Okay, absolutely no brand sales / bashing allowed. Value for money in buying and selling counts too!!
Just PLEASE, state what YOU sail or have sailed and what board, what (your) weight, experience and conditions you sail in. Why? I'm aiming for Brisbane in November.
Personally, no idea where to spend the hard earned, from Severne, to Aerolite, to Aerotech, to Loft, or Barracouta, Neil Pride, Sailworks or Tushingham. Would prefer either a new complete rig or second hand complete rig or two. Do you need 1 or 2 rigs?
Looking for 9.5 light wind and heavy wind, OR 9.5 light wind and 8.5 heavy 18+ knots plus.
Me 105 kg, Sydney on a retro board, first lash at it (Race Boards), and seriously stoked to get on board. Average ability (retro long boards), more after some fun fleet racing and enjoying the experience. Getting out of "Z fleet" would be nice 
I appreciate people don't want to show their hands before Brisbane, but any genuine help would be appreciated.
Thanks Parked.
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.
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".
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.
Hi Parked,
Have you contacted the organisers about equipment? They will be doing charter boards mainly for OS competitors (Phantoms & Severne rigs) but should be able to point you in the right direction.
If you are entering more for the fun consider other brand sails in the size you are after. Sailworks do Retros over 8m but are non cam and the other major brands offer twin cam (eg NP Hornet) and non cam (eg Severne NCX) Just note that they are large but will not sail like a RB sail tight leach tune ability.
Let us know which path you take. Whats your retro board?
Dave
Select to expand quoteParked 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.
go the Severne, it's a good allaround sail, good in planing conditions and you won't need another 9.5.
you will need to import the demon yourself for somewhere between 2-3000$, same for the aerolite which is listed at 1000euro.
sailors who use these two seem to also register an RSX9.5 for planing conditions.
at last years worlds the champion used a Demon, in the top ten there were: 2 demons, 1 lefebvre, 2 aerolites, 3 severnes, 1 loft, 1 tushingham with most registering a RSX9.5 as a second sail.
The Severne 9.5 has won the Oceanic and Australian championship every year since 2013
Select to expand quoteJohn340 said...
The Severne 9.5 has won the Oceanic and Australian championship every year since 2013
true but Bruce from NZ on a f2 lighting and Demon won the regatta in November but being Kiwi couldn't claim the Australian Nationals title and it was not an Oceanic Championship.
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 the Severne RB 9.5, I have just gotten into race boarding ans bought the 9.5 and matching Severne mast.Its easy to set up, appears to have a pretty good wind range, lots of people are using them, easy to compare relative speed etc . Lots easier than importing a sail and probably cheaper as well 
Thanks to the contacts from Wind Surf and Snow and Al Planet. Appreciate it heaps and replied by PM.
BSN101 (Dave), The organisers have made it pretty clear elsewhere charter gear is for overseas competitors due to freighting 3.8 ish metre boards, totally understandable.
Will post pick(s) when I get the board this weekend, have to do some research on it as it may not be in the retro class, oops....
I have and old NP 7.2 twin cam that I plan to try on it as a starting point, then go from there. Have had suggestions of 8.5m and 9.5m Severne & NP, will follow those up. But I do like the one sail and tight leach tune ability.
Carbon Masts sound like a must. Does anyone use alloy booms or is that a "go out once thought and swim back" option?
It would be awesome to hear others thoughts on board and rig combinations outside of the Phantom 377L and Severne 9.5M Raceboard sail.
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 this is "parked"'s first race in open class ...
is it not more about the experience than the gear
why not go with what you got ??
see what others use and if u think you could handle that, etc
(not just top ten - he/you will not be there )
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?
Parked I don't know much about race boards, but from having a bit of a go at one after sailing short boards they take a fair bit of skill to move the mast track, centre board etc as well the technique for gybing is complex if you fall off the plane in gybe and kind of change to a flare gybe half way through. Respect to the long boarders out there. I personally as a 90kg male felt comfortable with an 8.5m and think it would be better to start with this size sail first. Once you have mastered this size are rarely getting wet, then lookout for a 9.5m. Uphauling big sails all the time is not fun. Regarding booms I resisted for years getting one, but couldn't go back now, mainly because of the stiffness of them. When a gust hits you with a carbon boom you tend to accelerate whereas the aluminium just belly's out moving the draft position around in the sail.
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.
Dean 424, Thank you, clear concise and what is looked for.
Some people suggested the RSX rig path. Obviously the Severne, Aerotech, Demon, Tushingham etc.. would be better at a 9,5, but agree an 8.5M may be a smarter move and have already had contact with an awesome supplier re the above. Just need to sort the carbon boom bit.
What is it about race boards that is not appealing? the course aspect, the structure, then gear, the price? sorry, very interested in your input. Would Raceboards be more appealing if they were say a distance, endurance class or including GPS for the short board sailor?
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?
If you want to be mildly competitive, i.e. Aspire to the middle of the fleet, you need the 9.5. Besides its much more fun, especially given your weight. The. Morning races on Moreton Bay will need the 9.5. You also need to get a cheap 8.5 slalom sail for higher wind conditions that can prevail in the afternoons.
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
PM'd for pricing and availability. Please feel free to share for a complete 9.5m and 8.5m rig when you can. I think maybe with Carbon and alloy booms might help?
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.
Your best bet is to just go a Raceboard specific 9.5, don't bother starting out with an 8.5 to hone your skills, just get the 9.5 and be done with it. The great thing about raceboards is they sail well in light winds, so you may as well make the most of this with the right gear. Its rare that there is ever too much wind for the 9.5, however when there is, any cammed race or free race sail will be adequate, these can be picked up cheap and masts are also easily found as they're a more common 490 as opposed to the 530 a severne RB sail will need. I find the slightly fuller free race or freeride sails with 2-3 cams to be the best bet in the 8.5, however many people also use other more race specific sails too. If you want to give yourself a good shot at finishing well in regattas a high wind sail is a must have, however the light wind 9.5 is your go to 95% of the time and should be your first purchase after a board. When the wind is up skills will be what puts you at the front of the fleet, if your able to sail your lay lines and keep upright upwind and then nail every gybe in a choppy 20knots downwind you've got a very good chance of taking a win. Although this year everyone in the NSW RB fleet stepped up in their strong wind skills making for starts and race tactics being more critical than ever in the windy stuff.
