Hi all looking for some advice about 7.5 sails. Does any one have any idea about how a 7.5 Sailworks Retro Vs 7.5 Severne NCX rates??
Must say have not seen any Sailworks sails in Vic for awhile.
Know a few people in IWC that have Severne NCX 7.5 and love them. Demo 'd one a few years back and loved it just us much as my Koncept which I am still using. You maybe able to demo a NCX from Zu not sure how you go about demoing a sailworks retro.
Try before you buy is so important as we are all different and have different requirements from a sail.
Select to expand quoteBero said..
Hi all looking for some advice about 7.5 sails. Does any one have any idea about how a 7.5 Sailworks Retro Vs 7.5 Severne NCX rates??
I cant speak about the Sailworks Retro at all, as its not a typical sail you see on the water here in Victoria. I have probably seen maybe one or two out there. Where are you buying these? I didn't think that anyone sold them here.
The Koncept is a cammed race sail but given the other two sails you are talking about are no-cam freerace sails I doubt that you are looking for a dedicated speed/slalom/race sail.
I have had my fair share of Severne sails and have at one point had a NCX 7.5. Sold it about a year and a half ago for around $650.
The sail was quick, but most of its power was at the top end. It had an overextended clue batten which meant it could rig on a smaller boom and 430 sail.
Recently I changed over to Severne Gator sails. They are more freeride than freerace. They have more power at the bottom end and one less batten so they are slightly lighter. The also feel more robust and can take more of a beating, perhaps on account of the xply.
One of the other things about the Gator range is that I can rig from a 4.7 to a 8.0 with 2 booms and 2 masts. Saves money. Most other brands would need you to have another mast in there.
Its really down to the type of sailing you want to be doing.
I can't comment on either sails but I do know there is, or at least was a company in the port Melbourne area who sells Sailworks.
Magazine reviews might be a good place to start. NCX's seem to do well. Having tried a few brands recently I found matching the correct mast to those types of sails is VERY important. So it may depend on what you currently have mast wise or if you are after new masts also.
windsurfsystems.com.au/
The Retro is Sailwork's flagship camless freeride sail. Its easy to rig and fun to sail, from beginner to advanced. It powers up early and is stable through a big wind range also its not too demanding when sailed over powered. The 7.5mtr Retro can be rigged on either a 460 or 490 mast - RDM or SDM.
PM me to try one out for yourself - it will make your decision easier.
I would also look at how easy the 2 sails are to rig against each other, some of the modern camless freerace sails have so much luff curve built in that they are really a pain to rig and derig and you end up creasing your new $1000 sail every time you rig it. Its a bit of a myth that camless sails are easier to rig than camed sails.
Hi Bero,
If you re-post this thread on
Windsurfing
-Gear reviews,
you will most likely get direct comparisons between the NCX and Retro, from a broader base of people (all over Aust) who have experience with both.
Hi Bero,
The NCX has been one of the top performing sails in the magazine tests the last few years. It's also our best selling freeride/freerace sail.
I'm sure the Retro is also a excellent sail but re-sale and trade-in in a few years could be better on the NCX, as Severne is more popular in Victoria. We have demo sails available at the store.
Hey Bero,
I have a number of Sailworks sails, including a a number of Retros (3 0f them)........They are my goto sails for most conditions and I have my current max 2s speed on a 5.5.Retro, 34.something knots.
IMHO they are great sails - my most recent purchase - the 7.5 - was made specifically for the ledge point to lancelin gig in January. They are so simple to rig, have a great wind range and are built to a very high standard. So easy to waterstart in the open water as well----very important for big sails in the ocean......Spares are readily available and the Australian dealer is very helpful and approachable - it is Windsurf systems (Chris) as appears earlier in this thread.
FWIW I also have the Sailworks race sail (NX 7.0), which is probably more comparable to the NCX, but I think both are more technical to sail than a Retro.
My Retros are 5.5, 6.5 and 7.5.....There is definitely a fair bit of overlap in the range there, but i'm probs still in a bit of old school thought there, new sails have much better ranges. The 6.5 is the most used one.
They are my favourite sail - I can't recommend them enough!
(they look great as well!!!)
It comes down to personal choice on which mast type to select, the Retro 7.5 works well with either RDM or SDM Constant Curve with the 460 as recommended length. Personally I prefer the SDM 490 with zero extension, being a bigger bloke this gives me more rig leverage, power and control in stronger winds. If you're lighter then you should stick to the recommended mast seen here: windsurfsystems.com.au/products/masts-more-details/
, you wont regret it.
