Severne Code Red

Hopefully I can give you some comments that help you out with your question.
Not sure what years the 2 types of Code Reds that I have are, so for clarity I hope that the following identifies them:

CodeRed R2 (red luff pocket)



2008/9??(white luff pocket)




My Background
Been sailing for 20 years,used cammed sails in the early ‘90s but since then have used only waves sails up until about 2 years ago (largest size 5.8). I then bought a 6m Tushingham TBird3 (great sail), found myself sailing in lighter wind so bought a 7m TBird3 (also a great sail)……….then the GPSTC got its seductive claws into me and I have gone down the road of slalom boards and cammed sails. ……so, having now got a brace of Code Reds I can make some comments that may or not be helpful to you. Also keep in mind that I am light (<70kg) when reading my comments about tuning. I also dont race, but like going as fast as I can!

Code Red R2: I have a 5.1, 6.7, and 7.7. The 2 largest sails rig on a 75% Powerex, the smaller on a 400 Blueline. These are really easy to rig, tune, and sail. They have a nice springy/flexy feel, are light, and rotate nicely. You could just about consider them as high performance freeride sails. I have had no issues with durability, and they still look pretty new (even though 2 of them were purchased 2nd hand). Just about the perfect sails for me!

The newer Code Red that I have is a 5.6. This sail is a very sweet fast sail when I have it rigged right (on the recommended 400 Blueline). Compared to the previous season’s R2 it is much more rigid in feel (whilst still a floppy leach that breathes nicely), a fuller draft, is still light weight, however takes a lot more effort (and strength) to rig it – I do not have a winch, just a Hydro Pulla. I also find that getting enough downhaul is vital to me having a good session. If I downhaul even 1cm too little I find that the board spins out a lot and I can’t get comfortable (sail feels “twitchy?” – some of this I put down to my size as it is not unique to this Code Red; being short I need to get the power as low down in the sail as I can), but the rewards are there for getting it right. I have heard that the latest model continues down a similar trend with an even fuller draft. I may have just described exactly what you want for a full on race sail………..

So a summary would be: the R2s I can just rig and go for a sail without thinking too much about tuning. The newer model (for me) needs a bit more thought and effort, but is still a great sail to use. Compared to sails like the Neil Pryde RSR, the Code Reds feel much lighter.

If my description of the R2 sounds like what you are after then another sail that you might consider is the Overdrive. The current model (I am lead to believe) matches it for ease of use and performance. Severn have even registered the Overdrive for the PWA this year. I like the handling aspects of the older Code Reds and would consider the Overdrives as a worthy replacement.

I hope all of that makes sense