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Bio - Eric L. Mihelbergel is an intermediate/advanced windsurfer, kiteboarder, and foiler living in the Great Lakes Region of New York State who enjoys sharing about windsports and fitness.
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Should All My Windsurfing Sails Be The Same Brand and Model?
By Eric Mihelbergel(Written January 2021)
Have you noticed that some windsurfers have all the same sail brand? Is it because they just like that company or is there a performance benefit to having them all the same? Some riders go so far as to have all the same sail model from a particular company. And, some go even further as to ride only the same model sail from a particular production year in a company's line of sails. Does it matter?
The answer is, yes, it matters a lot, particularly within a discipline of windsurfing and within a sub-discipline. Outside of a discipline it does not matter as much, but can still have implications. What does this mean and how is it applicable for the average windsurfer?
First, let's identify what is meant by discipline and sub-discipline. The basic disciplines of windsurfing are as follow:
- Wave
- Freestyle
- Freeride
- Race
For optimization, each discipline requires a specific sail. Yes, you could use wave gear for freeriding, or freestyle gear for wave riding, or freeride gear for racing. However, I'm sure we can agree that this is not optimal.
Within some disciplines there are sub-disciplines. For example, the "Wave" discipline can be broken up into the two sub-disciplines of "On-Shore Wave" and "Off-Shore Wave". Each of these sub-disciplines can benefit from a specific type of sail. Some might say that the "Freeride" discipline can be broken up into the two sub-disciplines of "Bump-n-Jump" and "Flat Water Blasting". Again, each of these sub-disciplines can benefit from a specific type of sail.
- Wave
- Freestyle
- Freeride
- Race
For optimization, each discipline requires a specific sail. Yes, you could use wave gear for freeriding, or freestyle gear for wave riding, or freeride gear for racing. However, I'm sure we can agree that this is not optimal.
Within some disciplines there are sub-disciplines. For example, the "Wave" discipline can be broken up into the two sub-disciplines of "On-Shore Wave" and "Off-Shore Wave". Each of these sub-disciplines can benefit from a specific type of sail. Some might say that the "Freeride" discipline can be broken up into the two sub-disciplines of "Bump-n-Jump" and "Flat Water Blasting". Again, each of these sub-disciplines can benefit from a specific type of sail.
The explanation to the question posed in the title above is answered based on sail theory and mast theory. Let's get into that.
Basic Mast Theory -
A sail designer builds a sail to be used with a particular set of mast specifications. There are three basic specifications for masts: stiffness, bend curve, and carbon content. If you use a mast with different specifications than the sail designer built the sail around then the sail will not work properly. You can read more about The Importance of Your MAST here. But, for now, let's just cover a few basics.
Stiffness: The stiffness of the mast is important for the overall performance of the sail. Generally, bigger sails need a stiffer mast and smaller sails need a less stiff mast. Stiffness is stated by the MCS and IMCS numbers on your mast. Different sail designers may also design a sail to be used on a mast that is more stiff or less stiff depending on how they intend for the sail to perform within a given discipline. If you use the wrong stiffness in your mast your sail will suck.
Bend Curve: This basically tells us if the mast is more or less flexible in the top compared to the bottom. It's a comparative measure. This has implications on sail characteristics such as twist, excess luff curve, batten rotation and panel shaping. If you use the wrong bend curve in your mast your sail will suck.
Carbon Content: The higher the carbon content the lighter the mast. When a mast bends, due to a big gust or a jump, a mast that is lighter will return to it's original shape more quickly, thus having implications on acceleration and planing. If you use the wrong carbon content in your mast it will not necessarily suck, but it may not be optimal.
A sail designer builds a sail to be used with a particular set of mast specifications. There are three basic specifications for masts: stiffness, bend curve, and carbon content. If you use a mast with different specifications than the sail designer built the sail around then the sail will not work properly. You can read more about The Importance of Your MAST here. But, for now, let's just cover a few basics.
Stiffness: The stiffness of the mast is important for the overall performance of the sail. Generally, bigger sails need a stiffer mast and smaller sails need a less stiff mast. Stiffness is stated by the MCS and IMCS numbers on your mast. Different sail designers may also design a sail to be used on a mast that is more stiff or less stiff depending on how they intend for the sail to perform within a given discipline. If you use the wrong stiffness in your mast your sail will suck.
Bend Curve: This basically tells us if the mast is more or less flexible in the top compared to the bottom. It's a comparative measure. This has implications on sail characteristics such as twist, excess luff curve, batten rotation and panel shaping. If you use the wrong bend curve in your mast your sail will suck.
Carbon Content: The higher the carbon content the lighter the mast. When a mast bends, due to a big gust or a jump, a mast that is lighter will return to it's original shape more quickly, thus having implications on acceleration and planing. If you use the wrong carbon content in your mast it will not necessarily suck, but it may not be optimal.
Basic Sail Theory -
Here are the basic characteristics of sail theory:
1. Luff Curve
2. Twist
3. Center of Effort
4. Clew Grommet Position
5. Mast
6. Battens
7. Batten Rotation
8. Panel/Seam Shaping
9. Foot of Sail
10. Aspect Ratio
For a more complete understanding of these components read Know Your Sail.
Here are the basic characteristics of sail theory:
1. Luff Curve
2. Twist
3. Center of Effort
4. Clew Grommet Position
5. Mast
6. Battens
7. Batten Rotation
8. Panel/Seam Shaping
9. Foot of Sail
10. Aspect Ratio
For a more complete understanding of these components read Know Your Sail.
The mast theory from above has major implications on the performance of the sail theory characteristics just mentioned. In this discussion we will pay particular attention to twist, batten rotation, panel shaping, and excess luff curve. This is partly for illustration purposes and partly to keep the discussion simple. However, all ten of the sail components could be brought into this discussion.
Twist: It is very important to have twist in the top of the sail. The wind at the top of the sail is stronger than the wind at the bottom of the sail because the wind experiences greater friction with the water surface near the bottom of the sail. Therefore, we need a different angle of attack at the top of the sail so that the sail angle does not cause stall at the top of the sail with the stronger wind there. Different sails require different masts because masts can have varying bend curve and stiffness. The mast must bend in the top in the exact way the sail designer intended in order to achieve the proper twist in the sail.
Excess Luff Curve: When the curve of the luff is greater than the curve of the mast this is called excess luff curve. More excess luff curve creates a deeper pocket in the sail compared to a sail with less excess luff curve. The stiffness and bend curve of the mast greatly affects these sail theory characteristics.
Batten Rotation and Panel Shaping: Battens will rotate harder around the mast when there is more excess luff curve. More excess luff curve gives a deep pocket in the sail when powered and also allows the sail to depower when there is little wind in the sail like when on the wave. This is good for off-shore and side-shore down-the-line conditions on steep clean waves. However, the downside is that the sail will have less power in light wind (when the battens are rotated around mast) and more power in gusts (when the battens are pulled away from mast), which is the exact opposite of what we want when we are not on a wave. It makes the sail twitchy with the draft moving backward and forward, and it gives us extra power at the exact wrong time. As an alternative to using only excess luff curve for sail shape, a sail maker can use less excess luff curve and more panel/seam shaping and outhaul to get shape, which would be better in on-shore and side-on conditions where more consistent power is needed on the mushy waves. A combination of excess luff curve and panel/seam shaping can be used to find a balance.
Analysis -
Now we can begin to see why it is important, within a discipline or sub-discipline, for all your sails to be the same brand and model. It's not just a loyalty to the company, but it's an embracement of science.
First, the brand will build their sail around a particular set of mast specifications, so you need your masts to have those specifications for proper function. If all your sails are the same brand then you can purchase all the same masts to accommodate your different sizes. This means that all your masts will have a similar feel so that your muscle memory will be more similar when using each sail size. If your sails are of different brands then you will need a mess of different masts which will all feel different to your muscle memory, thus making it much more difficult to learn, recall and maintain your skills.
Second, if all your sails are the same model within the brand then they will perform the same within your discipline or sub-discipline. Let's take an example of a sub-discipline. I ride in mostly on-shore wave conditions on the Great Lakes. The optimal wave sail for these conditions delivers consistent power. An Ezzy Zeta is an example of a good sail for this. It has 5 battens, lots of panel shaping, and little excess luff curve. If I were to throw an Ezzy Taka into my quiver it would mess things up significantly because the Taka is designed for depower on the wave, instead of consistent power, which is the opposite of what is needed. The Taka is good for off-shore down-the-line conditions where one would want the sail to depower, but it does not deliver the consistent power needed for mushy waves in on-shore conditions. Even though I could use the same mast with both the Zeta and Taka I would not want to mix the sail models for the conditions in my area as the sail models perform very differently and require different muscle memory.
What if I were to throw a Maui Legend into my quiver? The Maui Legend is also a 5 batten power sail designed for on-shore conditions, so at first it might seem fine to put it in the quiver of this example. However, Maui's require masts with very different bend curves than Ezzy's. At the time of this writing, Ezzy sails use a bend curve of about 13-15 while Maui's use a bend curve of about 10-12. The two sails would feel quite different in my hands. The Maui would be stiffer in the top while the Ezzy would be softer in the top. Each sail would require a different sailing style, and thus I would need to develop a separate set of muscle memory for each sail. The sport of windsurfing poses so many significant challenges with the massive amount of muscle memory needed, so I would certainly not try to add unnecessary muscle memory challenges by mixing sails and masts. When you stick with the same brand and model of sail then you receive more consistent performance throughout your quiver. With consistency in your gear you can then focus on learning, recalling and maintaining consistent windsurfing skills rather than constantly learning how to adapt to different gear each session.
Now we can begin to see why it is important, within a discipline or sub-discipline, for all your sails to be the same brand and model. It's not just a loyalty to the company, but it's an embracement of science.
First, the brand will build their sail around a particular set of mast specifications, so you need your masts to have those specifications for proper function. If all your sails are the same brand then you can purchase all the same masts to accommodate your different sizes. This means that all your masts will have a similar feel so that your muscle memory will be more similar when using each sail size. If your sails are of different brands then you will need a mess of different masts which will all feel different to your muscle memory, thus making it much more difficult to learn, recall and maintain your skills.
Second, if all your sails are the same model within the brand then they will perform the same within your discipline or sub-discipline. Let's take an example of a sub-discipline. I ride in mostly on-shore wave conditions on the Great Lakes. The optimal wave sail for these conditions delivers consistent power. An Ezzy Zeta is an example of a good sail for this. It has 5 battens, lots of panel shaping, and little excess luff curve. If I were to throw an Ezzy Taka into my quiver it would mess things up significantly because the Taka is designed for depower on the wave, instead of consistent power, which is the opposite of what is needed. The Taka is good for off-shore down-the-line conditions where one would want the sail to depower, but it does not deliver the consistent power needed for mushy waves in on-shore conditions. Even though I could use the same mast with both the Zeta and Taka I would not want to mix the sail models for the conditions in my area as the sail models perform very differently and require different muscle memory.
What if I were to throw a Maui Legend into my quiver? The Maui Legend is also a 5 batten power sail designed for on-shore conditions, so at first it might seem fine to put it in the quiver of this example. However, Maui's require masts with very different bend curves than Ezzy's. At the time of this writing, Ezzy sails use a bend curve of about 13-15 while Maui's use a bend curve of about 10-12. The two sails would feel quite different in my hands. The Maui would be stiffer in the top while the Ezzy would be softer in the top. Each sail would require a different sailing style, and thus I would need to develop a separate set of muscle memory for each sail. The sport of windsurfing poses so many significant challenges with the massive amount of muscle memory needed, so I would certainly not try to add unnecessary muscle memory challenges by mixing sails and masts. When you stick with the same brand and model of sail then you receive more consistent performance throughout your quiver. With consistency in your gear you can then focus on learning, recalling and maintaining consistent windsurfing skills rather than constantly learning how to adapt to different gear each session.
If you participate in more than one discipline (or sub-discipline) then you would certainly have a different model of sail. Is there, however, a benefit to sticking with the same company in this case? Possibly. If your sail sizes from different disciplines cross over then you may be able to share masts between disciplines if the required masts are the same. By keeping your sails of different models (for use in different disciplines) within the same brand then it is likely that masts could be shared. If, however, you use two different brands between disciplines then you may not be able to share masts if the different companies do not use the same mast specifications.
As you can see, there is a significant benefit to having all of your sails of the same brand and model. As time goes by, some manufacturers make significant changes to a particular model. Because of this it can make sense for all of your sails to be of the same production year or at least close in production years. Sails of the same model can perform differently if they are changed from one production year to another. Keep this in mind when researching and shopping for sails.
One of the concerns that sometimes arises when discussing all sails in a quiver being of the same brand and model is the concern of cost. Some riders feel that they can save money if they just purchase the cheapest sail they find rather than insisting that the sails are all of the same brand and model. The solution to this comes in two parts. First, constantly be shopping to find backups. Sails wear out. We know they are going to need to be replaced eventually. So actively search for the right sail replacements that are good deals and do it on a constant basis. Go so far as to put it in your calendar. Be methodical and relentless about it. Second, develop a funding platform so that you have the funds available when the correct sail presents itself at the right price. Maybe you open an investment account specifically for windsurfing gear and begin to fund it with a side-job for a few months. Maybe you fund it like your retirement savings and budget a fixed monthly dollar amount into your windsurfing gear account. There are many ways to do it, but whichever way you choose be methodical and relentless with your approach. Deliberate and consistent action gets high performance results in any aspect of life.
The bottom line is to keep things optimal and simple by having all the same sail brand and sail model. Keep the production years close together when possible. Learn and understand basic mast and sail theory. And, consistently shop for replacement sails. Your windsurfing performance will be much better. You will learn, recall and maintain skills more efficiently, and you will have a much more enjoyable and fun experience.
