Hello Speedsters,
Im looking at getting a RS4 5.4m speed seeker with the X9 400 mast for $1100, Both items are like new.
Im just wondering if its good value and will be quick??
Any recommendations would be appreciated?
Mick
Firstly I've got a couple of RS4's (bit bigger) and they are Ball tearer's
Neither item was cheap to start with.
A RS4 can also be be rigged on a X6 mast effectively.
Regarding price it's hard to say, depends on how desperate you are to get hold of it and how much you think you will use it
"...Both items are like new"
But not new I assume. It is a 4 year old sail.
Starboard are selling 2004 vintage boards which are new (but superceded) complete in their original bubble wrap for 46% of the new price. So if you used the same sliding scale it would seem pricey.
Looking through the Buy and Sell ads here in Seabreeze there are a couple of "near new" 10.7 Rs4 (twice the size and material) for $350.
Sure the X9 are an expensive mast but they are fragile too. The RS4s have a lot of luff curve and I have seen masts pop in them just sitting on the beach and don't forget in speed sailing spectacular crashes are not uncommon. Most Pryde guys in our area use X6 . The sail is also very "locked in" , while some like this many others say it feels heavy. I think you can do better. People are going fast on all sorts of sails. Spotti did gps dial speed of 45.4 on a 5.3 KA no cam Koyote recently (with a 5x500m average of almost 43kn!!).
Yep I have seen both sail and mast and the sail has literally been used 20 times if not that. He said it hardly gets to 5.4m weather in the river so it hasnt been used. He is usually on his 6m
Yeah I asked him about the strength of the X9 masts and he said he got the X9 wave masts instead for the extra strength.
yoyo : I think supply and demand has a lot to do with price more than original cost. There are heaps of old course sails on the market but no small race sails.
Personally i feel that, for the price, this wouldnt be the best buy.
Simple fact is that however good the rs4's, the newer rs's: rsr/rsslalom2 will be better, and @ $1100 you could afford the new rs sail anyways, then well as pick up a perhaps more durable second hand X6 for an xtra ~250.
In fact looking @ the seabreeze classifieds a 5.8 rsr is for sale @700, + a new x6 430 @ $500.......
"""" 2007 Neil Pryde RS RACING - 5.8 metre
For sale - absolutely mint condition - less than 3 months old - used about 8 times. I'm in adelaide but can organise freight. Also have x6 430 brand new to suit sail - $500 ono. """
thats $100 more (+ freight from SA) for a sail thats still current, and likely to have similar or less use.
Another thing to note is that if you were to buy a KA/Gun/loft sail the pricing is more in the $800 range, even less for the small sails, and with a new mast to suit, you could end up with a full new rig for ~200more than some used 2004 gear....
that said, it still could be a very good and enjoyable sail to buy, but i personally dont think that the price suits it.
Thanks for that Tim however if the RS racings were so good why is he selling them???
Im thinking that I would be better to buy a second hand X9 Wave rather than an X6 for the same price..
??????????????????
Neil Pryde stopped making the X9 for a while because of breakages and recomended racers use the X6 for their race sails. Why would you prefer a secondhand mast with quality issues and no warranty to a new one for the same price with warranty and no breakage record? You wont even notice the slight weight difference.
As to selling a current sail... well it isn't , the 2008s are out now so even though 3 months old it is last years. Top sailors regularly upgrade their kit.
Of course you could have applied that same question to the RS4.. but you didn't so I guess you're set on it.
Almost all NP RS Racing sails won't be looked at for change until at the earliest October 08 making them current for quite some time yet. It's only the 6.2 and 6.7 are due to be tweaked in the short term.
The X9 Wave 400 mast you mention didn't have any of the problems normally associated with the older X9 program but without a warranty on a mast that age you do run a risk. Warranties can be a good friend when things go bad. That said the X9 wave masts are a sweet allround mast that could put up with a lot of crap from the speedstrip to waves. Just check it out first if you can.
As Elmo said it might not be a bad idea to look to a new X6 as it should keep the package with a good used race sail to about the same price you mention.
Sam said....."Almost all NP RS Racing sails won't be looked at for change until at the earliest October 08 making them current for quite some time yet"
Thanks for the info Sam ... which kind of makes the option Tim90 proposed even more compelling. I've heard the newer Prydes rotate quite a bit better too now so it should be more enjoyable as well as benefiting from all the refinements they have made over the years since the introduction of the RS4.
Mick,
Yes it will be quick, but unless you're under 80kgs you'll need 25knots+.
I've got a RS-slalom 5.4. I'm 90 kgs and only used it 5 times in the last 12 months.
I got $300 trade in on an RS-4, 6.7 that was in good nick, so the asking price is a bit high.
Although the owner probably spent close to $2k on them new, he/she should be happy with approx. $800 for both. 
I got the new RS-Slalom MkII and it rotates freely and easily, (you don't even need to pump the sail !!) 
That's my opinion, have fun.
oh btw in response to:
"however if the RS racings were so good why is he selling them???"
you might wanna check the rs racing topic in gear reviews..... seems to get rather good comments. also if you want my feedback abt the 5.8rsr, (i have one) I would rate it as the best sail I have used, great speed (good for 38kts so far :)) stability (holds till abt 30-35 gust, and im ~75kg) and perfect rotation . only downsides are weight.. not so bad for 5.8, and perhaps a dodgy cross batern.. but @ 3 mths old, it would have broken and been replaced already if it was dodgy.
neways enjoy it, whatever you buy
yoyo, wheres the info on the 08 rsr's?... been waiting to see what changes are being made..
By the looks of this discussion the price I asked of you Mick are too high so i have dropped it down $100 and thrown in further discount if you purchase both items and/or the rig including boom. I hope this is fair. My add will pop up once approved by Laurie.
In terms of comparing to more recent models. The more recent models are most likely going to be better for sure however you need to assess the second hand market and the availability of the sails.
In terms of the mast breakage: there have been numerous discussions about the X9 masts breaking however the wave masts have a different manufacturing standard and are stronger that the race X9s.
With respect to the 490, for me its a light wind rig so i hardly and can honestly say that it hasnt been bashed or crashed.
The Neil Pryde X9 booms talk for themselves.
Kind Regards
Chad Silver
