Rapid Reloaded - With the new Re-Rapid, Gunsails has once again sent a real thoroughbred into the freeride race. The seven-batten sail can be set up quickly and correctly: There is exactly one recommended luff trim and you can actually adjust what you want on the outhaul. When fine-tuning, it only makes a small difference in performance whether you pull a little more here or hang the sail loosely - the extremely good controllability and stable ride feel are not affected by one centimetre more or less pull.
The "Re" in the name indicates that this is a variant of the normal Rapid, which also uses recycled PET bottles. The lower battens are well protected and the protector also inspires confidence. In general, all materials are solidly dimensioned, which should benefit durability, but also results in a comparatively higher weight. There are also clew eyelets and additional mini-battens between the battens. The pulley block at the bottom is rotated by 90 degrees, which makes threading easier in many cases.
The Rapid is always stable in the hand
At over five kilos, the heaviest sail on the scale is particularly well-balanced in the hand throughout the entire wind range. Only the wide twisting leech successfully works through incoming gusts, while the boom is stable in the hands - always in the same position. For petite people, the solid sail feel may seem a little too bulky, but the confidently stable pressure point should more than make up for this for the dedicated stoker: You can always concentrate fully on your board, the sail pulls forwards extremely stably on all courses. The holding forces provide good feedback and there is hardly any risk of accidentally over-pulling the sail. The pull always remains centred between the ropes. With a reasonably suitable trim, it is practically never necessary to pull back in strong winds.
Even in manoeuvres, the sail certainly doesn't shred playfully, but it still performs well, and it builds up tension again quite gently when it is tightened. Sheet in and simply have fun is therefore the message that the Gunsails radiates - from relaxed freeriding to ambitious freeracing. The sail is ideal for fast freeride and freerace boards and covers a wide wind range in one trim, as the glide power is also impressive.
Surf summary of the GunSails Re-Rapid 7.2
The Gunsails Re-Rapid conveys the motto "performance through displacement" in a pleasant way. If you can handle a little more power in manoeuvres, you get a very fast and particularly stable sail with excellent controllability.
Speed, control, driving stability
Not light as a feather in manoeuvres
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Technical data GunSails Re-Rapid 7.2
- Sail weight: 5.28 kg
- Sleeve opening: 109-160 cm
- Mast used: Gunsails Select 100, SDM 460; 475 Euro
- Mast weight: 2.04 kg
- Price: 615 Euro
- Info under gunsails.com
all data measured by surf
