DudeAbides said...
[br]Hi

I have this friend (well a guy i know) and he has a Reflex 4 with a 2014 severne mast. He is having trouble rotating the sail. He has used 2 different masts but has the same problem. Any ideas for me....i mean him.

Does your "friend" have any photos of the sail rigged? There's a few things it could be.......

here is the only photo we have. not sure if its of any use.

Which mast are you using? Severne yes, but which type? The reflex 4's rotate well on the SDM 100 mast.

23mm more downhaul should fix the problem.

DudeAbides said..needs to be punched and kicked vigerously.

*mental image of DudeAbides sailing along punching and kicking his sail*

From the looks of the pic, I'd say that booms would help, and make sure that the booms aren't too short.
Any sail will rotate easily with plenty of outhaul, as well as downhaul, the trick is finding just the right amount of outhaul, too flat and you won't have any power, but it would rotate like a champ.

Windxtasy said..

John340 said..

Windxtasy said..

I think you need a SDM 100 or at least a 90. The reflexes are very mast specific. They are racing machines designed to perform with the top masts.
I have seen reflexes before where you put in the right mast and suddenly everything is lovely. In your photo it doesn't look right at all.

I think this mast specificity is going too far when a sail works with a 90% carbon mast but not a 75% carbon mast of the same manufacturer

If the 75% had the same performance characteristics as the 90 & 100, why would anyone buy the more expensive ones? It is more than weight.

Correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't more carbon just mean better "reflex"? I believe what John is referring to is that regardless of carbon content, a 75% mast with the same bend curve (same mfg) as the 90% should still allow the cambers to rotate properly?

Dudeabides, you're not alone. Many of us have found the reflex 4 'challenging to rotate'. A good sail, but rotation not its strong point. Severne not alone here, other brands have rotation problems too. I've had a reflex 4, and yes I had to karate kick the lower cams sometimes on the water after a gybe. And that's set to spec, with correct mast and boom. I played with the cams and spacers. Others have similar experiences. Severne have done a great job with the new reflex 5, they rotate perfectly. They feel light too on the water. Seems to have less luff curve and downhaul tension, relying on extra battens for stability.