Hi there,

I've been sailing for near three years with Gun Sails, Zoom and Horizon models across several sizes. I have no complaints regarding how the sails behave. In fact, I think they work quite well. However, they seem to me a bit fragile: batten pockets, batten tensioners and mast foot protector, etc. are worn. The sails are cheaper than many other in the market but, if the don't last the same they aren't cheap anymore. I had Loft Sails in the past, among other brands, and the quality was better (construction wise) by a good margin.

Severne is well known for being one of the lightest sails, good hardware and they should work amazing but perhaps a bit frail?

So, what's your recommendation? what's your favourite sail brand?

If you have Gun sails masts you should stick to sails compatible with constant curve.
Loft / Ezzy are good quality and pretty decent sails with constant curve.
Loft likes to be powered up.
Severne should also work but they are much lighter than Gun but also more fragile.

Ezzy sails are renowned for their strength but are also heavy (older sails especially) but are also powerful.
Severne sails are light and the S1 is my favourite, plenty of power too.
Most sail brands are good these days but it's also a personal thing, some are better when used in stronger winds, some work better in light winds. Try other peoples sails if you can.

Always have Ezzy. No complaints, really well made.

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Madge said..
Ezzy sails are renowned for their strength but are also heavy (older sails especially) but are also powerful.

I've got 2023 Ezzy Waves, they aren't heavy anymore. They've also flattened the profile a fair bit & feel much lighter in the hands than previous years.

4 BATTEN WAVE SAILS
North 4.7 Wave - 2.35kg
Severne 4.8 S1 - 2.63kg
Ezzy 4.7 Wave - 2.93kg
Goya 4.7 Banzai Pro - 3.08kg
Duotone 4.7 Super Hero - 3.10kg
GA 4.7 Manic - 3.11kg
Loft 4.7 Wavescape - 3.18kg
Neil Pryde 4.7 Combat Pro - 3.20kg

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Flying Dutchman said..

Madge said..
Ezzy sails are renowned for their strength but are also heavy (older sails especially) but are also powerful.

I've got 2023 Ezzy Waves, they aren't heavy anymore. They've also flattened the profile a fair bit & feel much lighter in the hands than previous years.

4 BATTEN WAVE SAILS
North 4.7 Wave - 2.35kg
Severne 4.8 S1 - 2.63kg
Ezzy 4.7 Wave - 2.93kg
Goya 4.7 Banzai Pro - 3.08kg
Duotone 4.7 Super Hero - 3.10kg
GA 4.7 Manic - 3.11kg
Loft 4.7 Wavescape - 3.18kg
Neil Pryde 4.7 Combat Pro - 3.20kg

Any list of light, strong and powerful has to include the KS3 Lithium - 5.2 @ 2.6 kg.

He mentioned the Horizon wave sail in the original post. It's a power wave sail. As far as I am aware the only two brands on the market that make light power wave sails are Severne and North. With North sails being rather expensive... especially if you look at the new pricing.

The reason why a GunSails sail is cheaper than say a Severne sail is quite simple. They sell direct to consumer cutting out about 30% in profit margins and logistics cost in the process. As for durability, it depends on how you treat your gear.

I would recommend you test a few different brands if you can. IMHO overall feel of a sail changes quite a bit between different brands. Especially if you use the recommended mast. Especially in the bigger sizes (5.3sqm+) weight starts to have big impact on handling.

Neil Pryde also have the Atlas if you want power. Used by Antoine Albeau.

I like Severne sails, lighter than the rest, in general, and certainly durable enough for me. I've been getting +10 years out of their race sails. With wave sails I think it mostly depends on how one treats them, but the blades have been working well for me. The pro series are more fragile, at least the ones from 2016, but they are well worth the compromise due to their lightness and excellent performance.

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philn said..
Any list of light, strong and powerful has to include the KS3 Lithium - 5.2 @ 2.6 kg.

I was comparing 4 batten wave sails. The KS3 has 3. Added Hot Sails in list.

I've put RRP's in Australian Dollars to compare value.

4 BATTEN WAVE SAILS
North 4.7 Wave - 2.35kg ($1,599) *Surf FX
Severne 4.8 S1 - 2.63kg ($1,399) *SHQ Boardsports
Ezzy 4.7 Wave - 2.93kg ($1,160) *Surf Sail Australia
Goya 4.7 Banzai Pro - 3.08kg ($1,320) *Surf Sail Australia
Duotone 4.7 Super Hero - 3.10kg ($1,529) *Surf FX
Hot 4.7 PW4 - 3.10kg ($1,297) *Couldn't find a seller in Oz. Price from Hot Sails Website excl shipping.
GA 4.7 Manic - 3.11kg ($1,431) *Couldn't find a seller in Oz. Price from Germany excl shipping.
Loft 4.7 Wavescape - 3.18kg ($964) *Couldn't find a seller in Oz. Price from Germany excl shipping.
Neil Pryde 4.7 Combat Pro - 3.20kg ($1,560) *SHQ Boardsports

I ride Gunsails Seals for quite a while now. I don't experience them below par in terms of durability. Considering a switch to Horizons when these are ragged, for a bit more pull. Prices of other brands are just crazy imo.

I only buy second hand stuff these days, the prices for new stuff are indeed crazy, same goes for boards etc.
After a year or two the price is often down by 50%, or more, and one can make some really good deals.

I wonder what you're doing if batten pocket wear is an issue. There are things at the ends to account for dragging on the ground ..... but the actual batten pocket can't be protected along its whole length. I'd suggest the dacron used is pretty damn similar in all brands.

The bottom pad on luff will drag on the board non-slip grit.

If you drag any sail around the carpark, it will not like it.

Durability questions and debate is usually more to do with in actual use

I often wonder what prompts the "fragile" tag that gets attached to some brands. Is there a test? Do i chuck the rigged sail off a cliff into the surf below and see whether it smashes to smithereens? Leave it to bake in the sun for a couple of days and see if anything pops? Tie sail to the back of the van and do some bog laps around the carpark?

I've seen a few different brands fail in some way or another, usually from mistreatment/neglect more than anything else. I dunno, masts, fair call. But i can't say i've ever had a sail break and be able to say i contributed nothing to that happening. But maybe i've just had dumb luck.

regarding objective Materials Sciences test protocols: guess we all perform the occasional Rockwell/Brinell Har(d)ness test with varying exasperation/grief results

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Subsonic said..
I often wonder what prompts the "fragile" tag that gets attached to some brands. Is there a test?

I think that the sail manufacturers have opened up for that interpretation themselves, by introducing different versions of the same sail model.

Neil Pryde now has Pro/Pro HD/HD versions of their wave-sails, as an example.

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Mark _australia said..
I wonder what you're doing if batten pocket wear is an issue. There are things at the ends to account for dragging on the ground ..... but the actual batten pocket can't be protected along its whole length. I'd suggest the dacron used is pretty damn similar in all brands.

The bottom pad on luff will drag on the board non-slip grit.

If you drag any sail around the carpark, it will not like it.

Durability questions and debate is usually more to do with in actual use

Rig and de-rig in the pavement, no wave sailing or big crashes. It didn't happen to me before.