Picked up my 4.4 and 4.8 S1 Pros during the week and got a solid hour and a half in cross on 20-25 knot bay wave conditions. Used the 4.4m and am again blown away at how good these thing are. Instant power, significantly better wind range, more stable and more controllable that previous years S1s. Super stable in the air and an absolute delight when going for Pozo style clew first switch stance wave hits.

Not cheap but worth every penny to an ageing aspiring wave sailor. Another bonus is that the weight savings with the new S1 and a mid life crisis Redline mast upgrade means my 74L Nude Chopper now feels spot on with the 4.4 m. All set for an epic season!!!

I've had the S1's a few years now and the 2014 sails are incredible - seriously makes a big difference for me on my wave riding. I've tried the 2015 S1's and to sum up how I feel about them, I just can't wait to get some

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KevinD002 said..
Or he switched to Severne so he could have the super Severne/Starboard combo or NP and JP were up to something

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KevinD002 said..
Or he switched to Severne so he could have the super Severne/Starboard combo or NP and JP were up to something

There were some discussion about sail weight tolerances earlier in this thread.
I´ve been using Severne wave sails since 2007 and I´ve been very happy with Blade and S-1 sail designs. Also quality and workmanship have been good, and they have manufactured really light wave sails (comparing to other brands) . Also Severne has been one of the rare ones that give sail weights in their specifications.
But I do have to say that every single one of my Severne sails (12 sails) has weighted just a bit more than what it says in specifications, but previous years that extra "weight" has been less than 100g ...
I just received first of my S1 Pro sails. This 5.2 should be 2.4kg but precision scale indicates 2.56kg.. so I guess "factory tolerance" is around +6.5% at Severne
Anyway it´s ridiculously light sail.

This is cool, you guys can argue all you like over the latest sails and update every year it means a lot to the poor people who are going to benefit from all the second hand bargains it's going to produce. The last time I purchased new sails was 1994 thanks to the generosity of guys like Jason ,Jerry, Terry, Phill,Stew and matt .Without you I would not be able to enjoy the water as much as I am because that's what it's all about isn't it?

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waterpistol said..
it means a lot to the poor people who are going to benefit from all the second hand bargains it's going to produce.

Actually, there are a ton of second hand 2014 Severne S1 and Blades on the market at the moment. At the prices I am seeing I would say they are a steal. You can basically pick up 2 used sails in good condition for equal or less than a new 2015 sail would cost you.

The only problem is you need a decent mast to get the most of a modern sail... and that mast will cost you. Not too many quality second hand masts around.

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waterpistol said..
This is cool, you guys can argue all you like over the latest sails and update every year it means a lot to the poor people who are going to benefit from all the second hand bargains it's going to produce. The last time I purchased new sails was 1994 thanks to the generosity of guys like Jason ,Jerry, Terry, Phill,Stew and matt .Without you I would not be able to enjoy the water as much as I am because that's what it's all about isn't it?

and your point was what ???

a) poor quys enjoy more with their old gear
b) you can´t enjoy with the latest gear
c) rich should buy new gear every season and give they old gear to poor guys
d) if someone is interested of new gear they don´t enjoy the sport at water
e) Jason,Jerry,Phill,Stew, Matt it´s about time you guys should buy new gear so you could get they old gear

Poor Boys do alright ;-)

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wind012 said..
Yes, we hear this every year.

It is amazing that every year, every review promotes how much better the sales have developed.

Yet looking back at my 2004 wave sails, there really isn't any noticeable performance benefits compared to all the other sails I have used since ... 2006, 2008, 2014 years.

I would seriously consider splasing the upgrade cash on 2 weeks in Maui for 14 days of sailing vs an 'upgrade' in sails.

Wow, really, I just upgraded all my gear from 2005 to 2013 and the difference is ridiculous, almost feels like a different sport.

It might only be small improvements each year but over 8 years it was a huge difference, on my gear it was anyway. Loving the sport even more with my updated gear, so much easier to handle, lighter and all around better on the water. And I know my sailing has improved heaps because of newer gear.

Yeah, 2 weeks in Maui sounds good too, maybe only upgrade when you really need it and sail in Maui with the savings

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stehsegler said..

waterpistol said..
it means a lot to the poor people who are going to benefit from all the second hand bargains it's going to produce.

Actually, there are a ton of second hand 2014 Severne S1 and Blades on the market at the moment. At the prices I am seeing I would say they are a steal. You can basically pick up 2 used sails in good condition for equal or less than a new 2015 sail would cost you.

The only problem is you need a decent mast to get the most of a modern sail... and that mast will cost you. Not too many quality second hand masts around.

Totally with you on that. I always buy used and save large, 2/3 times over a new new sail price for very recent ones and even more for bit older ones. Another advantage that if you buy used at a very good price you can
always sell the sail for the same price if you don't like it.. If you look at last 5-6 years sail changes are minuscule same as boards. Also keep in mind that windsurfing companies messing with board concaves, rockers, sail shapes and considering there isn't much to change means that sometimes previous year model can be better than more recent one. :)

I expect the Pro construction sails have a short uv life because the films are very thin and the structural threads are Technora.
Probably not a good second hand deal.

It surprises me that anybody can actually enjoy the sport using a non slalom sail

On weight,a light mast and boom can change the feel of the sail heaps.

The boom i use for my 5.5m has no adjustments for length as I took the clips and fittings off to save weight.

When I tried my approx 500g heavier North carbon boom on this sail a few weeks ago,it did feel much heavier,though I'm sure the performance was similar.

When I switched to a mast that was approx 200g lighter on this same sail,I could definitely feel a difference as well,though not as much as with the lighter boom.

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petermac33 said..

It surprises me that anybody can actually enjoy the sport using a non slalom sail

On weight,a light mast and boom can change the feel of the sail heaps.

The boom i use for my 5.5m has no adjustments for length as I took the clips and fittings off to save weight.

When I tried my approx 500g heavier North carbon boom on this sail a few weeks ago,it did feel much heavier,though I'm sure the performance was similar.

When I switched to a mast that was approx 200g lighter on this same sail,I could definitely feel a difference as well,though not as much as with the lighter boom.

Not everybody is you thankfully

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petermac33 said..
It surprises me that anybody can actually enjoy the sport using a non slalom sail

I am surprised anyone can enjoy slalom gear.

Anything over 6m is horrible

You really need to try a 6kg rig on an easy going FSW in 20kn. Its amazing

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Mark _australia said..

petermac33 said..
It surprises me that anybody can actually enjoy the sport using a non slalom sail

I am surprised anyone can enjoy slalom gear.

Anything over 6m is horrible

You really need to try a 6kg rig on an easy going FSW in 20kn. Its amazing

Amazing....but slow

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azymuth said..

Mark _australia said..

petermac33 said..
It surprises me that anybody can actually enjoy the sport using a non slalom sail

I am surprised anyone can enjoy slalom gear.

Anything over 6m is horrible

You really need to try a 6kg rig on an easy going FSW in 20kn. Its amazing

Amazing....but slow

Ahhh but not devoid of enjoyment as Mr Mac suggests

^^^

Fair enough

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azymuth said..

Mark _australia said..

petermac33 said..
It surprises me that anybody can actually enjoy the sport using a non slalom sail

I am surprised anyone can enjoy slalom gear.

Anything over 6m is horrible

You really need to try a 6kg rig on an easy going FSW in 20kn. Its amazing

Amazing....but slow

True ....I did some slalom racing against some guys using slalom sails while I was using a Severne Convert ( no cams, a pretty light feeling 6 batten 7.5). In the most marginal conditions I was pretty competitive but only because the rig was so light and easy to pump, once the wind really kicked through the guys on slalom sails left me like I was standing still. I think I also had a little bit of an advantage on the corners as it is a lot easier to gybe a no cam sail in marginal conditions.