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SIMMER 2XC-Featured

SIMMER 2XC 7.8M 2014 TEST REVIEW REPORT

Stats Size (m2) 7.8 Luff (cm) 479 Boom (cm) 222 Battens 6 Ideal Mast 460 Simmer SC8 (80%) SDM or RDM80 Extension Req (cm) 20 Price £569

Simmer 2XC 7.8-480px

Simmer 2XC 7.8m 2014 Test Review Report

OVERVIEW
The 2XC is a fairly compact, 6-batten twin cam that’s position next to the V-Max no-cam freerace (see April 2014 issue test), the SCS 3-cam freerace and the top-of-the-line SCR race sail (see May issue test report). The 2XC comes with an extra ‘TekCam’ that makes it possible to rig on an RDM mast as well.

BRAND POSITIONING
‘The 2XC offers quick and simple rigging, great low-end power, smooth rotation and easy handling. With research and development directly linked to that of the Simmer Race Program, 2XC features all of the most recent innovations found in our full-bred race machine. The 6 battens provide stability, while the 2 mini cams create a full draft profile and keep the center of effort low and locked. The 2XC is the best choice for beginning slalom or just drag racing against your friends. It is also a great alternative to SCR and SCS in the smaller sizes.’ (Sic.)

PERFORMANCE
Some frustrating customs incompetencies delayed the Simmer gear for this test and we only got to try the 2XC out in the final couple of days of the trip to Tenerife.  That means this report is inconclusive and based only on the conditions we had to hand in a very short window of opportunity. Okay, so unbagging the sail you an instantly see there’s been a lot of love and attention to detail give to the construction, with lightweight film bolstered in key areas by x-ply and Kevlar reinforcements. The draft is pretty deep considering the nice and narrow, user-friendly sleeve. Rigging-wise it’s a breeze, with the cams going straight onto the mast easily without any elaborate ‘cams-off’ fuss, which is nice if you’ve just got a short window of time to sail in. Bar a few basic tweaks, we found it simple for a first-time setup and that the downhaul can pretty much be left alone, with the outhaul being your go-to tuning device. With incessantly strong wind (25-30 knots), we effectively tested it far beyond its upper wind range really, but, most importantly, the hold-up meant way less head-to-heads against the rival sails and that we only sailed it on a much narrower range of boards. There’s quite a soft batten profile from the 6-strut frame, which did limit it in the rough water there, but we remember on previous trips to Egypt that previous incarnations of this sail gave quite positive top-end performance in flatter water and stronger wind. We didn’t think flattening the sail off was the answer in these conditions and preferred to use the draft to keep control and use the softness to our advantage. If we had more time we’d have experimented with stiffer masts to see if they raised the upper limit, especially for the heavier testers. Manoeuvrability-wise this is a legend, being super throw about and flicky and light to handle thanks to a relatively low-aspect outline.  All-in-all the ride is nice and upright with a good closed foot for an efficient, low-energy stance.

THE VERDICT
A friendly, throwabout and light-in-the-hands product that capably bridges the gap between freeride and freerace performance.

www.simmerstyle.com


Other sails in this test:

EZZY LION 7.5

GAASTRA COSMIC 8.0

NEILPRYDE HORNET 7.7

NORTH S-TYPE 7.8

SEVERNE TURBO 7.5


Back to test intro page

TEST OVERVIEW PAGE

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