John Blackwell – sailrepair.co.uk

Posted on April 26, 2023April 26, 2023 by John Blackwell — Leave a comment

Patrik S2 sails

First impressions – These sails are made for PWA level competitive wind foiling. 7 battens and 4 cams create a solid wing like structure. The sails set with a taught crease free skin. The sails are quite flat in profile, these sails are all about efficiency, cutting through the air with as little drag as possible. The leech is moderately tight but with some softness, the head does not fall away like a slalom race sail. These sails are high aspect requiring long masts but relatively short booms. Where there is a choice of which length mast to use I tend to prefer the shorter mast with a long extension. I rig the 8.4 on a 500 mast, the 7.8and 7.2 on a 480, the 6.6 on a rdm 460 and the 6.0 on a rdm 430.

The sails come with lots of cam spacers already fitted so be prepared to take your time getting the sails to rig and rotate as you want.

On the water –

Uphauling – fairly standard compared to other sails of the same size. Water starting is a bit easier due to a combination of the high aspect nature of the sail providing plenty of lift combines with easy rotation to help flick the sail if required.

Getting going – these sails are very efficient, they cut through the air with ease feeling light in the hands. When a gust comes along the rig wants to accelerate and keep accelerating. In very light winds other sails with more draft/shape in the sail body will pump up onto the foil but if there is insufficient power to level off the flight you can soon find yourself dropping back off the foil. With the S2 the sail will be eager to accelerate meaning you can quickly level off the flight and start to accelerate. This feature of the sails means they work best with efficient high aspect race style foils. A low aspect high lift foil would not be able to keep up.

Once in flight the sails will settle down and allow you to concentrate on cutting through the wind. In gusty overpowering conditions the sail’s slippery nature allows it to cut through the gusts without any drama. That same feature allows you to keep foiling into stronger winds and it is only with hindsight do you think “actually, I could have been using a much smaller sail.” It tends to be time to change down sail when you run out of courage as opposed to control.

One of the things that differentiates good foil specific sails from their slalom counterparts is that in gusty winds the sails fly level with ease. With slalom sails part of their design is that they apply mast foot pressure during gusts to help pin the slalom board to the water and retain control. So if you use a slalom sail for foiling it may seem a good idea to keep the board down during hard gusts but what you find is when flying along powered up and you hit a hole in the wind the board is likely to come right up which is far from ideal. this is something that becomes more noticeable after using the S2 sails as they fly level through severe gusts and holes.

Gybing – The sails enter the carve with ease. You can vary the drive through the turn with opening or closing the sail. The most effective technique when powered up is to enter the gybe with the sail somewhat laid down and in effect hidden from the wind and then quickly bring it up and to the outside of the turn so that you have no problems with the apparent wind as you will find yourself gybing faster than the wind. Rotation – The sails rotate with a solid thud powering you out of the gybe.

Overall –

Who are they for? – Anyone racing or thinking of foil racing but also and probably more importantly anyone who enjoys that super efficient feeling. Are the Patrik S2 sails suitable for you? If you aren’t falling in often and don’t have to launch through a shore break these sails will take your foiling to the next level.

Posted on October 20, 2022April 26, 2023 by John Blackwell — 8 Comments

AFS 2022 Windfoils

AFS 2022 Windfoils

I have been on AFS foils for many years starting with the AFS2 which then became the Wind range, W85, W95 and W105. They all had the cigar shaped fuselage which from memory was 88cm long. The “W” range was then updated with longer 94.5cm rectangular fuselages and a moulded in collar at the tuttle head. And now we have another development in the new 105cm fuselage. Here I will give my thoughts on the progression. This is not a finished article as I am still testing combinations and set ups and I will update this blog in due course.

I should state that I don’t race so my findings relate to comparisons with previous AFS foils and the occasions when foiling with other sailors. One of the things I have always liked about AFS foils has been their “plug & play” nature. There was never any need to shim things, you could choose what wing size you needed, put your foil together and go sailing. Those days are now passed and you now need to do some trimming.

There are now basically two stabilizer (rear) wings and they have been designed to work on the 94.5cm fuse. So if you are using a W95 with the 94.5cm fuse you can just bolt on the stab without any shimming and go sailing. But when you put them on the 105 fuse they require a bit of negative shimming. The foils come with a couple of AFS shims which are just like flakes of carbonfiber. I have ended up putting both under the rear screw of the stab. I am not sure what angle difference that relates to in degrees. But I have since bought a shim kit from https://www.ap3dcustom.com/products/ and I tried to translate the two AFS shims to the AP3 shim which I think is about -0.5’ and I have now moved onto the -0.4’ shim with the 200 stab. Sorry if this all sounds a bit complex compared to the “fit and forget” AFS foils from the past so let me continue in more of a review style.

I got a W95 with a dismountable fuse and a W100 (new 100 mast height) with the new fixed 105 fuse. I have had them a while and used them a lot. To go with the new T bars I have 900, 700 and 560 front wings and 240 and 200 stabs. I also have a cut down V3 stab.

When I got the new foils it was windy and I used the W100 with the 700 wing and 240 stab (unshimmed) and I was amazed at the amount of lift provided. It felt like it had a similar range to my old R810 wing on the 94.5cm fuse. I am heavy at 95kg and in the past with the 700 wing I had to come out of gybes fast to remain flying and I needed more wind to get flying. But with the extra leverage of the 105 fuse the 700 wing flew much earlier and had more glide. Not quite as early as the R810 but close. Also when you run out of power the R810 tended to just glide down to a stop where as with the smaller 700 wing it tends to be a bit more of an abrupt drop (and the 560 even more so). Anyway those first few sessions felt great but with hindsight probably the 240 stab was doing too much work and I think I would have run into control issues as the speed increased.

Finally a day came when I could try the 900 wing with the 240 fuse. I was really looking forward to seeing how early it would fly. It was a patchy 3 to 8 kts so I had to wait for the gusts to get flying and then see how long I could stay in the air for. I would not like to put a number on what wind speed I could get flying in but it was the lightest I had flown in. So after what felt like a successful session I headed in and a slightly stronger guse came but probably only 10 kts. The foil accelerated and accelerated and the height came up and up regardless of my efforts to pin it down until the inevitable crash happened. I have never had that happen in such light winds before. That experience prompted a chat with Kevin Ellway the AFS foil designer and he advised sticking with the 200 stab on the 105 fuse. So I tried the 900/200 wings and it worked well but at times it felt like I was getting “weed strikes” – strange “slooshing” and “glugging” sounds and sensations. A further conversation with Kevin and he said I needed to add a negative shim to the stab to reduce its angle. I have done that and have had no further issues when using the 900, 700 and 560 front wings.

The new longer fuse certainly increases the lift from the foil. It lets you use a smaller (faster) wing in the same conditions. So by comparison the 700 wing on the 105 fuse is very similar to the 900 wing on the 94.5 fuse and likewise the 560 wing on the 105 fuse is similar to the 700 wing on the 94.5 fuse. When I say similar I mean in broad terms of wind/flight range. The fizzle out when the wind drops is a bit different in that the smaller wings slow down then just drop whereas the larger wing will keep going a bit more.

The same stiffness of previous foils remains. The new 105 fuse has a small tail stabilizer on it. You do need to be aware of it if you are in the habit of resting your feet on the fuse when waiting to waterstart as it is quite sharp and could easily cut you foot.

The dismountable fuselage option on the W95 seems robust. I have been told that the fixed fuse version is going to be the standard and that the dismountable version can be pre ordered. I wanted the dismountable version for air travel. I believe that AFS is now the only fully carbon windfoil on the market which for someone like me who likes to keep his foil bolted together all the time is an important feature.

Here is a video of the W95 with the 900 wing in 9 to 13 kts – https://youtu.be/6uWdSjy1lmU

UPDATE

I have used the foils a lot now and a few things have come to light.

The W100 with the 200 rear wing does benefit from adding a negative shim on the stabilizer. I have found that a -0.5′ shim tends to give the foil more stability across a wide range of use. Without it the lift ramps up a bit too quickly as you go faster.

Posted on March 8, 2022 by John Blackwell — Leave a comment

Patrik Foil-Comp 78

This is a new board for 2022. Before I continue with the review I would like to point out that this board is made in the Patrik factory in Ukraine. While our thoughts are for everyone in Ukraine they are particularly for the employees at the factory and their families.

This board is unmistakably made as a competition board with its sights firmly set at PWA highwind foil slalom, however this review is not done in a competitive environment and is more of a comparison to other foil boards. It may help if this review is read in conjunction with my review on the Foil- Comp 91. I have used the board from over powered with a 4.2 (30 kts) to marginal “gust hunting” with a 7.0. I have used the board with an AFS W95 with R810 and R660 wings.

First impressions – From above the board looks very much like a scaled down version of its big brother the Foil-comp 91 which was released in 2021 and a board I have spent a lot of time on. Compared to the 91 it does have an extra row of inserts for the back strap. The two rows are only about 2cm apart so it is for fine tuning rather than offering an inboard or outboard rear strap option. The front strap is the same as on the 91 – allowing you to alter the angle of the strap to suit your sailing stance. The mast track is recessed the same as the bigger boards and also the same distance from the tail/foil.

Flip to board over and you immediately notice the size of the cut outs, they are massive. The cut outs extend right up to underneath the front footstraps.

Length – 209cm, width 78cm, volume 145 ltrs

On the water – Being used to the Foil-comp 91 the board feels very familiar. It is stable to uphaul and sail along waiting for a gust. As you would expect from the volume there are no issues with the board supporting the heaviest of sailors at rest. Getting the board to the water in strong winds is a bit more manageable than with a bigger board. The cutaways at the tail make it easier to grip.

Getting flying – The board offers plenty of support allowing you to get into the front strap early. When you have plenty of sail power the board releases without any effort. You can hardly feel the release, this is where the large cutouts come in. Due the very small surface area under the tail it is easy to initiate the take off with slight back foot pressure. When there is less sail power and you have to accelerate to take off speed the cutouts are noticeable. In light winds I try to get a gust in the wind to coincide with a slight downslope in the chop (no water is ever truly flat). I pump the sail and the board accelerates a bit, pump it a bit more and it is like the board changes gear and the acceleration increases. It is the board riding up onto the steps in the cut out and it is just like changing gear in a car. I think it is important to use an efficient high aspect wing that will allow the board to accelerate and not to act like a brake. The result is that the board will fly early in light winds but you would be missing so much potential if you are passive about your take offs.

In flight – The board is comfortable in flight as it should be considering all the footstrap fine tuning options. The ride is comfortable and controlled at all angles to the wind. The lowered mast track position helps steady the flight. As you would expect with 78cm width the board will not point as high into the wind as it’s bigger brother the 91cm. Interestingly for competition use the board is recommended for sails up to only 6.5 while I found it very comfortable with a 7.0 and it would probably take a 7.5. But I guess the recommendation comes from the fact that at the top level a wider board would be faster once you are onto 7.0+ sails.

Gybeing – The board is easy enough to gybe whether you are overpowered with a small wave sail or powering into the turns with a large race sail. Height corrections are easy and predictable. When gybing in rough water you have to accept a few touches with the top of the chop otherwise you risk over-foiling and this is one of the most noticeable features of the board. On most boards you feel every touch sucking at your speed and momentum but on the Foil-Comp 78 you can hardly feel them. It doesn’t matter if the touch is a “flat skim” or if a wave tries to grab a rail while the board is banked over, the board carries on regardless. The result is you can gybe at a lower/safer height without paying a “speed out of the gybe” penalty. It is not a small board so it doesn’t have that nimble feeling of a small foil board but what it offers instead is a stable and predictable platform from which to push your foiling into higher winds

Overall – The Foil Comp 78 at 145 ltrs might have the volume of other boards that you consider as light wind foil boards but the 78 is so much more. Undoubtedly this board will be competitively quick around a slalom race course at PWA level but the board offers high wind comfort and control to average ability sailors. It could easily be a one foil board for anyone intent on foiling across a wide range of wind strengths. The only area where it could be bettered is in the light wind super efficient style of foiling with large foil race sails, that is where it’s big brothers come in.

In conclusion the take away impression of the Foil-comp 78 is that it showcases just how effective cutaways under the board can be and in that department few designers can match Patrik.

Posted on July 3, 2021October 7, 2022 by John Blackwell — 2 Comments

Patrik Foil Comp 91 V2

Patrik Foil Comp 91 V2

First impressions – A compact board at 212cm long and 91cm wide. The boards rails are quite parallel meaning the board has a wide tail. The tail is wider than the tail on the comparable JP hydrofoil Slalom. As I have said before I like the limited paint finish but that is partly because it is easy to do invisible repairs on such boards. This is a full carbon board.

This board is not made in the cobra factory so it has some unique touches. The mast track seems to be more integrated in the board and it requires a flat mast base nut (supplied). While many brands have opted to have large oval foil bolt recesses and large bolt holes to aid bolt alignment, Patrik have decided to have tight fitting bolt holes. At first I thought it would take a bit of messing around to get the bolts to align with the deep tuttle head of the foil but in fact they were all perfectly aligned from the start. The board does require quite long foil bolts. I am using 80 and 70mm bolts on my AFS foil. While the board only offers outboard footstrap positions there is quite a lot of for/aft adjustment and also on the front straps you can alter the strap angle which is a nice touch. Judging by the strap positions on offer the board is designed as you would expect for race style foils with longer fuselages. With my 99cm fuselage I have been using the board with the 2nd from back footstrap positions.

The rails are flat sided which allows Patrik to get the volume into a small package but also give some resistance making coming down with the board cranked over during a gybe that bit more survivable.

The board features massive double cutaways underneath the tail which reduce the wetted area under the tail significantly.

Also of note is the recessed mast track. While many other brands offer a shallow scooped out deck in order to lower the rig, Patrik have given a small but deep recess allowing for more volume in the board and adding to the boards stiffness.

On the water – The foil comp offers plenty of support for even the heaviest riders allowing easy uphauling and tacking. It’s still not a long board and it is possible to submarine its nose if you are daydreaming while wallowing along. If you are not used to getting on such a wide board to uphaul it is a long way across the deck to grab the other side. I tend to either grab a far footstrap or the mast to haul myself onboard while ensuring I keep my harness spreader bar clear of the board.

Getting flying – The board offers plenty of support allowing you to get into the front strap early. For its volume you still want to get onto a broad reach for take off, remember it is still only 212cm long. The board releases easily (maybe with the aid of the cutouts) it works equally well with moderate sized sails as well as larger sails. When it is windy you don’t need to pump you can just drive the board off a piece of chop. I have used the board with an AFS W105 with R810 and R660 wings. Is it the earliest flying board I have used? Probably.

In flight – The board is comfortable in flight. Once set up correctly there is little left to do but enjoy the flight. It is comfortable in the straps but also surprisingly comfortable with the back foot out of the strap even with large sails. With the wide tail your back foot can still be quite outboard yet still on the inside of the back strap. The ride is comfortable and controlled at all angles to the wind. Again I should state I am not a racer but the board can point as high as I want and is comfortable on the downwind return journey. Any overfoiling mistakes and drops are easily recovered and the board will tend to bounce back up. Although be aware you may well be traveling faster on this board which makes dropping from over foiling a bit more dramatic.

Gybeing – It is a wide board so more footwork is involved as you initially step inboard and then across the board. Having said that, I find it easier to gybe than similar sized boards. There is obviously lots of space to adjust your feet. Should something happen to cause the board to come down on its rail the flat voluminous rails can save the day.

Overall – The Foil Comp is fast on all points of sail. I find many people wind foiling tend to stick to similar sailing angles, just going back and forth, back and forth. On the Foil Comp you really want to go places and cover a lot of water.

The board suits race style high aspect foils and sails over 6.0m. This is a board that is worth matching with an efficient sail and foil.

Who is this board for? – it obviously is suitable for anyone with racing aspirations at any level but it is also suitable for anyone wanting to push the boundaries of light wind flight.

The board cane be seen in action here

Posted on July 2, 2021July 2, 2021 by John Blackwell — 1 Comment

Patrik Foil+ 8.0 & 9.0

Patrik Foil+ sails (8.0 & 9.0)

First impressions – These sails are at the extreme end of competitive wind foiling. 8 battens and 5 cams create a solid wing like structure. The sails set in a taught crease free maner. The sails are surprisingly flat in profile, these sails are all about efficiency. The leech is moderately tight with most movement about half way down the leech, the head does not fall away like a slalom race sail. These sails are tall, the 8.0 fits on a 490 mast and needs a 46cm extension while the 9.0 needs the same extension but a 520 mast. Booms are quite short especially considering there is not a big clew cutaway.

The sails come with lots of cam spacers already fitted so be prepared to take your time getting the sails to rig and rotate as you want. The bottom cam comes with a whopping 5 spacers and all the battens above have 3 spacers each. I am currently using (starting at the bottom) 6,1,1,0,1 spacers on the cams and this gives me good stability and easy rotation.

The sails appear well built and with more scuff protection that other race style sails particularilily along the leech where you might catch it on the ground while carrying the rig.

On the water – In the past most of my foiling has been with light 2 or 3 cammed sails up to 8.6 so I have to admit I was a bit nervous of trying a 8 batten sail with 5 camber inducers that weighs about 2kg more than I am used to.

Getting going – these sails are very efficient, they cut through the air with ease feeling light in the hands. When a gust comes along the rig wants to accelerate and keep accelerating. In very light winds other sails with more draft/shape in the sail body will pump up onto the foil but if there is insufficient power to level off the flight you can soon find yourself dropping back off the foil. With the foil+ the sail will be eager to accelerate meaning you can quickly level off the flight and start to accelerate. This feature of the sails means they work best with efficient high aspect race style foils. A low aspect high lift foil would not be able to keep up.

Trim – Because these rigs are not the lightest moving the mast foot around can have more effect than with smaller/lighter sails. I tend to use the 8.0 about 3cm forward of where I have the mast foot for the 9.0.

I am not a racing sailor so I can not comment much on the sails pointing ability but I am a sailmaker and from its profile I have little doubt that there will be few sails that can touch it upwind.

Gybing – The sails enter the carve with ease. You can vary the drive through the turn with opening or closing the sail. What I should point out at this stage is that these sails are damn fast in light winds. This can give you problems with apparent wind when you gybe. If you are going at 20 kts in a 10 kt breeze which is possible with these sails it can feel like the sail becomes a brick wall as it presses back at you. The solution is to push the sail away as you enter the carve creating room for the rig to rotate to the outside of the carve. In other words in light winds the sails can test your gybing but only because they are s Rotation – What can I say? These sails rotate better than many 2 batten sails! Yes they rotate that easily.

Overall – The Patrik Foil+ sails look purposeful as soon as you rig them. Take them on the water and the performance on offer matches the exceptional looks.

Who are they for? – Anyone racing or thinking of foil racing but also and probably more importantly anyone who enjoys that super efficient feeling of foiling in around 10 kts of wind. The 8.0 would suit most foil specific boards of 85cm or wider and the 9.0 is best on 90+ cm wide boards. Both sails work best with high aspect foils. Are the Patrik Foil + sails suitable for you? If you aren’t falling in often and don’t have to launch through a shore break these sail will certainly add something to your foiling experience.

And as regards my initial concerns about a 9.0m, 8 batten, 5 cam sail getting the better of me at the first sign of a white horse these sails are comfortable across a wide wind range even for a mature chap with no intentions of racing.

Videos featuring these sails can be seen here –

Posted on May 28, 2021October 7, 2022 by John Blackwell — Leave a comment

Patrik Foil-Ride 125

Patrik Foil Ride 125

First impressions – A compact sized board at just 202cm long and 75cm wide. The boards rails are quite parallel meaning the board has a wide tail. The tail is wider than the tail on a 78cm wide JP hydrofoil 120. This review will compare the Patrik against the JP quite a lot since I have moved from the JP to the Patrik. I like the limited paint finish but that is partly because it is easy to do invisible repairs on such boards. Weight wise the board is about 0.25kg heavier than the JP so it sits between a JP and a AHD board for weight.

What is noticeable when setting up the board is the wide option of strap positions. On the JP I had the straps in the second from front hole. The same position on the Patrik relates to the 2nd from the back option. So the straps can be placed quite far forward on the board making it suitable to take both full race foils with their long fuselages and forward wing position as well as high lift foils such as the starboard super cruiser foil. Such foils quickly provide a lot of lift and the possible forward strap positions will help to tame forceful foils. While boards such as the AHD range also have their straps further forward they do not have the length of adjustment provided by the Patrik. On most boards the amount of adjustment to the footstrap positions is 4cm, on the Patrik it is 10cm which gives you a lot more tuning scope.

The rails are flat sided like a racing foil board which allows Patrik to get the volume into a small package.

The board is supplied with foil bolts but I replaced the rear bolt for one 5mm longer just to make sure I was getting full contact with the foil. This will depend on what foil you are putting in the board but be prepared to get a longer bolt if necessary.

On the water – The foil ride feels true to its 125 litres and offers plenty of support for uphauling; you can even put your front foot in front of the mast foot when pulling the sail up. When chugging along waiting to fly the nose can submarine a bit as you would expect for a 2 meter board but it is easy to correct and only happens due to a lack of concentration.

Getting flying – The board responds best if you bare off the wind when pumping to fly. This is fairly standard technique as boards get shorter. The board takes to the air without much effort. There is plenty of width and volume in the tail allowing you to move back quickly and start pressuring the foil. When it is windy you don’t need to pump you can just drive the board off a piece of chop. I have used the board with an AFS W95 with R810 and R660 wings. The board matches the high aspect race wings but I can’t see why it would not also be a great board with a moderate or low aspect foil.

In flight – The board is comfortable in flight. With 6.5 and 7.0 sails I tend to sail it in both straps but it is still comfortable flying with your back foot more central on the board and out of the back strap. That is how I tend to fly with smaller sails and especially if I have too much sail power. I have had one session where I found myself way overpowered with a 4.7 in 25 to 30 kts. The board was easy to control and I would fly it hard upwind and then ride the small waves with the sail half sheeted out back to my start point and repeat. However you want to fly it, the foil ride is accommodating and comfortable.

Gybeing – Gybing as expected is straightforward, it is easy to adjust the flight height throughout the gybe. Even with the rear foot straps set inboard there is a large open working deck area so the boards can easily accommodate clumsy feet and it gives the space required if your back foot has to quickly move back to ensure a touch free gybe exit. Tacking is easy enough despite the relatively short length.

Overall – The Foil Ride is a very easy to use dedicated foil board it suits a wide range of riding styles and can handle a wide range of sail sizes. The board is also at home in a wide range of wind speeds, capable of taking flight in less than 8 kts and not out of place in 30kt winds and that is with the same foil! Highly recommended.

UPDATE

Patrik Foil-ride 105

I now have the Foil-ride 105. It looks and is a scaled down 125.

On the water – The 105 feels it has at least or maybe a bit more volume. At 95kg 105 boards are very boarder line whether they support me or not. The 105 offers more support for uphauling than I thought it would; you can even put your front foot in front of the mast foot when pulling the sail up. When chugging along waiting to fly the nose can submarine a bit as you would expect for a 195cm board but it is easy to correct and only happens due to a lack of concentration.

Getting flying – Even at only 65cm wide it is possible to sail with your front foot in the strap waiting for a gust. As soon as you bare off and start pumping the board and sail you feel a lot more connected to the foil due to smaller surface area under the board. The board has similar cutouts to the 125 but is only 65cm so when you push down the effort goes straight into the foil and less pushing onto the water. The board rewards good technique by flying early. I have used the board with an AFS W95 with R810 and R660 wings. The board matches the high aspect race wings but I can’t see why it would not also be a great board with a moderate or low aspect foil.

In flight – The board is comfortable in flight. With sails up to 6.5. The narrow width of 65cm is most felt when trying to point high. The board goes upwind fine but not like the wider foil boards. Unlike some other small foil boards the board is not unsettled by strong gusts.

Gybeing – Gybing is where this board comes into its own. There is less distance to move across the board making it feel more reactive. Tacking is possible for the brave.

Overall – The 105 Foil Ride is quite accessible to any sailor who has good mast pressure control. It maybe a small matter but the board is easy to carry when attached to the rig which makes launching easier which can make a big difference as the conditions get rougher. Like its big brother this board is highly recommended.

Video of the 105 – https://youtu.be/6uWdSjy1lmU

Posted on May 14, 2021August 1, 2022 by John Blackwell — Leave a comment

Severne Overdrive M3 & M4

Severne Overdrive M3 for foiling

First impressions – I have used the over drives on and off for many years on slalom boards and always found them to be a fast and pleasant to handle sail. When I first started foiling I was using overdrives but in my quest to conquer the flying gybe I changed to the Severne Turbo range of sails. Now that flying round gybes is no longer a consideration I thought it time to revisit my old friend the overdrive.

The overdrive is a 7 batten sail with 3 cams and a moderately wide mast sleeve. The mast sleeve is not as wide as that on full on slalom style sails but it is considerably wider than that found on most brands 2 cam sails. As you would expect from Severne the sails are reasonably light. The sails have all the refinements of a race sail such as adjustable outhaul compatible clew fittings, neoprene boom opening cover and quad tack pulleys on the larger sails which make downhauuling a breeze.

A notable point about the overdrives is that they can be used with either sdm or rdm masts by simply swapping the cams over. When I first did it I expected a lot of messing around with cam spacers but no, a straight swap of the cams and they worked great. I tend to use the sails from 7.0 downwards with rdm masts and the bigger sails I stick with sdm masts for best performance.

On the water – When rigging the sails for foiling you can rig them with about 2cm less downhaul than you would if you were using them on a slalom board. They will still rotate well and they will have a tighter and more responsive to pumping leech. Talking of downhaul – on some of the sails the printed dimensions can be out a bit so even for a normal fin sailing set you might rig the sail with 2cm less than it says and for foiling it may be as much as 4cm less than the dimensions printed on the sail. The downhaul is quite critical to the wind range of the sail. Take the 7.8 for example rigged in foiling mode the sail will get you flying early and have the range of a good 7.5m sail. If you rig it to its slalom setting then it has the wind range of a good 7.0m sail, it will take more wind to get you going but you can then hang onto it into some seriously windy conditions.

Before you uphaul it is worth mentioning that water seldom gets into the large sleeve so it is rarely any problem to uphaul the sail. Getting flying is directly linked to what I said about the downhaul setting. Rigged for foiling the leech will have a useful spring to it letting you pump up onto the foil easily.

In flight the Overdrive pulls steadily and aids stable flight. How the sail reacts to gusts will depend on how much downhaul you have on. When set with minimum downhaul the sail will accelerate forward without issue or drama. As the wind increases the pressure builds and you have to either sink into your harness to keep the board down for top speeds or alternatively back off a touch for a relaxed ride. If you have the sail set near the printed dimensions it will shrug off most gusts as if they were not there. In severe overpowering gusts if you have a lot of downhaul on the sail so that it has a very soft leech the sail can get a bit noisy if you have to fly half sheeted out but in such circumstances you really should be on a much smaller sail.

The semi wide mast sleeve will see you cruising through holes in the wind which would see narrower sleeved sails coming off the foil. It is a combination of the wider sleeve plus a finer entry into the draft of the sail which increases the sail’s efficiency. The less blunt leading edge also increase the angle you can sail into the wind.

Gybing is straight forward and if the sail is rigged on a rdm mast the maneuverability is enhanced. For a 3 cam sail the Overdrive has few competitors for ease of rotation.

Comparisons – Compared to the Severne Turbo the overdrive has a bit more “slippy through the air” feeling. The Overdrive has a higher top end but maybe not as good a low end as the Turbo. I would certainly recommend a turbo as your first foiling sail but I would not do the same with the Overdrive. The Overdrive suits sailors who have been foiling for a while and looking for the next step towards faster foiling. Compared to full race and foil race sails the Overdrive is lighter and more maneuverable but ultimately not quite as efficient but you would have to be very good on the foil to notice. Compared to foil specific sails like the Pryde V8 flight the Overdives are easier in gusty conditions, you would easily be able to hold onto a Overdrive in winds that would see you changing down many foil sails.

Overall – I would certainly recommend the Overdrive to anyone just wanting to go quick on a foil. By “quick” I mean relative to the windspeed. The sails ability to cruise through holes in the wind is impressive and while some people may be put off by the size of the mast sleeve and the mention of camber inducers the overdrive feels light and easy.

As you can see from above I have always been a fan of the Severne Overdrives both for foil and fin use. The M4 version is a bit different to its predecessors. In all past versions if you did not give them enough downhaul they would have a bit too blunt an entry into the sails profile and ultimately if you reality had no downhaul the cams would pop off the mast. But with the new M4 the cams start to get a bit reluctant to rotate if you don’t have sufficient downhaul. The end result is the sails rigging range is all a bit more top end orientated (looser leach) than previous versions. This isn’t a bad thing but something to keep in mind if you are pairing a M4 with a M3 or older version in your quiver.

Getting flying on a foil does take a tiny bit more wind as the leach doesn’t have so much spring to it but the M4 seems a bit fuller in the body so it does power you up onto the foil or plane with ease and it is only when you are trying to actively force it to fly or plane early that you notice the soft nature of the leach.

In flight the overdrive looks after itself with the majority of gusts going unnoticed. It lets you concentrate on squeezing as much speed as you can out of your foil. Ultimately as the wind increases and if you are hit by strong gusts it does produce quite a lot of mast foot pressure which can reduce your flight height but this can be viewed as a positive trait and avoids overfoiling when you get that surge of speed from the increased wind. This is really only noticeable when you should have changed down sail size long ago. The M4 will not point as high as the dedicated foil course racing sail. It has more of a leaning towards PWA style down wind slalom racing. Recreationally the M4 will take you both up and down wind as much as you like and it does it in a comfortable manner without feeling like you have more sail pressure than you would like.

Gybeing – the M4 retains the great rotation of its predecessors. The sail is a bit fuller so it does rotate with a noticeable “thud” but it is then wanting to accelerate and in doing so keeps you flying out of the gybe. These sails are noticeably lighter than the foil race sails like the HGO and you can appreciate that lightness in the gybes.

In Summary the M4 is a fast yet easy to use sail. It comes into its own once there is enough wind to continually fly where its on foil stability and easy handling can be inspiring.

Posted on March 19, 2021October 7, 2022 by John Blackwell — 2 Comments

Severne Turbo for windfoiling

Severne Turbo Sails for foiling

Introduction – The Turbo GT is Severne’s 2 cam freerace range and is a popular sail for powering fast freeride boards. It lacks the down force to pin down a dedicated slalom board but more than makes up for this by it’s easy nature. The Turbos sit between the no cam ncx which despite not having any camber inducers actually feels more slalom like than the turbo and the NCX can provide the necessary mast foot pressure to make sure a slalom board behaves itself. On the other side of the Turbo is the Overdrive which is a dedicated blasting sail. It has a wider sleeve, more battens and more cams than the turbo but most importantly it has a much more open leech. To compare the sails the size up in the Overdrive has a similar wind range to that of the Turbo for example a 7.8 Overdrive you can use in the same wind as a 7.0 Turbo.

I can’t really start with “first impressions” like I normally do with other bits of kit since I have been using Turbos for a number of years now. So I will simply describe the sails. The Turbos are a bit different compared with most other twin cam sails in that both cams are below the boom. Other sails such as the NP V8 and simmer all have a cam above and below the boom. The result is that the Turbos are probably one of the easiest rotating sails on the market, What is more is that the rotation remains constant across a wide range of downhaul settings this allows you to rig the sails with less downhaul allowing for a tighter leech but maintaining good rotation. This is one of the key factors that makes the Turbos such nice sails to foil with. Up until 2021 the sails from 6.5 downwards had only one cam and 5 battens but the new sails maintain the 6 batten 2 cam layout across all sizes. Other notable points about the sails is that the sails can be rigged on rdm or sdm masts. The 7.0 upwards are supplied with SDM cams and the small sails are supplied with rdm cams. Either type of cam can be purchased as an optional extra and they are easy to change. The cams sit on spacers so fine tuning is straight forward. The sails come with additional spacers although I have to say over the ten or so sails I have used I have not once felt the need to alter the settings of the cams despite using the sails on Maverx masts. Talking of masts the 7.0 is about the biggest sail you can rig on a 430 and likewise the 8.6 actually works better on a 460 than the 490 that is recommended. At this stage I should say that the luff dimensions are often stated. I often find myself rigging the sails with 2 to 4cm less extension than it says on the sails. I tend to look at the mast sleeve as I downhaul the sail. I downhaul until the batten above the boom is just starting to flatten at the mast sleeve. The booms are also relatively compact. While it might be tempting to reduce the outhaul to gain more power I think it is best to keep some outhaul on the sail to maintain a slightly more efficient profile.

On the water – Before you get the sails on the water you may well notice that these sails are light for their size. In use the sails respond well to pumping. There is no need to try to do big pumps, smaller higher frequency pumps tend to work better. The head of the sail should have some spring in it and you want to use that to build momentum in the sail. The result is that you should be able to get flying in a bit less wind than you would with a looser leeched sail. In flight the Turbo will provide a steady power source, feeling light in the hands. When flying through holes in the wind the sail holds its shape and maintains drive. This is where camber inducers have an edge over rotational sails by maintaining drive as the wind pressure drops. In over powered situations the sails can spill power quite easily by sheeting out just a few degrees. When gybing the sails rotate easily and normally do not require any additional pumps of the sail to get the battens to rotate and as such the turbos help maintain flight as you exit the gybe.

Conclusion – It is as if the Turbos really were designed for real world foiling. They might not fly quite as early as some of the dedicated freeride foil sails but what you get in return is a sail that will cover a wider wind range. The sails are best suited to freeride/freerace style foils boards and will suit foils with low to high aspect wings.

6.5 turbo in action – https://youtu.be/6uWdSjy1lmU

Posted on March 2, 2021 by John Blackwell — Leave a comment

Witchcraft Karma vs Slayer sails

Witchcraft Karma vs Slayer sails

This is not really a review of the sails, having a hand in designing the sails that would be a bit self serving, but with two ranges of wave sails people can often wonder which one they should buy and in this blog I will attempt to explain the differences.

Which range? Like with the Witchcraft boards you are best to look at the conditions each sail is aimed at. With a brand like Witchcraft this is easier to do this than with some of the big international brands who will design some of their products on Maui but the intended use is on a lake in Germany.

The Slayer is designed for the North Shore of Fuerteventura especially in the winter. That will mean nothing to you unless you have sailed there but it is easy to sum up the average conditions – big waves, rocky launches and moderate winds. So with that in mind, how does the Slayer meet those specific demands. Firstly The Slayer has optimized sizing which means in the small sizes the sails are designed for optimum control while the larger sizes get progressively more powerful. The 5.8 is getting quite specialised as its design brief is to get you onto the waves in the lightest winds. But once on the wave it still has to be able to go neutral at high speeds on big waves – The Slayer has the drive to keep your board secure during the bottom turn and then the short boom to help open the sail up in the top turn. The sails have large tuning ranges so that you can tune the sail to the way you want to ride. But there is no point having all the performance in the world if the sail is only going to last a couple of months so the slayers are made to take high pressure loads associated with large waves landing on them. So in summary the Slayer is optimized towards front side wave riding.

The Karma is designed more for the summer winds of the Canaries which tend to be stronger and often cross on rather than cross off. The Karma was made with spots like Pozo and El Medano in mind. In other words the Karma is designed for sailing when your main power source is the wind whether that is 10 or 50 kts. With the Karma you have an extra batten which adds a bit more structure to the sail with the aim being that the sail at one setting will cope with well powered up conditions when one minute you might be jumping and then a minute later you are riding clew first.

While this blog is about comparing the two sail ranges against each other I should say that compared to most other sail brands the Witchcraft sails are capable of getting you planing earlier. On the witchcraft website on the sail specifications it states what size sails the witchcraft sails are equivalent to. So a 5.2 slayer may well get you going at the same time as a 5.5 for other brands. Due to that optimized sizing the differences are biggest on the larger sails. Many people say “I don’t want a powerful sail for wave riding” but they are looking at it the wrong way. You can generally use a smaller Witchcraft sail than other brand sails.

Which sails to choose? Personal preference has a big influence in which range to go for, so maybe the best way to look at it is to consider the conditions you tend to sail in.

Ground swell home spot – If you are lucky enough to live on a Island stuck in the middle of the Atlantic be it Fuerteventura or Tiree and you have the opportunity to nearly always pick a cross shore break and your preference is riding over jumping then the Slayer is the logical choice but having said that the Karma is more than capable in all wave situations.

If like a lot of people you tend to sail in a wide variety of conditions from “cross off down the line” to “bump and jump” and you are happy to take any air time on offer then the choice of which range to go for is not clear cut. This situation would apply to my own sailing and I go for Karmas in the larger sizes and Slayers in the small sizes. So I have a 4.2 and 4.7 Slayer and then 5.3, 5.9 and 6.5 Karmas. I find this works well for me. I would be equally happy if my middle sail was a 5.2 Salyer. I also have a 3.7 and it is a Karma as I am looking for maximum control and range in that sail size.

If most of your sailing is blasting over chop, taking what air you can then the Karma will suit you the best as it tends to have a bit wider wind range without having to retune the sail.

The Witchcraft sails have also proved popular for wind foiling and both the Karma and Slayer ranges are equally good and indeed offer an easier flying experience than some of the dedicated foil sails!

Posted on March 1, 2021March 19, 2021 by John Blackwell — 5 Comments

JP Freefoil vs Hydrofoil boards

With JP having two ranges of dedicated wind foil boards some people may wonder which to range to go for. The 130 freefoil has a similar width and length to the 120 Hydrofoil and the 115 freefoil has the same length and width as the now discontinued hydrofoil 105. This comparison is drawn on the 105 hydrofoil vs the 115 freefoil.

First impressions- While the boards have similar widths and lengths the outlines are quite different with the hydrofoil boards having much wider tails and the volume placement further aft to match. Like for like the freefoil boards are a bit heavier due to the additional foil tracks. The deck shape on the freefoil is an average domed shape and lacks the concave around the mast foot as seen on the hydrofoil boards. The hydrofoil boards feature bevels on the underside to prevent sticking on touch down while the freefoil utilises rail shape to do the same job. The freefoil has more footstrap positions and includes the option of a single back strap. The mast track is further back on the freefoil boards.

On the water – Straight away you notice the difference in the volume distribution between the two boards. The hydrofoil has all the volume at the back of the board and on the small 105 version it is a brave person who risks putting a foot in front of the mast foot. On the freefoil the volume is much more centered and the board is easier to uphaul and a conventional uphaul stance can be used.

Getting flying – I am used to using dedicated foil boards so I naturally move back on the boards and get my front foot in the strap and then slide my back foot back as I pump. This technique works well on the hydrofoil but if I move back too early on the freefoil it tends to drag its tail a bit. This would be less of an issue for lighter riders (I am 95kg). This is where a lower aspect early lifting foil would also help. Don’t get me wrong the freefoil will fly early but not quite as early as the hydrofoil boards. Both boards are capable performers on the hydrofoil in a given wind you might use a 6.0 and a high aspect foil while in the same wind a 5.5 sail and lower aspect foil would probably be ideal.

In flight – Both boards ranges provide comfortable flights. On the freefoil you are standing closer to the rig than on the hydrofoil. You can therefore distance yourself from the rig a bit easier on the hydrofoil and therefore take more rig power, so on the freefoil you may change down sails a bit earlier. The single back strap option of the freefoil board appealed to me but in the end I preferred the double back straps.

Gybeing – While both ranges gybe well I actually preferred the hydrofoil boards for gybeing for two reasons, firstly the wider tail area gives you more working deck space to stumble about on mid gybe and secondly the additional foil tracks do add extra weight that at times I could feel pulling the board down mid gybe

Overall – There is no better or worse board here, both boards do what they claim. If you want to go fast on a foil then the hydrofoil boards have a definite edge. But for versatility the freefoil boards can take a wider range of foils and also offer the option of using a wing rather than a sail although you would need an additional foil to be able to do both sports.

Which is easier as a first foil board? If you are coming from a wave sailing background then you will feel more at home on the freefoil but if you are used to freerace or slalom boards then the hydrofoil would probably suit you best.