Windsurf MagazineLOFTSAILS SWITCHBLADE 7.8 2022 TEST REVIEW

LOFTSAILS SWITCHBLADE 7.8 2022 TEST REVIEW

THE VERDICT

The Switchblade is all about comfort and top end stability, providing the drive and dependability to control the most lively board when the wind turns on.

OVERVIEW

Said to provide “easy freerace performance”, the Switchblade design has evolved yet again for this season and will remain current for 2023. With an emphasis on maximising its tuning range, it is tested here in standard construction (utilising monofilm in its window panel and orange bi-ply in its upper panels), whilst also available in a green HD version, with x-ply throughout its panels. It sits alongside Loftsails recently released 2023 racing programme, with fin, foil and raceboard focussed ‘Blade’ sails, highlighting the brand’s strong diverse heritage across all racing circuits. Recommended for use solely on a Team Edition SDM, this 7.8m is the transitional size in the range, with all smaller sizes possessing a six-batten geometry, and also compatible with RDMs (the RDM TekCam II camber inducers supplied as standard). It’s a thoroughly well engineered and thought-out design, with extensive use of tubed battens and metal interfaces installed between the cams and batten pockets, said to eliminate any degradation. The batten pockets themselves use x-ply to help mitigate any asymmetry between tacks, whilst the dual clew eyelet and zippered neoprene boom-cutout closure are neat touches to maximise wind range and practicality. Once rigged, the Switchblade displays one of the most pronounced luff curves in the test group, the depth of the sail’s draft medium to shallow, whilst the leech falls away significantly to batten five and beyond. There’s plenty of skin tension through its x-ply luff panel, the tack strap helping to pull shape and tension into the foot of the sail.

BRAND CLAIM

“A key design objective has been to maximise the possible trim range. Accordingly, the latest incarnation of the Switchblade implements optimised luff curves and vertical shapes to achieve a massive tuning palette.”

PERFORMANCE

Possessing some of the larger dimensions in the group, the Switchblade feels big in the hands initially, its shallow draft providing measured and subtle feedback, instead of forceful or obvious bottom end grunt. It feels somewhat stiff and rigid in the hands, but as pressure builds and it releases, the acceleration that follows is spellbinding. Locking into a comfortable stance, the Loftsails is stable and dependable, thriving on being powered throughout and partnered with an efficient board that can best utilise the extra energy generated. In gusty variable winds, it’s wise to rig the Switchblade size in the top of its wind range, keeping pressure in its panels so that it can glide through any prolonged lulls, safe in the knowledge that its top end stability during gusts is assured. And even in the most violent conditions, a simple drop to the lower clew eyelet will help provide the extra boom rake to lock the sail down and keep it driving. In transition, the Switchblade’s size is easily masked and hidden as it slices through the air. Entering turns at speed, its power is easy to manage by sheeting in hard initially, making the rig flip mid-transition straightforward to time and manage, the three cams rotating smoothly once the sail is pulled in on the new tack. A well-engineered sail that comes into its own as the conditions turn on, the Switchblade is a freerace engine that is sure to provide years and years of service.