Naish Force 5.3
Background
The Force is Naish’s power wave sail and is Robby’s personal sail of choice.
At a glance
It has five battens with a moderate aspect ratio and is constructed using the latest lightweight and durable materials including Kevlar and X-166 which is 30% lighter than conventional X- Ply.
Rigging
The 5.3 fits on a 430 RDM mast, we tested the sail with a Naish 90% RDM. It sets with a fair bit of pre-shape in the foil, with a soft leech. It has a decent tuning range that can be adjusted through the out-haul, once the down-haul is set. The tack fairing opens up completely making rigging easier and giving you better access to the down-haul pulleys.
On the water
The Force is powerful and perfectly balanced, it feels very light in the hands with a solid but controllable forward drive. It’s natural wind range on the water is extremely good and it remains balanced and controlled even in the strongest of gusts. The bottom end power is great and gets you going quickly. It has a very effective combination of light handling and full power, which can be put to good use in all conditions and is also accessible for all weights of rider. The wind range is very good and it deals with gusts very effectively. It is a fast sail that has an impressive top end, this can be put to good use for launching big airs on the way out or powering down waves at full speed. On the wave the balanced light handling can be put to good affect, making the sail turn to neutral when you don’t need the power. It is super sharp and reactive, so you can always rely on the power when you need it.
Summing up
Powerful, lightweight and perfectly balanced. It was a strong favourite with the test team for all-round performance and handling.