ZOOM

Zoom 6.4 on Gunsails Expert RDM 430

The Zoom follows Gun's typical trim concept: the luff is set after the trim mark, which gives the sail a lot of loose in the leech - the clew is then only loosely to lightly tensioned. This makes for a moderately more backward center of pressure with a slight emphasis on the back hand on the boom, and very good acceleration after planing. Fear of too much tension on the back hand - the sail is backhanded - is not necessary at any time.

The very good controllability is permanently built into the sail with proper luff tension, a stable batten frame and plenty of looseness. You have to be careful not to kill the planing performance with too well-intentioned tension on the clew. In the right trim, the sail gives the board a lot of lift, the back hand operates the gas pedal and offers the full freeride program between leisurely cruising and sporty let-fly-on-the-fins. For full performance, a bit of body tension is no disadvantage, the sail always seems light and manageable, but also not stable as if cemented. This requires some steering on the boom, but also makes you want to maneuver.

It pulls well into the gybe, the rotation is slightly noticeable and a bit audible from the battens.

+ Price, control, acceleration, speed
o nothing
– nothing

DESIGN: The design of the Zoom is simple with a narrow mast sleeve, little area under the clew and a short boom. 6 battens, including 3 tube battens, stabilize the Gunsails, which is designed for an RDM mast up to 7.7 m2 and is SDM compatible. It is also available as RE-Zoom, made from recycled plastic bottles.

ON THE WATER: The Zoom is very easy to use right from the start. It starts with the easy rigging and accurate adjustment guide for a straightforward session. The Gunsails has a supple leech with a loose cloth that is very smooth despite the well tensioned luff. The fairly straight cut from the base of the mast to the clew makes the sail easy to handle. With only 188 cm boom length, which is handy for lifting the sail with the uphaul, the Zoom appears smaller than it is. Compared to the larger and more powerful engines, the 6.4 has a small launching deficit in light winds. Pumping is dynamic with tight feedback. The rest is easy, the sail feels well behaved and unremarkable in the hand, aided by the slim mast diameter. The profile is distributed over the entire width. The acceleration is noticeable and gives a feeling of freedom, but it does not scare the rider. The Gunsails has a wide wind range and can be held very long without losing face. The short boom and the low pressure in the hand make the jibe easy to control.

CONCLUSION: The Zoom is easy to sail in every way without having to reach an expert level, but it appeals to a wide range of surfers. The comfort that comes from the overall lightness makes the Gunsails the heart of the freeride group due to its accessibility and tolerant behavior. Plug & play, little physical and discreet in the hand, this model will not disappoint you in your long blasts in absolute relaxation, and at a top price.

+ Easy trim, Pleasant handling, Tolerance, Wind range, Price.
-  Slight deficits in light winds.

The Auto Pilot

This 6.4 is more narrow in the top and shorter on the boom than its competitors. It has a sporty cut with a nice profile behind the mast and a large loose leech. Reinforced with X-Ply in the top and on the edges.

ON THE WATER: One of the lightest and easiest sails to pull out of the water with a short boom and a 100% RDM mast, the Zoom produces a stable forward pull in take-off with honest acceleration without being as "exuberant" as others. The pull on the back hand is more discreet, as if you had 6 m², which allows you to ride more smoothly and less powerfully over long half-wind runs, thanks to a loose leech that allows you to always stay close-hauled. The base speed, without power, is then surprisingly high, with a pressure point stuck in front. So the profile remains stable even in gusts, with just a touch less resources, power and explosiveness when accelerating and/or holding than the best. This is perfect for getting through wind holes, for example, or getting back into freerace/slalom mode fully powered up. You just have to tighten up the leech tension a bit in the upper wind range to compensate for the RDM mast's slightly more pronounced rear hand.
For freeriding, even sporty sailing, the performance is quite sufficient, with a bonus of lightness and maneuverability in waterstart and gybe. The short boom and discreet rear hand make it a bit more unremarkable than average in the gybe - an advantage for those lacking experience - and amplifies the fun for others.

CONCLUSION: Easily accessible, light and free with less backhand, the Zoom is a very well-balanced freeride sail that allows you to both entry surfing or full gas. You benefit from a nice range of use and perfomance, with fewer limitations and less physical commitment.

+ Easy/easy access, speed to maneuverability ratio, stability, non-strenuous performance, entry and ascent, price.
-  More limited peak performance for slalom riding no cam.

Launched in 2021, GunSails' Zoom freeride sail will be joined this season by the Re-Zoom version, made from recycled materials already used in the GunSails range, including for the Re-Seal and Re-Torro, to further reduce the carbon footprint of the 2023 sail collection. The Re-Zoom, like its other two *recycled* sisters, is made of 50% polyester film from recycled PET bottles (each square meter contains about 10 recycled PET bottles, saving an additional 400 g of CO2 per sqm during material production).

As for the shape, the "recycled" version is identical to the Zoom: in our test, the choice was the Re-Zoom 6.9, which adopts the six-batten design of the medium sizes. The entire line, with the exception of the 8.2, which requires the SDM mast, can be equipped with both RDM and SDM masts. For the test of the Re-Zoom 6.9, we chose to combine it with the Reptile Fibra 100 rdm 430/21, also in view of the extreme versatility (of this easy to use, but also easy to rig sail)! Trimming is, as you would expect from a sail of this type, simple, fast and intuitive: in no time at all you are ready to head out to sea with this Freeride 6.9 no cam. We had already tested the Zoom in previous years in the 5.6/7.2 sizes and expected that the Re-Zoom would confirm the good impressions gained then. To be honest, in our opinion, this sail not only confirmed them, but even "improved" them! As with the Re-Seal, the Re-Zoom is more elastic and softer thanks to the "recycled" construction materials, and compared to the Zoom 7.2, which uses cross-batton.... it responds better to pumping in the planing phase. In fact, the sail responds very well to pumping and planes with great ease in light winds.... a capability that less experienced pilots will certainly appreciate in thermals. But even those who normally use freeride sails with two camber can't help but appreciate the acceleration of this sail, which is not that far from sails of the higher performance class. The Re-Zoom accelerates instantly, and although the top speed is certainly not that of a camber sail, everything is so easy that it becomes a pleasure to ride.

Although it is more "elastic", it remains well balanced and control is always easy and intuitive, even when the wind picks up strongly. Add to that the fact that the Re-Zoom is much easier to maneuver than a camber sail due to its relatively short boom and light weight, and you can see why, after trying it out, I'm definitely thinking about "replacing" my "old" 7.0 with two cambers! A really user friendly freeride sail.... light, versatile, easy to rig and handle; light in the arms and all in all pretty fast, stable and fun, proving to be an ideal engine for less experienced or less 'physically fit' surfers (and considering my venerable age...) who want to plane and have fun without too many complications and too much hassle!

+ Easy trimming and riding, stability, accessibility/performance, lightness, control in strong winds, quality/price.
- too easy for sporty surfers