The clever arrangement of the rollers with the large axle, through which the rope can be threaded either from one side or the other, allows clean rope guidance for sails with three rollers. Both for the roller block as with GunSails - and for the variant rotated by 90 degrees in comparison.
The soft, smooth Dyneema rope supplied noticeably reduces friction and trimming forces, but - like all Dyneema ropes - it also tends to pinch your fingers when pulled hard. A loop and the harness hook are therefore ideal for fine trimming.
With a shortest length of just under 2.5 centimetres, the extension should fit most sails, the adjustment ring can be moved quickly and securely (open and twist slightly, then it goes from zero to 48 without stopping) and snaps into the holes automatically. The push button is quite small and tightly sprung, but sits elegantly and flush in the tube and is easy to operate.
Prices and lengths GunSails Pro XT
The solid 32 mm aluminium extension weighs 652 grams, the 48 mm carbon model 552 grams. The aluminium extension costs 85 Euro (32 cm) or 95 Euro (48 cm) . The XT RDM Carbon counterpart is available for 145 euros (32 cm) and 165 euros (48 cm).
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Stephan Gölnitz
Deputy Editor in Chief surf
Stephan Gölnitz comes from Bochum and had Holland as his home windsurfing territory for many years before moving to Munich in 1996 for the job of test editor at surf magazine. The materials engineering graduate worked as a surf instructor on the Ijsselmeer during his studies and competed for several seasons for the Essen sailing team in the Surfbundesliga and the Funboard Cup. He completed a traineeship at surf-Magazin in the test department and since then has actively accompanied almost all tests on the boom and for more than 10 years also as a photographer. Stephan has covered many thousands of test kilometers, mainly on Lake Garda and in Langebaan, but also in Egypt and Tobago. He gets his hands on over 100 new sails and boards every year as his company car. Privately, he prefers to surf with a foil on Lake Walchensee or “unfortunately far too rarely” in the waves. SUP is Stephan's second passion, which he pursued for several years at numerous SUP races. Today, he prefers to paddle on river tours with family or friends - even for several days.
