My old Gun 7.5 is about to die and I would like some opinions as to what is considered the best no cam free ride sail of a similar size . I'm considering Loft O2 7.4. North X type 7.3, Hellcat 7.2.Simmer , Naish Rally
I'm of the opinion their performance characteristics for my level are fairly close to cammed sails but what to choose , something with low down grunt and good top end.
Mate I reckon an Ozone Catalyst 12m should do the trick, really nice freeride sail, no cams in sight.
Onya kiteboy, love constructive suggestions. Maybe worth a shot a sneaky peak at the dark side.
Have a read of my review of the HSM Speed Demon in the review forum. They are available at a very reasonable price including the recommended mast. I like them.
I had Loft 02s, actually I still have one and I like them too. However I never had the right mast for them.
The NP Hellcat 7.2 in our opinion is the best no cam sail out there, great low down grunt and unmatched top end speed and control.
IMO as a moderate skilled sailor - Tushingham T4's are worth a look...
and even consider the Tushingham 2 cam Lightning if you want something halfway between performance cam and no cams.
Severne NCX also a good no cam freeride sail.
+2 for Loft O2
Bought an O2 2009 7.4m sail (in average cond) for about $50 2 years ago.
Been waiting for it to die so I can upgrade to new model, however it just keeps going and going, so I just keep using it :P
Sailed the 2011 X-type 7.3? back to back with the 2012 KA Kyote 7.4 and the KA had much more grunt and held its shape during the lulls. Both rigged on 460 powerex skinny.
If you already have a mast them this will limit your options. You need to work out what sails are going to be compatible to your mast.
You could also probably go a step bigger (7.7-8) as a current model sails should have a better range than the old gun.
Without bringing in my personal opinion - which is admittedly very biased- i will confer to facts and third parties:
there are a heap of reviews on this page from magazines:http://www.severnesails.com/2012/media/test_result.php
www.severnesails.com/blog/who-wants-to-go-fast-with-no-cams
The NCX is consistently reviewed as the fastest and best handling No cam freeride in magazine tests - and uses a good chunk of the DNA that is making the Reflex race sail program the fastest and most sought after race sail on the market.
Usually at a price tag that is within $50 of most other offerings in the market. But probably more expensive than internet direct offerings. Its certainly great value for money - but not a cheap offering.
As with any sail -You will need the correct mast curves to get the best performance.
If you are looking for more durability / low end grunt - then the all X ply Gator is the option to look at.
I was on a wavesailing mission in Vietnam a few years ago - and had some good fun wavesailing - but one of the most memorable sessions i had was on a 7.5 freeride sail and a 110 litre fast freeride board. Jus tmagic - it felt like i was sailing "downhill" the whole time
There are quite a few demo NCXs 7.5s / correct masts floating around at shops - especially in Brisbane and on the Sunshine coast -so you can actually ride one before you commit to anything.
- No cam freerides are awesome sails to enjoy pure blasting on.
Do your research , find your desired price / performance point and make an informed decision. Hope that helps and good luck whichever way you go.
Disclaimer, I've only ever used or owned 1 no cam. I have a 5.9 Loft O2 and love it, I use it on a slalom board and usually only when it's windy and the water is rough, sweet sail. I do use it on Green Island when windy and have scored 37 knots on the old gps dial. I have been using an old Ezzy skinny mast with the head adjusted to suit the extra length with no drama but they also work with standard diameter masts.
Here's a short video I've posted before...
(Flame suit) What's wrong with Cams?
I love the feel of cams in a sail - holds a great shape, good power, feels really solid.....
I know this is a non cam thread, but curious why the preference? I can understand no cams on small sails, but when you are in the 7m range... I recon cams all the way....
That's another brand bashing thread where everyone is gonna push for the brand they use (and probably can't compare to anything as they haven't used anything else... same for the shops that sell one or two brands only).
I guess the only constructive comment is from Waiting4wind, the mast will dictacte which way to go unless you consider replacing the lot.
Stable and controllable.
Have just been through the same process researching all the options including cam versus no-cam. Came to the no-cam conclusion, but could easily have gone the other way.
As Waiting for Wind says, comes down to the mast. Mast compatibility is a mine field and if you've already forked out $$$ on a good mast don't compromise performance with a sail that doesn't match. See the mast bend curves thread, and watch out for some of the major brands who seem to have changed bend curves over the last few years making the second hand market even more complicated.
Have a Speed Demon as I was already on Hot Sails. Haven't got it wet yet. It's brass monkeys weather in NZ at the Mo.
Thanks for all your opinions. I have nearly always had cammed sails over my 30years of sailing, however I am thinking of simplicity and my old Gun Booster 7.5 weighs a ton or feels like it, although it worked quite well as a light wind sail matched with my Mistral Screamer 115.
After reading a few tests it occurred to me that for my ability and level of performance I need not fork out for a full on race sail and I have usually been competitive with my sailing mates without spending heaps. I still have a KA Concept 6.6.
My mast is Loft 80% 460 sdm which I believe is a constant curve.
I think batten numbers plays a huge role in the no-cam freeride sails. If you are not looking for speed, but manouverability a 4-5 batten setup will feel lighter, whereas if you want speed more battens wil give you more stability but also a heavier feel.
I just got a simmer zero-five, 5 battens, very small windrange and gets overpowered really easy, but feels very light. I love it, but i'm not going for speed.
I've tried a bunch of different freerace no-cams, inc ncx. My favourite is without a doubt the gaastra savage.
I just bought a 2nd hand 2008 NX sailworks 7.2m. It is cammed but I was comparing its weight to that of a non cammed freeride 7.3 (ok its a little bigger but...) website spec).They were both 5.2kgs or pretty close.
The cams on the NX rotate really well.It is heavy to uphaul but it doesn't seem to hold that much water.
