Windsurfing Equipment Tests - American Windsurfer

Windsurfing Equipment Tests - American Windsurfer - Windsurfing Reviews

Sails: North Sails @ Islamorada

North Sails IQ 3D

Size tested: 8.5
Mast: 510 28-30
Boom: 7' 9"
Weight: 12.5
Durability: c
Downhaul Ease: 6
Rig Ease: 5.5
Speed: 10.0
Power: 8.0
Stability: 9.5
Waterstart: 6
Rotation: 7.5
Luffability: 7.0
Price: $839

North Sails designers haven’t jumped on the radical truncated tip bandwagon and have instead opted for a more conservative approach by going with a conventional batten in their truncated tip designs. That’s one way in which the IQ 3D is unusual. Another is how flat it looks. When lying on the beach, the sail’s leading edge is nearly unrotated and the body seems to have no more draft than if it was a wave sail. You’d think it were equipped with seven or eight stiff carbon battens—the way the Neil Pryde RX1 has a stiff tubular batten in every pocket—but the IQ actually sports only three stiff carbon battens and relies for stability on careful shaping of the seams rather than an abundance of stiff battens. In any case, this flat appearance is very deceiving, because the draft of the IQ is a bit farther back compared to race sails from other manufacturers, and it fills out to a powerful, drafty shape as soon as there’s wind in it. The net effect? Plenty of power in most circumstances. We feel the entry is too fine for maximum effect when underpowered on a broad reach, but the tradeoff in better luffability and rotation is probably worth it to a lot of riders. Our only beef with this sail is the massive amount of downhaul it requires. A good pulley hook, low-friction base and downhaul tool are required. Aside from that, the IQ is clearly one of the top two or three fastest sails on the water.

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