Windsurf MagazineNORTH X-OVER 7.4 2022 TEST REVIEW

NORTH X-OVER 7.4 2022 TEST REVIEW

THE VERDICT

With the final prototype of the X-Over tested here, we are left in no doubt that moulded sails are here to stay. Light and active in the hands, it’s as if every fibre of the sail is connected and working together in the rider’s favour. Welcome back North – we can’t wait to try more 3Di sails!

OVERVIEW

North Sails have made a much-anticipated re-entry into the windsurfing sector; it’s a brand steeped in history and with a deserved reputation for pushing the boundaries of innovation. In 1992, North were the first to introduce seamless moulded sails into the America’s Cup, going on to redefine sail making with 3Di technology (and winning The America’s Cup with Alinghi) in 2007. With the North windsurfing brand brought back under control of the parent North Technology Group in 2018, this same technology is now being introduced into windsurfing. The brand has four sail ranges announced, their Wave and manoeuvre-oriented X-Over sails currently available, whilst their race and foil sails are due for release in the spring of 2023. The advantages of 3Di moulded technology are said to be instantly tangible, North stating that “riders will have more confidence to push harder, higher and faster in both extreme conditions and lighter winds than ever before.” The physical weight of the sail is certainly impressive, our pre-production sample tested here shedding around 500g compared to a similar sail of conventional materials. The stated advantages of seamless sails are said to go beyond this however – that the sail will hold its shape and structure under more strain for longer. In other words, more performance over a wider wind range and an extended life of service. The 3Di construction process itself is somewhat of a work of art, North using their own software to analyse and calculate the best layup to control and redirect the loading and tension in the sail. They then integrate reinforcements of Dyneema Aramid and load specific tape layout to produce an uninterrupted ‘Isotropic Fiber Layout’, said to provide the best dynamic stability possible. Add to that some ‘EZ Rigging’ concepts, such as loop-loop-go downhaul and outhaul cringles in the foot and clew, a lightweight locking ‘Rock-It’ batten tensioner and the suggested boom lengths printed along the length of the boom cutout, and the X-Over is a well thought out sail, intending to make rigging as stress free as possible. Tested on a Medium Diameter Mast (MDM) – a new diameter mast which is a halfway house between RDM and SDM, the X-Over sets with a moderate to low amount of luff curve, the mid-leech relatively tight, whilst positive rotation is maintained in both bottom battens. Retailing just shy of £1000.00, this 7.4m X-Over sail is certainly not cheap, coupled with the fact that it’s recommended for use on this new MDM mast … but is it worth it? Time to get it on the water.

: 4.2m shown here

BRAND CLAIM

“The X-Over sail range is designed to excel in all water and wind conditions, no matter what the day throws at you.”

PERFORMANCE

Used initially in light marginal winds, the X-Over is certainly a unique sail in nature. Light and poised in the hands, it is incredibly pumpable as if the whole sail area is connected and working in unison. With a light gust hitting, the physical weight of the X-Over encourages the rider to be assertive and positive, opening its lungs to catch as much air as possible, before chastening its recoil to push the board forward. There’s movement in the luff sleeve, which assists as well, but more than this, the whole sail has a dynamic elasticity that seems to punch power efficiently into the board and get it released earlier than we ever thought possible. It’s a very pleasant sensation, the 7.4m really making the most of the marginal winds. Once going, the sail settles into a comfortable stance, the centre of effort focused around the rider and its handling balanced and practical, encouraging the rider to enter transitions with confidence. As the wind increases, the North does have a reasonable natural range, albeit with its minimum downhaul set, the mid-leech does billow slightly, signifying the time for a re-tune. With more downhaul tension, the sail’s stability returns, allowing the rider to hold on comfortably for a good while longer. Compared to freerace / slalom no-cams, it comes as no surprise that the 5-battened X-Over 7.4m isn’t as slippery, fast or direct as its 7-battened counterparts, but then that is not what it’s about. This 7.4m is the largest size in a sail range at the very cutting edge of sail innovation. In this size, the crispness in a 3Di’s handling may be lost a little, but at the heart of its development is its structural prowess, demonstrating just how much more potential there is in marginal conditions, thereby extending a sail’s range. As for the MDM mast, does the industry need a new diameter, requiring a new extension diameter too? North are ripping up the rule book with sail design, so why not masts and they say that it, “is a much better mast than what is available today in SDM, at equivalent retail prices, in terms of reflex performance, reactivity, weight and durability. The MDM mast is optimum in the X-Over 7.4, and also the 6.7 for heavier riders using the sail powered up.

The RDM mast is the optimum mast in all other X-Over sails, particularly those small sizes destined as a Power Wave sail.”