About a year and a half ago i got my hands on a second hand 2014 4.7 Blade. At that time i experienced the amazement of upgrading from a 2010 4.7 Gaastra Manic. The difference was noticeable instantly and it felt like i had come into a whole new dimension. Since then i have also managed to get my hands on a 5.3 and 4.2 2015 Blade which are just as awesome.

Tonight I got to try the 2015 Blade pro 4.7 that i just got to replace my 2014 4.7.The decision to upgrade was driven by the 4.7 being my most used sail as i weigh 66kg.

In the rush to get on the water after work, and score what i could of a late 20-25 knot seabreeze at North Haven in Adelaide, I hastily rigged the sail with minimal attention to rig settings. To be honest, i was in such a hurry i didn't even tension the batterns.

I hit the water and was blown away by the sail. It felt so light and made everything feel so effortless with so much control. I got on the plane easier and it made backloops and forwards feel effortless. Even when the breeze started dropping out i was still getting planning easily. Its like the initial experience i had when i moved to the 2014 blade, but instead its another level again above the standard blade. On top of all this, it looks awesome.

Ive now tensioned the batterns and cant wait to get it on the water again.

The 2016 blade pro must be a piece of windsurfing porn!!

Hard to settle for anything else once you have used the Pro, at your weight you should definitely have a go at the S1 Pro if you haven't already.

Hope you are doing it justice with an enigma boom and 100% carbon mast. At 70kg I can get away with a 370 on my 4.8 S1 Pro, bit softer but that suits me better.

I havent tried the S1's. I went straight for the Blades as i came from a 5 battern when i got the first blade. My style is more old school so at this stage im really happy with how the blades go and work really well with my 86 and 73 Starboard Nuevos. At this stage ive got a Gorilla and a carbon Chinook boom due to budget. Next purchase somewhere in the next year will be an enigma boom and then maybe down the track a blue or redline mast. The Gorilla gives me a bit more comfort for trips to he SA West coast where an XL thrashing is a possibility.

Even with the Gorilla its still a 400gm weight saving over the standard blade so it was still very noticeable.

Size progression in Blade Pro makes no sense.
They have 4.2, 4.7, 5.0, 5.3, 5.7

4.7 = 4.2 x 1.119
5.0 = 4.7 x 1.064
5.3 = 5.0 x 1.06
5.7 = 5.3 x 1.075

Those factors are all over the place. Why is that?

Sorry, not sure what ur meaning. Ive used the sizes 4.2, 4.7, 5.3 for the last 25 years across varying brands and found they work awesomely. Plenty of guys i know also chuck in a 5.0 and it works well for them and bigger guys also the 5.7.
My current quiver range is a 3.3, 3.7, 4.2, 4.7 & 5.3 and it covers me from 12 - 45knots

it means he has had too much to drink and can not follow the sail sizes released for the last ten years and maybe the suppliers should unrealisticly release sail sizes in every .1 m'2 size change

ps he has done a % size increase and they are not all progressively the same low and behold damn the suppliers!!

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Bondage said..
Sorry, not sure what ur meaning. Ive used the sizes 4.2, 4.7, 5.3 for the last 25 years across varying brands and found they work awesomely. Plenty of guys i know also chuck in a 5.0 and it works well for them and bigger guys also the 5.7.
My current quiver range is a 3.3, 3.7, 4.2, 4.7 & 5.3 and it covers me from 12 - 45knots

If the difference between a 4.2 and a 4.7 is a good step you can get the whole range from 4.2 to 5.7 with 1 less sail in smaller steps.
You could cover the same range with 4.2, 4.65, 5.15, 5.7 all with a ratio of 1.107

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Bondage said..
Sorry, not sure what ur meaning. Ive used the sizes 4.2, 4.7, 5.3 for the last 25 years across varying brands and found they work awesomely. Plenty of guys i know also chuck in a 5.0 and it works well for them and bigger guys also the 5.7.
My current quiver range is a 3.3, 3.7, 4.2, 4.7 & 5.3 and it covers me from 12 - 45knots

Mate, how the "F" can you sail a 5.3 in 12knots? do you have a 150+ litre board for the waves and, 45knots? are you a storm chaser. I suppose that's where you got you user name from

Easily when you weigh 66kgs and dont have to sail through the break and just glug out around it and catch waves. Previously had a 90 litre nude, now have a 86 Nuevo for the lighter stuff.

As for the upper end, check the link out below. 2014 state titles we had to wait for wind to back off to 40-45knots due to strong offshore and no rescue craft so we could safely hold the comp. Thats just one example. Doesn't happen often, but we do get some ballistic fronts in SA from time to time.

www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Windsurfing/South-Australia/WSA-titles-pix/

Username came from windsurfing extraoadinaire, musical legend and all round sicko Ian Rushton calling me it.

If you need a 150 litre wave board then you might want to lay off the beers and get a gym membership

^^^ ha ha very good point (66kg). i'm only 72 but struggle to dog it very well.

40-45knots if something bigger than nuclear. Not sure if it has a word . me on a 4.2 and 43knot gusts was bashed around like a rag doll in the jaws of a Jack Russell. Not fun . So anything more than 32knots and i'm not playing.

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NotWal said..
Size progression in Blade Pro makes no sense.
They have 4.2, 4.7, 5.0, 5.3, 5.7

4.7 = 4.2 x 1.119
5.0 = 4.7 x 1.064
5.3 = 5.0 x 1.06
5.7 = 5.3 x 1.075

Those factors are all over the place. Why is that?

If this is a problem to you then sail another brand. Virtually the same steps in size as every other brand anyway except no 4.5 so I'm not sure what brand you will actually turn to. My sail range is 4.2, 4.7, 5.3, 5.6 and the bloody 6.2 for those days when I shouldn't bother. They cover me for virtually any wind And they all get a work out at some point. Size steps seem very normal and logical to me.

5.3 and 5.6? A 5.8 would make more sense than a 5.6 in that series.

i think you will also find some sail sizes are influenced by mast size, allowing more sails to fit on say a 400!

Makes alot of sense - 4.2 - 5.0 - 5.7 a nice quiver , as is 4.2 - 4.7 - 5.3 ... Range offers that classic 5.0 size (essential in say x/x-off breaks for a certain wgt sailor ) , sails around 4.7 / 5.0 / 5.3 become very critical in someones quiver for max size / best fit bigger and smaller boards etc ie a 5.0 might be ok squeeze on yr smallest board , but a 5.3 will just overload it ... its 'wavesailor catered range ( all this size nuance stuff matters less on fsw/b&j ) ... not to mention also more range of sizes in the bigger sizes to get the maximum benefit from membrane lightness , in a 3.7, 800 grms less of an impact , but lighter airs its a transformative difference ... hence lighter end weighted sail range on offer .... and alot of wavesailors also stuff their quiver in most used sizes at less windy breaks , ie 4.7/5.0/5.3 ,to get that perfect balance of throwabout / power they need for a particular day .... so all in all makes total sense if you think about it more from a wavesailing perspective ...

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NotWal said..

I didn't think NotWal's question was silly, but his reds thumbs indicate it was I've always wondered this as well. Thanks Zackery and seabreezer for the explanation.

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NotWal said..
5.3 and 5.6? A 5.8 would make more sense than a 5.6 in that series.

I use Combat HD's and they only go up to 5.6. There is a very noticeable difference between the 5.6 and the 5.3. I might have gone, and I emphasize might, a 5.8 and not bothered with the 6.2 if there was one one made but there Isn't. I find the gaps between my sails are pretty much spot on For me at 67kg and the boards I have.

I managed to sneak in a quick session before the doldrums hit on my new 15' 4.7 Blade Pro. I need to have a few more sessions as I thiink I might have the harness lines in the wrong posy and need to play with the boom height (was set to eye level and running 28" lines), it, but first impressions are normally the most accurate. I really love this sail. It's got a really unique and nice feeling and very easy to use. I was sailing in pussy conditions etc. Everybody was complaining how up and down it was, but I was having a ball. Most impressed

Severn promo vid

2nd session today. From marginal to fully lite up to marginal. I still love it