsurfing' is the high performance competitive course racing format of the windsurfing world. These boards have a massive wind range that enables racing in very light winds from 7 knots up to 25 knots and are capable of reaching speeds of over 30 knots....
- mainly in that the equipment used was designed to allow windsurfing in low and moderate wind conditions with good performance.
RS:X equipment includes a board with a daggerboard
Daggerboard
A daggerboard is a retractable centreboard used by various sailing craft. While other types of centreboard may pivot to retract, a daggerboard slides in a casing. The shape of the daggerboard converts the forward motion into a windward lift, countering the leeward push of the...
, and a sail of a specified size. The board measures 286 cm in length and 93 cm in width. Unlike formula boards, it is quite heavy - 15.5 kg, which is almost twice that of regular competition formula boards, but is very similar to the weight of Raceboards such as the previous Olympic board, Mistral One Design Class
Mistral One Design Class
The Mistral One Design Class was chosen by the International Sailing Federation , the governing body of sailing, as the windsurfing equipment for use at the Olympic Regatta in Savannah 1996, Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004. No other windsurfing class has been selected for three Olympic Regattas in...
. Although the mistral board has a weight of 17 kg ready to sail, the RS:X board weight more than 19 kg.
The RS:X seems to be a compromise between traditional Raceboards which work well in 5-35 knots, and Formula boards which go fast in 12-30 knots, and has shown itself to be competitive with past Raceboards in the medium wind range. Nevertheless, the RS:X is very slow in subplaning conditions (compare with any other sailing craft).
The shape and design of the RS:X sail is based on that of the Neil Pryde formula windsurfing sail RS4.