I've been using NP sails for the past 10 years & am pretty happy with them (Zones, Cores, Combats). I've started seeing quite a few Severne sails around. How do these compare price wise & performance wise to NP & other top manufacturers.

Here we go again, another thread of Neil Pryde bashing in the making. I dare say that most top end sails (and I inlude Neil Pryde in that group even though I probably get abused senseless)is of a similar build quality and the main differences are in shape and feel. Most people like what they sail as they like the feel of their sail and generally wouldnt want to admit to themselves that they wasted good money on a sail that they dont like.
SO buy the sails that you like after trying them for yourselves, not some heresay about"I saw a guy at the beach who tore a sail, or rated it one way or another..." as it might not be for you. If you are concerned about quality in wavesails buy sails which dont have monofilm i.e NP Combats, Ezzy or similar.
I pretty much sailed NP's only and I happen to like them. Had little problems with quality, however bought once a sail from a manufacturer everyone seems to rave about in WA and it was the biggest piece of crap I owned...

I once saw bloke totally destroy 2 Severne Sails in a week.

Mind you it was Scott McKercher

quote:

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Originally posted by Crash Landing

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The spanner has one of his harness lines upside down...

Zed, you clever vegemite, very observant, I didn’t see that, I was too busy laughing at the destruction.
Maybe he sailed it back upside down[}:)]
Always funny as long as it isn’t one your own sails
Gee we are a cynical bunch at times
Pore bugger probably spent his last buck on this sail and blew it out first day.
Mineral

I use NP Combats, and love 'em. But I have already gone thru my new 07 sail...
Over where I sail most of the best guys are on Severne. The moves they do are probably a lot more likely to blow up a sail than what I can do, but I haven't seen many problems with them.
In all the wave contests over here all the Severne riders dominate. Pretty much 100%.
I reckon that NP are good. I reckon that Severne are good. My shop sells NP, so that's what I'll keep riding. Just wish I could sail like Scotty...

Gee sorry guys! (not really)
Zed asked how Severne compare to NP and I said they'll last longer etc. OK my anti-NP bias came out, but that is only cos I hate them

Seriously, that was an objective opinion! It is a simple as in 15 years sailing I've seen more trashed NP's than any other brand, and no, not because there is more of them out there... I mean percentage wise. Where I sail it is hollow and dumpy often and it will bust anything. The NP's bust more often. After 3 yrs a NP wavesail looks damn tired next to a 3 y/o Simmer/Severne/Ezzy. Further I have put them side by side with my Simmer sails and the difference is huge. When you really really look hard you see the the hidden reinforcements in the Simmers, they stand out above NP etc.

The reason new companies like Severne, Goya, Maui have popped up in the last few years and lasted / made profits against the huge mighty NP is they all did one thing with their wave sails: they made them stronger than NP in order to get some market share.

There ya go, objective.

The only bit I'd add (maybe not objective here).... I do wonder (1) why NP brought out the new combat about 3 yrs ago.. all Xply. Maybe cos Severne, Ezzy and Simmer were already doing them and it was killing NP as their Core/Zone/Search were predominantly mono. In the absence of stronger sails they'd have kept making ones designed be chucked after 2 yrs. Maybe they are better now???
(2) why Barry Spanier left Gaastra to start his own company again? Maybe cos he was sick of making fragile sails for a huge company where durability was last on the list after marketing and cheapo materials? His Maui Sails are way heavier built than the Manic / Grid were.

Yes the first half was factual... The last bit was just me pondering. You'll not the use of words like "wonder" and "maybe". I just threw them in as an aside... 'food for thought' one could say. Neither of us will ever prove what NP was thinking at the time of making an all Xply sail nor will either of us prove what Barry was thinking.
However the proof of the extra reinforcing in a Severne, Simmer, or Ezzy is quite obvious.... you can see it.

Comrade Mark
You have used both these brands yar ?
I know Comrade Cheer Cheer used both... and he say he get what he pay for !
Just for record I use NP sails... I very happy with them and they last longer than other brands I try.
I sail behind one particulat Severene sponsored guy one time and had to be ducking for certain as bits flew off his sail... had instant flash back to cold war and ducking of the bullets while running info out of Cuba... but that is whole different story for sure yar.
In the ned I thinking what it comes down to is what you Australians refering to as 'horses for the courses'
Shops are doing demo sails.. you try.. you like.. you buy
This is same for Russian mail order bride yar ?

Comrade Mark
I vouch for you for sure in regarding to Nella Prydova, I am thinking maybe I be spoiling her for you when I taking for test ride some years back yar ? (We went to same school and I taking here to what you call formal dance... though only dance we do was horizontal Russian folk dancing. I take her to formal because my sister already had date for formal)
Bits falling off sail was true yar, the short battens in between the main battens along with ending caps for main battens... I sail behind him for watching as he asking of me for picking pieces up for him.
Coming for thinking of it.. this was similar to this Russian mail order bride Nella you speaking of... plenty plenty bits falling off.
When was last time you were trying of sail other than what you ride ? I likeing for try other sails every now and again for see ing what is like out there. If I find something better I changing for sure (just like Russian mail order bride)if I not finding better I stick with what i am using.
Comrade JV - I not thinking many peoples are sponsored by NP in western australia... this maybe of reasoning for comp results. Severen has biggest team both of professional, semi and team rider by far but dont be get me wroning for this... This is very good thing that they willing for sponsor so many peoples.

I'm on Simmer. Have been for a loooong time.

WRT the neilprydesucks site, I posted that, then looked to make sure it existed. It has been closed down, so I edited my post by it didn't change???? hmmm

I rigged Ezzys on a neil pryde mast for years. it was all i had and it worked ok. but recently went for Ezzy masts too and there's no looking back. decrepit's right, the NP masts do have different bend characteristics...

never underestimate the importance of the mast. nearly threw a fairly new sail away cos i thought it was a dog. then i realised i had it on too stiff a mast, got the right one and it's a sweet sail.