Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Loft Switchblade First Impressions

Two different sailors have recently taken delivery of The Loft’s Switchblade 7.8. Their few words say it all. This is one hell of a twin cam Freeride/Race sail.
From Roy Guinan (long time windsurfer & Surfdock customer)
I have to say that I am very impressed with the performance of my Loft SwitchBlade 7.8 sail. The very first day I used it the wind was a bit gusty between Force 3 to 4+ with some stronger gusts indeed some people even managed to get out for a while on 6.0 metre sails but at no time did the sail feel unbalanced. It powers up easily and is extremely stable, at speed it behaves as if there are more than two cams, yet in the gybe it feels closer to a rotational sail. I have used almost every manufactures cam sails (I am windsurfing for nearly 30 years) but have never used a cam sail that has such a good wind range, by which I mean it will power up in lighter winds without having to resort to pumping and yet it has a completely neutral feel when fully powered up. Most sails are biased towards powering up early and poor top end or no bottom end power but very good higher wind range, this sail does it all. I came off the water with a big smile on my face after having a very good day in fairly gusty winds which would normally have put me off even going out, indeed I was so impressed with it that I have since taken delivery of a SwitchBlade 6.8 as well. An added bonus is that SwitchBlades can be rigged on RDM masts which I have done, as well as SDM masts and now only have to carry one SDM mast for my 9.5 as all the rest of my sails can now be rigged on rdm masts, this has reduced the amount of kit I have to drag around and put some money back in my pocket as well.

And from Tom Slomski new Surfdock Team Sailor
Just a few words of feedback from Downings.I have to say that I was very impressed with new freeride/slalom Loft Switchblade 7,8 performance.I had a chance to test it during Irish Slalom Series in Downings in the wind range between 15 up to 30 knots gusts. Conditions were very demanding. Very choppy and gusty!!My first feeling was how light and full of response that sail is.7.8 m Swichblade was rigged on SDM 100% carbon mast with proper manufacturers recommended stiffness. Only two cams but loads of power and control. With adjustable outhaul becomes very flexible in puff and lulls. It is well built and shaped.I would highly recommend it to any sailor who wants to be fast, full of control and early planer.I’m pretty sure that bigger sizes would be even better in light winds.Regards Tom POL-14

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Dublin, Ireland
Surfdock Watersports is Irelands biggest and best stocked shop for: Windsurfing, Surfing, Kitesurfing, Wakeboarding/Waterski-ing & Kayaking! Have a look at our online shop: www.surfdock.ie , or drop in and say Hi! Look forward to seeing you on the water or in the shop soon.