Awesome, Worlds are shaping up to be a great event.

I have a 9.5 Severne Raceboard Sail and a reflex3 8.6 for high winds.
Buying an 8.5 Severne Boards for my son but thats because he is competing in the youth division.
The demon raceboard sails look pretty good and are really quick in light winds I wouldnt mind getting my hands on one of them but the Severne are more readily available in Aus.

I think the Demon might have an edge in the really light stuff and the Severne more manageable as the wind increases but overall sailor skills will be the major variable. Either sail would be good.

I am a tad over 105kg and a recreational sailer not a racer. I dont have a raceboard. I do have a jp super light wind which is kind of halfway between slalom and formula. I use severne reflex7 9.7m on it. I have a severne c75 mast and enigma boom. All of this gear is superb. It should hold its resale fairly well as not just racers use it. Race results from others like steve allen and cyril mousilmanni show this gear works at the highest level. Of course you could say the same about neil pryde and antoine albeau. definitely get a matched mast and sail, its critical. Not just to speed but just to wind range and even to not breaking the mast when you downhaul. Get a downhaul winch too. aparently the c75 is a fair bit more durable than the c90 and c100. However these size rigs in all brands are big and heavy and any weight reduction is worthwhile, even just for carrying them to the water. Ive not sailed any other brand this size but as far as i am concerned the reflex 7 does everything it should, its scary fast, sucks you upwind and has an amazing wind range. Severne have a warehouse in au so spare parts ought to be available. It might be worth getting some spare batten parts to make up battens if you break one. Follow the rigging instructions, they work. I tried to rig it in the sequence of my rrd firewing and broke a batten, dumb me, follow their instructions, they work. Good luck and happy racing.

Parked said..
Hey Cammd,

Wicked, thank you for such a super fast response.

Where to buy? and dollars would help heaps, not just sail, because it looks like the mast goes with the sail? do I need a carbon mast and boom and are they sail specific?

Tried to find and buy online. But none of the brands have prices or distributors / retailers. By the way who's the Demon sails distributor in AUS?

Just to get my head around it, Severne #1, then Demon #2. Do any other manufacturers come into play? not trying to lead the discussion, just there is NO REAL FACTS on the interweb....

Would any of the Race Boarders be looking to sell off their practice gear pre worlds? Because at the back of the fleet "Looking good's, half the battle".

Another sail that is quite good for Raceboards is the NP RSX in both 9.5 and 8.5 again as others mentioned tight leech and tuneability and very advantageous which is a common feature among all Raceboard sails including RSX, you can often find RSX rigs complete and I know where one is for sale in Brisbane. PM me if you want to follow up the rsx8.5

Demon I think will need to be ordered from overseas and any Severne reseller should be able to order a Severne. Order it sooner rather than later so you can get it in time and practice a bit before the event.

The Severne 9.5 has won the Oceanic and Australian championship every year since 2013

There's an excellent Severne Reflex 4 9.2m for sale on Seabreeze for $490 . Makes an excellent strong wind (second sail) for the Raceboard class. Most guys are using Severne Reflexes between 8.6 to 9.5m for their second sail.

+1 for Severne RB 9.5 - NSW Raceboard Series start at Lake Illawarra

Thanks to the contacts from Wind Surf and Snow and Al Planet. Appreciate it heaps and replied by PM.

I would go for a carbon boom. They would probably last longer if you're pumping lots as the material is less prone to corrosion and fatigue. Should be lighter and stiffer too

If you are in the market for a new boom then get one that might suit a 12.5m formula sail as well, if you get the racing bug, then formula and slalom are options as well. The severne enigma carbon race booms are really good. The reduced diameter where you grip really helps. They are stiff too. They also have an adjustable outhaul kit that works.

Joe, thank you for your contribution, your opinion is greatly appreciated and can't wait for your experiences and insights. I am aware you're on and have been on numerous long boards - Cats, from memory. What works for you? are you racing big fleets against the latest and greatest? Interested to here your creative approach, because, if their is a cheap big light rig that will keep me in the game (second hand works too), I'd love to know. Have been offered an 8.5m complete NEW and may go that option instead of the 9.5m and spend the rest on Jenny Craig (weight loss)

Are the Sailwork Retros and similar that far off the likes of the Severnes', Demons and Aerotechs, i.e Chalk and Cheese? Price does count when you buy a board second hand and you're playing serious catch up with the rest.

E.g. checked out 3 brands today NEW, the 9.5m sails alone were all around the AUD 1,300 mark (less negotiated or offered discounts, thank you all). Then the scary bit is mast costs.... ouch for a 490 to 550 mast they're almost the same price as the NEW sail! then.... add the Carbon boom almost AUD 1,500. Ouch... $4,500 for a rig! really, if that's the front end of the fleet, happy to let you have that new + what about AUD 7,000 plus for a new board, fin and whatever is needed.

Down the cheaper (more economical ?) end of the fleet. Scouted out some awesome people for a chat and some info. Looks like a well used Severne 9.5 RB sail could be a goer, as a one off sail, but the add mast, boom etc... the offer was great, but the wait to bench seat.... mmm not so sure that will work).

Then got some refreshing info about some NEW sails coming up, but they were light on details as their launches, was imminent.

Good news was that people still use alloy booms. Woohoo, if I go through three booms in 5 years I thinks that will be a tolerable loss rate.

Second big sails. Okay say your on a 9.5 Severne, Demon, Tushingham or whatever. Do I need a second sail/rig say a Severne Reflex, Severne NCX or a NP RSX or Hellcat? No idea, at the moment this is still looking capable of a one sail class. Whilst the brains trust says, dragging a 9.5m upwind, because down wind you'll need it. I guess that brings in all sorts of variables. Sailor weight, Board weight (not so much), Rig weight (no idea really) etc... so if someone who sails smart on an 8.5m and survives the stacks, is that better than someone constantly swimming and up hauling a 9.5m all day long?

Surely this can't be it? just go buy a certain brand because that's what everyone else does (BTW I do like the brand - not the big spend though, just for clarification).

Thoughts, comments or opinions?

The first rule of any big sail is.... dont drop it. The second rule is.....if you do drop it, drop it the right way so its easy to get going again. The third rule is if you do drop it, dont get separated from the rig, a cambered sail floating can drift way faster than you can swim. the fourth rule is... if you drop it, get the luff out of the water quick before it fills. Much better to obey rule 1. Have a look at the second hand gear here, you can get sails in good nick for $300, cardon booms for $500 -600 but mast are a bit harder to come by. Whats the size limit on a raceboard sail? There are more 2nd hand formula and slalom sails available.

Hey PIV,

Agreed. Like any big gear, it's better balanced in the wind than using man power to get it out of the water and into the wind, nice observation.

From what I get so far, the international maximum sail size for open fleet is 9.5m for men and 8.5m for women and youth. Last time I looked.

What seems to be important is what Cammd touched on earlier and others is, a tight leach and tune ability of the sail through adjustable outhauls and downhauls. Unlike a short board where you can "nick" back to the beach for a quick sail change or major adjustment. These guys are like albatross' in terms of distances covered. Sail adjustments seem to be mandatory "on the fly constant tuning".

In discussions with some locals, I wonder if the use of adjustable outhauls and downhauls is as equally important as the size of the sail, sailors ability, conditions and change ability in conditions throughout a race day.

Does the age of the carbon matter? or do you need to buy new say, each season?

Good evening Parked,

There is a bunch of good things happening in the race board scene in Australia, Really refreshing because it's a fleet that will have many levels and appeal to many windsurfers. That's why I've come back. We are also blessed that thee is some choices in equipment for everybody as well.

I am bringing Aerolite sails to Aus over the next few months, and knowing a bunch of the Spanish crew that have been sponsored by Aerolite. They swear by the product. The owner Kiko was an early adopter of race board style rigs, developing super light weight sails for really light conditions back in the Div 2 days. He builds Optimist sails to weight of the kids sailing them. He is the current Opti and 420 coach for Spain. Kiko is the maestro when it comes to race board sails. Nicolas Huguet (Fra 8) used Aerolite sails at the last Europeans, winning in both windy and light conditions. 3 bullets on the last day when it was 28 to 30 knots on a 9.5.

All of Kiko's designs are hand made in a loft in Barcelona. Not mass produced in china. He uses Pryde cams and battens in most parts of the sail. Spending a huge amount of time on creating a powerful sail that has multiple gears to adhere to multiple conditions. Coupling this with Slake who build masts right here in Aus. (Slake being the best masts in the world. We will have a winning rig combo for up and coming race board scene. It really comes down to a budget for what your have for gear. Aerolite will be competitive to the other new sails on the market.

Please let me know if you would like more info

Cheers
Belly

Hi Parked
A 9.5m will be big and heavy so require more strength and fitness. Also technique is going to be important to be able to handle it in 20+ knots.
Sail tuning with adjustable downhaul and outhaul is essential. The shape of the sail needs to be adjusted as wind and wind angle changes. If not, the sail will be uncontrollable if the wind increases slamming the sailor in the water. Also when planing it's difficult to sail downwind without letting off the outhaul.
If you have enough time to train and access to advice, the 9.5 would be good. You could start off in moderate conditions then increase to higher winds as you get your experience up.

@ joe windsurf, responded by PM. Thank you so much for your information, very appreciated.