SPOTLIGHT 93
Signature series
KA Sails Koncept 7m slalom sail
Info: http://www.kasailwindsurfing.com Price: €609 - 719
WORDS: WINDSURFING UK PICS: JAMES JAGGER
KA SAILS WERE PRETTY COMMONPLACE AROUND UK SHORES A
FEW YEARS AGO. STILL GOING STRONG, HOWEVER, WE DECIDED TO
RE-VISIT THE NETHERLANDS BASED SAIL BRAND TO SEE WHAT THE
SCORE IS WITH THEIR SIGNATURE SLALOM/RACE/SPEED SAIL THE
7M KONCEPT.
The first thing that strikes you is the
sail’s livery. It’s a good looking sail and
we had a few comments reflecting this
during testing. Rigged on a 430 mast
the cams are a tight fit but certainly
force shape into the sail. Once
sheathed it’s then pretty easy to yank
on the downhaul and tune accordingly.
With boom affixed KA’s Koncept is a
light feeling rig with beautiful lines.
We used the 7m in both foiling and
slalom mode. Conventionally it’s pretty
standard fayre in terms of how powerful
the Koncept is. Whilst certainly not
lacking in the early planing dept. it loves
a bit of breeze to get things fully lit.
Modern windsurfing sails have impressive
range, the KA Koncept being no different.
We used the 7m in everything from
marginal conditions right up to 30 knots.
In all instances it retained impeccable
manners and stayed rock solid. (For
foiling we recommend minimum
downhaul with a neutral outhaul setting.
For standard windsurfing tune as per
rigging instructions).
Round bends the 7m powers even the
stickiest of boards through transitions
with smooth acceleration. There’s
nothing untoward happening and even
though the final rotation is a hard one
KA’s Koncept 7m doesn’t yank riders out
of their straps in unwieldy fashion.
Instead it drives and shoves boards on to
the new tack ready for that next reach.
In foil mode there’s just enough bottom
end to pop flyers up. It’s real magic in
this guise is just how light feeling and
forgettable (in a good way) the Koncept
actually is. Slipping efficiently through
the air it’s forgiving of unsteady winds
making it a good choice for those with
take off tendencies.
Conclusion
KA Sails’ Koncept 7m is a great
example of what a slalom sail
should actually be. With
immaculate mannerisms in blowy
weather it powers speed sleds
efficiently. There aren’t any
unwanted surprises with the
Koncept and it flatters riders when
conditions get hairy. Round marks
it’s effortless with a dependable
pop as the bottoms rotate and
those cams kick shape back in. All
in a good choice for anyone after
summer blasting speed or success
on the race course. Plus it looks
great to boot.
uk
WIND
SURFING