The ideal speed range of these 8.5 metre sails is between three and a full five wind forces. This is perhaps the widest range demanded of sails in our tests. After all, from the first little whitecaps up to a full five Beaufort. At locations such as Torbole on Lake Garda, Lake Walchensee in Bavaria, but of course also at all other spots with predominantly light to medium winds, experienced surfers weighing 80 kilos or more can practically always surf with it. And with maximum performance across the entire wind range - without having to do much trimming. If you want to utilise the full potential, you can also fit a trim device on the boom to trim the clew while surfing. With these sails, the luff almost always remains trimmed to the one "right" point anyway.
But why not go straight for a pure racing sail? "Racing sails require more power and technique," says surf tester Nicholas Slijk - and top ten rider at the One Hour Classic, "you also have to be able to control the much more powerful lift of a racing sail and have to constantly adjust the sail, these sails here you just hold on tight and go full throttle." For surf tester Frank Lewisch, his experience as a shop salesman also focusses on the frequently expressed desire of customers for a sail that is as stable and easy to surf as possible: "90 percent of all surfers are probably at least as fast with a freeracing sail that is easier to control as with a racing sail," he says and "a racing sail actually wants to be overpowered, whereas freeracing sails work optimally at the bottom and in medium winds."
Three sails require an extra mention before this test report: We would also have liked to have seen the Severne Overdrive, which has been very strong in the past, in the test, but it was not yet available during the Corona-related early test - this time in September on Lake Garda - and is not expected until April. We will definitely provide a well-founded test later. Duotone did not attach any importance to taking part in the test. On the one hand, this is a pity, but on the other hand it creates test capacity for additional, more "exotic" brands such as Challenger or Loftsails, which are otherwise less likely to be included in the test. Finally, the GA Sails is an example of how a classic freeride sail performs in comparison. It was GA Sails' special wish to send this sail and not the 3-camber sail Phantom to the test. Despite having less surface area, the very bulbous "Cosmic" can almost keep up in many disciplines, but does not offer quite the same large wind range in one trim and does not achieve the same outstanding controllability in high winds as the three-camber competition. However, it is still in the very good range in terms of control (page 28). It is also superior in handling, water starts and jibing.
AN LAND
About camber, mast pockets and materials
All sails are equipped with sufficiently thick monofilm - and this is predominantly across the entire surface, the large sail window on NeilPryde looks particularly thick. If you are hoping for a bit more durability in the sporty freerace class, Gunsails, Sailloft and Loftsails offer above-average X-Ply and reinforcements all round, NeilPryde and GA are in the good standard range overall with similar equipment, the Challenger looks the most filigree overall. Loftsails rounds off the bottom of the sail with a particularly luxurious protector, but all the other sails are also adequately protected at the foot of the mast and the protectors extend far enough down. The sails from GA Sails, Point-7 and NeilPryde conceal a lot of monofilm with a lot of pressure or tinting, but are of a decent standard and do not appear undersized. The Challenger, which looks a little spartan on the leech in particular, is also closer to racing sails than all the other products in terms of its overall characteristics on the water. The profiles from NeilPryde and GA Sails in this group have to make do with two cambers and a slightly narrower mast pocket - but this also fits in well with the concept and the categorisation of the sails somewhere between "freeride" and "freerace" and gives the sails their own characteristics.
Thick cloth is used throughout for the mast pockets. In the grip test, Gunsails uses a particularly soft-looking material, while the Sailloft mast sleeve is very stiff and smooth but also extremely solid to the touch. For optimised aerodynamics, the fork cut-outs on Gunsails, Sailloft, Challenger, Point-7 and Loftsails can be perfectly closed with zips in an elastic neoprene insert from the top and bottom right up to the head piece. In the sail bag of the Loftsail you will find an additional set of cambers, which allows the use of a thinner RDM mast and can easily be exchanged for the large cambers. "You have to be a bit careful when buying a mast when it comes to camber rotation," warns material expert Frank Lewisch, referring to almost all camber sails. "We test 100 per cent masts here. Masts with 80 per cent carbon also have roughly the same diameter, but from 60 per cent carbon and less, masts usually become noticeably thicker." The sails in particular, which already didn't show the smoothest rotation with our test masts, are likely to react even more sensitively on a thick mid-range mast. "Thick, older masts with little carbon content are often the cause when customers in the shop complain about poor camber rotation," Frank knows from experience.
ON THE WATER
Lots of speed and more
First things first: they are all fast. NeilPryde focusses primarily on maximum cut in the lower and medium wind range. Strong surfers also benefit from this, as they can cope well with the slightly higher holding forces in really strong winds. Gunsails offers a very successful compromise for "simply surfing fast" in virtually any wind. Challenger, Loftsails and Point-7 go one better at high-end speed in perfect conditions - but at the price of higher technical demands on the rider and slightly less pressure in wind holes than Gunsails offers. Particularly powerful, but no longer heavy, the Vector continues the positive trend of Gunsails' camber sails. Almost as powerful as the V8 in the lower planing range, but a tad faster in the hack, the Sailloft is the slightly more direct alternative to the NeilPryde. And finally, the GA Cosmic confirms its role as an outsider in the freeride class: significantly better handling - almost like a camberless sail - and always close to the field on the race courses, but not quite at the front in terms of performance. The highly pre-tensioned profiles with three cambers cover a particularly large wind range in this group without having to trim. This means that they still work with zero outhaul tension even when there is already a lot of pressure on the foil. In comparison, the GA requires a little more outhaul tension and lighter surfers in particular will like to adjust the NeilPryde V8 with a little more tension on the outhaul as the wind increases and therefore with less holding power. This is almost superfluous with the near-race sail from Challenger. Here are our recommendations:
Type A: You are interested in top speed on very fast freerace or race slalom boards, also with GPS measurement, handling is secondary, you are interested in technical material. Challenger, Loftsails, Point-7 are your first choice. Gunsails and Sailloft should also "deliver" well.
Type B: You deliberately choose freerace because you want very good performance but don't want the disadvantages of pure racing sails. Loftsails, Gunsails, NeilPryde and Sailloft fit your requirements perfectly. Point-7s too, should the camber in the jibe "grind in" a little over time.
Type C: Do you like camber sails mainly because of the feel, but easy handling is also high on your list? GA Sails might have an ideal product, but Loftsails, Gunsails, NeilPryde and, with slight compromises, Sailloft might also be a good fit.
Spotted
The mast pockets from Challenger and Point-7 are well worth seeing. Point-7 tailors an aerodynamically and visually very elegant transition into the sail between the very wide mast sleeve at the bottom and a narrow "mast tube" at the top. Challenger doesn't care about water start qualities and gives its sail the widest mast sleeve we have tested in this class. Some sails have two eyelets on the clew. The upper one is recommended for heavy, large surfers or for light winds (slightly tauter leech), the lower one for lighter people or strong winds. As a side effect, the boom is less slanted in the hand even when mounted at different heights on the mast. A rare feature is the printed scale (Point-7), which can be used to easily adjust the extension. All cambers run on rollers on the mast: GA Sails, Sailloft, NeilPryde, Point-7, Loftsails, Challenger, Gunsails. The camber from NeilPryde is riveted, the others are slid onto the batten pocket; additional spacers can be used to increase the pressure on the mast.
We have tested these sails:
Challenger Sails Fluido T3 8.5
The Challenger sail just scrapes under our test restriction of "one class below the race sail please". We estimate the Fluido to be at most half a size less powerful than pure racing sails - if at all. The extremely wide mast sleeve hints at this blatantly, and the impression is confirmed on the water. The profile with a flat leading edge forms a deep belly towards the rear and draws a lot of power from this. Power that the sail brings to the board voluntarily with minimal holding forces on the sail hand. The somewhat agile sail needs to be skilfully guided with a light hand, but then accelerates vehemently and achieves the best speed results in every wind range. Only in longer wind holes do other sails with more pull on the sail hand keep the board planing a little longer, but as soon as the wind is sufficient for a relaxed riding position again, the Challenger accelerates exceptionally well. It remains light and extremely easy to control right up to the limit. Despite the wide mast sleeve, the light sail feel is maintained even in gybes and when catching up. The only thing that detracts from the impression is the camber, which does not rotate completely without proper assistance. However, experience has shown that this could "grind in" a little after prolonged use.
surf conclusion: A little more challenging but the wolf in wolf's clothing - looks fast and is fast.
GA Sails Cosmic 8.3
If you could start a comparison ride with a jibe, then the Cosmic would certainly be the tester's favourite straight away: handy, light and with such a smooth batten change, which is closer to camberless freeride sails than the rest of this group - that's how the GA inspires in manoeuvres. The sail also benefits from its small dimensions and the fact that it is not positioned directly below the Vapor race sail in the GA range, but rather in the freeride class after the Phantom 3-camber sail. This makes it a better match for high-performance freeride boards than for free
race or slalom plane. The trim also works in light winds with at least a slight clew tension, then it can almost keep up with the pimped sails of the pure freerace class despite its size disadvantage. In comparison, the pressure point is positioned a little further forwards in the sail, with a deep profile just behind the leading edge. After a few variations, we also mounted the mast foot a few centimetres further forward for a perfect deck finish. The sail, which always appears very light, is comfortable to handle in the ideal wind range; in more variable conditions, you feel a little more motivated to adjust the trim for either more planing power or better control. Overall, it is less curly and somewhat more damped than the more robust race cloths.
surf conclusion:A classic freeride sail with the best handling and performance almost like the cloths of a class above.
Gunsails Vector 8.6
With very easy-to-fold cambers - even the cheaper, slightly thicker masts than the "Select" fit here - and easy-to-find trim, the Vector earns the "Easy Surfing" label. Above all, because it is also very relaxed to make fast. Because the pressure point is further back, the sail can be placed "airtight" on the deck even with the mast foot mounted a little further back - it positions itself almost automatically and stably, and hardly any corrections are necessary in gusts or wind holes. In terms of top speed and planing potential, it is hard to beat. Trimming with optical help (trim point "FRED" - fast rigging easy doing) is easy. "I just trimmed it to the Freddy and it does everything right" said one tester - and without the need for corrections to the clew, because the sail can be surfed across the entire wind range with a loose adjustment on the clew. It always has a lot of loose leech, so incoming gusts are converted into acceleration without the need for additional effort, and the sail hardly moves at all. The camber rotates as smoothly as it does in the jibe and the perceived weight is surprisingly low.
surf conclusion: Here, race performance and good handling are served up as an inexpensive menu.
Loftsails Switchblade 8.5
If you still have time to surf after checking out the extensive features and luxurious equipment, you can expect a damped, rather soft, powerful and fast sail with strengths in the mid and upper wind range. Although the trim point is very far forward in the sail, it should be taken seriously, because "under-trimmed" - which sometimes works with other candidates - the sail hardly gains any planing performance, but then actually appears under-tensioned. In keeping with the solid appearance of the material, it feels a little fuller in the hand and, above all, very stable on the board. In addition to high riding comfort, this ensures good controllability when the wind picks up, as the Switchblade doesn't have any annoying load changes. It pulls forwards steadily and almost stubbornly, no matter what capers the wind throws at it. Subjectively, it seems slightly larger than stated and the camber rotates very well in the jibe, but the feeling of having more material in your hand cannot be completely denied. When setting up, the three cambers snap onto the mast very readily, which rounds off the comfortable overall impression. The large wind range in a centre trim also contributes to this; compared to a GA, you only have to make a pit stop ashore a little later with the Loftsails in changing conditions.
surf conclusion: Super equipped, damped sail with a curled, solid race feeling.
Neilpryde V8 8.7
With a deep belly at the bottom, but a narrow mast pocket at the top and only two cambers, the V8 drive is very discreet and cultivated. As the largest sail, NeilPryde does not lose any planing duels in this group despite a lot of loose leech and impresses in the lower and medium wind range with a dominant average over long distances. In the gusts some others are faster, but in the wind holes it powerfully keeps the pressure on the fin and the board planes solidly. The planing power is largely maintained even when the sail is trimmed to "max" on the luff - other sails often lose some of their torque in the process, but not so with the V8. Control remains very good for a long time, but in the upper limit range you have to push harder than with a Challenger or Point-7. During top speed runs on a fast slalom racer, the sail - even the larger one - reaches its limit a little earlier. On the other hand, it scores with classic freeride virtues when manoeuvring. Like a hybrid drive, it switches off the combustion engine in the jibe and hums through the bend with gently rotating cambers. Despite its 8.7 square metres, it is quite light in the hand and if the jibe does end up in the water, the narrow mast pocket only sinks in moderation and makes it easier to restart.
surf conclusion: A high-performance sail between freeride and freerace. Perfect especially for higher weight class surfers.
Point-7 AC-Z 8.5
Don't be fooled! The narrow mast pocket in the upper segment is pure camouflage. The AC-Z shoots across the lake and feels like a light racing sail in the hand. It remains super stable and powerful, with the pressure point further back than a Challenger, but without feeling heavy. Presumably, the slightly more rearward pressure point provides the immense lift - even in medium winds this provides a lot of speed, and in overpowered conditions it increases alertness. Depending on riding ability and weight, the board can be made incredibly fast by dancing on the fin, lighter riders (under 80 kilos) will reach the control limit a little earlier with so much propulsion and lift. The sail conveys a feeling of very little drag and efficient aerodynamics throughout the entire wind range, which pays off in high speed with low holding forces. When setting up, the sail is more technical; after folding the upper camber, the luff has to be slackened a little for the lower camber, then this also jumps onto the mast willingly. In manoeuvres, the camber also doesn't want to go all the way round, but here you can adjust the camber in stages - that's the price for an optimally tensioned race feeling in the rig. Depending on the clew tension, the sail can be tuned agilely or with a clear emphasis on the sail hand.
surf conclusion: Extremely fast freerace sail with top control and easy manoeuvring.
Sailloft Hamburg Mission 8.6
The Sailloft is on a mission: unstoppable and unwavering, it keeps up the "speed", just like the speeding train in the film of the same name. Strong, incoming gusts? The sail remains neutral and calm. Big wind holes? The Mission continues unabated. With a tight, direct feel, it is very racy, the highly pre-tensioned profile (keyword "trim forces") keeps the perfect shape and requires no tension on the clew. Even with the trim line loosely attached to the boom, the sail covers a very large wind range. The control is only minimally regulated at the clew, otherwise the feeling and the optimum profile depth predominate. The sail is particularly stable and curled and always lies well on the deck. Even if the sail appears somewhat more massive than a GA, for example, the forces are concentrated in the lower part, which gives the sail a secure, stable feel. With more wind, the holding forces increase somewhat more noticeably - but you will never experience too much pull on the back hand, even at the upper end of the sensible wind range for an 8.5 metre sail. The Mission appears somewhat larger in the jibe, but the camber rotates well when actively shifted, albeit with a slightly audible "pop".
surf conclusion: Very stable, powerful sail, which above all also has a super "cut". Even better for stronger surfers than for lightweights.
