Looking for a 7.5 m* Sailworks Retro - Or alternative recommendations

[yoh]

I am sailing mostly local lakes and occasionally the Texas Gulf coast.
I use a super sized slalom board and my sail quiver consists of a
Sailworks NX 9.4 m*. I would like to add a smaller sail - I kinda like
the Retro 7.5 (it would rig on my existing mast), but I would also
like to hear what others might consider as alternatives. And hey , if
someone wants to get rid of his or her Retro 7.5 - please let me
know. Thanks, Patrick

[m***@hotmail.com]

I replaced my worn out (and only 3 years old) Retro 7.5 with a
Superfreak 7.0. MAYBE not as much bottom end, but overall I like it
WAY better. Try before you buy if possible. But it can sail OP up to
where my 5.0 was working.

[Brian M]

I'll 2nd the Super Freak 7.0 recommendation! Nice sail, can handle
tons of wind (a gust buster!), and doesn't need a super long boom.
Rigs on a 460 mast as well.

I've also used a Aerotech 6.8 Phantom. Also a very nice sail. I was
mainly using the larger sails in breaking waves, so I felt a little
more comfortable and worry free using the SuperFreak 7.0.

Both great sails, can't go wrong. Just figure out your application
and choose accordingly.

Bri

Post by m***@hotmail.com
I replaced my worn out (and only 3 years old) Retro 7.5 with a
Superfreak 7.0. MAYBE not as much bottom end, but overall I like it
WAY better. Try before you buy if possible. But it can sail OP up to
where my 5.0 was working.

[John I]

Post by Brian M
I'll 2nd the Super Freak 7.0 recommendation! Nice sail, can handle
tons of wind (a gust buster!), and doesn't need a super long boom.
Rigs on a 460 mast as well.
I've also used a Aerotech 6.8 Phantom. Also a very nice sail. I was
mainly using the larger sails in breaking waves, so I felt a little
more comfortable and worry free using the SuperFreak 7.0.
Both great sails, can't go wrong. Just figure out your application
and choose accordingly.
Bri

Post by m***@hotmail.com
I replaced my worn out (and only 3 years old) Retro 7.5 with a
Superfreak 7.0. MAYBE not as much bottom end, but overall I like it
WAY better. Try before you buy if possible. But it can sail OP up to
where my 5.0 was working.

Phantom is suited for waves. I've been in 13-15 footers getting
worked no problems, both with Konas and short boards. Dunno why you
think they wouldn't.

[Brian M]

On Mon, 21 Jan 2008 04:48:03 -0800 (PST), John I

Post by John I
Phantom is suited for waves. I've been in 13-15 footers getting
worked no problems, both with Konas and short boards. Dunno why you
think they wouldn't.

I only said I felt a little more comfortable with the SFs in the
breaking waves (but that is just me and my situation). Of course the
Phantoms will work just fine and are a GREAT sails! I rode my '06 in
heavy east coast onshore conditions and they worked well.

I think the Aerotech line is top notch. I got to try a cuben 6.8 and
it was light and sweet. Now wonder your are killing it in the waves
with your 7.4 and Exocet/Kona rides! :-)

All the best,
Bri

[florian]

I have tried the Phantom (6.8m forst generation cuben fiber). It is a
nice sail and it feels fairly compact. It is probably a good choice for
light wind wave sailing, but I didn't like its range or feel at speed.

Coming from the Retro, I'd give the KA Koyote a try:
Loading Image...

That is the the camber-free 100% Xply cousin on the speed sail Koncept
(which holds many top spots at gps-speedsurfing.com)

The Gaastra Remedy also looks very nice, but stil has a lot of monofilm
and has a proprietary bend-curve, as does the Pryde Hellcat.

[John I]

Post by florian
I have tried the Phantom (6.8m forst generation cuben fiber). It is a
nice sail and it feels fairly compact. It is probably a good choice for
light wind wave sailing, but I didn't like its range or feel at speed.
Coming from the Retro, I'd give the KA Koyote a try:http://www.kasail.com/windsurfing/sails/2008/2008_koyote_photo_spott_...
That is the the camber-free 100% Xply cousin on the speed sail Koncept
(which holds many top spots at gps-speedsurfing.com)
The Gaastra Remedy also looks very nice, but stil has a lot of monofilm
and has a proprietary bend-curve, as does the Pryde Hellcat.
--
florian - NY22
http://www.kasail.com/windsurfing/team/florianfeuser.html

florian, did you spend a lot of time with said Phantom? On what mast?
How much tuning to did you do? I have not tried any KA other than the
Race(ish) sail you guys sent to last year's test. It was good for the
racer types, but needed way more wind than its counterparts due to so
much leech twist. Sail design is a balancing act of trade offs. In
order to get nearly the same low end, we had to under down haul to the
point of very bad cam rotation.

I'm not about to do the brand debate thing adnauseum, shouldn't we
just concentrate on features and bene's of our own stuff? Plenty of
op's for the consumer to make their own conclusions. Salesmanship 101,
don't try to bash the comp, there will be plenty of folks that will
rise to defend, thus causing the opposite effect.

[florian]

Post by John I
I'm not about to do the brand debate thing adnauseum, shouldn't we
just concentrate on features and bene's of our own stuff? Plenty of
op's for the consumer to make their own conclusions. Salesmanship 101,
don't try to bash the comp, there will be plenty of folks that will
rise to defend, thus causing the opposite effect.

I am not bashing anything. I am merely offering my opinion and an
alternative that may suit the OP better, who was looking for a cam-free
racy sail made from a more durable material than mono.

I liked the Phantom, as I wrote, but relative to other sails I've tried,
its top end is limited by its long cord length. I sailed it with the
recommended EPIC/Triana mast and the tuning was not particularly biassed
towards low end - it was pretty flat, actually. OTOH I believe it's a
good a sail you can ask for if you have very specific requirements like
light air wave sailing. I also imagine it would be really good on a
longboard.

Your comments are puzzling to me. I did not write about or recommend the
KA Koncept which is a dedicated speed sail. Also, your observations
regarding the low end were not exactly what the test said in my
recollection, or perhaps you were a tester then and are a team rider
now? I found the WSmag test a bit funny, honestly: a few 7.5m sails
scored points for rigging on a 460 mast; the KA was not mentioned. Did
you guys rig it on a 490?

[a***@yahoo.com]

Post by m***@hotmail.com
I replaced my worn out (and only 3 years old) Retro 7.5 with a
Superfreak 7.0. MAYBE not as much bottom end, but overall I like it
WAY better. Try before you buy if possible. But it can sail OP up to
where my 5.0 was working.

If your Retro was worn out after 3 years, you were either sailing it A
TON, or your use profile was more suited to a wave sail (such as the
Revo). The fact that you're happier with a Superfreak makes me think
the latter. Glad you found something that really works for you; for
the OP's use profile, though, I'm not sure the freak (or any wave
sail) would be a good fit. Putting a sail like that on a slalom board
is a bit like putting knobbly MTB tires on a sub-20 pound road racer.

-Andreas

http://g-42.blogspot.com

[John I]

Post by yoh
I am sailing mostly local lakes and occasionally the Texas Gulf coast.
I use a super sized slalom board and my sail quiver consists of a
Sailworks NX 9.4 m*. I would like to add a smaller sail - I kinda like
the Retro 7.5 (it would rig on my existing mast), but I would also
like to hear what others might consider as alternatives. And hey , if
someone wants to get rid of his or her Retro 7.5 - please let me
know. Thanks, Patrick

7.2 Freespeed or 7.5 Phantom from Aerotech. Both use rod battens in
case you get a wild hair and wish to sail in waves. Also, they are
available in the most space age material: Cuben Fiber. Not only is
Cuben light, it is the toughest material on the market for windsurfing
sails.

http://www.aerotechsails.com/phantom08.html

http://www.aerotechsails.com/freespeed08.html

please ignore weight figures for Cubens on the FS grid, they are not
accurate

here's a brief on materials used:

http://www.aerotechsails.com/construction08.html

[wsurfn]

For a supersized slalom board, I think a 7.5 Retro is a good choice. I
assume you are not sailing that board in waves, so the softness and
durability of a SuperFreak is probably not required. The Aerotech
Phantom looks nice and is definitely worth a look. Cuben fiber is for
the sponsored or rich $$$. My 7.5m2 is a Severne Gator (sail same
locations). Fast, but not locked in, and relatively tough. I am big
and can do some early bump and jump with a 7.5m2. It leans toward
freemove opposed to freeride. Most important thing...what matches your
mast best?

[a***@yahoo.com]

Post by yoh
I am sailing mostly local lakes and occasionally the Texas Gulf coast.
I use a super sized slalom board and my sail quiver consists of a
Sailworks NX 9.4 m*. I would like to add a smaller sail - I kinda like
the Retro 7.5 (it would rig on my existing mast), but I would also
like to hear what others might consider as alternatives. And hey , if
someone wants to get rid of his or her Retro 7.5 - please let me
know. Thanks, Patrick

For your use profile (fast freeride on a big slalom board), you won't
find a better sail than the Retro. Good spacing, too, down from your
9.4 - a bit large of a gap perhaps, but taking full advantage of the
big range of those sails (especially if you aren't afraid to tweak
your settings a bit).

-Andreas

http://g-42.blogspot.com

[Crabby]

I have found Retros to be pretty mast-sensitive.

[rod.r]

on the hotsails website there is a new feature...hot tv....
one of the vids is jeff sailing a superfreak on a naish hybrid slalom
board.
seems to work ok for him.....

[m***@hotmail.com]

My Retro was the last year of clear film without x-ply. Small tears
usually became big ones instantly, with several replaced panels, and
the others so fogged with scratches it was opaque, kinda dangerous
with no vision. It has more red tuck tape than monofilm at this
point. It was my first 'modern' sail and took a beating as I was
learning to waterstart, catapault, and jibe. I guess it owes me no
favours but I was disapointed it didn't last a bit longer.

Lake sailing sounds gusty and shifty. Good superfreak territory. But
all sails are so good now that I don't think you can go too far wrong
with just about anything.

[m***@hotmail.com]

Just added them up, I guess it was about 3 and a half seasons, 117
sessions.