Looking to update my small quiver of 2009 Gaastra Manics for summer. I'm on a Naish "real-world" wave, 100l, on the flat and in small onshore waves.

I remember from last summer that my sailing sessions are getting shorter, as I get exhausted being "yanked around" by my sail. Needless to say, nudging 50, fitness is not what it was.

I was reading in the blurb of the Maui Sails Super Freak how they are "soft" and "easy", and favoured by older sailors looking for an easier time on the water.

Just wondering... are there any OTHER brands/models of sails worth a look that are considered "soft", "forgiving" and "easy"?

Until I save up may pennies, is there a way I can alter my rigging technique to give me an easier time out there, on what I have, especially my most-used sail, the 5.8 2009 Manic on the Naish C80 RDM mast?

Any help appreciated.

Matthew

The cheapest thing you can do, is to get someone else to rig and tune your gear (which will include them sailing it for half a session). It could be a simple matter of you not rigging it correctly.

Yeah agreed
Not saying you have it rigged incorrectly but so many times I have been doing it tough, the sail looked right but 1cm of downhaul transformed it....

maybe identifying a power wave sail compared to the more highly tuned performance waves sails will give you a constant drive and less twitch.
ie:
Blade vs S1
Manic vs IQ
Atlas vs Fly
Force vs Session
etc...
maybe, maybe not.
But i find being overpowered a little is less taxing than compensating with technique and sail tuning
[I'm working on changing this]

I agree with Mathew, spend some time re-tuning your sails, are you using the right mast ?

To me a soft and/or easy sail is a sail with a big range.
The sail with the most range that I've ever used is the Ezzy Elite (4 battens).
Also proper mast length is key to maximizing the range of any sail.

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goldy68 said..
Looking to update my small quiver of 2009 Gaastra Manics for summer. I'm on a Naish "real-world" wave, 100l, on the flat and in small onshore waves.

I remember from last summer that my sailing sessions are getting shorter, as I get exhausted being "yanked around" by my sail. Needless to say, nudging 50, fitness is not what it was.

I was reading in the blurb of the Maui Sails Super Freak how they are "soft" and "easy", and favoured by older sailors looking for an easier time on the water.

Just wondering... are there any OTHER brands/models of sails worth a look that are considered "soft", "forgiving" and "easy"?

Until I save up may pennies, is there a way I can alter my rigging technique to give me an easier time out there, on what I have, especially my most-used sail, the 5.8 2009 Manic on the Naish C80 RDM mast?

Any help appreciated.

Matthew

Phil, the guy who owns Maui sails is one of the nicest most caring blokes around (despite the gruff exterior he puts on). I reckon you could ask him the question directly and he would answer what would be the best setup for you. Plus with Maui sails, at least you know you are getting quality sail cloth.

can I just clarify goldy is talking about HOT Sails.

Make sure you have a decent try on a HSM Super Freak before you buy. They are a bit of a different feeling to just about everything else; not saying good or bad, just different.

Another advantage other than the "soft" feel is how tough and durable they are, both on and off the water. Beat everything else by a long way.


But - I have found the biggest thing that counts for endurance, fatigue and long sessions when I am getting old is a lightweight rig. I reckon a HSM Firelight is less fatiguing than a HSM Superfreak. The Firelight is a lot more responsive, sensitive and quick to react but the weight saving seems to more than make up for the slow response and stability of the Super Freak.

You can get the Ultra Light Super Freaks that keep the weight down considerably and are also still a lot tougher than all the other lightweight sails around.


It would seem logical to me that a 5 batten sail is always going to be better for fatigue (more stable) than a 3 or 4 batten, but perhaps the weight saving makes up for it ?

I don't find East Coast sea breezes to be particularly gusty (admittedly more gusty than West Coast seabreezes, but not compared to say frontal European winds) and if you are not hammering a sail in the surf perhaps the lightest weight 3 or 4 batten sail you can find might be the way to go ? 5.8 is probably getting a bit big for a 3 batten though ??



(And - a carbon boom has probably also made as much difference to me as any sail change ever has)

There are plenty of sailors your age or older that put in regular big sessions doing up to and beyond a hundred kilometers a day. Your age isn't an issue.

Like others have said, I'd go with sail tuning first an foremost. If it's not set right a sail can jerk you round a fair bit, particularly if it's set too flat. Easing the outhaul a little can really make a sail settled and docile and greatly prolong your time on the water. It was a particular problem of mine for quite some time. When I stopped over-outhauling sailing became much, much easier.

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ikw777 said..
There are plenty of sailors your age or older that put in regular big sessions doing up to and beyond a hundred kilometers a day. Your age isn't an issue.

Like others have said, I'd go with sail tuning first an foremost. If it's not set right a sail can jerk you round a fair bit, particularly if it's set to flat. Easing the outhaul a little can really make a sail settled and docile and greatly prolong your time on the water. It was a particular problem of mine for quite some time. When I stopped over-outhauling sailing became much, much easier.

Or you got better

Until I save up may pennies, is there a way I can alter my rigging technique to give me an easier time out there, on what I have, especially my most-used sail, the 5.8 2009 Manic on the Naish C80 RDM mast?

Any help appreciated.




Your first problem is your mast isn't compatible with your sails. Try using a hard-top mast instead of constant curve. Having the correct mast improves the sails wind range, suddenly you have more power, control and fun.

Goldy, I agree with Carantoc's reply:

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Carantoc said..
Make sure you have a decent try on a HSM Super Freak before you buy. They are a bit of a different feeling to just about everything else; not saying good or bad, just different.

I am 1 or 3 sailors at my local that brought a quiver of Superfreaks a few years ago. My experience with them was bad. Take a wave sail and a speed sail, combine the their bad points and you have a Superfreak (my opinion). Although, I still have my 4.0 SF which is awesome. One of the other locals is the same. He would rather not sail than use them. They will sit in his shed until they rot probably. The 3rd guy brought them for being indestructible (infact he brought my SF's) and not for ease of use. He likes them for that and does a lot of 'stuntin' at the local without a care if he breaks them or not (he hasn't yet). I've got a write up in the review section I posted a few years ago you might find interesting.

J

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WindsurfSystems said..
Until I save up may pennies, is there a way I can alter my rigging technique to give me an easier time out there, on what I have, especially my most-used sail, the 5.8 2009 Manic on the Naish C80 RDM mast?

Any help appreciated.




Your first problem is your mast isn't compatible with your sails. Try using a hard-top mast instead of constant curve. Having the correct mast improves the sails wind range, suddenly you have more power, control and fun.

Isn't Naish a bit hard top also?
Would be near enough I thought

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Mark _australia said..

WindsurfSystems said..
Until I save up may pennies, is there a way I can alter my rigging technique to give me an easier time out there, on what I have, especially my most-used sail, the 5.8 2009 Manic on the Naish C80 RDM mast?

Any help appreciated.




Your first problem is your mast isn't compatible with your sails. Try using a hard-top mast instead of constant curve. Having the correct mast improves the sails wind range, suddenly you have more power, control and fun.

Isn't Naish a bit hard top also?
Would be near enough I thought

Yep masts should be close enough.

Sounds like u need to run either more downhaul or outhaul.
U probs need to tension the 2 bottom battens too.

I find the following settings "forgiving and easy" for a manic (on a 100% gaastra rdm): downhaul until the batten above the boom just touches the mast (minimal rotation) and outhaul 1cm from neutral. Probably not the best settings for wave sailing, but perfect for cruizzzzing along and a gybe here and there. I don't have any Gaastra's anymore but my switch to other brands had nothing to do with the quality of the Manics. Great sails.

Thanks guys, really appreciate the input. Always good to get a bunch of opinions!

I rig my sails by the numbers (including tape measure, as I've never been someone who can "read" a sail very well), and as someone already pointed out, the Naish are a similar curve (stiff top) to the recommended Gaastra mast (which is why I bought them).

I'll try some of those tips this summer!

Matthew P

^^ I firmly believe in not rigging by the numbers unless it is the manufacturers mast boom and extension... and even then hmmmm

The numbers are a rough indication (at best). Trust your instinct. it's all very simple. If the sail is lifting you all the time: more downhaul. If you can't get planing: less downhaul. Use some outhaul (+1 cm from neutral) for stability and if you have too much power add some outhaul. If you add too much the sail becomes too flat (no clear pressure point anymore): just take a smaller sail. You will have so much more fun with the right settings that you will wonder why you waited until you nudged 50 to learn these basic principles. The other day I met a 74 year old guy who just came in after a session. I asked him why he had so much gear in his car. He explained that he needed the perfect material set up perfectly for every session because he didn't have the power anymore to fight his gear. Makes a lot of sense. (feel free to use this example to explain to your wife why you needed more gear the next time you get yourself new toys)

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Mark _australia said..
Yeah agreed
Not saying you have it rigged incorrectly but so many times I have been doing it tough, the sail looked right but 1cm of downhaul transformed it....

Still looked like the downhaul was pulled down by the front man from Nickelback though.