I'm looking for sails to use in blasting through chop and onshore wave.
I've got a set of Simmer Black Tips for wavesailing but I find them a little too on/off for gusty conditions.
Recommendations or just general thoughts on what to look for would be appreciated. Likely aiming for 6.5 as a largest and might try for a full quiver down into the 3s.
Can't compare to other brands as I've been on Severne for the past 10 years or so but the Blades have an incredible range. Especially if you apply a little more downhaul they sail very well in overpowered and gusty conditions while still performing ok in the lulls. Hope that helps.
Been trying a lot different sails.
KA now Tribal works good with the Killers series. An easy to use sail.
Bougt a Sailworks Revolution 3.7 last year and the idea was to test out what the Gorge sailors had developed through the years. Lots of wind.... Loved the sail, easy to handle and has lot of power that's easy to control when accellerating. You load it up and start going and it just keeps on pulling. Very nice.. Decided to change my quiver but what happened? They closed down..
you should read the last 2 copies of Windsurf Magazine, Peter Hart has written some good information about onshore conditions. He basically says that you are less powered up then usual so use a slightly bigger fin but to also use the smallest sail possible and set it as powerful as possible.
For any powered up sailing I would suggest Ezzy sails as they have the most trim range and good power. I use a Ezzy Take but the biggest they do is a 5.3m. I would suggest an Ezzy Zeta.
I have used other sail brands a lot too, the Severne Blade is a light sail with a good range too. Depending on how "Wavey" your sailing location is should also be a factor.
The Pistol River locals seem to swear by the Hotsails Maui Superfreak for when they need a 3.7 or smaller.
Select to expand quoteptsf1111 said..
Can't compare to other brands as I've been on Severne for the past 10 years or so but the Blades have an incredible range. Especially if you apply a little more downhaul they sail very well in overpowered and gusty conditions while still performing ok in the lulls. Hope that helps.
Yes, when I sailed one I noticed that the Blade handles overpowered so well that it is the equivalent of one size smaller sail.
Not a lot of Severne around here (Washington state USA) but I should be able to do some aggressive used shopping in the spring down in the Gorge.
Haven't had the best experience with Sailworks stuff in the past, always felt really heavy for the size. But worth a look.
I've got a Superfreak Maui addition around here that I haven't used for a while. It's a 4.7 and I do recall it dud handle gusts extremely well but really struggled in the lulls and wasn't great upwind. Ridiculously durable however.
Ezzy was the brand on the top of my mental list. They seem to have a lot of static shake even in their wave sails and of course are known for durability. The Zeta and Taka seem polar opposite in design though.
I've had the chance to try the Duotone SuperHero, last year's model. Compared to my current Loftsails Purelips, it feels like it offers a similar level of control in strong winds (which is one of the strong points of my sails IMHO), but has way better planing ability.
The Duke, having one more batten, should have an extended wind range.
In the other hand, have you considered a Simmer Style Evoq?
Ezzy Zeta for B&J,,,biggest range , bomb proof , swiss army knife stuff , more constant power than the wave models
Select to expand quoteJonesySail said..
Ezzy Zeta for B&J,,,biggest range , bomb proof , swiss army knife stuff , more constant power than the wave models
Have you ridden the largest sizes?
yep i use a 6.4 for my SE QLD sea breeze ocean sail ..thats typically 13-22 Knt range
both in a cruise/blast format and bump and jump bump on shore wave sailing.
Massive range ..can hold it in 22 -28knts also, but would rather be on smaller gear in that range.
That would rig on a 430 and small wave boom which is useful too.
I'll need to keep an eye out for one. Might pair well with my WindSUP for lighter wind wavesailing too.
There is a 5.5 Zeta for sale locally at a good price too.
If you have a good selection of simmer mast for your other black-tip sails, then it would be an easy choice to select something less "wavy" from the simmer range. The Icon was a very well liked on-shore/bump and jump sail, so if you can get one of those second-hand (or new old-stock) that would be an easy route to go. The new Evoq is sort of the replacement for the Icon, as I have understood it, and there is also the Enduro which is even more geared towards bump and jump and freeride.
I agree with MattUk and Johnesysail.
I?m sailing in Sweden between Denmark and Sweden. we have a lot of choppy conditions and strong onshorewinds.
I only use EZZY Zeta up tilL 5,8 and after then Cheetah.
The Ezzy Zeta is a nonRAF sail (the battens are not touching the mast) and has the perfect design and form yet rigged up. You therfore have the maximal power from the beginning and it gives you a nice acceleration. The power is forward and low and you never get tired in the backarm. Its the perfect sail for onshoresailing.
But you have to learn that it does not depower as well as the RAF sails like Neilpryde, Duotone etc. For me it?s not so important to depower in a hurry. Mostly I`m sailing bump?n jump and onsore. It is a typical highwindsail and not to compare to the Ezzy Taka. Apart from that i feel it is a nice freeride sail too.
I?m looking forward to have my new Dyno 85.
I have Chinook masts which are classic constant curve which can also mix and match tops/bottoms like Ezzy.
