Anyone tried these new foil free ride sails yet. I use s1's and be interested to know how they compare for foil freeride and basic carving freestyle. I like the low down s1 grunt and i like them in waves on fin but they do pull like a tractor and it's tiring and i think my top speed is possibly being hampered. I sail wizard 114 on Sabfoil 799 . Weight 81kg.
Looks like severe foil freek from last year, maybe just got renamed with diff grafics? Foil freek is very good, better than what I used prior, including goya cipher
There's no doubt the foilfreek(I have 4.0 & 4.8) is nicer than S-1 for cruising around carving etc. Don't get me wrong, the S-1 is good. I've been using one for a few years now. It's a bit twitchy for my liking but I put up with it because riding a 3.0 sail is cool.
I nearly bought the new R4D, but found a second hand foilfreek for half the price.
R4D is a new model so it must be better though 
Curious about it because they don't make the larger freeks anymore and the foil freeks don't come in the big size. Would like a 6.4, hoping it had a little more bottom than the 6.3 freek.
Select to expand quoteaeroegnr said..
Curious about it because they don't make the larger freeks anymore and the foil freeks don't come in the big size. Would like a 6.4, hoping it had a little more bottom than the 6.3 freek.
Dunno about the rest of the world, but bigger sizes just didn't sell in Oz so Distributor didn't order many.
Will the r4d displace the foil freeks? Both are dedicated foil sails. I like the foil freek very much and got another 4.4 and 4.8 and hope they will last a long time
According to the Severne site, the R4D can be used for fin freestyle too. Not foil only. But also can handle surf. Sounds like a good sail.
I just got a 2024 5.2 foilfreek and looking at the specs compared to the R4D, they look like the exact same sail, except the R4D is more durable and weighs just a bit more. I can see why they came out with the R4D because the FoilFreek feels like it's a minimalist sail and not super durable for the stuff Balz is doing.
I've never used an S1 but I can say that the FoilFreek is basically like the Freek which works great for freestyle and is very off on in terms of power when you sheet in or sheet out. The FoilFreek is just a bit more powerful without feeling heavy. It feels insanely light. The power is a bit higher up on the sail. It's not as stable as the Freek so doing freestyle moves it's a little more loose feeling and less stable in larger gusts. Haven't foiled on it yet, mostly just been using it for fin freestyle in 18-20kts and it's working great getting me planing earlier than my old 5.2 freek would have.
anyone try these sails with fin ? wondering how the larger sizes would work with fin (6.4, 5.8), for free ride sailing
I recently bought the 4.0 and the 5.2, and so far, I love the shape! Classic freestyle design-dead flat battens and a flat profile at rest, with lots of shape when inflated. One standout difference compared to other freestyle sails I've used (like the North and Duotone Idols) is how easily the battens rotate-even with the light air settings. I love this!
They're really powerful, too. I can already tell I'll be rigging smaller sizes and flying in lighter wind.
Another big win is the mast sleeve: it's a little roomier, so the mast goes in and out easily. Plus, the mast head uses fixed internal webbing, so you don't have to mess around at the mast tip with a fiddly plastic fitting. This definitely helps make funboarding more fun!
On the 5.2, I noticed more downforce right away-probably due to the higher aspect ratio and elevated center of pressure. I'll be moving the sail back closer to the foil.
I was initially skeptical about the claim that these sails are suitable for surf, but I was intrigued by the design-and I'm such a fan of Balz-that I decided to take a chance. I've been making other freestyle sails work in the surf, so I figured I'd give these a go.
From experience, I know that carbon tube battens don't survive shore break. Swapping them out for solid battens gives the sail a much better chance. These sails do use carbon tube battens, and on my first session with the 5.2, three battens broke when punching through a wave on the way out. The good news: the sail itself wasn't damaged. Usually, there's a batten pocket to repair (or worse) when battens break, so I was impressed. I was even riding for a while before I noticed!
I'll be swapping the battens out for solid 8mm round tapers-I'll reuse some from the sails I'm replacing. I didn't notice any difference in performance with this change on my previous freestyle sails, so I expect the same here.
Overall, I'm stoked!
Great sail. Super light and easy to handle. Has anyone tried these as a high wind sail on the fin?
not to beat the question.....but how do these sail perform on fin? curious about the large sizes...mainly the 5.8m. would like to see if it could replace my 5.7m blade for free ride cruising.
