Test: No Cam Free Race Sails – Full power – made easy! Seven fast 7.2s put to the test
Surf Testteam
· 20.09.2026
The following sails are included in the test:
The line between freeride and freerace is not as insurmountable as the divide between some kiters and windsurfers. Nor can it be defined simply by the number of sail battens. The ‘freerace’ label isn’t awarded solely on the basis of measurable performance either; for the surf testers, it necessarily also requires a slightly crisper, ‘racer-like’ riding feel. And that cannot be quantified by a single component.
This is what the new one looks like NeilPryde Speedster For example, despite having only six battens, it feels just as sporty in many sailing situations as if you were holding a lightweight camber race sail. The equally new Duotone X_Pace conveys a similar, curly and ‘racy’ feel – albeit with seven slats. Mirroring this, on the other side there is a GA Matrix or Sailloft Cross HR – with seven slats – both of which also deliver impressive freerace performance on the slopes, but with a more comfortable feel at the fork and a riding style that combines freerace and freeride. When it comes to the Goya The theory (six battens) and the testers’ practical sailing experiences then complement each other: there’s simply a touch more comfortable freeride potential than kerosene in here, in the form of greater damping on the straights and silky-smooth jib handling. A sports car and a luxury saloon travelling at the same speed on the motorway can give their drivers very different sensations at the wheel. In exactly the same way, you might feel as though you’re going faster on one sail at the same speed simply because you have to grip the boom more firmly.
In any case, these sails are all fast. In the surf test, the riders’ skill levels and weights are almost identical, and the boards and fins are the same. Differences in performance are assessed over a distance of several hundred metres. In real-world conditions, riding ability or a different fin will have a significantly greater influence on the actual speed achieved. When a fin test carried out a little later On the choppy lake, with a 7.0 from this group, we clocked speeds well over 55 km/h on several occasions. It actually felt as though there was still room for improvement – on calm water and with smaller fins. You wouldn’t win a World Cup race with that, but amongst amateur racers on Lake Garda, at that speed you’d have to watch out more for the boats ahead than those behind.
“Camberless freerace sails are the most comfortable way to surf really fast.” (Stephan Gölnitz, surf tester)
Fork legs – just as important as the tyres on a mountain bike
Slim RDM masts are now the norm even for sporty no-cam sails. In the test sails, these demonstrate astonishingly crisp characteristics and superb performance that is on a par with SDM masts. However – a slight fly in the ointment – it is 100 per cent carbon that keeps the sail taut here. Particularly with RDM masts, those containing 60–70 per cent carbon often fail to offer the same tension and responsiveness. To be on the safe side, you should definitely use the mast as tested.
Fitting tips
With the exception of Sailloft you’ll find a trim point on every sail – if the loose-leech folds in the sail extend up to that point, the luff tension is perfect. When Gunsails It is simply a single point for the entire wind range; otherwise, it is more commonly a range from minimum to maximum. Our testing experience? Close to the maximum, or right at the maximum, and then with little or no clew tension, the sails offer the widest wind range and lose only a little in terms of planing performance. However, too much leech trim can make the sail – and the board – more twitchy. Fine-tuning the leech therefore often determines the feel of the sail more than pure glide performance.
“The usable wind range is huge, often without needing to adjust the trim much. The sails still work even when a 5.0 is enough.” (Manuel Vogel, surf tester)
Details: on loose leech, battens and massive jagged edges
The often-quoted trimming rule – ‘the batten above the clew should lightly touch the mast’ – certainly does not apply to all sails. When it comes to luff trim, the loose leech is the first thing to consider. If the ‘loose’ – as indicated by the trim point on the sail or the visual crease pattern in the leech – is correct, the luff trim is complete. Additional mini-battens in the leech should also be taken as an indication that the sailcloth in the surrounding area on land should be at least slightly slack and free of tension. With some sails, the lower battens still slide noticeably past the mast after the luff trim has been set (e.g. Severne NCX, Duotone X_Pace) on others, the ends of the battens barely touch the mast (e.g. NeilPryde). With the sails used in this test, the clew is simply hooked in very loosely or, in strong winds, tensioned by a few centimetres. The battens can remain alongside the mast.
The effective sail length – that is, the actual ‘length’ of the sail directly above the gaff – is the gaff length plus the overhang of the batten above the gaff. This ‘notch’ in the outline varies, in some cases significantly, amongst the test sails. The stated boom length therefore gives little indication, at first glance, as to whether a sail will actually turn out to be more stretched or more compact.
An overview of the test marks
The ratings can only be accurately compared within the same group. When classifying them on a scale from ‘disappointing’ to ‘super’, we take into account as far as possible that this size range includes both freemove sails and camber sails. The ratings for these sails were determined by testing them against each other in a head-to-head comparison on identical boards.
Combining freerace sails effectively
When it comes to speed on fast downwind runs, these sails are often not the weakest link in the chain. As with a computer, the problem sometimes lies on the other side of the boom. However, these sails do not require a particularly high level of riding skill. Just get comfortable on the harness or in the straps, and off you go. In windsurfing, there’s no ‘progressive licence’ with a power restriction. These sails can already show their strengths even on freeride boards. Anyone wishing to reach higher speeds would be well advised to invest first in a fast fin, or even in a freerace set comprising a board and fin as a complete ‘sports package’.
Recommended surf type: No Cam freerace sail
- Full throttle – large sail, small fin: Your heartbeat is synchronised with the GPS. Pushing yourself to the limit, you’re with the Duotone X_Pace, Gunsails Rapid, NeilPryde Speedster Evo and Severne NCX Top advice. The Speedster delivers the most lift towards the fin, whilst the NCX probably offers the best board control. Even in consistently strong winds, with these sails you’ll still find yourself wishing for that extra gust.
- Plenty of power? But could we have lane-keeping assist and parking assist as well, please? In particular GA-Sails and Sailloft They’ve packed an engine that also guzzles petrol into a package that looks comfortable and offers the best in travel comfort – the Shinkansen, by comparison, is a clunky old rattletrap.
- Glide early, surf fast, but please with playful handling: With the Mark 7 It’s practically four-wheel steering when jibing, and the batten rotation is as smooth as a top-of-the-range power-assist mechanism. And the torque in the lower rev range is also impressive.