Hello everybody,
after following the discussions here for quite some time now I finally registered.
I am looking to finally complete a 3-sails quiver for my 82l wave board to get the maximum out of all conditions. I already have a 4.0 and a 4.7, now I want to get something in the 5.5-5.7 range.
I read some reviews and the Severne Blade seems to be an excellent sail, plus the 5.5m² fits on a 400cm mast, so I dont need to get a 430cm.
I saw that a lot of you have a Blade yourself, so I am hoping that you can help me with following questions:
1.) Does anyone have experience with the Blade 5.5? It is a rare size, so I am a little bit afraid, that it isn't as thoroughly tested and tweaked as the 5.7. Does it work well with the 400cm Mast?
2.) How much difference is there between the 2012 and 2013 line? On the official site they say that the durability is better. Anything substantial and worth the extra charge or is it rather marketing blabla?
3.) How well do the Blades work with masts from other brands? Which bend curve is best?
I might be able to help you. The 5.5 blade can rig on a 400 mast but it probably only suits lighter sailors with that mast. I have rigged on both 400 and 430 and, because I am 90kg, I find the 400 mast a little soft for that sail. Having said that, the 5.3 rigs fine on a 400 and the 5.5 rigs fine on a 430 for my weight. So in a nut shell and as specified on the listings, the 5.5 prefered mast is 430 but can rig on 400, which Id suggest best suits people 80kg or less. This is all in terms of high performance and fine tuning. The blade will also rig ok on non severne masts such as ezzy and powerex but again, fine tuning and to get high performance, it rigs probally 5% better on a severne mast.
Hope that helps.
PS - The 5.5 on a 430 mast also requires a zero length extension.
Also, in regards to 2012 and 2013, small diferences but the 13 feel a little more powerfull and a locked in and the 2012 rig slightly flatter and feel the shape moves around a little more.
Thanks a lot for your answers, so I guess a 400 mast would be fine for my 75 kgs. My 4.7 is an Ezzy Wave Panther 3, unfortunately I broke my 400 Hookipa mast and need to get a new one anyway. Ezzy have a 5.5 sail as well, maybe this would be the better solution.
Bummer, I really liked the design of the Blades.