Looking into upgrading my rig, have been reviewing different brands for booms, masts and sails..... this isn't an easy process... the American and UK magazines are useful with weights, sizes and basic condition testing, however I wouldn't say they are terribly critical in their reviews, obviously all the brands advertise in their magazines, so you aren't going to say I don't like this brand over this brand.... and then there are SB user reviews which can be really useful, in fact more useful than some of the magazine reviews.... however you do see that some people just like a brand and every other brand is no good to them, or they broke one piece of gear and now that brand is mud to them, so a bit hard to take some opinions as gospel..... I've broken a mast, powerex (fell on it, lol) and can't blame powerex... I was fully planning and through some Stephen Hawkins explanation landed on it.... anything would have broken.... (been eating lots of pies)....

Is new kit really all that different from brand to brand? Is a North carbon boom any worse or better than a Chinook or Enigma? Or does brand loyalty override opinions? I think its fair to say windsurfers are very loyal to their brands, almost religious in same cases and move around only very occasionally.....

Sails are no doubt different in design, shape, and composition, but are they are really all that different? Some are even made in the same factory? So workmanship can't be all that different?

I'm mostly a bump and jump (trying to be) sailor, and would like some waves exposure, though nothing shipstern like, more 2-3 foot..... and possibly once a month on the waves at best..... want to move to RDM's, light strong boom and probably a 5m and 6m sail..... possibly a 5 and 5.5..... not sure... just want to enjoy my sailing more with gear that feels great, I have used some gear that is rigged with the right mast for the sail and a nice boom, and its quite a nice feeling....

I'm 85 kg, boards 85,92,105.... I like long walks along the beach and am a Sagittarian lol....

If you were in that situation, what would you go for and why?

Not trying to outsource my thinking, but appreciate if anyone has a good approach to how they would go about investigationing, or they have been down this road before themselves and what they ended up doing.

Thanks in advance!

K Dog, All sail brands are pretty good these days, it would be hard to get a dud sail.
For what you want I would suggest cam-free sails rigged on RDMs.
I use Tushingham T-birds & find them light, powerfull & fast enough, probably only a knot or 2 off a cambered sail.
Top end stability is probably the only down side but the weight & usability are way better for me, rigging, waterstarting & gybing are much much easier.

Booms: The stiffest & best front fitting on the market would be Maui, Chinooks are ok but a bit flexi, the latest Enigmas look pretty good, the last model was let down by the use of glag on the grip.
North, I have only seen the big race booms & they look good but way too technical for B&J, the rear end is something else.
Pryde X9s have a reasonable reputation but are a bit heavy, the older ones anyway.

I personally use an old Fiberspar up to 7.0M and find it the stiffest & lightest of any carbon boom on the market although the adjustment can be painfull.

For B&J keep it simple, cam-free & RDM

Pretty much agree with Paul about rdm's & no cams. I've heard the Maui carbons are on the heavier side but very stiff. I have the Pro1 Chinook carbon. Great boom but as Paul says, maybe not the stiffest, though not far off a X9 which I had previous to that.

RDM's are great although they hurt more when you "fall on them" them at speed :)

Most brands of rigs are good on performance these days, it will unfortatunately have to come down to your decision on which gear you will go with as it will be factored on some major influences such as

- price, can vary quite a bit for a full rig, therefore you will see a lot of people mixing components, just dont mix sails and other masts IMO
- durability of gear, warranties etc
- weight of gear, this often will be a tradeoff for durability
- support/service what is the local shop selling nearby who can help with issues,
possible trialling of gear
- friends and what they sail, have a go and see if it suits you
- aesthetics - looks or style can influence

Personally i think you will be u looking for a wavesailing rig as they are tough and well suited to bump and jump and will also serve you when in the waves.

Goodluck with your choice after looking back on that, will reiterate that whatever sails you buy make sure you buy the same brand mast

Agree with the above, Brands are a personal thing but just go for the lightest and highest carbon content you can afford. At a recent clinic we were told the best investment you could make is in a 100% carbon mast and boom...And if you had to make a choice between the 2 a heavy rider should opt for the carbon boom and a light weight should choose a 100% carbon mast.....That said if you can swing both then go with that option. I've been sailing for about 4 years now and have only just switched to 100% carbon mast and I can tell you in makes a world of difference to how your sail performs....Very noticeable, So much so that I went striaght out and order an X9 boom to complete my full carbon rig (using X6 boom at the moment).

My 2 cents...

Thanks all for responses.

Paul, the Maui front looks quite simple, do you think it will move about a bit?
Some people talk about avoiding booms that wiggle up front? You don't just want no flex on the boom sides, but no wiggle on the mast??

Googled one and I can see they talk about not doing it too tight, but just enough to stop it slipping. You don't want it flexing with pressure though right?

Agree jh2703 - probably go the boom 100%, being 85-90 kg..... then at least 70% carbon on the RDM's....

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[b]jh2703 said.....And if you had to make a choice between the 2 a heavy rider should opt for the carbon boom and a light weight should choose a 100% carbon mast...

I was wondering about that, I have an x9 mast now which made a huge difference, and using x6 boom with it which I reckon is pretty good

I believe I can contribute to this discussion.

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K Dog said...

Paul, the Maui front looks quite simple, do you think it will move about a bit?
Some people talk about avoiding booms that wiggle up front? You don't just want no flex on the boom sides, but no wiggle on the mast??

Hey Kurt the maui front end is rock solid though a bit bulky compared to most front ends. I like the new Chinook booms as they have an excellent weight to stiffness ratio.
I did have a largish race boom once that was really stiff but also very tail heavy so there is a compromise in my opinion thats why I rate the Chinook.

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barn said...

Blah, Blah......Blah!

There's way too much orange floating around Gerroa now....When they colour them better I may be swayed


......And how's your NP harness going Barney

Go NeilPryde...Hahaahah!

Classic barn PS paint shenanigans, gold

You know the orange-ish-red army coming for you jase, you can only hold out so long ^_^

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CJW said...


You know the orange-ish-red army coming for you jase, you can only hold out so long ^_^

Jase-Check with your NP dealer,he has been using Prydes for 20 years and you trust his opinion.
What sails does he use?
Time for you too ,to join the revolution!

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barn said...

...Severne

CJW said...

...Severne

KA360 said...

...Severne

This is on the verge of bullying and harassment.....I'm going to the union.

......Maybe I'll join the revolution one day soon??...The peer pressure is all too much.

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jh2703 said...

barn said...

...Severne

CJW said...

...Severne

KA360 said...

...Severne

This is on the verge of bullying and harassment.....I'm going to the union.

......Maybe I'll join the revolution one day soon??...The peer pressure is all too much.

Haha I never said any brand. Not peer pressure, just havin a laugh! You can't switch, you would be violating the flow chart!!

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barn said...

Haha I never said any brand.

I thought that was just common knowledge?

.....As for the flow chart you have built in an infinite loop which leaves me in limbo for all-time, There is no escape for me.

Anyways it's always sh!t and giggles when your involed....All good

Leaning towards that unnamed brand you mentioned.

The warranties are pretty appealing and the weight is quite good.

Thinking:

Carbon boom 150-200
Sails 5 / 6
Two masts - 75% carbon....
Carbon extension.... 45cm?

Be nice to be able to rig a 5 / 5.5 and 6 on same mast....

When it comes to windsurf equipment I think you can have any two, but only two from the following three:
1 light weight
2 durable
3 cheap

My brothers advice would be get the one you dream about, not the one someone tells you to get...

Good luck!
PS I love my superfreak

Anyone had experience with Gaastra wave sails and masts?

Your brother has a point Barbarian.

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barn said...
I believe I can contribute to this discussion.

Barn,

I like your flow chart. Seems accurate to me: I use a seast harness and Ezzy sails!

I just changed over to gaastra from simmer at the start of summer. I got 3 of the IQ's in 3.6, 4.2, 4.7 and a 5.4 in the pure. 3.6-4.7 rig on a 370 and the 5.4 on a 400. I'm using the 75% 370 and 100% 400.

I'm really happy with how light all the sails feel in my hands. I use the IQ's for freestyle and in the waves. They have a really good ability to switch the power on and off when you need it, which is great characteristic for freestyle and on the wave. I found the IQs are allot easier to duck and more throwable than my simmers were. The new light weight material used in the top half of the sail is exactly the same as severne are using in there sails. It looks as if there both coming out of the same factory but the gaastras are a few hundred bucks cheaper. This new material allows you to rig the sail with an almost tight leach, because it's softer. I think this makes the sails more stable.

I'm only a 65Kg rider and normally wouldn't bother with a 5.4 but these 4 batten freestyle sails are so light that it's actually works well for freestyle.

Gaastras new 100% carbon booms are worth a look too. I think they are the cheapest full carbon boom on the market at the moment at $870new. There really stiff with a thin v-grip on your front hand and round on the back hand. I find my hands don't take as much of a hammering in long sessions.

Overall I'm really impressed with the quality and price of all the gaastra stuff. I'm definitely sticking with them for the next few seasons.

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stacked said...
I just changed over to gaastra from simmer at the start of summer. I got 3 of the IQ's in 3.6, 4.2, 4.7 and a 5.4 in the pure. 3.6-4.7 rig on a 370 and the 5.4 on a 400. I'm using the 75% 370 and 100% 400.

I'm really happy with how light all the sails feel in my hands. I use the IQ's for freestyle and in the waves. They have a really good ability to switch the power on and off when you need it, which is great characteristic for freestyle and on the wave. I found the IQs are allot easier to duck and more throwable than my simmers were. The new light weight material used in the top half of the sail is exactly the same as severne are using in there sails. It looks as if there both coming out of the same factory but the gaastras are a few hundred bucks cheaper. This new material allows you to rig the sail with an almost tight leach, because it's softer. I think this makes the sails more stable.

I'm only a 65Kg rider and normally wouldn't bother with a 5.4 but these 4 batten freestyle sails are so light that it's actually works well for freestyle.

Gaastras new 100% carbon booms are worth a look too. I think they are the cheapest full carbon boom on the market at the moment at $870new. There really stiff with a thin v-grip on your front hand and round on the back hand. I find my hands don't take as much of a hammering in long sessions.

Overall I'm really impressed with the quality and price of all the gaastra stuff. I'm definitely sticking with them for the next few seasons.

Some good feedback, appreciated. How would you rate their boom?

Hay k-dog
I've been riding naish and severne the last year and really like he power they have. I'm 98kgs and just love my 2012 6.2 blade. Great power for bump and jump to. Prob the best big wavesail I've ever sailed.I also like severne for there 2 year no questions asked warranty on the gorilla mast which due to bad luck I've already used and am stocked with there customer service. A rdm is a must.
As far as booms I've had a naish alu wave boom which was great but I broke that to. (I'm am known for being heavy on gear). I now upgraded to a severne enigma and this is a huge step up and very happy with the boom. Super light and really nice in the hands. Grip is nice and soft and I can sail longer because of this. (I have a feeling the grip won't last to long thou) time will tell. Super happy with my boom thou.

Get on it

Definitely go Ezzy. Barn's switched over to them now and I hear he's amazed by how good they are. You can use a waist harness with them (though Barn prefers seat).