First glance

Upon unwrapping the sail, I couldn't help but do a double-take; the sail not only looks ever so bright and polished, but in spite of its overall light weight, the materials used simply exude quality. In fact, without fail, every single surfer that we supplied with a KA sail was similarly impressed at the intense colors, robust feel and attention to detail that's obviously gone into the design and development of these sails.

Rigging

In all honesty, the rigging of the Koncept takes a bit of effort. But, well, that's what you get when you surf a cammed sail, as compared to a non-cammed sail. My take on cambers is that once a cammed sail is rigged, that little bit of elbow grease pays off handsomely out on the water.

So yes, the Koncept cams take a bit of a nudge here and a push there to pop them into place. But when I took the sail out out for its maiden surf....


Riding my Koncept 8.3 in a Sumatra Squall - July 22nd 2010 Performance

...the way it performed blew me away. It's an 8.3m but it feels like a 7.3m. Its lightness not only results in much less swing-weight during manoeuvres, but its solid locked-in feel during downwind charges also raises your overpowered zone by a few notches simply because you're always in control. When I'm asked about the wind speed after a session, I find that I consistently underrate the windspeed using this sail. I reckon that's a testament to the sail's smoothness, even in well powered-up conditions.

Speaking of well powered-up conditions, the Koncept is fast, unmistakably fast. I mean, it goes like the clappers. I'm sure it's inherent to the sail design for one thing; the Koncept is a speed sail after all. But with that speed design comes the ability to sail very close to the wind (probably as a result of the smooth, moderately wide luff), as well as comfort and ease of sailing. It comes as no surprise then to hear that this sail allows you to surf with optimal technique. I haven't worn my GPS yet so it's a little subjective for the moment. But we're due for a few wicked southwesterlies any day now, and I for one can't wait to go paddle to the metal.

Meanwhile, the cams are a dream. They simply click, effortlessly and almost inaudibly, into place at the end of the gybe. In fact, even when just doing some dry pops on the beach in a handful of knots, I found that the cams rotate perfectly into their respective position all by themselves. I'm quite chuffed by this, because I've had my share of grabby-cambered sails in the past that required a yank, a punch or even a kick, to beat them into submission. No more. These Koncept cams are awesome!

One more thing that I consider a bonus. Because of my body-weight (78kg) to board volume (104l) ratio and relatively small high-wind fin (a raked back 38cm Falcon F1) I'm not known as an early planer. But sailing the Koncept I've found that I plane that much earlier. I'm not sure why that is, but my guess is that the aggressive Koncept design translates into additional forward drive and this forward drive apparently applies to lighter wind conditions too. Works for me :)

Conclusion

If you're looking for a sail that performs like a flame-belching rocket but handles like a Beemer 7 Series, look no further than the KA Koncept. The Koncept raises your game - and top speed - when the wind dial is deep in the red zone, but also gets you planing while other surfers are still doing the bob-around. This alone is enough to make the 2010 Koncept the sail of choice for anyone who takes blistering no-holds-barred speed and heaps of water time seriously.