In really strong wind or wind that changes direction in a split second from say a SW to a southerly - 9 batten sails hold their shape better.

I used a 8 batten 6.3m KA Race a few times - performance was identical to my TR8 Maui 6.6m - but in the bigger gusts I could feel despite its smaller size I was fighting it more. More battens equal extra stability.

On the 9 batten TR9 5.5m - would not have it any other way. Again,the extra batten in the bigger gusts adds stability.

Smaller guys tend to need more battens to get top end,whilst bigger guys can hang on to 7 batten race sails even in the gusts - think Isaac.

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geoITA said..
Wow!!! Super nice, and super light ... the sexiest sails for '17!
Did you rig on proper S2Maui Venom masts? What about rigging impressions? And, I see the clew grommets, is that because it's pre-production samples?

Yes both sails were rigged on the S2 Maui Venom mast. The clew grommet is indeed only on these sample sails, the outhaul pulley will be on the production sails.

Got to try the 7.7 briefly in powered up conditions. It gains some softness compared to the 2016 and camber rotation is super sleek. Straight out of the bag, rigged to spec the sail feels extremely light, powerful yet stable letting you concentrate on board trim going over bumps/chop, the only way to be able to put the foot down.

what is the expected time the sails are coming.

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byronmc said..
what is the expected time the sails are coming.

Expected to land around JAN 20. Sample sizes 7.7 and 8.4 available now

In stock now

Got my new sails yesterday hopfully get to use them today.
love the look and shape of them and cam rotation is great.

It will be interesting to get your comments byronmc on the sails relative to the Mauisails I love my TR TR2016's
Enjoy your new toys

Regards Russ

I have been using the S2 Maui now for the last two weeks "wind depending".
I have been on Maui for a few years now and have been very happy with them but have switched brands to Maui S2.
I have used 8.4, 7.7 and 7m so far.
Very happy they are quality top of the line race sails.
Extremely light to handle and feel the same sailing. You really notice the weight when you jibe they just go around by themselves. Cam rotation is excellent.
Colour they stand out from the crowd on the water and look excellent.
Still waiting for a good breeze to test them out and get on the small sails.

Byron

After a few sessions on 6.3/7.0/7.7 and 8.4, here is a short report on the race sail designed and developed by S2 Maui (Art Szpunar and Barry Spanier).

The goals were to achieve a light sail (the lightest on the market), powerful yet stable and smooth camber rotation. The PWA team grows this year with Delphine Cousin (PWA Slalom World Champion in 2013 and 2014), Antoine Questel (regularly top 10 finisher in the PWA) and veteran Angulo and Buzianis.

As a short introduction, here is a video of the 7.7 with Zois (Greece), talented, skilled rider.


Common attribute to all sizes, the weight! Combination of Technora on the mast luff pocket and Spacelight material on the upper leech make the Venom the lightest sail on the market. This is one of the aspects that got Delphine Cousin onboard with S2 Maui.

General consensus on the beach on the design and colour scheme is very positive. Here is a photo to illustrate (high visibility of the metallic red):



Another novelty on this 2017 design, the light and very reactive head of the sail using 2 full carbon batten.

Very pronounced shape placed forward and locked in. This being said camber rotation is exceptional, which makes it an excellent slalom rig, even in the strongest gusts, rotation stays smooth. At no point one need to fight the rig for camber rotation after flipping the rig.

The sizes may feel slightly larger than spec, this may very well be due to the conditions we tested most sails in (powered up to overpowered). Heaps of power up front delivering the necessary power on a reach and broad tack. The feeling is of a very reactive/responsive sail. Stability is impressive, tested 7.0 and 6.3 in overpowered conditions (6.3 in close to 40 knots gusts), even if smaller sails would have been better in these conditions, control and performance was there (using the outhaul to gain control widens the sail range without killing the sail falling on the deck, pressure remains constant across the boom)

Softness of the rig does not come from the mast but the leech that opens up smoothly to exhaust excess power. The feeling of the 7.7 is nevertheless softer than 2016 model and camber rotation (which was not the best) is now super sleek.

Downhaul tension, we tested different settings and the following seems to be best so far:
- 6.3 @ +2cm from spec
- 7.0 on spec or +1cm
- 7.7 on spec or +1cm
- 8.4 @ +1cm

Performance wise it is definitely up there match racing with the local guns. Light rig combined with super smooth comber rotation could be key in slalom racing or achieving alpha and 1 hour PBs. The French team achieved some impressive speeds (currently their PBs):

- 39.98 with 6.3 - 98L - 32 fin
- 36.64 with 7.7 - 108 - 38 fin

Being able to rig 5.0 to 8.4 on 3 masts is another great attribute.

As a bonus, here the latest video of Josh Angulo ripping with his S2 Maui and single fin ;):