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RACE SEGEL-2000 TEST.
Windsurf UK April Race sail test:
Gaastra Nitro 9.3
Arrows Thomahawk 9.5
Neilpryde RX2 8.4
Tushingham Formula 9.1Gaastra Nitro 9.3 Tested Windsurf April 00
Following years of World Cup winning race designs for Pryde, the new Nitro is Barry Spanier’s first race sail for his new employer Gaastra, and with the help pro-riders ‘The Team’, this new combination looks set this see his winning trend continue. As with Simmer, Gaastra have also now dropped their extended head ‘Total Flow’ concept in favour of a much simpler and lighter raised head outline which also eradicates the added hassles of very specific short and stiff masts. In its place though, the Nitro does utilize eight main battens with three mini leech battens, two cams either side of the boom cutout, Allen key batten tensioners, built-in tack pulley and fairing with twin outhaul eyelets, seams and bat and insignia taped overall level of build quality. Cut using a simple broad seamed panel layout with a vertical cross-ply luff panel, the Nitro has a moderately wide lightweight lufftube at the bottom, tapering off to be very narrow at the head, whilst it is in fact the only sail to have a cam right down on the very bottom batten. This extra cam combined with a fairly tight fitting luff on a 520 mast, certainly doesn’t make the Nitro the easiest to rig or de-rig, although thankfully the cams anen’t prone to popping off the mast when rigging like some, but again, the downhaul tension required is very considerable. However, for anyone serious about performance, all of this is soon forgotten as the rigging range and performance produced by the Gaastra makes it perhaps the most serious race winning sail in the group. Shaped with a very dynamic vertical profile, the Nitro sets very full and solid in the lower half of the sail, whilst the middle section flattens off quite quickly to the head, giving it a very loose and twisty leech, progressively decreasing right down to the boom. As such, the enormous power created by its fairly long boom and low down fullness, does remain very low in the sail and direct through the boom, whilst the top flexes and exhausts to combine both power and speed in one. The low down fullness also allows a fair degree of range on the outhaul, being pretty neutral for maximum low end, whilst a good 5 or 6cms significantly reduces the backhand pressure in overpowered conditions. As a result, the Nitno really does explot maximum performance from all areas of the racecourse, especially in terms of speed, being equal first both up and downwind. With its fine balance between stability and pumpable spring, it is also undoubtedly the first in this group to get planing, whilst its positive and powerful feel also keeps it driving forward at all times, seemingly gliding through a lull on its own apparent wind. Its solid and full shape though doesn’t make it the easiest to handle in the turns, tacking through with a pretty mighty crash and not always perfectly cleanly which whilst most confident racers will take in their stride, will make it a little less appealing for light wind recreational use. Furthermore, to really exploit its wide potential wind range, an adjustable outhaul system is highly recommended to be able to keep the power under control at the top end, but a serious racer will most likely relish this extra tunability.
Overall- Having started with a clean slate, new Gaastra designer Barry Spanier has managed to produce perhaps the most potent race winning sail of his career. Furthermore, with a light physical weight, powerful low-end pull and devastating speed on all points of sailing, any level of racer will benefit from its performance.Arrows Tomahawk 9.5 Tested Windsurf April 00
Although being the current model of race sail in the new Arrows 2000 brochure, this particular design has in fact been available since the beginning of the UK racing season last year and as such, it is the one sail in this group that has a proven track record, having won the overall BWA racing title in the hands of team rider Julian Anderson. The Tomahawk is a little different to the other sails in this group though, as the number of battens actually reduces in the larger sizes, having only six main battens in the sizes above 8 metres. It does however utilize a fulllength mini batten in the head with two mini battens on the leech, four cams (one below the boom and three above), Allen key batten tensioners with reverse side abrasion tabs, tack eyelet with strap and fairing, twin outhaul eyes and insignia taped seams and batten pockets, to again be of a good level of build quality. Cut like most modern performance sails wth a vertical cross-ply luff panel and broad seaming under the battens, the Tomahawk has a hirly wide lufftube by current standards, and set on the recommended 520 mast, it is reasonably straightforward to rig. However sleeved like most cambered sails with the mast threading onto the cams as it goes, it does require constant downward pull to stop the cams from popping offthe mast during rigging, which can mean virtually starting again, but once the nequined downhaul pulley hook is attached to the eyelet, the downhauling itself is fairly easy by comparison. Once rigged, the Tomahawk does have a reasonably good range of settings to choose from, but compared to some of the sails in the group, it never sets particularly full by downhaul alone, although the old trick of zero or negative outhaul does allow t to fill fairly full with some wind in it. Its hirly slight shape does however extend most of the way up the sail with its unusual convex leech generally setting with a fair degree of progressively decreasing twist and slackness down to the batten above the boom. On the water, despite its extra size, the Tomahawk is perhaps the least daunting and easiest of all the sails in the group to use in light or marginal winds, with its fairly soff feel and soff rotation making for comparatively light handling. In this respect, anyone just looking for a huge sail for light wind cruising will most likely find this the most freeride-like race sail available, feeling surprisingly light and manageable. For the dedicated racer though, its soffer and less aggressive feel certainly doesn’t produce quite the same positive locked-in pull as the others in the gnoup, and as a consequence, its best performance is found in ts mid-range wind band where nether extreme power nor stability is a major issue. However in the categories scored, it never really decisively beats anything in this company, although on the other hand, it certainly doesn’t have any particular weak point so it is well capable of delivering good consistent performance around a racecourse.
Overall – Despite being the biggest sail in the test, the Tomahawks lesser battened format and light construction does make it pretty simple and easy to use for a big race sail, although its comparatively softer and less locked-in feel doesn’t give it quite the same aggressive race performance as some.Neil Pryde RX2 8.4 Tested Windsurf April 00
Designed exclusively now by the winning combination of Nils Rosenblad and Bjorn Dunkerbeck the RX2 remains fairly true to the RX I fnom last year but a whole series of tweaks and modifications have been implemented to improve the performance of what has consistently been a very highly respected race winning machine. Available only just in time for this test with 8.4 being the biggest in stock, Pryde have never been a brand afraid to move in a direction away from the pack and some of the changes in this new model ane in quite stark contrast to the general trend changes made by many of the other brands in this group, most notably being, reduced fullness and twist over last years RX1. It does though still feature their rotating ‘Shear Tip’ head in its third version, four cams (one below and three above the boom), Batwing leech hollows that eliminate mini leech battens, Batcam batten tensioners with reverse side abrasion tabs, built-in tack pulley and fairing with triple clew eyelet options, plus insignia taped seams and batten pockets to be of their usual good level of build qualty Designed with a very simple and functional panel layout of total broad seaming under the batten pockets wnh only a very narrow cross-ply luff panel emerging above the boom, the RX2 has a very similarly wide luff tube to the RX1, being notably at its widest on the batten below the boom, then gradually tapering towards the head. Rigging the RX2 though, is perhaps the easiest of all the sails in the group, which whilst being the usual case of gradually shuffing the cams down the mast, is simplifed by the wide shouldered cams with supporting straps that don’t allow the mast and cams to part company Furthermore, the original built-in pulley fitting has substantially grown in size for this sail, now consisting of three large independent wheels that allow the very substantial downhaul tension required to be reasonably achievable. The setting range on the downhaul though isn’t particularly big, but as with most modern race sails, the outhaul offers much more in terms of maximizing the conditions. As such, the RX2 sets surprisingly flat compared to most of the other sails in the group, having a fairly fine entry and slight shape most of the way up the sail with gradual fullness right through the lower battens. The leech twist is also a little different, being very slight companed to Pryde race sails of recent years, with again a fairly slight but even amount of slackness between each batten right down to the boom. However set on the recommended 490/29 mast, the RX2 does have quite a soft and flexible feel to it, so despite its comparatively flatter profile, the firmer leech and pumpable feel does produce surprisingly good bottom end power. Most importantly though, the combination of all these factors makes it exceptionally good upwind, both in terms of pointing and speed. But whilst its reaching speed is also well in the top bracket of the group, the higher centre of effort in the sail does make it a fair bit more lifty than most, encouraging the board to ride right off the fin and quite high in the water. In this respect, whilst it is certainly not unstable at the top end, it is a little harder to control than some, requiring a little more physical input through the legs, but put in the hands of a strong sailor, its potential is limitless. One area that it is easier though is during transitions, when its softer and flatter shape tacks through fairly softly, and whilst not always totally clean. the cams do eventually follow through once powered back up.
Overall- Sticking fairly closely to the basic structure of last years sail, the new RX2 has utilized quite a few design tweaks and modifications to give it improved bottom end power, fantastic upwind speed and pointing, plus the potential to extract the ultimate reaching speed from the latest style of course racing boardsTushingham Formula 9.1 Tested Windsurf April 00
Inspired by the BWA’s complete embrace of the one board three sail ‘Formula Windsurfing’ class, the new Formula is Tushingham’s latest race sail from designer Ken Black ranging from 8.1 to 10.6 to maximize performance in the class’ 7 knot racing wind minimum. Shaped with a similar raised head outline to most of the other sails in the group, the Formula also incorporates seven main battens with three mini leech battens, three cams (one below and two above the boom), Allen key batten tensioners with reverse side abrasion tabs (although the bottom batten has a buckle tensioner?), large tack eye and fairing with two clew eyes, two fold-back boom cutouts and insignia taped seams and batten pockets, giving it a good overall build quality. Cut like virtually all modern performance sails with broad seam shaping running under the batten pockets, the Formula does have a slightly more heavy duty construction than most with the use of cross-ply film along the foot, around the clew and up the leech, as well as being used in the more common vertical luff panel, being fairly narrow but with a moderately wide tapering lufl sleeve. Designed to sit on a 520 mast, rigging the Formula presents no specific problems, although like all solid camber induced sails, sliding the mast up the sleeve with the cams in place does take a bit of effort whilst it also benfits from constant downward pull when sleeving to keep the cams from popping off the mast. Having an eyelet in the tack it is imperative to use a pulley hook to achieve the very high level of downhaul tension that this sail requires, and we found this didn’t benefit from varying too much to get the best out of it in marginal or maxed conditions. Once set, the Formula has without doubt the most radical shaping of any of the sails in the test, being incredibly full and knuckly on the batten just below the boom, whilst the shape flattens off quickly half way up the sail to produce an extremely loose and twisted leech at the head. Cut with such, degree of fullness around the boom, it also requires a moderate amount of outhaul tension to keep it clear of the boom, which also produces quite a tight leech in the lower two panels. Set wth such tension on a long and stiff mast, without doubt gives a level of stability almost beyond belief, and we were amazed at how it motored through the biggest gusts without a hint of any handling problems. And not only does the sail remain rock solid, the low pull and wide open release from the head keeps even the most skittery boards low to the water and driving forward at all times. However, the Formula’s small rigging range does mean that the head stays wide open all the time, and when it is being used in more moderate or marginal conditions, the top does little to contribute to the sail’s power, and just tends to hang or flap instead. In this respect, unless in maxed conditions, we found its upwind performance to be a little below par both in terms of speed and pointing, although the combination of drive and release does produce excellent beam and broad reaching speed. Manoeuvring a sail with such fullness is also never the easiest, but whilst it certainly tacks through with an arm-wrenching crack the cams always fully rotate every time. This aspect alone though does make it rather hard work for anything less than full on racing, but taken out in enough wind, its true racing potentialk could be awesome.
Overall – Shaped with a very radical foil profile, the Formula is a very racy dedicated piece of kit, delivering unbelievable top end stability. Its wide open leech though does rather limit its low end performance, leaving it to rely more on its speed in maxed out conditions. Back to Surfstores’homepage -
12 Svar
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“new Gaastra designer Barry Spanier has managed to produce perhaps the most potent race winning sail of his career”……….det låter jävligt bra!
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Låter som Pryde äntligen fått en riktig utmanare!
As a result, the Nitro really does explot maximum performance from all areas of the racecourse, especially in terms of speed, being equal first both up and downwind. With its fine balance between stability and pumpable spring, it is also undoubtedly the first in this group to get planing, whilst its positive and powerful feel also keeps it driving forward at all times, seemingly gliding through a lull on its own apparent wind.
Bäst på allt eller?
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Det låter bäst! Kommer rocka fett! Får väl se på tävlingarna om det håller vad de lovar……Låter iaf bäst i testet…….f-ck Pryde!
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fuck pryde? fuck you, säger jag då…
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Fucka istället det faktum att vi måste glo i Tyska och Engelska tidningar för att försöka bilda oss en uppfattning om vad som är bra eller dåligt.
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Hur mycke har inte Gaastra fått betala för att få det här testresultatet. Värkar som om Gaastra ligger bra till hos de flesta Tidningarna nu…skummt.
För inte allt så länge serdan fick Gaastra nästan en hel tidning i gratis reklam. Då skulle tidningen förklara hur man vågrider, klarar sig undan vågorna etc. Då var de the Team som fick stå för den förklaringen med en massa bilder på segel så klart.
Det är säkert inte bara Gaastra som mutar till sig test resultat men det värkar vara dem som står högst upp på listan nu…inte så konstigt kanske. Man vill väll få en rivstart med den nya shapern.
Till alla test fanatiker på denna sidan och jag vet att det finns många…en liten tankeställare.Foppa
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Mutad? Vilka anklagelser va…
En fråga till dig Foppa: Hur bra var Neil Pryde när de hade Barry Spanier??
Svar: Hur bra som helst, bäst!
Och nu skriver Boards att Barry har skapat sitt mest potenta vinnarsegel genom tiderna, och du skriver att Gaastra har mutat, jojo… -
HOHO….det var det roligaste jag har hört.
Måste vara Barry som mutar tidningar efter som hans segel fått bäst i alla år, hmm. Han måste vara väldigt rik…. -
Han lär bli rik eftersom hans segel är så bra..HOHO
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Däremot har jag hör från en som jobbar som segeltestare att ett märke som slänger in en helside annons i t.ex tyska surf (eller nån annan tidning), absolut inte kan bli sågade där. Och om man då t.ex bläddrar igenom mars nr3 så har jag för mej att alla märken utom , NAISH (som blev totalsågade!!), ezzy och GAASTRA!! Har feta annonser i det nummret. Kan man inte då räkna med att dom seglena är nästan snäppet bättre som klarade sej så bra utan att “annons-muta”? Eller är det så att Gaastra inte hade råd med en annons för dom redan mutat bort alla sina pengar?
Vad vet jag.. -
Jag har extremt svårt att tänka mig att Gaastra (eller någon annan) betalar rena pengar för bra testresultat. Däremot lär det iallafall inte skada med en bra relation till tidningarna.
“Gratisreklamen” med bröderna Pritchard du talade om är ablolut inget nytt eller unikt för Gaastra. Robby Naish har synts på otaliga liknande reportage, liksom Robby Seeger och till och med “vår egen” Rappe. I höstas sågs till example Josh Stone (NP) i ett tricktipsreportage (SURF) som var minst lika stort som Pritchardreportaget.
Att vara så duktig att tidningarn vill ha en och att ställa upp på fotosessions för diverse fotografer är en del av att ha ett bra sponsorkontrak. Dessutom höjer det ens eget “personliga” värde, något man kan använde vid nästa löneförhandling eller sponsorbyte.
Man kan helt enkelt säga att tidningar, tillverkare och professionella seglare lever i en slags symbios. där alla påverkar alla. Pengar från tillverkare till tidningar tror jag är en alldeles för naiv lösning.
I själva sakfrågan är det nog inte så komplicerat. Barry har alltid gjort framgångsrika segel. Det är inte konstigt att han gör det även nu. Det är i så fall mer uppseendeveckande att märkesprylracingnissar är så pass känslomässigt bundna till det ena eller andra märket att det ofta blir ett mindre krig så fort någon påstår något om något. Mycket intressant, faktiskt, men knappst från en vindsurfingsynvinkel utan snarare psykosocialdito.
Ola H.
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🙂
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