The main types of windsurfing sails

Windsurfing
Windsurfing sails: there are five main types of rigs | Photo: Carter/PWA

Windsurfing offers multiple sailing opportunities. You can go free riding in a flat water lake or hit the ocean for a wave sailing session. As with everything in water sports, there's a specific rig for each kind of windsurfing discipline.

Sails are made of mylar, mono-film or dacron, and feature battens. If you're buying a new rig, make sure you get a sail that suits your needs.

Most often, windsurfers use sail between 5 and 8 square meters, depending on the wind conditions. Whether you're going for speed records or jumping high in the air, you should be lightly powered.

As a general rule of thumb, and in an ideal world, a windsurfer's quiver should include a sail for light winds, and another model for strong winds.

There are five basic types of windsurfing sails: freeride sails, slalom/race sails, wave sails, freestyle sails, and beginner sails.

Freeride sails feature a bold, full profile and typically range from 5.5m to 7.5m plus. They were designed to perform in a variety of conditions and with multiple goals - waves, speed, race, freestyle - and don't have camber inducers. They can be easily maneuverable.

Freeride Windsurfing Sail

Slalom sails feature light materials and were designed for speed records. They are also quite easy to get out of the water and make water starts seem incredibly easy. Racing sails come with camber inducers and are more complicated to rig.

Slalom/Race Windsurfing Sail

Wave sails are simple, small and heavy. They traditionally range from 3.3m to 6.2m and come with reinforced x-ply panel materials for added strength. Wave sails also feature strong battens for handling the power of the surf. The booms used for this type of windsurfing sail is also shorter than in other models. They are relatively easy to control and offer high maneuverability.

Wave Windsurfing Sail

Freestyle sails are versatile, lightweight rigs for medium-to-high wind conditions. They feature a low sail area below the boom and range from 3.8m to 6.5m

Freestyle Windsurfing Sail

Beginner sails are light and small rigs in the 1.5m-3.5 range for navigating in low winds. They're inexpensive, made of PVC or dacron, feature few battens, and no camber inducers, so that they can be easy to control.

Beginner Windsurfing Sail

Modern, high-quality windsurfing sails are quite durable, but you must make them last longer by folding them nicely and storing them in the right place.

Are you unsure about which board and sail suit your weight, experience, and wind speed conditions? Check out our windsurf size chart.

  • It's official. The World Sailing Speed Record Council (WSSRC) ratified two new outstanding accomplishments in windsurfing and kiteboarding.
  • Dutch environmental activist and windsurfer Merijn Tinga, also known as the "Plastic Soup Surfer," has made an audacious journey from Oslo to London, braving the North Sea's currents and winds, to call attention to the pervasive problem of plastic pollution.
  • Imagine gliding across a frozen lake, your sail catching the wind, and skis slicing through the ice and snow. Meet the sport that blends the thrill of windsurfing with the crisp, cold beauty of winter landscapes.

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