Hey guys,
I'm looking at buying another sail to add to my current collection of 1! I've got a 7.8m non Cammed sail which is great in light winds, I find it easy to rig, and handle when set up well. I like it.

Most guys I've seen around have Cammed sails and I'm wondering what the real differce is between the. (Other than the obvious) and if anyone recommends one over the other? I'm wanting to get something around 6m to use in +15 knots.

Pros and cons?

Thanks

There are no Con's to No Cam sails, especially when you are learning the cams only complicate things, make up hauling and water starting harder and slow up and complicate the rigging process

When you get really good and start to look for more high end performance, then you can start to consider cams, and even then you don't really need them, especially in smaller sizes. (ever seen a wave sail with cams?!)

Stay with no cam until you get to that level.

I used to have a low opinion of cammed sails then I tried one. Love them now. I dont think you need to be really good to enjoy them. The kids just starting out in techno class all use cammed sails and it doesn't seem to hold them back.

See if you can try one for yourself before you make a purchasing decision

Non cam sails
Pros
- easy to rig
- easy to water start
- light
Cons
- reduced wind range
- less stable in higher winds

Cam sails
Pros
- stable in high winds
- broader wind range
- faster if rigged correctly
Cons
- heavier
- difficult to water start due to the large luff pocket
- more technical to rig

In the end it's a matter of personnel choice.

Learning to jibe ? (we all are). Non cammed sails are easier to depower and lighter, thus easier to jibe...
Cams, (short for camber inducers) put that aerofoil shape in the sail making it more stable (keeps it shape).
They're great for high speeds or racing.

Good discussion. Could I throw in another question, or two, to those who have used both types...Are crammed sails better for light wind days when you have to sail through lulls? Second...what is the difference between say 3 crammed and 5 crammed sails?

thanks.

Beginners perspective.
I started with a non cammed sail then fell in love with the stability of cammed sails. I was later to learn that I probably had been setting the non cammed sail too soft and loosing control in gusts.

I have spent way too much money on inappropriate cammed sails based on my poor experience with non cammed sails early on my planning career. Some of the cammed sails I use have been fantastic

Suppose I'm trying to say lots of plus and minuses In the 6m size definitely non cammed but be careful to get a sail for the wind range that you wish to use it in. There are sails with low end grunt and others designed for high speed stability - some claim to do both. So more than just cammed vs non cammed.

Looking for a 6m ish non cammed sail myself since my north 6.7 natural died

Cheers Jeff

I love cammed sails but there is limit.
I wouldn't go much bigger then 8.0 maybe 8.6 and smaller then 5.0. At least yet,

For super light wind I prefer super light sail. If there is only small breeze - whats a worry about stability , but I could uphaual or water start my 9.8 with easy.
Now I am looking for even bigger size for recreational sailing.

Same possibly true for me toward the another end- super small sail. 4.2 is the smallest in my collection and I doubt if cams will help in super high wind.

I like my cammed sails but remember there are non cammed sails that are almost as fast like north x type and severne ncx there is a huge difference between these and wave sails .

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MarkSSC said..
Good discussion. Could I throw in another question, or two, to those who have used both types...Are crammed sails better for light wind days when you have to sail through lulls? Second...what is the difference between say 3 crammed and 5 crammed sails?

thanks.

Sorry to correct you but it is Cammed.... I do GPS flatwater sailing .
Since I've got into cammed sails I really notice the on / off twitchiness of my Sailworks Hucker ( wave/ freeride sail) compared to the stability of cams. Especially in gusty winds much more tiring.
I'm looking for a cammed 5mish for those 25kts + days for GPS but will keep the wave sail for b & J as it's probably easier to waterstart.

Thanks sboardcrazy for the correction I did mean cammed...the autospell on this iPad changed the original. It tried to do it again on this post as well. Autospellers obviously know very little about windsurfing!!!

I know what you are saying Mark. I always use to say No Probs a lot when texting, but have since changed it to No worries as auto check on the iPhone would always change it to "No Probes". I suppose it is better than changing it to "Probes please". Anyway I have both cammed and no cam sails and in light winds you win some and lose some in that the sails with cams do go better in the lulls, however if the wind is light doing a dodgy light wind gybe with a sail with cams on a short board often results in a swim, then you have to get up again. I use a NCX for 6.5m and down as the other thing is that sometimes I want to depower a little when I get out of my comfort zone, this can be very difficult with a cam sail, but I had a pretty bad catapult last summer and have gone for slightly more cruisy gear, yeah I'm probably not going to win anything, but I wasn't before anyway and have other commitments and don't make my living windsurfing. I'm really happy with no cams minimal rigging time and getting most of gybes now which is more important to me than going super fast. Bigger sizes where the board has enough float I use cam sails to get through the lulls and pump onto the plane easier.

If you are not into racing, or gps sailing. Give the cams a miss, more hassle to rig, heaps harder to water start. The no cam sails like ncx and north e type with their extra battens are very stable. Especially as the sail size drops the stability advantage of cams diminishes

Hey thanks for the input everyone! My iPad also auto corrected the topic to crammed.... not sure about crammed sails... lol

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sboardcrazy said..

Since I've got into cammed sails I really notice the on / off twitchiness of my Sailworks Hucker ( wave/ freeride sail) compared to the stability of cams. Especially in gusty winds much more tiring.
I'm looking for a cammed 5mish for those 25kts + days for GPS but will keep the wave sail for b & J as it's probably easier to waterstart.

When I went to Dahab, which to me was pretty gusty, I had far more fun on cammed 8m and 8.5m sails than on the smaller non-cammed sails, even though it was pretty windy. The stability was perfect in the gusts and made up for being bigger sails. The 'helpers' there didn't want me to take out such big sails, but they didn't realise that it was easier than the smaller sails, and for a lardy person such as myself, the size was ideal.

I think the Hucker specifically is made for grunt. I think its Sailworks' 'I want to fly in Hood River' sail, made specifically for high jumps.

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MarkSSC said..
Thanks sboardcrazy for the correction I did mean cammed...the autospell on this iPad changed the original. It tried to do it again on this post as well. Autospellers obviously know very little about windsurfing!!!

I can't control our tablet..

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FormulaNova said..

sboardcrazy said..

Since I've got into cammed sails I really notice the on / off twitchiness of my Sailworks Hucker ( wave/ freeride sail) compared to the stability of cams. Especially in gusty winds much more tiring.
I'm looking for a cammed 5mish for those 25kts + days for GPS but will keep the wave sail for b & J as it's probably easier to waterstart.

When I went to Dahab, which to me was pretty gusty, I had far more fun on cammed 8m and 8.5m sails than on the smaller non-cammed sails, even though it was pretty windy. The stability was perfect in the gusts and made up for being bigger sails. The 'helpers' there didn't want me to take out such big sails, but they didn't realise that it was easier than the smaller sails, and for a lardy person such as myself, the size was ideal.

I think the Hucker specifically is made for grunt. I think its Sailworks' 'I want to fly in Hood River' sail, made specifically for high jumps.

Yes I emailed sailworks when I first got it and they suggested as a lightweight I rig it on my 400 mast with extension rather than the 430 as it would be softer mast and allow more twist to de power. He said it was = to a 5.2m. I was a bit worried at the time as I was replacing a 5m Revo and wasn't sure how it compared.
When I first got it I loved how it helped me jump but I haven't jumped for so long I've forgotten how! Have to practise jumps next summer..