SLAYER

The Slayer is Witchcrafts side shore wave sailing sail. Made for down the line wave riding conditions and bigger more powerful waves. The bigger sizes have more shape built in to deliver maximum power from light winds and work extremely well in float n ride conditions. You can use up to 0.5m² smaller or simply catch a lot more waves than others. The smaller sizes are increasingly flatter shaped for higher winds. See the specs chart to compare the power. Depending on the setting, it can be set very soft with a smooth power delivery or more direct and crisp.

Special features:

-Load path orientated panel and fibre bias lay out to resist stretch from poundings, for maximum longevity and crisp feeling. The high load panels have unidirectional Kevlar fibres to reduce stretch even more.

-All seams are straight and load path orientated so they actually work like tendons.

-Load path orientated film thickness. Puncture resistance is proportional to film thickness. Thick where it needs to be, lighter where it can.

-Overlapping panels radiating out from the tack and clew. In the tack 3 overlapping panels, in the clew 5. Lighter, stronger and more direct since the main reinforcement is built from the panels themselves and do not have to be stitched on top.

-PVC window for long lasting visibility through the sail, which simply is essential for down the line wave riding. The PVC panel has straight seams so it can be pre stretched when mounted in the sail to avoid shifts in the centre of effort under load.

-Higher aspect ratio with a short boom to keep it clear of water contact in a bottom or top turn.

-Higher draft placement for more efficiency (the wind is stronger higher up) and more power on the rail in the bottom turn.

-2 clew eyelets offering 3 positions: middle, top or bottom.

-Dacron luff panel for better on-off even with more shape built in.

-Water and UV resistant very high tack seam tape. Essential for durability.

-Overlapping batten pockets for a symmetrical sail shape, less stretch and higher strength.

-Dyneema mast sleeve in the top half. 10 times stronger and 40% lighter

-Excellent repairability. Just in case. Rocks, harness hooks or board noses are still harder than sails.

Choose the Slayer if side shore wave riding has your priority. Choose the Karma for a more all-round wave sail, more powered up sailing, on shore, B&J, flat water or heavy weights.

The Slayer is best paired with the more dedicated wave boards like our Wave or Haka or similar boards from other brands. 

Windsurf.co.uk test november 2018 on the Slayer 5.0:

This is the first opportunity we have had to test a Witchcraft sail, and have to say we were mightily impressed with the Slayer´s vast tuning range, employing both rotation and seam shaping to significantly alters its character between its various “sets”.

PERFORMANCE
Rigged on one of the brand’s Broomstick 90% masts and set for light airs, the Slayer requires minimal downhaul and only a little outhaul (in Bouke’s own words: “The sails like it to be rigged “bad”!”). The bottom two battens retain rotation around the mast, whilst the draft displays a deep profile placed high and forwards, the leech remaining relatively tight along its length. On the water this forced shape is soon increased further as the wind fills, allowing the excess luff sleeve and Dacron luff panel to deepen the draft’s camber. So much so in fact that the sail bags out to hit the other side of the boom, particularly if you have a narrow profiled boom. As a result the bottom end grunt generated by the Slayer is impressive – the delivery soft and manageable thanks to the luff panel, yet the sail feeling firm and punchy in the hands – the mast flexing and surging forwards with every well-timed pump. A masterful weapon for float and ride, it can get you out into the line-up quickly, before feeling compact and balanced in transition, with a dynamic measured response. It doesn’t go completely neutral as it’s eased out, yet the softness and balance of the power allows it to be used to good effect, driving positively through the turn. As the wind increases, the sail’s set can be revisited, an increase in tension pulling the battens away from the mast to reduce, even annul rotation, whilst the pre-shape in the seam remains present. With less depth or breathability, the nature of the sail’s feedback is altered, becoming more direct and crisp in response, although the profile remains reassuringly stable, the leech twisting off to circumvent erratic gusts. Interestingly, the reference setting for the outhaul is to use both clew eyelets, fixing the boom right in the middle. From there, you can adjust according to conditions or preference – a micro-refinement in an otherwise vast tuning range. 

THE VERDICT
The Slayer has a massive tuning range, altering its delivery style dramatically along the way. Smooth dependable power combined with stunning stability and real handling ease, it puts functionality and durability at the fore rather than any superficial niceties.