Background
The Pure is a new, no compromise, dedicated freestyle sail from Gaastra, replacing the highly successful Echo LE sail line, it has already proved itself with both the men’s and women’s PWA world freestyle titles in 2011.

At a glance
It has four battens with a compact boom length and high cut foot. It has large monofilm panels, with X-Ply re-enforcements in the foot, to offer the best compromise between durability and lightweight. As with all Gaastra sails, it looks incredibly well built and a high quality product. The Pure also stands out with a unique colour scheme and graphics on the sail.

Rigging
It rigs on a 400 mast and we tested it with a Gaastra 100 RDM. It sets with a tighter leech, so don’t go too hard on the down-haul. The tuning can be done with the out-haul to suit the conditions, it does perform at its best in lighter, less powered up conditions.

Performance
It feels very lightweight and perfectly balanced in the hands. This is a highly efficient sail, powering up very early and in the lightest of wind, so you’ll get planing super quickly. At the top end it remains easy to control until it gets over powered and can then start to get a bit back handed, it is designed to be sailed smaller, so it’s not a problem and you can just change down sooner. In the moves you can completely forget about it, it goes totally neutral when you need it to and then when you need the power back, you just flip the switch. Regardless of how you throw or duck the sail, it has the ability to make everything feel very easy, always remaining balanced.

The verdict
The Pure is a dedicated hardcore freestyle sail, designed for new school moves. It is a quality bit of kit and will suit any dedicated freestyler, regardless of level. It makes all moves feel easy and this gives you heaps of confidence to push yourself even further and explore what’s possible.

www.gaastra.com