The Trials & Tribulations of Replacing a 5.7

by Alan Cole · Published Tuesday, October 21st, 2025 · Updated Saturday, October 18th, 2025

You’d think that buying a new windsurf sail would be simple. Decide what size you need, find it online, buy now, done! Not so simple though, when you consider all the idiosyncrasies and requirements. Many tabs later, lots of emails and calculations, and still there’s no parcel on my doorstep.

A Sad Farewell to the Horizon

The whole saga started because I tore my Gun Sails Horizon 5.7 on my last windsurfing session. It wasn’t catastrophic, but bad enough to make me accept the inevitable — time for a replacement. I’ve patched it up ready for the next session, and I even have a previous Gun Sails Trans-Wave 5.7m in the shed (also patched).

But 5.7m is probably my most-used sail, and it therefore needs to be a reliable workhorse. It’s also a fairly critical size in my quiver — 5.7m is about the largest sail that my mid-sized 89L wave board will take, and it’s the perfect size for my larger 104L wave board. It’s also the biggest I like to use in the waves. Anything larger is just too much of a handful here.

So when it came to size, that was non-negotiable and an easy choice — it had to be 5.7m (5.6 at a push).

The Requirements

After all, every manufacturer makes a 5.7, right? So surely it’s just a case of picking one at a decent price and job done?

Well, not quite. Here are my requirements in more detail — and why each one ruins a casual shopping spree:

5.7m — my go-to size. Not negotiable. Not all sail ranges actually have a 5.7m in the lineup. Some have a 5.5 and a 6.0, others have a 5.4 and a 5.8, so they were immediately discounted. I know 0.1 or 0.2 square metres doesn’t make much difference, but it also has to fit neatly between my existing 5.0m and my larger 6.2m free-race sail.
Rigs on a 430 RDM. Some 5.6 or 5.7m sails actually rig better on a 400cm mast. I do, of course, have both a 400 and a 430cm mast, but when the conditions are good it’s often nice to rig both my 5.0m and 5.7m at the same time — so it makes sense if they rig on different sized masts.
Constant curve mast compatibility. One mast isn’t necessarily the same as the next. Sails from each manufacturer rig best on a particular mast bend characteristic — Constant Curve, Flex Top, or something else. My newest 430 mast is a Unifiber Constant Curve, so I wanted something that rigs well on that. Out of the bigger, easy-to-get manufacturers, that limited me to Neil Pryde, Severne, Simmer Style, and Gun Sails.
Power-wave profile. Most (99%) of my sailing is here in West Wales — onshore wave sailing in mushy, difficult conditions that need a powerful sail with forward draft and punch for gusty winds. Most manufacturers have one of these in their lineup, so that was an easy choice.
All X-ply. For maximum durability. It’s slightly heavier, yes, but kit takes a beating here and needs to be tough.
Affordable. I don’t mind spending money on kit, but I don’t need the latest 2026 models with 3D panels and carbon weaves. I’d like them, sure — just not at the prices they’re asking!

Stack those filters together and the “loads of choice” story quickly dissolves. There’s certainly no option to pick one just because it comes in a nice colour that matches my boards.

Like-for-Like Replacement?

In the past, I’d always used Gun Sails — I even used to be a Gun Sails Key Rider, which meant a hefty discount and regular boxes of shiny new sails arriving from Germany. Their designs are solid, their power-wave sails suit my local conditions, and the sail I’m replacing is a Gun Sails Horizon.

They still make this model — it’s been improved over the years — and they had a 2024 version in stock for just £394. It was an option, but since Brexit the Key Rider discount has disappeared, and I now have to pay import taxes, duty, and not-insignificant delivery charges.

What used to be an unbeatable deal now ends up 25–30% higher by the time it reaches the door. It’s not Gun’s fault — just the new reality of cross-Channel shopping — but it transforms a no-brainer purchase into a borderline option. Once I crunched the numbers, that £394 ticket price (which would have previously dropped with my Key Rider discount) actually became around £605. And I can’t even be sure there wouldn’t be extra customs administration fees or other unexpected charges.

When you consider that, in the UK, Gun Sails are often (unfairly, I think) thought of as a less premium brand, it makes me wonder if it’s worth the very slight saving.

The Other Contenders

I’ve not yet ruled out ordering direct from Gun, but I’ve gone back to them with some options — maybe if I bought a 5.3m sail as well, they could post them both for the same shipping cost and make the deal a little sweeter. We’ll see.

The other options were:

Severne Blade: This ticks nearly every technical box — an all X-ply, power-wave design with a reputation for toughness. It’s well made, rigs on a 430 mast, and suits a Constant Curve mast. It’s a premium brand though, with price tags close to my limit. There are 2023 models available for £619 or 2024 models for £699. The 2025 and 2026 models are over £900, which is just too much for me.
Simmer Style Evoq: Looked good too, but it really wants a 400 mast. That’s OK, but not ideal. It’s a little cheaper though, with the 2025 model around £689.
Neil Pryde: A safe bet — they’ll rig decently on a constant curve mast, though their pricing again nudges the top end of what I’d call “affordable.” Their sizing also jumps from 5.4m to 5.8m, missing that 5.6–5.7m sweet spot I wanted.

The Final Decision

None of them…

In the end, I found a 2024 Severne Gator, which actually looked like a better sail for this size and was a little cheaper than the same age Severne Blade — £589 instead of £699. Of course, by the time I added postage, that became £618, but it was still better.

It arrived the other day, and I’ve now rigged it in the garden — it looks good.

Now all we need is some wind, as there hasn’t been any for ages.

Funny how a simple tear turns into a full-blown procurement exercise — but then again, half the fun of windsurfing is in the kit choices we overthink.