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SAILWORKS
Bruce Peterson, Sailworks’ founder, owner and designer, a former World Cup winner and still a winning pro in the Gorge, is passionate about his beliefs and articulate in expressing them. Two things, in particular. The first is that because windsurfing is so inherently technical, anything that can be done to simplify a sailor’s choices (and any choice that must be made is a technical problem) is good. That’s why there are only three Sailworks models in the line: the Retro freeride sail, the Revo wave sail and the XT race sail.
But he’s especially convinced that cambers are not needed in recreational sails, at least not in his. The XTs for racers have cams, but none of the Retros do, running all the way up to 9.5 meters. Unlike Bill Hansen, who believes a sail should be defined by whether or not it has a camber (yet paradoxically produces a convertible sail that literally does and doesn’t), Peterson believes a sail should be defined by its intended use, not its technical features.
When you think about it, is this issue really an argument? Isn’t that what everyone believes? Do we really need more categories in windsurfing? It’s necessary to know if a sail has cams or not, but sub-categorizing them is like making separate classes for racing sports cars based on their suspension
systems.
What this means, as it applies to board tests, is that there’s no need for “cammed” and “camless” categories for sails, if they’re both freeride sails. Ken Winner started it that way, for good reasons at the time, but evolution has rubbed those reasons out. What this means for Sailworks is that the Retros may be stacked up against sails with cams. Which suits Peterson just fine.
“I’ll stake my reputation on my belief that cams aren’t needed in recreational sails,’’ he said, with such conviction that we half expected him to pound his fist on the glass patio tabletop at the Maui test site. “Most windsurfing sails are over–engineered for the average user. Most people can’t get to the full extent of the performance of the sail, never mind even rigging it properly. But on a technical level, if the sail is designed correctly it will perform on par with a cambered sail.”
Another question, about whether or not something is much of an argument. It’s accepted that cammed sails are faster and more powerful. It’s accepted that camless sails are easier to waterstart and jibe. In stability, the gap has closed to the point where there are no significant stability shortcomings with a well-designed camless sail, even if cammed sails still do have an edge.
So you got speed/power vs. jibe/waterstart. What do recreational sailors want? A better question might be, What do they need?
Are we missing something, or is this not truly the no-brainer it appears to be.
And if you think we’re straying from the reviews here, remember the theme: Know thyself.
But we’ll stray back. There’s nothing in the following technical description of the Sailworks sails that’s not in the 2000 Sailworks pamphlet, which is the best we’ve seen, unique in its specific explanation of the whys and hows of the designs and performance claims. That’s not surprising, given Peterson’s precision, perfectionism and attention to detail. For example, Sailworks has its own factory in China. “That way we’ve got control of both quality and costs right from the get-go,” says Peterson. “Being a pretty small company, that’s the only way we can survive.”
Speaking of that pamphlet—and we swear we never discovered this until after this test was 95 percent written—we’d like to steal some words from the opening page (and repeat them from the introduction), to further explain our own approach to this board and sail test.
“Sails, like art, emanate from the head, heart and soul of the creator. Understand the talent, the commitment and the philosophy and you’re a long way to understanding the sail.”
RETRO 5.5, 6.0, 7.0
The sails are named Retro because their objective is to make sailing easy, simple and fun, like it used to be. The plus is that now, because of expanded sail-building knowledge, it can also be fast and powerful.
Sailworks is clearly in the progressive shaping corner. The shape of the sail fills in as the wind load increases, which moves the draft forward for a stable, springy, rheostat-like delivery and release of power. A firm leech, with three light anti-flutter battens, is intended to provide low-end power, while allowing the sail to be highly responsive to pumping. It also makes over-downhauling counterproductive, as control in gusts comes more from twist built into the shape, not tuning—Peterson was a pioneer in the exploration of head twist, more than a decade ago.
The foil has been deepened in 2000 Retros. An enormously simple and rewarding feature is the three small hashmarks in the panel below the top batten; you downhaul until the crease touches the first, second or third, for low, medium and high wind. There’s a stainless triple pulley at the bottom of the sleeve, as well as built-in padding. The tube battens are tightened with an allen wrench that can be carried neatly in a pocket at the foot. Retros of 6.0 meters and up have six battens, 5.5 and down have five—each with four battens above the boom. Finally, the monofilm is stepped—thinner above for balance, thicker below for strength.
RETRO 5.5
SCORE: (4 ratings)
Speed4.5 Power 4.75 Stability 4.5 Range 4.5 Waterstart 4.5 Overall 4.55
COMMENTS:
This sail, the best-selling Retro, came late to the test, which explains the low number of ratings. With such sky-high scores, it’s unfortunate there wasn’t any elaboration.
STAFF: Speed 4.5, Power 4.5, Stability 4.0, Range 4.0, Waterstart 4.0
Nevin Sayre said, “Impressive all-around, even though I was sailing it on a wave board [RRD 258] and in chest-high waves.”
RETRO 6.0
SCORE: (8 ratings)
Speed 4.25 Power 4.25 Stability 4.25 Range 4.13 Waterstart 4.13 Overall 4.20
COMMENTS:
“I sailed it overpowered, and although it didn’t feel overpowered, I had a difficult time oversheeting in a jibe. It seemed to have a rearward center of effort,” said Tony Cicale. Peterson, a major Indy car racing fan, and Cicale, engineer for Mario Andretti, Jacques Villeneuve and now Paul Tracy, had a lot to talk about. Naturally, Bruce told him it was all in the tuning.
“Where has this sail been all my life? I sailed it way overpowered, until the fin just couldn’t take the pressure any more. Never once twitched or jerked. It lets you know you have wind in your sail, but allows you to control it. Wide, smooth power band.”
“Jesus Christ, this thing is fast!” (overheard, not commited to paper)
STAFF: Speed 4.33, Power 4.33, Stability 4.0, Range 3.67, Jibe 3.67, Overall 4.0
Said Mark Archer, explaining his 3’s in Stability and Range, “Sailing overpowered, for the best part this sail was a real joy, having good balance, speed and control. Except when the big gusts came the sail began to lift me.”
RETRO 7.0
SCORE: (5 ratings)
Speed 4.0 Power 4.2 Stability 3.6 Range 3.6 Waterstart 3.6 Overall 3.8
COMMENTS:
“Definitely speedy, and real grunty,” said dealer Jim De Silva, “but it had a heavy feel. Very sensitive to outhaul setting (as all of these no-cam sails are). Easy rotation, which really makes windsurfing more enjoyable.”
STAFF: Mark Archer gave it 4’s in Speed, Power and Stability, a 3 in Range and 2 in Waterstart. He said, “The main feature I noticed on this sail was the softness of the ride, along with its power and stability.” No explanation for the 2 in Waterstart.
REVOLUTION STYLE, 4.0, 4.4, 4.8, 5.2
Called Revo for short, this sail gets its name from the notion that it’s a revolution in versatility: it can do wave, bump-and-jump, and freestyle over 5.0 meters. The revolution is in its third year, with increased versatility through refinements in shape claimed for 2000, so it appears to be an evolutionary revolution. Also this year, a fifth batten has been added to the 4.0, as well as the 3.8 and 3.6. The pre-sprung leech and perimeter tension contribute to the Sailworks feel, similar to the Retro: a power delivery that’s broad and smooth, with ample oomph.
REVOLUTION STYLE 4.0
SCORE: (4 ratings)
Speed 4.5 Power 3.75 Stability 4.5 Range 3.75 Waterstart 4.5 Overall 4.20
COMMENTS:
The 4.0 Revo also was added belatedly to the test, at the same time as the 5.5 Retro, so it too lacked time on the water.
“It kept me moving when the wind died, and I should have been on a 4.5,” said Jackie Butzen. “When it picked up I sailed it in overpowering conditions, and found it easy to control—easier than the 4.3 Hot Sails Maui Slide, and the 4.0 and 4.2 Windwings. I could have been on a 3.5.”
“Better in the gusts than the 4.2 Windwing,” agreed Tim Quarles.
REVOLUTION STYLE 4.4
SCORE: (9 ratings)
Speed 3.89 Power 4.11 Stability 4.11 Range 4.22 Waterstart 4.11 Overall 4.09
COMMENTS:
Said Jackie Butzen, who by now had become our small-sail specialist, “It worked well for me in today’s up-and-down conditions. The only fault I found was not enough power for waterstarts on the inside. Its ease of handlling also made me feel that it wasn’t as powerful as some of the less stable sails I’ve been on. But I never felt out of control when I was overpowered with the 4.4 Revo and AHD 257 combination.”
STAFF: Mark Archer gave it 3’s in Speed and Power, 4’s in Stability and Range and a 5 in Waterstart. He weighs about 70 pounds more than Jackie Butzen, and his high point, Waterstart, was her low point; go figure. And his comments were again rather cryptic, in the sense that they were more complimentary than the score. “Really well… very well… really nice… a good sail that does the job with a smile.” Must be his British good manners.
REVOLUTION STYLE 4.8
SCORE: (14 ratings)
Speed 3.93 Power 4.14 Stability 4.14 Range 3.78 Waterstart 4.43 Overall 4.09
COMMENTS:
“Truly handles well in a large wind range,” said Coach. “Spills wind well. Larger guys were changing down to 4.2. I stayed on the 4.8 for quite a while.”
At first, Tony Cicale said it felt the same to him as the 6.0—a rearward center of effort. But then, aha! “After some tuning, the sail felt fine. Nice soft feel, but quite stable. A very stable center of effort. But still slightly more rearward than what I’m used to.”
“Sailed it both underpowered and overpowered at times. Powered through lulls well.”
STAFF: Speed 3.5, Power 4.25, Stability 4.0 Range 4.0, Waterstart 4.5, Overall 4.05
We knew it would happen. Four staff members rated this sail, and they gave it a 5, 4, 3 and 2 in Speed. A staffer who didn’t rate it, but who sailed it for three days in Baja after this test, says: If we’re talking relative to wave sails, there’s no way the speed can be considered anything less than excellent. And he joins Newfie with his approach to the Range rating: 5-plus. He switched to this sail when he was blown twitching off the water with another-brand 4.2 (two years old, mast way too stiff). The 4.8 Revo was eminently more comfortable in this 4.2 wind.
REVOLUTION STYLE 5.2
SCORE: (8 ratings)
Speed 3.88 Power 4.0 Stability 4.0 Range 3.75 Waterstart 4.25 Overall 3.98
COMMENTS:
“Good but not remarkable,” said Jeff Stewart.
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