Sails 101

[LeeD]

ALL sails are good, there are no bad ones on the market.
Some are made for early planning, are light, but probably not great for overpowered sailing.
Other's are made for sailing overpowered, like slalom race sails, where you need to use a 7 meter sail in winds of 17-30 mph, are heavy and stiff, for experienced racer's.
Speed is within 1-2 mph of each other, the first category needing to be around 5.2 meters in sizing compared to the slalom sails 7 meters.
Obviously, the smaller sail is easier to jibe, uphaul, waterstart, and maintain.
The bigger ones can be faster because they power thru the lulls without getting overpowered in the higher winds, and can block the wind of other sailors.
Fewer battens is usually lighter in weight, and has more low end power.
More battens with the addition of cams is heavier, and can be sailed in more wind.
Pick your poison, it all ends up working about the same, given equal sailing skills and somewhat equal equipment.

[beaglebuddy]

[ittiandro]

[swchandler]

Outside of being a sail body built mostly of Dacron, there are two design features that the Superfreak has that gives it its qualities. Most important is the fact that incorporates an overall skeletal structure made of non-stretch material ( I think that it's Kevlar) that controls its shape under power and lessens the unwanted stretch that Dacron is known for as it ages. However, Dacron is still stretchier than monofilm or X-ply material, and that makes it a bit softer, and quieter in the power transitions. Also, the 3/4 battens allows the the sail to easily luff or depower when turned out of the wind. This works well in wavesailing when a powered up sail isn't always a good thing.

To really learn more about the special features and qualities of the Superfreak, I would recommend going to the Hot Sails Maui website and forum.

[beaglebuddy]

Yes I think easier to sail and some people feel it's easier on the joints as the jolt when suddenly powered up is more gradual.
As for depowering, the Superfreak rigs completely flat, no shape or belly so when you luff up the sail into the wind there is a very narrow profile. Compare that to an Ezzy or a cambered sail which always has some shape or belly. I would say this is a feature that advanced sailors could use mainly in the surf.
For it's size a Superfreak is not an especially powerful sail, others using conventional modern sails could probably get away with 1/2M or more less sail in similar conditions. It's extremely durable, sunlight will not break it down. Remember it only has 5 battens so on an 8 or 9M sail it won't be the most stable in stronger winds. They can be rigged with little downhaul for max power, outhaul is usually fairly neutral compared to other sails that take a lot of OH like an Ezzy. You can rig the 8M on a 460 or 490 which is best.

[dhmark]

I had a 6.3 Superfreak that I sailed for 10 years and liked it a lot. It stayed in fantastic condition and I sold it used to somebody who knows the sails for well over 100 dollars. I have a 7.0 that I haven't had for a long time and haven't sailed that much, but I think the advantages of the sail diminish somewhat in the larger sizes. The sail definitely has less power for its size than other sails, so if you are going to use a sail with the bulk of an 8.0 I'd think you'd want all the power. The soft feeling that absorbs gusts when the 6.3 is used in gusts over 25 knots also inhibits early planing when those same gusts would get you past the shorebreak. I'd want my 8.0 to be as powerful a sail as possible. I have been using Ezzy Zephyr 7.5 as my largest sail, a reasonable powerful sail but the long boom is a pain. What looks good to me in an 8.0 is Hot GPX, nice short boom, rigs on a 460, as light as Zephyr.

[isobars]

[gvogelsang]