Interesting to see XO and Simmer going with a cutaway of sorts(although lower than the older versions) in the leech of their sails,Simmer has gone from compact/insert clew to standard boom for next year.

Wtf!! It would take some serious marketing campaign to make me believe in those design's -but then again, it has happened before,some great sailors,pictures and the right words mixed with winter season in norway(freezing cold,short days and very little windsurf time) Then it doesen't take much to convince a us fools
Anyone got any idea of what gaastra is up to with the Vapor's and their new sail designer? It's gonna be interesting to see what the former point-7 designer brings along..

Maybe the XO design is a compromise between the designer who wanted battens along the airflow and marketing, who insisted that a sail that rolls up twice as long won't sell....

What is the idea? My first impression is that maybe you can carry larger area, and that the leech will twist away easier in a gust?

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Harrow said...

What is the idea? My first impression is that maybe you can carry larger area, and that the leech will twist away easier in a gust?

Quite obviously it is to reduce boom length....

Shorter boom = stiffer boom, can run more draft without it touching the boom sides and arguably lighter to sheet in.

Agree that it is related to boom length.

Thus I think it is really only applicable to sails that are a little bit longer than a standard boom size. EG wavesailors mostly have 4.0 to 5.5 ish sails and a 6.2 will often not fit on standard wave booms. Therefore a 6.2 wave sail should probably have one and the rest of the range should not.

Dunno what it is for slalom sails but let's say most people have 6 - 8m but an 8.5 does not fit on most slalom booms so they should use it for the 8.5 size

Looks plain dumb on a 5.0 sail and I can't see any benefit at all to handling / speed / draft stability etc

np have been doing it for the last couple of years so i guess the trend has gone full circle again. i got to admit that last season and this seasons uncammed sails have felt the best yet. would be intersting to know if it's because of the cutaways?

^^^ well if you also made that comment a couple of years ago, it is not the cutouts.

why just one panel might as well do the rest

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jp747 said...

why just one panel might as well do the rest

[Potential sarcasm detector fail]

Because then you lose sail area and the entire reason for doing it is null and void?
[/psdf]

Mark makes a good point RE wave sails and I think it's a lot of the reason it's done in that particular area. Also I think the shorter you can get a wave sail boom the better as it reduces the chance of catching your clew on the wave when bottom turning. It's part of the reason a 4.7 feels so much nicer in the waves than a 5.2 say.

I've just changed sail brands after 4 season and the 5.2 on the new brand has a shorter boom length than the 4.7 on my current brand, almost entirely due to cut away clew, looking forward to it

JP made a good point about other panels...... a return to the 1980's zip-off leeches to make a smaller sail

Cutaway sails multi fin boards, everything old is new again. Im not saying that this is a bad thing actually, I think its great. Just looked at the JP trailer down at lake burley griffin in canberra, quads, tri fins, cut away sails and colour is coming back. I feel the need for large shoulder pads in my wetsuit and a fluro wetsuit.

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Mark _australia said...

JP made a good point about other panels...... a return to the 1980's zip-off leeches to make a smaller sail

zip off leeches! wow i just remembered that..I believe aerotech or some sailmaker in the U.S. made that? unzip a panel and go one size lower attach it and go bigger for lighter winds never lasted though

Hello, JP,

They were actually zip-off foot sections of the sail. They were sold under the name "Multi Sail". Seemed like a good idea at the time, but they didn't last.

This question has been asked before. You may find my previous post if you search under my name.

Hope this helps.

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WindmanV said...

Hello, JP,

They were actually zip-off foot sections of the sail. They were sold under the name "Multi Sail". Seemed like a good idea at the time, but they didn't last.

This question has been asked before. You may find my previous post if you search under my name.

Hope this helps.

you are right and I am totally wrong WindmanV..I wonder what would happen if they did made a comebackeven the pump up board to increase volume but then again we're talking about sails