Up until my gear got flogged (fken still hate you, you low life thieving pr1cks[}:)]) I was using 2007 Ezzy Wave SEs. Need to replace my sails. I searched using the brand TAB at the top of the page, but no reviews of Ezzy sails......nobody use them now?
I found the Wave SEs to be great sails, strong, very tunable meaning less in the quiver, but I wasnt a fan of the real long boom. Apparently the Ezzy Wave Panthers (I, II and III) have booms that are a bit shorter than the Wave SEs, but have kept the built in camber in the luff like the Wave SEs. Anyone own the panthers and care to comment?
Anyone use the newer Naish Force?
I am around 90kg, like to have a sail with guts for the cross-onshore spring summer winds. Rarely get waves above head high, so i want sails that are fast for blasting out, powerful and suit a heavier guy that likes to sail in winds that are not always super strong. Any other brands /sails i should be thinking of? Ta, Adam
Personally from what i've seen of the Naish forces' they don't look like the most powerful sail out there, that said i've never sailed one so it's only an observation. I have 2007&2008 Wave SE's and a Panther but have just ditched the Ezzy bandwagon for Severne SWATs.
Now i've never had a problem with the Ezzy's, in my opinion they are the strongest wave sail on the market bar none and have a very good range. However due to somewhat of a change in direction of my sailing (trying a lot more freestyle) I wanted something that is super light, good low end grunt, didn't have as much pre shape built in and that's the SWAT to a tee. I don't think they are as strong as the EZZY's they don't have the top end of the Ezzy's (without the need for extra tuning, Ezzy's you basically just play the outhaul) but they are incredible sails, super short in both mast and boom length and did I mention insanely light; my 5.2 SWAT is the same weight as my 4.2m Panther and it sails like it to.
If I was just doing purely wave sailing and blasting i'd probably consider the Ezzys because they are a much more stable sail to use (they sail very much like a cammed sail) and they are straight up bomb proof, but if you're after something a bit different the SWATs are worth considering.
I think most sails these days are pretty good but they all have their strengths and weaknesses, I guess as always you have to weigh up cost, performance, durability etc according to your requirements and go from there.
Thanks CJW, I am heading to the Severne website for look at the SWATs now. KA KULT sounds like an interesting one too
Hey AJ. Yep, been using the Panther's for a while now. Have a I & II. They certainly feel a little lighter than the wave SE which I also had until recently. I'm not much of a wave sailor though so can't comment much on their handling in the surf. The seem a bit lighter to throw around though. Still that great bottom end power and enourmous top end wind range. Progressive power delivery rather than on/off. Less time changing rigs and more time on the water. Still seem as tough as ever even with the new materials. Panther III's seem well priced at moment.
Review on pather Ihttp://www.boardseekermag.com/equipment_reviews/equipment/ezzy-wave-panther-review-112.htm
I had a Force quiver (010's) last season and now have Ezzy panthers,I think that for jumping and freewave for a big guy the force's are amazing,I'm now very limited to what i can do on a sailboard and for ease of rigging and stability the Ezzys are the best sail I've ever used! But everybody I've talked to about their sails over the last couple of seasons say the same thing !? (jeez what a headf##k) If you can get a couple of demo sails and try b4 you buy!
I have sailed both the ezzy and the force. Hands down the naish for me. If you want power then it pulls. I struggled horribly using the ezzy (rigged on ezzy mast). I could not pump it, and found it gutless in the lighter winds where my force would just work. In high wind little difference.
You could try the gaastra poison, or north duke as well. Sailed both, and the poison feels similar to the force, not sure about the duke in larger sizes, 5.4 down they are pretty good though.
I had Ezzy Wave SE's (2007) and now have 2010 Panther 2's, to be honest I can't feel a lot of difference between them, but they do look nice ![]()
Still loads of camber, battens that don't wear holes in the luff tube, well designed no-nonsense sails that just go and go and go.
I doubt the Naish would have as much power for equivalent sizes, and if it did it would be pretty backhanded in the gusts... but then again I do love my Ezzy's ![]()
Thanks everyone for taking the time to comment.
I have been doing some research on all your suggestions and it appears from mag reviews etc that all sails you have suggested here should do the job very well, so I will just pick the most versatile where I can have 3-4 sails (say 4.7, 5.3, 5.9, 6.5) sails and just run 2 masts if possible to cut down on carrying so much gear (and the expense)
Thanks again for all your input I really appreciate it, it has been 3 seasons since I have had to research before buying a quiver, so your suggestions have cut out a lot of hard slogging on the net and reading glossy brochures full of marketing rubbish (you know, where sails are so balanced this year compared to last year that they can sail themselves
)
Cheers, Adam
New Ezzy WP3 has just been released which is definitely lighter and less fuller shape than the SE's. The 5.2 rigs on 428cm luff & 174cm boom. Still a very popular sail over here on the west coast.
Alternatively the Naish Force would be suitable and powerful enough for your conditions and new 2011 sails look great with kevlar framing for added strength and structure. The 5.3 rigs on 435cm luff and 170cm boom.
Additionally there has also been great reviews on the 2011 Naish Boxer...good luck.
I ran a 4.5m & 5.0m Force plus a 5.4m Boxer for the last few seasons which all fitted on a 400 Naish mast. As an 80kg wave sailor it gave me plenty of power in a nice neat package with all the usual Naish quality and handling.
I have gone for the North Ice this season for a change and im really happy with them but I also tried the 2011 Force a few weeks back and was just as impressed.The same size force was noticeably more powerful though.
I have the Wave Panther II in 5.2 and 5.8 along with an SE in 4.5 . I love them. I'm planning on going ezzy for my big sails (and masts) as soon as I can.