RRD MOVE 5.2M MK3 2015 TEST REVIEW REPORT
RRD MOVE 5.2M MK3 2015 TEST REVIEW REPORT
OVERVIEW
The Move is RRD’s ‘do-it-all’ Freewave/Wave onshore sail range morphing from freeride and blasting orientation in the larger sizes down to wave and bump and jump use in the smaller sizes. As mentioned in the intro, it’s time to take RRD sails seriously, very seriously. Credit where credit’s due, this is no package sail brand or ‘they’re just slightly re-worked Simmers’ range, but a genuine, quality contender to add to your demo lists across the board. A testament to now bona fide sail designer John Skye.
BRAND CLAIM
‘The concept behind the Move is to provide the ultimate sail no matter what the wind strength. In the larger sizes, 6 battens give a powerful foil that has been refined to give more skin tension, and therefore increased stability and control. The 6.2 and 5.7 feature 5 battens and are the perfect match for a sporty freestyle wave / freemove board. Blasting, jumping, gybing, they do it all. Finally the smaller sizes 5.2, 4.7 and 4.2, offer even higher levels of manoeuvrability combined with a powerful drive, feeling equally at home on a freestyle wave, Fire wave or full on Wave Cult.’ (Sic.)
PERFORMANCE
What we like most and always seem to find out about RRD sails – and with the Move 5.2 being no exception – are the traits that stand throughout their range: namely, a positive, upright stance thanks to the high – and slightly forward – C of E in the case of this model, excellent stability, unmatched drive for early planing compared to the rest of this selection, positive acceleration, upwind prowess, an element of forgiving spring and a light-yet-solid build. The Move is super manoevrable too. A really ‘invisible’, easy to sail product that’s fast and especially suitable for onshore conditions like we had on test. If you need to reach ramps early, deal with current and be agile and on your toes and ready for action then you really can’t go wrong. The linear opening leech operates effectively through the wind range with a lot of natural twist that helps smooth out the bumps and cope with gusts and the profile delivers a solid level of backhand control that’s ideal for fast, tight, onshore turns in the surf, always seeming to pull you in closer to the wave. That backhand power is always accessible on-tap and lends a lot of ‘punt’ throughout tricky ‘clew-out’ rides when you need extra boost and momentum to keep your flow. If this all sounds too positive, go and try one for yourself. We really can’t sing its praises enough.
THE VERDICT
For the majority of ‘real world’ wave and FSW sailors you’re gonna struggle to beat this beauty. Effortless control lets you concentrate on what you’re doing with a positive stance delivering speed, upwind power and a perfect onshore riding behaviour. We can’t vouch for its down-the-line performance, but for a ‘go-anywhere’ tool, the Move 5.2 is the possibly the wisest pick you’ll make for some time.
Other boards in this test: