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2013 Panther Elite - First Impressions

 
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gerritt



Joined: 06 May 1998
Posts: 632
Location: Redwood City, CA

PostPosted: Wed Aug 29, 2012 3:04 pm    Post subject: 2013 Panther Elite - First Impressions Reply with quote

I ordered a pair of booms from Kevin at Sunset Sailboards. He delivered them to me at 3rd Ave yesterday along with a an unexpected surprise. Since I'm an Ezzy guy, he wanted me to try the new 4.7 Panther Elite that he had just gotten in for demo. I didn't argue.

Lighter For Sure - It rigs on a 370/400 bottom/top combo and with one less baton, it felt like my 4.2 rig when I picked it up to walk from the carpets to the ramp.

Very Stable - I sailed from 4-6:00 p.m. yesterday in fairly classic conditions - minor ebb and wind from 18-28 and a little up and down, which was perfect for sail testing. The sail is as locked in as my 2009 5 baton Panther.

Softer? - Despite the stable draft the sail has an overall softer and lighter feel. Rotations are less abrupt and its quicker to de-power when over-sheeted in the turns. This should be great in the waves. Softer and stable don't usually go together, but that's how it felt.

I've ridden the Goya Banzi's and they are flatter and more backhanded with instant de-power in the turns when over-sheeted. For me, this was a definite adjustment from the Ezzys, as the Ezzys don't instantly turn off/on. Some guys want this, some don't. I like some pull and I like shape in my sail for the lulls. It keeps me planing. It also gives me a gradual transition to from power to no power in the turns that I like.

The draft on the Elites is exactly the same as the 2009 Panther. In fact I used my old 4.7 the night before and just grabbed the same booms and slapped them on the new rig with no adjustments. The harness lines (mono) were perfect with no adjustment. Thus, I can safely say the Elites will fit in very nicely with a quiver of Ezzys from previous years. They are not like the Banzi's, the Elites are very much in the Ezzy mold.

Finally, they are very mast specific. If you have a quiver of Ezzy masts, you are golden. It not, you will at least need to own some skinnys that you can mix and match tops and bottoms.
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SwellRipper



Joined: 21 Apr 2009
Posts: 193
Location: Channel Marker 11

PostPosted: Wed Aug 29, 2012 3:36 pm    Post subject: golden ezzy masts Reply with quote

The guy that broke down yesterday and got washed under the bridge was using an ezzy mast. Don't know what combo, but was using 5.8 sail apparently. Also said mast was just one month old. No jump, just sailing along.
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chophop



Joined: 16 Apr 1996
Posts: 230

PostPosted: Wed Aug 29, 2012 3:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Other than spending more time than he wanted to in the water, was all OK?
Was he able to walk back to the launch area ? Question
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gerritt



Joined: 06 May 1998
Posts: 632
Location: Redwood City, CA

PostPosted: Wed Aug 29, 2012 5:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Interesting. I've never heard of a skinny Ezzy or NoLimitz, which makes Ezzy breaking while JSA. I've broken a top in the Waddell shore pound, but I wouldn't fault the mast. Do you know where the mast broke? If it was the ferrel, chances are it wasn't inserted all the way. 5.8 would have been a handful last night. If the guy was 240 lbs, then 5.8 would make sense. Big guys put more stress on everything, but that still doesn't excuse a mast failure JSA.

I saw the CG red helicopter over the bridge. Now I know why. Hope the guy was OK.
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SPQR



Joined: 18 May 2004
Posts: 274

PostPosted: Wed Aug 29, 2012 7:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hey Gerritt - nice report. I like Ezzy's as well. Curious how much you weigh? On a side note I was swept under the bridge once, my own fault for one last run and the wind died. On a flood it is really amazing how fast you move under the bridge. Once on the other side though I was able to swim towards FC and was making nice progress when a family on a sailboat picked me up. Wife wasn't too happy when I got home late.
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kevinkan



Joined: 07 Jun 2001
Posts: 1661
Location: San Francisco

PostPosted: Thu Aug 30, 2012 1:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the write up, Gerritt! Glad you liked the sail. I hope to get it out on the water today.

The sailor at 3rd who broke the mast can tell his story, but it broke in the tip section about a foot and a half above the ferrule connection, so it wasn't a case of the mast not being fully connected... plus the ferrule is in the tip section on Ezzy masts. He's a normal sized sailor.. maybe in the 180lbs range?

The mast is covered under warranty... it was about 2 months old. Strange indeed.

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gerritt



Joined: 06 May 1998
Posts: 632
Location: Redwood City, CA

PostPosted: Thu Aug 30, 2012 4:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I weigh 160
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januwan



Joined: 27 Apr 2004
Posts: 33

PostPosted: Sat Sep 01, 2012 2:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

We Hate Shit that Breaks
Disposable consumerism sucks
Ezzy Smile
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