On land: According to the manufacturer, the uncompromising and flat-profiled four-batten freestyle sail feels high-quality right from the first roll-out thanks to the thick, dark monofilm. Despite the moderate price, the sail looks classy straight away - with some nice details, such as the batten pockets: Here you come across Velcro-like openings to attach the tensioning tool and partially transparent pockets made of plastic, through which the sail battens are constantly visible. The whole thing is rounded off with visual details such as the small Italian flag on the dark film.
If you look further down, you will notice the printed "quick tuning" for the mast extension on the lower leech: simply hold the extension and adjust it to the marked length from the upper edge of the roller block to the upper edge of the adjustment ring, which saves time when trimming. Despite the perfectly adjusted mast extension, it is noticeable when tensioning the luff that the mast pocket, or rather the protector at the bottom, is a little short - a piece of the extension (unpadded) still sticks out here.
How the Point-7 Slash rides
Our test size in 4.8 feels relatively small in the hands, and agile and flat when first planing. It takes an active riding style to exceed the planing threshold - but once this is exceeded, the Slash knows no speed limit. It is playfully light, even a little nervous in the hand and you realise: it wants to be kept busy. The flat profile easily absorbs stronger gusts and transforms them into even more board speed. During the duck it no longer feels fidgety, but very stable and neutral. The sail loads up nicely in the backstroke (especially on the back hand) and then wants to be thrown around as quickly as possible. It rotates very well and quickly, but also wants to be guided precisely.
As far as trim is concerned, the sail is relatively insensitive. The clew trim is specified as "158 plus/minus two centimetres" and you can also play around here. With more belly, the sail feels fuller in the hand and is only slightly more sluggish as a result. You should only be careful not to overtrim the luff - too much loose leech will depressurise the sail.
Surfing summary: The Slash leaves nothing to be desired for experienced freestylers (especially in strong winds). Even freestyle beginners will quickly learn how to duck and get the desire for more "extreme" manoeuvres. Those who prefer more old-fashioned freestyle in less wind should choose a larger size and can generally trim the sail more bellied. However, if you are "only" looking for a high planing sail for jibing variations or vulcanising, you should take a closer look at the "Spy" model from Point-7.
Technical data Point-7 Slash
- Sizes: 3.6/4.0/4.4/4.8/5.2/5.5 square metres
- Luff: 372/380/398/415/428/438 cm
- Fork: 142/150/154/160/164/170 cm
- Price: 519/544/554/569/579/589 Euro
More info at www.point-7.com
