I picked up my new 2017 Simmer BlackTip quiver the other day from the Windsurfing Shop...Sadly as always when you get new kit the wind fails to deliver but I thought I'd give you a quick look anyways. I've gone 4 batten sails this year after riding 3 battens for the past 2 season...No real reason, Just a change.
Here's what Simmer has to say about the BlackTips...
COMPACT FOUR BATTEN WAVE SAIL "The 2017 Blacktip presents the best overall combination of drive and maneuverability in our wave sail range. Blacktip is the most popular choice for the modern progressive wave riding style when you have multiple factors at play like apparent wind, gusty power bands, competitive crowds, and the need to get planing quickly to get out of trouble. Blacktip features ultra-light and direct handling, while also providing an expanded wind range to allow the rider some flexibility in rigging and tuning. The compact outline offers a lot of front-end drive to generate speed in turns, the 4 batten profile extends the threshold of environments that one can venture out in. Blacktip goes from powered up to neutral instantly, which allows you to generate more torque off the bottom turn with a generous release of power off the top, all the while not compromising whatsoever in placement and position. Blacktip is always a top choice. It rides so effortless – everything feels easy !"
I've rigged the 5.3 for the purpose of the pics, It's my most used sail size for Gerroa.
As you can see I bought a few new ones, My quiver consists of 4.2, 4.7, 5.3 & 5.9...I normally run 4.7, 5.0, 5.3 and 5.7 but decided to spread the gap a little more and get the smaller 4.2 this year for our crazy winter westerlies.
The first thing you notice about the sails is the build quality, They look super tough with reinforcement in all the key areas.
A nice padded tack pad, It has the usual pocket inside for quick stashing of the downhaul rope.
There's a big loop on the top for easy de-rigging.
The batten pockets have nice little rubber pads on the end to protect them from wear.
The sails have 2 kevlar stretch control tendons to assist with stability.
Heavily reinforced clew with a single eyelet.
The batten ends that rotate around the mast have a kevlar reinforced patch to eliminate wear from the batten rubbing on the mast.
All rolled up...It has the standard elastic loop to secure the sail.
The larger 5.9 I got in the
BlackTip X version, Heaps more X-Ply and a PVC window so it can handle a beating.
I've got myself some Simmer RDM11 masts in 370 & 400 to run the sails on, For the larger 5.9 I got the 430 RDM10 which is a beefier construction. The RDM 11's weigh in at 1.2 and 1.3 kg and the RDM10 at 1.9 kg, They are really nice looking masts.
Here's the specs...
4.2
weight: 3.1 kg
luff: 371 cm
boom: 154 cm
4.7
weight: 3.3 kg
luff: 392 cm
boom: 165 cm
5.3
weight: 3.5 kg
luff: 420 cm
boom: 171 cm
5.9
weight: 4.2 kg (Full Ex-Ply sail)
luff: 446 cm
boom: 177 cm
The sails look really good and even though they were not in stock in Australia at the time I placed the order I was assured that if they had them in-stock at Simmer HQ Sweden it would only take around 10 days to be delivered via FedEx. It actually took only around 7 DAYS in total to be delivered to the Windsurfing Shop located in NSW at Blackalls Park. It was great service, Great communication and ultimately a great price that made me go the the Windsurfing shop and Simmer Style.
Stay tuned for the review once I get them wet.
Cheers J.
jh2703
> 9 months ago, 19 Sep 2016
