I'm convinced about 4 batten sails working for me. I have the 2012 swats and absolutely love them. I'm 70kg and used them for the whole WA season and am now using them in Tenerife. The sails have a great wind range, you can set them with good bottom end power, but also with a bit more downhaul/outhaul they handle really well overpowered - I find them very stable. I bought them last year partly because I wanted a light compact and maneuverable sail, but also because of the price!

I use 3.7 to 5.2. I really have given these sails extensive testing in very different conditions. Here in Tenerife the wind is quite gusty and we have to sail overpowered a lot of the time - conditions you would not think ideal for a 4 batten sail, but the swat handles it really well, and with the softer feel of the sail it feels really comfortable and easy to control.

My sails are effectively going into their second season and have seen a lot of use over the WA summer and the last 2 months in Tenerife, however it seems Severne didn't compromise with the construction, they are still strong and have not let me down! I am really hoping they continue in the range for 2013

2013 up on the Severne website!

Be keen to hear from any first hand eyeball, and use (on the S1 and Blade esp)

haha - how did you find them..better than the competition?!!

But on a serious note - should the selection of the 4 batten S1 have any bearing on sailor weight? Is the top end as high as a 5 batten?

Also - other than a slight change in weight and some materail tweaks on the Blade, is there any changes in how the new Blade will feel & react compared to 2012 / 2011?

Cheers Ben - looking fwd to your response - i fancy a change from Icons

Ben Severne said...

northy1 said...

2013 up on the Severne website!

Be keen to hear from any first hand eyeball, and use (on the S1 and Blade esp)

I've tried them. Not bad.

I seem to recall that in 2010 that 'Severne Sails are Good'



Now in 2013 'Severne Sails are not bad'

Reflex Films said...



(next time you are near some scales -go weigh some of your North gear - mast, sail and boom - then check out the weight specs on the Severne website - i think you'll be surprised)

Good marketing tool, makes you want to buy them every year. It would be scary to weigh my gear from 5 years ago...

Have things changed much in the 2013 Swats?

yep great looking sail bags.

give us look at the contents of them.

DunkO said...

yep great looking sail bags.

give us look at the contents of them.

Ha not yet !

I haven't covered my naked self in baby oil and rolled around on them yet!

R1DER said...

Just picked up some 2013 blades today
4.7 and 5.3

Great, looks like I'll be supping for the next 3 months on total glass.

Thanks

Got a call today from my local shop that they may be able to get their hands on some S1's for me early!!!
Thanks to Ben and Matt for taking the time out to come over to Sydney to show off the their new gear. Their support for the the sport at a grassroots level was part of the reason why I decided to update for 2013. Plus the new 4 battern S1's look wicked! Just got to learn to bottom turn properly now - no more gear excuses
cheers
Tim

S1's are a bit lighter and stable owing to the higher technical nature of the materials. My old SWATs are quite 'grunty' and sometimes I would feel like I was being pulled over the front in gusty winds we get on the east coast. I also wanted a 5.3 and 5.0 spread and SWATs were only 5.2 and 4.7. There is a clear window as o need to see what the wave is doing - i dont yet have a zen 'feel' for the wave yet! I've got an older 4.7 S1 and wanted consistency in my quiver. But the SWATs I've heard that they are the preference of many WA guys and offer a great price!!!
Ultimately it was Sam at WindSurfnSnow (Sydney) who knows my riding style - light weight top to bottom 'old school' with delusions of greatness and convinced me to get something that suits me - the newer S1's will fit the purpose, light for an o/s trip and look damn nice. Ben Serverne gave me some tips last year too about rigging when he did his shop tour last year.
Hope that helps .... I should have them in a week!!

Apologies for posting under NSW WA. I forgot I was logged in as I made a posting about the upcoming season with my president cap on. My post above was my opinion what does not represent the opinion of the club.
Cheers
Tim

That depends on materials used, how they are used, where they are used ,whats taken away and whats put back in , the total net effect on balance and handling and overall weight and whether it has historically made a difference (or not)

thats it

dan berry said...

Is the spider stuff the striPs radiating from the clew?

The SpiderFibre is the stuff UNDER the strips radiating from the clew. It's a fibreglass material that has really good strength to weight properties, so I've been using a lot of it in these sails - the obvious radials, but also perimeter and luff edge.