If you want to buy a sail under 5.3 square metres, there is no getting around wave sails. Why? Because there is virtually nothing else available in small sizes. You shouldn't be put off by the term, because although many of the products on offer carry the label "wave", they are perfectly suitable for flat water.
Wave sails are particularly popular in sizes from 3.0 to 6.0 square metres and are characterised by the following features:
Wave sails are, as the name suggests, the first choice for anyone who wants to surf regularly in breaking waves. Thicker materials and reinforcements ensure that wash cycles and crashes (usually) remain without material breakage. But many wave sails are also well suited as strong wind sails for flat water. You can find out which products excel with good flat water performance (control, planing performance, manoeuvre handling) and which are purely wave toys in the surf tests or in the online section of surf.
Wave sails are available with three to five battens. To summarise, it can be said that concepts with four and five battens are usually very suitable for all-round use and are also well suited for flat water use in strong winds. Three-batten wave sails are generally much more specialised in design and are primarily aimed at the requirements of very good wave surfers who surf in large waves with an offshore wind.
In sizes over 5.5 square metres, flat water surfers always have the alternative of freemove or freeride sails. These are often somewhat easier to handle due to lighter materials and have a better glide due to their design.
Ideal board type for this sailing group:Wave, Allround, Freeride, (Freestyle)
Manuel Vogel
Editor surf
