camber vs. not

efox26 · Joined: 10 Jun 2002 Posts: 51

whats the difference between a camberd sale and one w/o cambers?

gustbuster · Joined: 14 Jul 2002 Posts: 11

Anon camdered sail allows you to luff the sail (great for freestyle moves ) vulcans jump tacks ease of handling in gybes . cambered sails on the other hand have a better low end speed beteer in larger sizes as the draft does not move much (downside harder to rig and a little bit harder to gybe ) so the question a shakespere asks 2 cam or not to cam that is the question

coachg · Joined: 10 Sep 2000 Posts: 3553

Dont forget cost, cambered sails also cost more than RAF sails.

jvigeant · Joined: 12 Jun 1998 Posts: 37

Hey Bro,

My quiver consists only of Cambered sails from a 4.2 (2 cams) all the way to a 5.7 & 6.4 (4+ Cams).

They are a little bit more of a hassle to rig, but not nearly as bad as they were years ago. Also, they rotate much better than they use too. I think they get a bad rap from folks who tried them in the early 90s.

Ive recently had the chance to sail on some brand new 2002 NeilPryde RAF sails in Aruba (my quiver is also NPs) and you cant compare the low end speed. I was SO frustrated knowing that I would have been planning with my sails. The rafs couldnt keep me planning in the lulls. If you are a heavier guy like me (200+) you need all the low end you can get.

Also, They are admittedly less LUFFY for maneuvers, but unless you are wave sailing and need to depower immediately, they arent bad at all. I can jump , Jibe and try loops just fine with mine. I think they are a lot friendlier than they get credit for.

But you cant ignore price.

JQs