http://www.windsurfingsales.com.au/products/sails/2007loftsailsblade.php
The Loft Sails Blade 6.2 - An Ultra-Stable Hot-Rod
Technical specs:
Price: ? 690 ($Aud 699)
Luff: 4.40m
Boom: 1.92m
Test mast: Loft RDM 100% 430
Mast price: ? 470 ($Aud 635)
In the 1990s, a certain A.R.T. Blade was winning races everywhere in the hands of sailors called Kristensen, Pendle or Thi?m?. 2006, Monty Spindler revives the name with a 7 batten sail with 4 cambers. Designed for RDM masts (the new Lofts), this sail stands out for its very high build quality, using 70% X-ply. Reinforcements are thick and cleverly placed. Like the plastic strip which protects the batten crossing the boom from wear. This is a sail which requires a lot of downhaul to produce the correct shape and let the leech twist off properly (downhaul winch, reliable RDM extension and solid base are essential).
Fairly light in the arms for a race sail, the Blade produces an immediate feeling of stiffness and acceleration in the arms. It accelerates quickly onto a plane. Once it's going, the 6.2 presents one of the most rigid profiles on the market (stiffer than Neil Pryde, Gaastra and Maui Sails). The result is that the lightest breeze is translated into acceleration, with such a stable profile that the draft doesn't budge in gusts or lulls. The advantage is that it offers good support for the arms so you can be flat out whatever the wind strength. Even better, our first speed runs against competing sails suggest that there's a lot more performance to be discovered. The only negative is that it has a slightly less forgiving profile in gusts and especially in chop - particularly for lightweight sailors. It's stable but very direct in lighter breezes. Heavyweights and sailors looking for a maximum of power/stability will be ecstatic, especially in light to medium winds. Gybing, the cambers work perfectly in a profile which requires a little more than the average effort to flip.
Conclusion: Monty Spindler has taken his time to bring out a race sail worthy of this name. A sail that, after our initial testing, is capable of going head-to-head with the heavyweights in the market.
+: Light in the hands, wind range, power/performance ratio, smooth cambers
-: A bit less forgiving in chop and gusty conditions.
Translation by John Benson, Sydney.
Just a personal observation, a guy at my local spot has just got a couple of these. They look very nice and he raves about them. Says they feel really light in the hands yet super stable and fast. Unfortunately he seems to have now picked up a fair bit of speed as well.. :-((
Price: € 690 ($Aud 699)
Luff: 4.40m
Boom: 1.92m
Test mast: Loft RDM 100% 430
Mast price: € 470 ($Aud 635)
Either your calculator is cactus, the translation is wrong or those prices are obviously not straight conversions.
The sail costs the equivalent to AUD $1138.00 overseas but only $699.00 here?
Either they are ripping off people overseas or we are getting heavily subsidised prices for some reason.
You would be better off sending them back overseas, then you would be making real money.
Paul, if you went to the local web page you would see the local price is indeed much less than what the Euros have to fork out for the same sails. It's marketing. The prices are similar to KA Koncept ones. I guess it's 'cause of the lack of middlemen in Oz/ web direct price etc. But I wouldn't harp on about it too much otherwise the importer may just put a more expensive price on them.
i noticed on the gps speedsurfing site that one of the loft sponsored sailors has been hitting speeds over 40 knots on th blade.
