Severne Enigma Wave Boom review

One of the most hyped products in severne line, and one of the occasions where marketing hype matches product performance. I bought the 150-200 size and it's the best severne product I've had. So far this my favourite piece of windsurfing kit, that's after 8 years of using many brands and products. 

Good

Ultra light
Small diameter grip
RDM specific head fits perfectly with masts

Bad

marking on the grip wear off, not sure about the grip material quality
at max extension (200cm) tail bends

Wish the boom had
Permanent marking on the tail instead of painted ones that get peeled off
Tougher grip material around the head

Don't know

Still in terms of durability we don't know if this boom is more durable than the category leading Neil Pryde X9 carbon boom.  This is simply because X9 has been there a long time and the durability is proven.  Apart from durability severne enigma scores better on all others.  Severne has a lower price point than X9 so you can argue it has better value for money.  FO some reason all NP products are way too expensive. This may or may not be due to higher material quality as there are no objective tests.

Who should consider this boom?

Anyone who wants a carbon way boom, specially women and those with small hands!

 If you don't have sails with outhaul less than 160cm then you can have one boom with 160cm-210cm with X9 so factor this into the equation before buying. I recently bought a Chinook Pro 1 carbon boom 160-226cm and this size fits all my sails except 4.2m that I rearly use.  So if you want to save money you can still get the  next size up.

 

Why I sold hot sails maui GPX

it's been a while since my last review about hot sails maui GPX sail, now I've sold my GPX 7.5 and I'd like to explain what made me sell it.  At the time of purchase I was expecting this sail to have more bottom end than it provided. Problem with crossover sails over 6.5m is that they could easily end up as not good at anything, my current thinking is that anything over 6.5m should have loads of bottom end and should be light, that is if you are a recreational windsurfing like me. Fulll X ply on this is not necessary at this size as you wouldn't be bashing it in waves or rough conditions. So really I would only recommend GPX unto say 6.5 max and after that you are better off with freerace sail either with or without cams.  Now I've got a 7.5 severne turbo.  Thinking behind this purchase was at this size as teh largest sail in my quiver what I'm really after is bottom end on a day where this sail could make the difference between sitting on beach and going out.  It was a tough decision between severne NCX 7.5 and Turbo , and finally arrived at the decision based on the following two criteria:
a. Turbo better bottom end
b. 2014 Turbo 7.5 still rigs on a 430 mast so I don't have to invest in another piece of equipment

Now I've sold both GPS and GPX , along with teh hot rod big wave mast, i'm no longer a hot sails user.  Was it a mistake to go with hot sails in teh first place? Yes, it is if you are in Australia , whilst hot sails have quality products, second hand market in Australia is so poor and you are stuck with skinny masts of bigger sizes where others ails do not fit in.  This is not a problem if you are in US. Now i'm with severne, I find it so easy to get hold of cheap second hand sails and accessories.

I will kepp you updated on how I go with severne turbo in my next post

Hot sails maui GPX any good?

Been using hot sails Maui GPX for a while and though write a review. This sail is sold as fast crossover sail so I wasn't sure what to expect exactly. One of the reasons I got attracted to this particular sail over say GP2 or Severne NCX is the durability. Full Xply sail made sense considering occasional catapult and chop in the area I windsurf. I was wondering who the target market for this sail as most people would prefer no cam pure free race sail like NCX over a crossover, specially in bigger sizes. 
First time rigging one of the surprises was I could down haul with bare hands and this is the only sail in my quiver I could do so.  So easy compered to cammed GPS which is a pain to downhaul like all cammed sails.  I got GPX 7.5 and rigger it on hot sails hot rod 460 rdm. Actually this is not the recommended mast but since I already had this for GPS 8m sail why would I buy another.  When rigged up sail lacked deeper profile I expected from a cross over sail with cut out clew. Though I could tension the lower battens for more shape.
I paired this sail with Fanatic Falcon 113 and 41cm select slam fin. I was keen to test the chop handling ability of both board and sail with straight slalom fin. Sailing in Melbourne port Phillip bay so far my experience is positive. Used sail from 15 to 20knots range.

Stats and conditions
Rider Weight = 70kg
Board = Fantic Falcon 2012 113L (actual vol 107)
Fin - Select Slam 41cm
Mast - hot rod big wave RDM 460cm
Boom = NP X9 180-230cm
Conditions - confused or moderate choppy
Wind - side on-shore


What I like
- Easy rigging
- Plug and Play sail and great fun
- Easy jybing and tacking
- Smooth power dilivery
- Good in chop
- Light and balanced feeling for 7.5m sail. Actually I didn't feel this to be heavier than my 6.4m North duke.
- good top end for a crossover sail
- looked durable although time will test this
- easy to pump
- value for money compared to Neil Pride Helcat which is over $1000

What I didn't like
- batten screws keep falling off (luckily Johnathon from hot sails Australia immediately send new ones without charge!)
- Lacked bit of bottom end compared to a more pure free race sail like severne NCX or AC1/NP Helcat
- Bit too much pull on backhand although adjusting harness lines and outhaul improves this. This is also a personal preference I guess.
- Sail bag didn't look hardy and lacked a pocket
- Nothing special about the graphics and colour but this is the least priority. Happy morons on jet skis can see me.

Since the manufacturer market this as a crossover sail I shouldn't expect bottom end and upwind like a cammed GPS but sometimes you wish. Sail requires a slightly different riding style than with cammed GPS. Less raked in sail and slightly more gap at the bottom. basically you should let the sail do the work rather than forcing it.

Who should consider this...
This is a good sail for choppy conditions and if you don't like the hassle of cammed sails and need something to get on water as quickly as possible like after work. Cut out clew means a smaller boom.  If you mostly sailing in flat water try a pure free race sail first or if you have time and money to play around with cammed sails that give more bottom and upwind. However at lower sizes GPX could be better suitable than a NCX since its more durable and fun.

Verdict
Would I replace my GPS with this sail? Probably not but this is such an easy sail and heaps of fun to ride so I'm happy with my purchase.