I'm new to the sport and am at the stage of hooking into the harness and taking on a bigger sail. Does it matter that none of the sails I have are not loose at the top for depower. My gear is old. Should I invest in a more modern sail or at this stage maybe it won't make much difference?
which board size and width are you using ?
and what kinda winds ie speeds ?
i practiced harness on a lake with older sails for one summer
then shortboard with bigger 8.5 on bigger water in bigger winds and was ready
one of my issues was $$$ - still an issue today :-(
joewindsurfer.com
newer gear is generally easier to sail on the old gear - but how old are we talking?
The sizes I have are 4.6 and 6.3. Both of these sails are tight from top to bottom. They are rigged up properly by the way. There are a few 4.7's in buy and sell for around the $300 mark for 2010 models. I'm 70kg and go out in 15-25kts.
What year did the technology change with sail designs making them loose at the top?
4.7 is quite small .. im only 65 and my 4.2 rarely come out id suggest u go for more like a 5m-6.5m
sails went loose leach in early to mid 1990s, some wave sails took a bit longer, mid to late 1990s.
The main difference is wind range. Most older sails had a "sweet spot" where they worked fairly well.
As long as the wind's steady and you have enough sail sizes, they're not too bad.
I'm also 70kgs, and in that wind range I could use one modern cambered sail between 5.5 and 6.0, a little bit underpowered at 15 a tad overpowered at 25.
If wave sailing I'd use use 2 sails, a 5.3/5.5 and a 4.5/4.7, (I don't like wave sailing fully powered up)
Depends what you want and on your style.
Older sails have more power for their size because they are deeper and tighter-leached, therefore creating more lift but more drag.
In return for extra lift (power) they are harder to handle at the top end of the range, and the extra drag means that they are slower at the top end of the range and don't go upwind as well.
Older sails (in my humble opinion) can be faster in gusty conditions, because you can power up so quickly compared to a similar size (and weight) modern sail. But you'll definitely lose out in top speed when fully powered, and in upwind ability in a breeze.
A modern sail as big as your older sails may therefore not replace your old sail, but actually be better for stronger winds and (IMHO) not so good in lighter stuff.
Many sails tend to be designed for open-water conditions and at high speed because that's where and how pros sail, which means that they may not be optimised for "normal" conditions where most of us sail - IMHO.
dont know the details of your kit but if you want to notice the biggest difference look into buying a new mast. and when I say new mast I mean rdm and at least 60% carbon...
The mast has the biggest effect on the sails performance/feel.
This holds true for anything post 2000ish, so basically anything with 5 battens and using monofilm (e.g. not triangle cloth sails..)
rumour has is there is going to be a new mast brand coming to australia next season, one that has just taken the UK by storm!
Al
if getting a newer sail, grab a good mast as well if you have a real oldy. what mast are you using at the moment?
the twist on a sail is enhanced with the correct mast. like a fibreglass mast compared to a skinny 100% carbon job, or even a low carbon compared to a high carbon mast.
the newer sails are so much more forgiving when rigged correctly.
Yes indeed my Salty friend, I agree that is the case if he buys newer sails
But Al was suggesting he goes and buys a new RDM (only) - when for all we know the sails could be 1985 dacron models
...exactly why I said "dont know the details of your kit" at the beginning of my message
and as I mentioned what I am saying only applies to a reasonably modern sail...
If his sail is that old should probably consider buying both, but neither has to be new. can get decent sail for under $300 on the classifieds..
Al
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