Since the beginning of the season, I've been enjoying a nice Gaastra Matrix/Savage quiver but I might need to return it because I can't find compatible Hardtop masts that trims the rig properly. Instead, I was offered to select a new quiver amongst Ezzy sails. So, it looks like windsurfers in the Midwest have some experience with Ezzy's and while I could recreate a similar quiver as with my Gaastra set, I'm just curious if anyone would approach it differently.

I weight 85kg/187lb, I sail on an AtomIQ 124L, got some descent skills back in place, sail on Lake Michigan primarily, and have been using the Gaastra set like such this season:
Gaastra Matrix 5.5 : not used so far
Gaastra Matrix 6.5 : used ~10% of the time, 18-20kn
Gaastra Matrix 7.5 : used ~50% of the time, 15-18kn
Gaastra Savage 8.6 : used ~40% of the time, 12-15kn ( my favorite of the set!)

I'm thinking of a combination of Ezzy Lion 3 for the larger sails and Cheetah for smaller sizes. Not sur I need anything smaller than a 6.5 or 6 for now. Ezzy's seem to have a broader usable range, so should I get more space between sizes? Just wondering if someone has experience and some advice for me in selecting a freeride/freerace Ezzy quiver. Thanks.

My suggestion: 8.5 or 8.0 and 7.5 or 7.0 Cheetahs for the AtomIQ. And later when you get that 103 Kode FreeWave get a 6.4, 5.7 and 5.0 or something around that Ezzy Tiger. Freeride boards and sails are not fun above 22 kts, thats a wave kit territory .
PS: Here is another option: replasjng the Matrixes with a Savage 7.2 wich together with the 8.6 completes a nice moderate wind blasting quiver that covers the range of the AtomIQ and then farther down the road you collect a 2 or 3 sails strong wind quiver of Ezy Tiger or Gaastra ManicHD . Honestly Im not a fan of the freeride Ezzys. I had 7.5 and 6.5 Infinitis / now Lion/ before and felt that they get overpowered too soon. Sold them after just a season and a half.

Isthmus sell a GT HT masts for the Gaastras and also elswhere you might find Maui Sails mast which are also hard top.
www.isthmussailboards.com/Windsurfing-Ma...-Masts/products/373/
secondwindmaui.com/index.php/our-product...aui-sails-masts.html

Thanks for the recommendations on Ezzy's sails Ady.

I tried different HT masts for the Gaastra Sails and I wasn't happy with the solutions I found in the US: Not enough curve at the base of the mast makes a couple of the battens sitting too forward over the mast, which makes the rotation of the sail quite dificult. Unifiber in Europe sells HT masts but are not distributed in the US. Gaastra 75% masts is what the sails have been designed for. Also hard to get in the US and has to be purchased from distributors in the EU and most won't ship to the US...

The only thing I haven't tried is a skinny GT HT masts. Maybe the smaller diameter mast will make room for the infringing battens to rotate more smoothly... Maybe worth a try despite Gaastra reco SDM masts for sails sizes above 6.5-7.2.
Anyhow, If this doesn't work, think I'm done with the exotic gear and need to stick to domestic stuff instead.

Go RDM!!! I've used a 490 RDM on a 9.0 Retro and was perfectly happy with it, regardless of B. Petersons /head of Sailworks / efforts to convince me otherwise. Before that did try a 100% Powerex 490 SDM that was supposed to match the sail curve bend , but was too stiff and had the same batten problem. The softer RDM fit like a glove on the other hand. I have 3 masts right now - all 3 different brands and all 3 -RDM for my 6 sails ranging from 4.2 to 7.5.
The only case of RDM not working I had on a disastrous 3-cam Loft Switchblade-the RDM made it ridiculously flat. I used the Powerex SDM on that sail untill it started falling apart /bad quality/ and I just gave it away to a friend of mine. Never again cams, never again SDM for me, period!

If Gaastra recommends SDM, how come on the Savage page there is only the 100% RDM shown at the bottom together with a boom as the only recommended masts?!?
ga-windsurfing.com/sails/2016/freeride/savage/
PS: Oh ok, got it-7.8 and 8.6 SDM , 7.2 and smaller SDM and RDM. Makes sense, but not mandatory-use whatever works for you!
Also sizes- if ine size is too soft the next one up might work and the other way around. Also if you have the same brand and model masts you can mix and match different sizes tops and bottoms to achieve the desired curve bend: for example a longer top and shorter bottom will give you a much bigger bottom curve.
Try this one:
www.isthmussailboards.com/GT-75-HT-RDM/productinfo/GT16HT75/

Darn! There is the boom to be considered aswell. So if you have SDM and RDM in one quiver it will be a major pain in the ass to use one boom-replacing the shim and most probably readjusting the clamp string aswell -its a no no.
The more I think about it , the more your plan starts to come on top, it simplifies a lot of things if you can return the Gaastras and replace them with:
8.5 Cheetah or Lion, 7.0 Cheetah and 6.0 Cheetah. 490 and 430 Ezzy RDM masts, wich you can combine /490 top+430 bottom/ to create a 460 for the 7.0.
A separate strong wind quiver of Ezzy Elite or Tiger with a separate boom and board should be in your plans for the near future aswell , and then youll probably eliminate the 6.0 Cheetah and you will use the 430 mast on the wave sails.

Hi Greg,

I use Ezzys and I'm happy with them. This is how my quiver breaks down:

8.5 Freeride (no cams) on a 490 Neilpryde SDM
7.0 Freeride, also on the 490 (I simply adjusted the head strap. Works fine)
6.0 Tiger (Wave Sail) on a 430 Ezzy RDM. I had a 6.0 Cheetah Freeride before, and prefer the Tiger. Although it may not have quite as much power as the Freeride, I prefer it for sailing small waves and chop on Lake Michigan, where I usually sail. If you're doing inland, flat-water blasting, though, you could really go either way: Freeride or Wavesail.
5.2 Tiger on a 400 Ezzy RDM.
4.7 Tiger on the 400 Ezzy.

A few points:
- I find that the jump from 8.5 to 7.0 works fine. I know another guy who goes from a 9.5 to a 6.5, and that works for him. With the bigger sails, you can have bigger jumps.
- It's my understanding that the 490 SDMs are potentially lighter than the Ezzy 490 RDM. I remember reading somewhere that RDM is probably a better idea for 430 masts or smaller. That being said, I will probably eventual replace my 490 Nielpryde X9 (100% carbon, I think), with an Ezzy 490. The RDMs are easier to rig and grab on the water, as when doing tacks.
- a good place to look for used Ezzy masts is Windance.com. They often have A+ masts (with factory blems) for $470.

Hope that helps!

Gregory -

Knowing that you are a "well-seasoned" windsurfer (as am I ), I must mention my unbounded love for my HotSailsMaui SuperFreaks.

Yes they are primarily dacron, but not the same dacron we had back in the 70's. Much lighter and much stronger, with kevlar supporting the high load-lines. They are pretty much indestructible, they are practically silent, and they handle gusty conditions (ie, windy days in the midwest) like no other.

Also, you can luff them. The two middle battens are only 90% so there's a nice soft spot Great for waves.

I started riding them in 2005 and quickly lost all interest in any other sails. I have 4.7/5.3/5.5/5.8/6.3 and they work great on my little waveboard, on the SUP, the big slalom board and the old longboard. I'm hoping to replace my old monofilm 7.1 with a 7.5 SpeedFreak.

I just got the 5.8 (a Maui Edition) this spring. An absolute beauty. And thanks to some new materials, it's about a pound lighter than my 2014 5.3

Anyway, I love 'em..
Drew

Chris , can you post again your weight and what boards you are using your sails on. It will make it easier for people to compare without digging thru your earlier posts .Also some info about your skill level and the conditions you are sailing in will help a lot to complete the picture and understand how relevant it is to the OPs situation. I'm constantly forgetting to do that too and in the process probably confusing people more then helping them. I'll try better from now on!

Ady, Drew, Chris,
Thanks a bunch for all the suggestions and for sharing what works for you. This helps quite a lot.

The MauiSails are a great option but I'm afraid that this won't be possible. If I return the Gaastra kits, my next best option is Ezzy because that's what my distributor has access to. While I am NOT responsible for the mast incompatibility with my Gaastra sails, I feel quite lucky to deal with a generous distributor that is willing to take my whole used Gaastra kits back as long as I buy from him something to replace. That makes sense to me and this is a fair offer from him.

My next big decision is how big of a jump between sizes. I got used to go from a 8.6 freerace to a 7.5 freeride. I also know that I barely used the 6.5 Gaastra Matrix over the past 2-3 months. There hasn't been many days I was available to sail in conditions above 18-20kn and while the 7.5 started to become a bit over-powered in 18-20kn gusts, I found ways to manage. Because of Midwest gusty conditions, I actually found that sailing a tad over-powered in the gust allowed me to enjoy easy and consistent planning when the wind returned to its steady strength.

Anyhow, I wish Ezzy was doing a 9.0 cheetah or lion 3. The choice would then be spot-on to create a quiver with almost consistent gaps between the next 2 lower-sized sails: a 7.5 and a 6.5, putting the 3-sail quiver within 17%-20% gap. But they don't: either a 8.5 or 9.5. At the same time, I think the Ezzy Lion with its couple of camber should get me through planning on the low end a bit sooner that the 7-battens Gaastra Savage. Maybe...

I'm concerned about jumping from 8.5 to 7.0. Don't know... Seems a lot to ask from the sails in term of usable range. At the same time, too close and the "pick the right size" becomes a dilemma on the beach. Darn, I'm making this too complicated...

So, what if I go with:
8.5 Lion3 - for more power on the low-end and speed in relatively flat water - I could see this working between 12kn to 15kn and maybe a tad more
7.5 Cheetah - for a balanced approach between power and control in moderate chop - 15kn to 18kn+
6.4 Elite - for maneuverability and control in heavy chop - 18kn to 22kn (OR a 6.5 Cheetah to keep things simple)
Finally all Ezzy masts: 460 top+bottom + 490 top + 430 bottom, if I understood how their mix and match works!

How's that looking like?

Per Ady's post.... I'm between 175-180 lbs. Windsurfing for 8 years, so I'm somewhere in the mid-intermediate to advanced-intermediate stage. I sail Lake Michigan and all the different conditions it presents. Boards are a 11'8" Exocet Windsup, 145L RRD Fireride, and 108 RRD Freestyle Wave. Also have a 94L RRD, which I haven't used yet. Like I say in another recent post, the Windsup has quickly become my most used board (which, in addition to windsurfing, also opens up options for lightwind wave-sailing, SUPing, SUPsurfing, and lightwind freestyle).

Greg, I should also mention that I have a 9.5 Ezzy Lion (cambered) sail. I got this sail to use for the FreeFormula board, which I no longer have. I can usually get the 9.5 planing on my windsup in 13+ winds. But if it's blowing 13-14 and if there are waves, I will almost always choose catching small waves on a 6.0 than sailing the 9.5. If there are no waves, then I'll go with the 9.5.

If you want to make the 8.5 the biggest sail in your quiver, I think that the cams are a good idea. The cams may give you 1-2 more mph on the sail. For me, at 175-180 lbs, I take the 8.5 Freeride sail out in 15-16 mph conditions, and my 7.0 in 17-19 mph conditions. (That being said, there are times when the wind has picked up and I've used these sails 5 mph beyond what they're usually intended for. Not optimal or easy, but still doable.) I really have no issues going from an 8.5 to a 7.0. For me, anything in between would be a bit redundant. For another perspective on quiver sizes, check out this windsurfing calculator. You'll need to figure a little extra weight for harness, wetsuit, PFD, etc. when putting in your weight. Enjoy the Ezzys. They are durable and consistent. (You can also e-mail Ezzy directly to inquire about how the mix-and-match would work for your quiver.)