Do some sails handle gusty wind better than others? Must do...
I'm sailing with Combats and one Ezzy wave. The combats seem to handle the gusts more gently, though high up in the leech there are holes where the little panes have rattled out in my smaller sails.
The Ezzy 3.7m is more robust but seems intent on having me slammed in the squalls. I hauled it just about flat the other day (in stages of experiment) but I just couldn't get the power out of it. Well so it seemed - I kept leaning more to windward than natural which was alright on the backfoot but when I came forward there were mighty catapults.
I think with the Combat I can stand up straighter through the gusts than with the Ezzy wave. But it doesn't seem right that I should have damaged leech from the process.
Any recommendations for my next sail purchase?
I'm using Ezzy masts.
And I've put holes in the top panes of two Combat 4.2s and one Combat 3.3. Not much sun on them, especially the 3.3 - it doesn't come out often.
Do you ever find yourself holding a "crackling" sail in gusts? Maybe I've just got too much downhaul on and have too loose a leech on the combats... but I rig Combats to instructions written on sails.
what mast do you have?[
if you have a pryde mast then +1 for the alpha, they are an excellent sail that has a very big range and stability,
if you have a constant curve mast then.......
the simmer icon in the boardseeker mag review scored very high as the sail best used in gusty conditions. the guys i know that use them all say the same thing.
or the KA Kult (which i use), they have an excellent wind range and the kult will also rig on a pryde mast i am told.
i think to be honest most of the sail brands from the last 2-3 years have really improved wind range.
I definatily recomend the Gaastra Manic (hd) this sail is fantastic in overpowered conditions.
For example, i had my 4.7 out in over 27 knots and although i was overpower i was still under control and feeling comfortable to trying tricks!
The Manic is described as the down the line wave sail, and there for goes netural very easily.
Thats my opinion, the Gaastra Manic!
If you want a sail that depowers a lot then you don't want a sail with lots of pre-shape, such as a cammed sail, or Ezzys.
You want a sail that goes flat with no wind in it, like the Pryde/North/HotSailsMaui/Gaastra/Loft/etc.
The downside to these sails is that the centre of effort wanders around a lot more than the cammed / Ezzy style with lots of pre-shape.
Horses for courses.
I was surprised when I saw how much outhaul Mr. Ezzy puts on his sails when sailing overpowered (there is a rigging video floating around), I've only gone that much outhaul when really struggling - usually I just change down. If it's over 35 knots and my 4.5 isn't coping then it's time to go home, this hasn't happened very often... but I guess you get some decent storms down there in Tassie!
Select to expand quotenebbian said...
If you want a sail that depowers a lot then you don't want a sail with lots of pre-shape, such as a cammed sail, or Ezzys.
You want a sail that goes flat with no wind in it, like the Pryde/North/HotSailsMaui/Gaastra/Loft/etc.
Kasails said
The Alpa sail made by neilpryed is not a flat sail tho
I know the rest are tho
i agree that sails that have a lot of pre shape don't depower as well during transitions and flatter sails tend to have a little more wandering coe or a softer feel.
but i think itchy may be talking about sails depowering under normal sailing conditions when gusts hit. that's more about leach twist. the ezzy doesn't have a very twisty leach where as the pryde alphas do which is why the alpha has a much bigger wind range than the ezzy.
i'm finding this years NP Firefly has biggest usable range in an uncammed sail I've ever had, mainly because the twisted-off section under heavy downhaul doesn't rattle itself to bits
i know this might sound like a big claim, but it's pretty much usable 13 - 30 knots
Why doesn't it rattle, Haircut?
I was wondering if the leach damage I had on my Combats could be because I was using Ezzy masts. There was no theory behind my wondering other than "surely NP doesn't build sails to have panes rattle out!"
I think my newest Combat is '08. It's a 4.2m and my most used sail. I'm comfortable with it to oversheet in lots of wind etc., but the holes in the leach are daggy.
And my Combat 3.3m that hasn't been used 10 times since new ('08) also: same missing panes high up in the leach.
i'm not sure why??? what the 2010's do have is an extra mini batten on the third panel which the older np wave orientated sails were always missing, but i doubt that would affect the top panel - or would it?
All my older NP wave type sails wouldn't handle too much downhaul in strong winds just as you are describing, and I was using a powerex skinny, and more recently using a 2010 x9 skinny which still made the leach go berzerk on the older NP wave sails
Depends what year Combats?
The 2004-7 ish would be terrible on an Ezzy mast and that would certainly contribute to the flogged out leech.
And what do you mean by depowers?
Twists nicely?
Or draft stability ie big wind range?
btw - it's the 5.7 i'm using
I mean give the (edit--> 2010 firefly) sail lots of downhaul and ample outhaul, and it's not much different to changing to a 4.7. It still feels nice to use in strong winds and gets me planing in 13-ish knots (i'm 70kg)
I found that last 3 years np wavesails I had around the 5.8 size had a 25knot limit
It's basically my only sail
(this is the 2010 firefly, not the 2010 alpha btw)
silly me didn't read all your first post - were you referring to sails only under 4m?
sorry mark, i thought u were asking me those questions
i bought a tushingham rock 3.3m.
rigged till twisted off to top batten,with neutral outhaul, it is a million times easier to hold on to [in strong wind] than my 5.0m race sail.
for gybing in strong wind, pulling the back hand in to initiate a gybe is easy,unlike my 5.0m which has too much power.
only use 5.0m now up to 25knots, then 3.3m is more enjoyable to use ,esp in chop/swell.
you can adjust power in sails up to a point,but when the wind reaches 25knots plus, provided you are not sailing on flattish water, it is better to go with smaller size.
for me, using a 3.3m in strong wind increases my enjoyment of the sport,over trying to hang on to a over downhauled/outhauled 5.0m.
PeterMac, do you really go from 5m straight to 3.3m?
I like shifting down to 4.2 as soon as there's a good few gusts over 25knots. But I'd guess my combat 3.3 isn't much good until the average wind speed is clear of 30knots.
Anyhow, I like your description of how the sail works for you. I reckon on the super windy days it should be my reflexes that hold me back, not a sail which won't go into netural.
Haircut, your favourite sail is huge, but sounds a nice leach
.
, but sounds a nice leach. 
It's Ezzy Wave SE 2007 with Ezzy masts .
I've some funnest sailing with it on days of fairly steady wind, but reality is steady wind is uncommon here, especially steady strong wind. It often isn't possible to match sail neatly to wind strength.
But I've found that my sailing improves more when I rig to suit the stronger wind of the session -this keeps me from cowering on the back foot, and a small sail makes light wind manoeuvers easier to practice in the lulls. The result is I'm inclined to sail aggressively, sweat so I don't mind falling into Tassie's cold water, and learn more.
I started the thread after a very frustrating session where I just couldn't manage the Ezzy in gusts even as I stretched to the outer limits of Mr Ezzy's specs. And it wasn't that I simply got the eski lid effect where the sail is so flat it has no feel. It was determined to heave me across the bow.
I knew that the combats seemed easier to manage but have been annoyed by their leach damage from rattling in the gusts. (Now think I haven't given the Combats a fair chance because I've been using Ezzy masts.)
When you talk of "stable draft" do you mean the force is applied to mast and operator in same proportions as wind changes? The most loaded section of the sail stays in the same place? I can't get my head around what's happening when the draft moves but the result is power that should be transmitted to the board via mast is transmitted via sailor, and that puts sailor in awkward stance.
Do sailors of the famously reliable wind places like WA and Maui etc get a relatively steady breeze? I'd guess that on a typical 30knot day here, the wind is blowing 25 to 35 in even proportions. Then there's another 5 knots less frequently off both ends of the scale.
Severne Blade.
I have a 4.0 that I have taken out in 30 knots a few times recently and it is a dream to sail. I don't even notice the gusts.
I also have a firefly 5.7 which is a delight, but it does need a Pryde mast. That's my river sail. The river is notoriously gusty.
and yes, WA does often get very gusty especially on inland waters even if only a few km from the sea.
Yeah what I mean on draft stability is what haircut described.
Gestalt: I probably didn't word what I said quite correctly, and definately as you say the twisting off of the leech is an important contributor to the sails range. My point was that some sails thou they twist of nicely, don't maintain draft stability. So even though you might be dealing with less power it can make the sail difficult to control because the sail is pulling from different directions throwing you off balance. So in my opinion draft stability is more important then the twisting off of the sail, thou they are both necessary. And typically in my mind sails with good draft stability are those with preshape whether acheived through cams as in racesails or seam shaping as in ezzy wavesails.
swoosh, the ability of a sail to twist off determines the sails' wind range. If you are looking for a sail that's good in gusty conditions, you do want one that has a stable draft i.e. camber inducers.
