Whoever misses the Blow will probably find a suitable replacement with the Seal. With the latest power wave sail you can choose your individual trim. The luff remains at best moderate, whether it is then rigged with much or little clew tension, the sail has pull and drive as it should be with a compact power sail. Powerful, good planing and with a lot of power on the wave. Only in the upper wind range you can clearly feel the higher pressure point, which gives the sail a nice long radius. It pulls the drive through the turn for a long time, ensures best board speed even if there is no push from the wave. On the other hand, this much power in hands reduces the variability and ease of wave riding. The Peak is the more suitable choice for particularly deep launching and then a correspondingly fast uprighting of the rig. With onshore wave rides and correspondingly less sailing work, this is of little or no importance. The seal scores - under all conditions - with the large range, even whit high wind it never flutters, but only twists in the leech. This makes it always very controllable with pleasant softness. On the straight it is even more stable and less sensitive in the hand than the Peak. For heavier surfers it will probably often be the better choice, but as a larger surfer you have to get used to the slightly lower clew.

surf tip: Power package with a lot of drive and a very large wind range in one trim and in total

DESIGN: The Seal is the new, compact four-batten sail from GUNSAILS. Even in this size, it gets by with a 370 mast and is thus fully in the tradition of its predecessor Blow. However, the Seal has not much more in common with that predecessor than the short luff. The short boom and the hardly pre-profiled battens point in a completely different direction. But one thing about the Seal as we are used to from GUNSAILS: the equipment. Like all GUNSAILS wave sails, the seal is completely monofilm-free, X-Ply is standard on large areas and the well-protected seams are also standard. In the top, loads of narrow mesh but rather thin x-ply is used over a large area. The large loose leech is particularly striking, sticking out above the short boom. The battens show hardly any pre-profile and one should not give the Seal too much loose leech, the power can be regulated better by the clew.

ON THE WATER: Already at the first meter the Seal heralds a new era of Compact Wave sails from GUNSAILS. Super agile it lies in the hand and would rather be strictly led, in order to start planning then at least properly. However, the seal does not match the plane performance of a Peak or Transwave, this applies to both the early planing phase and the full planing. Here, especially heavyweights have to pay tribute to agile handling. The loose leech opens wide and the short mast cannot hold the profile; the loose leech is also less helpful when jumping. But the seal seems to have been made for other things: With a little wave power in the back, it immediately shows where its strengths lie. It is pleasantly easy to conduct on the wave and can also be excellently set "off" for tight turns. Moves on the lip are no problem with the Seal. Especially in the modern style of wave riding, with an upright sail and a lot of work on the Finns, it finds its home. Here, the pressure point further back and neutrality pay off.

CONCLUSION: The GUNSAILS Seal is a radical sail for wave riding. It is agile, neutral and fits well to the skateboard style of modern waveboards. However, especially heavy riders reach their limits with the rather mediocre planing performance, here the Peak offers a better overall package. The Peak is also the better sail for riders who attach great importance to jumping.

RESPONSIVENESS AND STABILITY

DESIGN: The Seal is the successor of the Blow in the category 4 battens Compact sail. GUNSAILS announces a completely new developed sail, new batten position, luff curve, outline and a slightly flatter profile above the boom.

ON THE WATER: The seal has a fairly deep and tight profile at the front and bottom of the sail, but in your hands you can feel a balanced sail with power and a wide range of use. In fact, there's no waiting for the power, the rear hand can be felt when you need it, for example to glide, to pass through wind holes or to go upwind. In waves this is often helpful to accelerate immediately after a manoeuvre or on shallow water. On the other hand, the seal remains stable even with increasing wind, so you can controle it to the max. The handling is good in the wave, but you can still feel some leverage in the upper part of the sail, where it has more surface. Its potential to neutralize (OFF) when the sail is open to relieve the rider in turning manoeuvres or cut backs or other modern moves has improved compared to the Blow. The responsiveness is there: to vary the power, to change direction or also to switch quickly from full throttle to neutral or to tilt the sail in manoeuvres from front to back or vice versa.

CONCLUSION: GUNSAILS is making undeniable progress in the materials used and the look and is presenting a new, interesting model that combines the modernity of a responsive compact profile with finesse in handling and a powerful, stable profile with performance and a wide range of use in all conditions. The Seal will not be the most playful sail, but given its qualities and price, it cannot be a bad choice for a rider who wants to equip a Compact Multi Fin Board.

+: Range of use, balance, versatility, price
- : Slightly more leverage

The new Seal comes from the Blow and is completely revised. It has a slightly more central profile, a new outline and the battens have been repositioned, but it remains a compact sail. A new, thinner mesh material reduces the weight of the sail top, the main window is made of wide mesh X-Ply material and the mast panel is made of Dacron.

ON THE WATER: This new seal has quite a lot of drive, it is light with a forward pressure point that pulls forward and in the middle of the hands. The profile is more central than the old Blow, less pronounced in the front, with a more stable pull on the back hand, giving you more freedom when riding the waves. It accelerates strongly and you can build up pressure on the board in the wave, but it also pushes the board nose down a bit more than others in choppy water. It is not the softest, it already has a somewhat direct profile and dynamic acceleration with just the necessary dose of softness to be comfortable, this feeling is enhanced by the big Loose Leech. You don't take the gas away as fast as with other sails, there is always a basic speed with which you can accelerate again, which is supported by a good stability.
It is a compact sail that feels light in the hand and offers a good trim range over the clew to adjust the profile fuller or flatter. If you opt for the upper clew eye, you can also get a little more dynamics and lift. It is well balanced, although not as stable on long rides as its sister Peak with five battens, the Seal aims at wave riding, pure, classic surfing, with a strong acceleration in the bottom and good traction in the curve.

CONCLUSION: Light and playful with sufficient stability, the seal accelerates powerfully in the smallest gust and offers a permanent pull, which is a good argument in wind holes and when going straight. It delivers powerful performance when you need it, but stays light and playful on the crest of the wave on your back hand. With its wide range of use you are successful at all spots.