2015 Severne Freek from Mike Burns on Vimeo.
About Me
- Mike Burns
- Nags Head, NC, United States
- Windsurfing has ruled more than 1/2 my life. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about how it feels to fly across the water, fly through the air, or spin around in circles on my windsurf gear. So to help spread the stoke (and further give in to my addiction) I started this blog. I hope you find it entertaining and a place to go for some useful information.
Thursday, November 6, 2014
2015 Severne Freek Review
So after making the big decision to switch from Fanatic/North to Severne/Starboard, only a few weeks later I've had so many people contacting me as to why the switch after so many years on Northsails? The answer was a complex one, but in short North no longer carries a sail that suits my needs. Meaning It's got an all out freestyle sail, and a full on, hard core wave sail with nothing really interesting in between. (which happens to be where the majority of freestylers land) What I need is something that will stand up to the waves, but more importantly be an incredible freestyle sail that's also comfortable just to ride around on so that my wife Christina will also be happy with the sails. So I went on personal journey to find the right sail, just like when I went looking for that perfect freestyle board 5 years ago which lead me to the Fanatic Skate. Over the past year I've got my hands on so many different sails, and although there were a few other really good options, I also wanted something that would work on my NoLimitz masts. Talking to some Severne riders and the U.S. Severne rep, it seemed like I would be ok to use my favorite masts. So I gave them a shot and I couldn't be happier. Here's a detailed look at the 2015 Severne Freek.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Yeah bud! Those sails are looking great, I bet you are loving the NoLimitz masts in those!
ReplyDeleteYeah Ryan, the NoLimitz are working perfect in the Severnes!! Killer combo!!!
DeleteHi, can you say something about how well the Freek would work on a North mast? That should work as well, right?
ReplyDeleteHi Lars,
ReplyDeleteI was using all my Norths with the NoLimitz Masts. The bend curve is spot on between NoLimitz and North and I've used both Nolimitz and north masts in the Northsails and performance was pretty much identical. So I'm going to assume that the Northsails masts handle the same as the NoLimitz I use in the Severne Freeks I have now. Right now I also have a NoLimitz mast and Severne rdm 100 in each size. The curve and performance is pretty similar to the Severne and both masts work great. The difference between the two are as follows:
Severne RDM 100: The top is slightly stiffer, so the leech will be a bit tighter compared to the North. So with the North Mast, you'll find the power sitting slightly lower in the sail than with the Severne. This is purely personal preference.
NoLimitz Sumo/Northsails: The top of the sail will sit slightly looser letting the leach open up easier. This may be a plus if you're sailing overpowered, but will be a slight negative if you're looking for lift for a trick like a burner or kono from the sail.
All in all, both masts perform amazing in the Severne Sails. The first time I rode a Freek, it was the 4.4 with a NoLimitz 370 and it just blew my mind. There are days I prefer the NoLimitz and there are days I prefer the Severne. If you've already got a quiver of North masts, go for it!! you won't be disappointed.
Mike
great - thanks a lot!
ReplyDeleteJust received jp 101 and sb 101 2015.Both quite heavy.jp 6.7 kgs and sb 6.8 kgs.Freestyle boards of this size normally weigh 6.0 to 6.3 kgs.Measurements were done on an accurate device.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi Rasty, The 101 size boards usually do weigh in around 6.3-6.4 as per the company websites. Checking on the Starboard site, they claim 6.7kg which seems to be pretty in line with your claim. Maybe they beefed up the board a little this year? Or perhaps since Starboard is overlaying the carbon to get the board stiff where they want it and springier where they need it to help the pop (and believe me, it does) there is more materials used than all the brands that simply lay out one sheet of carbon and wrap the entire board.... The JP site says the board should weigh in at 6.4 which is .3 kg off from your findings. I own the Starboard Flare 101 and can definitely say the that the weight of my board is more than acceptable and not only did it not hold me back, but made me clearly fly higher than my lighter weight skate from 2014. Weight isn't everything but it definitely helps if you have a great design to go off of. Back when I was on North, I MUCH preferred the regular "heavier" idol to the Idol ltd in the conditions I typically sail. Even though the regular idol was significantly heavier than the idol ltd, my sailing level on the regular idol was much, much higher. Now with the Severne, the sail is super light, and a great design!! Best of both worlds!!
ReplyDeleteMike
I Mike, I know the freeks are great in the upper wind range but what about the lower? Can compare them with the regular idols. I am interested in the 5.2 as my biggest sail and start going out in about 17 knots and I am 175-180 pounds.
ReplyDeleteThanks alot, Idriss
Hi Idriss,
ReplyDeleteI can easily get the 5.2 going on my 101 in 17 knots and have plenty of power for all the tricks. Yesterday I was out on my 4.8 and 101 Flare in 18-20 knots and doing fine. Other guys were on upper 5 meter sails. I'm 165-170 lbs, so we're not that far off. Power wise, it seems pretty on par with the regular idol but it doesn't feel that way in your hands. The idol has more of a feeling of pull in your hands, and with the Freek, you're planing without having that pulling feeling. It's a VERY reactive sail, so a little over sheet or under sheet and you'll loose power. But when you figure it out after a few runs, the power is there to be had and then when you're moving, the smoothness and handling is off off the charts!!! I could never go back to the idol after being on the Freek for 6 months. The comfortable wind range for doing freestyle on the Freek surpasses even the idol and then when the Freek is powered, the sky is the limit. My level went up instantly on the bigger sizes. I can do tricks on the 5.2 Freek that I was never able to do on the idol 5.0 simply do to the faster reaction from the sail and significantly lower weight. Don't hesitate to grab a Freek! We did a demo in Cape Hatteras and I never had such positive feedback from such a wide range of people. Guys sold their Norths and other guys sold their Ezzys to buy some Severnes. These sails are the real deal!!
Hope that helps,
Mike
Thank you, i will try to find one.
ReplyDeleteIdriss
Ocean Air Sports has the full line of Severne in Stock. www.oceanairsports.com They don't have Severne on the website yet because they just started carrying Severne and Starboard. They still have to update the website, but I know they had at least a couple 5.2 Freeks in stock a couple weeks ago when I was in Cape Hatters. Tell them Mike Burns says hello!! Great guys there. Let me know what you think about the sail when you sail it.
ReplyDeleteAll the best,
Mike
Hi!
ReplyDeleteHow much downhaul and outhaul do you have on the freek using the severnemasts?
Best regards: Per
Hi Per,
ReplyDeleteFor the Freeks, I rig them for freestyle, meaning I use a slightly tighter leach. So when you're down hauling, make the wrinkles at the top of the sail come in so that they are just past the end of the mini-batten between the top 2 battens of the sail. This is typically about 2 cm less than the recommended downhaul printed on the sail. Then for the outhaul, I rig it to the outhaul number printed on the sail. Sometimes 1 cm less on the outhaul if I really need to get the extra power, but rigging it to the outhaul number on the sail makes the sail easier to duck.
All the best,
Mike
Hi!
ReplyDeleteThanks, just orded the 2016 and I guess its more or less the same sail as the 2015.
Hi Per,
ReplyDeleteSounds good! Yes, the 2016s are pretty much the same exact sail as the 2015 with just updated graphics and a slightly different bottom batten pocket. They rig up the same way.
Glad I could help!
Thanks,
Mike
I just picked up a 5.2 and a 4.8 Freek from Ocean Air can't wait to get them out on the water! I've been using No Limits masts for my Gaastra Pures (Original bottoms and Sumo tops). What no limits mast or combination would you recommend for the freeks?
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Dan
Hi Dan,
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the Freeks!! You're going to love them!! The strait up NoLimitz Sumo will definitely work the best.
Have fun!!
Mike
Hi mike, i think the freek from 15 and 16 is not exactly the same. Use 4.8 from both years with rdm90 from 2015. Did they change the bend- or luffcurve? My 16 4.8 needs more downhaul than the 2015. Outhaul is the same. Should i use rdms from 2016 ore is the mast the same? I think it feels more baggy.
ReplyDeleteCheers ben
Hi Ben,
ReplyDeleteYes, if you have the 2015 dialed in you will notice a difference with the 2016. The 2016 is a little softer, springier and more powerful. It has a little more of a delay with the backwinded tricks than the 2015, but that's just a matter your adjusting your timing. The bottom batten has more shape on the 2016 than the 2017. That split second it takes to pop around is what you're feeling. The 2017s are perfectly flat again at the bottom batten but inflates deeper above the boom under power. They also react a little quicker than the 2016s and added another notch of power. I'm REALLY liking the 2017s too!!
There's nothing wrong with using your 2015 mast on the 2016. It's just a slightly different sail. It will be that way with another mast too. It always takes me a couple sessions to get the new gear dialed in between the different feel and settings. That's why I like to really give the kits a good thrashing before posting up any reviews.
For the mast, I've used the same Severne rdm 100 on the 2015 and 2016. They worked perfect on both years. I also use NoLimitz masts and they work great too even though the sails set ever so slightly different from the Severne. But everything works great.
So, keep your mast, save some money and maybe add another cm of outhaul to get the baggy out :-)
All the best,
Mike
HI Mike,
ReplyDeletehave you also tried the Severne Blade? I got a series of 4.0 - 4.5 - 5.0 and I am trying to figure out the options for mast. What about Nolimitz? Did you ever try them on Blades 016?
thanks!
Costas
Hi Costas,
ReplyDeleteI have tried the Blade and Blade Pro in the past but don't use them nearly often enough to give blade specific rigging advice. However, I do know for sure that the NoLimitz masts will work on the Blade. I've had so many questions about masts with the Severne sails when I first started riding Severne, so I've got the mast compatibility figured out pretty well. I actually arranged for Severne to send a mast over to NoLimitz to have a bend test on the machine to see the specs. It was probably close to two years ago, but they bent a Severne RDM 90 and it was nearly identical in all characteristics to the NoLimitz Sumo. The bend pattern was within 1% I've got a full quiver of NoLimitz masts as of the UPS arrival today and they're working perfect.
Mike