Dictionary O | P | Q | R

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Outhaul (the noun):The outhaul is the rope used to pull the clew towards the back end of the boom. The diameter of this rope is usually 5mm (3/16"), but some booms require a smaller diameter like 4mm(5/32"). The length varies depending on the boom, but Chinook booms use 4' length. Click here to see Windance's uphauls. See also adjustable uphauls.

Outhaul (the verb): Amount of pull (via a line & pulley) outward toward the clew.

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- P -

Pearl: To pearl is to bury the nose of the board under water. This is more likely to happen when coming down the face of a wave, and because the wave face is curved, the nose of the board can bury under the water making the nose look "pearly".

Plane (planing): To plane is to bring the board onto the surface of the water. As a board moves through the water, there comes a point when the water no longer attaches itself around the tail of the board. As the water breaks this bond, the board begins planing, and accelerating. Once planing, the board uses surface area, instead of buoyancy to keep it on the surface of the water.

Plastic board: Plastic boards are often made from polyethylene (what Frisbees are made from) and are quite resilient to scratches, or dings. They are great for beginners, or for people who want a board that they don't need to worry about. Plastic boards are heavier than epoxy boards, and quite a bit more flexible than both polyester/glass boards and epoxy/glass boards. The core of polyethylene boards is polyurethane.

Polyester (in boards): Polyester is the matrix (glue) that holds the fiberglass together in polyester boards. These boards are often referred to as "glass boards", but this is misleading because epoxy boards also are usually made with fiberglass. Polyester boards often have very bright colors which show vibrantly through the clear polyester/fiberglass which surrounds the board. Polyester boards usually use polyurethane (Clark foam) as the core (or blank).

Polyester Resin: Polyester is the resin that is used for building most surfboards, and was also used for many years for building custom sailboards. Once the fiberglass fibers are "wetted out" with polyester resin, the fibers become clear and one can see the foam underneath (often airbrushed with fancy designs). Polyester resin is very flammable, and has a strong odor. Once catalyst (MEK peroxide) is added, polyester will cure. Polyester resin can not be used with Styrofoam boards (often referred to as epoxy boards) because the polyester has styrene in it which will dissolve the Styrofoam (EPS(Expanded poly styrene)). Polyester is more brittle than Epoxy, which makes polyester boards susceptible to dings. The polyester usually cracks before the actual fiberglass fibers give out.

Polypropylene and Polyethylene: These two plastics are used in the production of inexpensive production molded boards. They are both very durable, and a great choice for boards which may get dragged around over rocks. The drawback to these materials are that the boards produced are a bit heavy, and flexible. Repairing these plastics is also difficult.

Polyurethane: Polyurethane is the foam used in polyethylene boards, and also in polyester/glass boards. It is a bit heavier than Styrofoam (Expanded Polystyrene EPS). It is also the foam used in "Clark foam" blanks.

Port: Port is the left side of the board.

Port Tack: refers to the direction a sailor is going in relation to the wind. On a port tack, the sailor is on the left side (port) of the board. If your left hand is closest to the mast, you are on a port tack. Sailors on a port tack should give room to sailors on a Starboard tack. This rule is especially important in crowded areas, or in racing. One exception to this rule is at some wavesailing locations like Diamond Head on Oahu (where the wind is coming from the left when looking out to sea). In wavesailing, because of less maneuverability, the sailor going out through the surf has right away over the sailor riding the wave in.

Powerbox: The Powerbox finbox is a finbox used in many production boards. It uses one screw through the deck of the board, into the center of the fin. Both the sidewalls, and the ends are tapered, so it usually achieves a tight fit. Like with all "through the deck" boxes, a rubber washer should be used on the screw ( in addition to the metal one) to seal off any air from the deck of the board, otherwise spinout can easily occur. Click here to see all the boxes together.

Power joint: See boge joint.

Power-on Head: This patented system is a system designed by David Ezzy. It allows continuous adjustment of the leech tension by the wind.

PVC foam: Also known as the brand names Divinicell, or Klegicell, PVC foam is often used in the sandwich construction, the standard in high performance sailboards. It is a cross-linked poly vinyl chloride sheet foam. It has great structural properties, and comes in many different weights and thicknesses. The most common weight used is H-80 or H-100. This number refers to how many kilos a cubic meter would weigh. The most common thicknesses for sailboard sandwich construction is 1/8" and 1/4". To use in sandwich construction, both sides of the foam must have fiberglass or other cloth laminated to it.

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- R -

RAF: In actual fact, all sails are RAFs, as they all have Rotating Asymetrical Foils. Neil Pryde Sails coined this term in the early 1980's, when Barry Spanier and Jefferey Burns at Maui Sails came out with a sail in which the battens radically rotated around the mast. Since then, RAF has become generic to mean any non-cambered sail in which the battens rotate quite a bit around the mast, when the sailor switches from a Port tack to a Starboard tack.

Race sail: The luff sleeve is usually wider creating a more streamlined foil shape. There are more battens which create more sail stability. There are also numerous cambers (3,4, or even more) which create even more draft stability by effectively attaching the battens to the mast. A Race sails is actually like a wing or foil, the shape is locked in. The large foot on a race sail closes the gap between the board & the sail (again helping stability and efficiency). Race sails have great wind range because of the draft stability, the large foot and the ability to effectively "bleed" (or dump) excess wind by having the head of the sail "twist off". The wind range is wider in each race sail size than it is in a wave or bump&jump sail. In race sails you can usually space at every meter e.g. 5.0, 6.0, 7.0.

Rail: The rail is the side of the board. Rail shape has a big effect on how a board sails. Thicker rails are better for bigger, floatier boards, and in lighter winds. Thinner rails, or "pinched" rails, have less floatation; but are easier to sink into the water, which can be advantageous in wavesailing or high wind sailing. For more info on rail design, check out our info on rail thickness, chine, and tuck; in our board design seminar.

Railing up: This action is often associated with sailing a longboard (with a daggerboard) in high winds, but it can also occur from just the fin. because of the lateral force of the sail on the fin, the board starts tipping to leeward. This can mean that you need a smaller fin, or you need to get further out on the rail. That is part of the reason why wide race boards are getting more popular. The wider board gives your feet more leverage, so you can keep the board flat, without hurting your ankles.

Rail tuck: This is how much the edge of the bottom of the board is inside the outline of the board. The less rail tuck, the squarer the rail is. More rail tuck makes the board more forgiving, but slower. Less rail tuck will help make the board get onto a plane more quickly. Rail tuck ranges from none, to about 3/4", with the maximum rail tuck usually just in front of the midpoint of the board.

Rake: Rake is the angle that a fin or a sail is tipped back from perpendicular. For example, a weed fin has a lot of rake, so that weeds don't get caught on the fin.

Reactor Bar: The Reactor bar is a brand of spreader bar which has a pulley instead of a hook. It is very popular. The pulley makes harness lines last much longer. It also gives the rig a livelier feel because the boom can move more freely in the sailor's hands while hooked in. It is made from aluminum. To see all of our spreader bars, click here.

Resin: Resin is the matrix that is used to bond fibers to each other and to the board, mast, boom, or whatever. Epoxy is more flexible than polyester, and adheres more aggressively to the fibers, and anything else, making the final product stronger, lighter, and more durable than things made using Polyester resin. Epoxy is more expensive than Polyester.

Rig: Complete sail, mast, and boom.

Roach: Roach is the sail material added into a sail beyond a straight line. For example, a foot batten allows roach to be added in the foot area of a sail to extend the sail beyond a straight line from the tack (bottom corner of sail where you tie on the downhaul) to the clew (back corner of sail where you tie the boom).

Rocker line: Often referred to as the "scoop/rocker line" which would be the profile of the bottom of the board when viewed from the side of the board. Rocker usually refers to curve (or lack of it) in the tail, and scoop refers to the curve in the nose. If a board has more "rocker", the bottom of the board curves up more. More rocker makes the board looser, or turnier, but doesn't plane as quickly.

Roll pin: A rollpin is used in the back of a standard A-box fin (Chinook) to hold the back of the fin into the finbox.

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