RAISE 2021

Casual feeling for freeride foiling

DESIGN: The Raise 7.0, rigged on a 430 mast, has a semi-compact look with a long leech and a relatively wide mast pocket. It' s made of a stable fabric sheet. The two cams are equally distributed on both sides of the boom. Two clew eyelets are installed.

ON THE WATER: It is a Gunsail habit, the ease of rigging and adjusting the sail is one of its strengths. The manufacturer has sided with the customer and offers a precise trim guide for a smooth launch. Here the tension on the luff is low with a rather tight leech on a flat luff curve. The profile is distributed along the length of the boom. The rig is really light in the hand and easy to move. When pumping, the Raise 7.0 is not the most punchy, but its low-end action shows good fundamentals. The forces are directed forward. The Gunsails allows an easy handling where all reactions are balanced. Smooth action is the order of the day in all areas. The pull is moderate, a minimum of presence, but no more. It offers a consistent ride across all wind ranges. The deep profile stays in place. The Raise is positioned in the freeride department: its preferred mode is mostly on half-wind. The profile shows its limits of performance on upwind compared to better equipped competitors in this range. The secure feeling in the hands transfers easily to the feet, which is especially important for the broad masses when flying.

VERDICT: The Raise is a pure freeride foil sail that compensates the changeability of the wind. Acceleration and cruising speed are enough for flights with the advantage of stable trim. The Raise sails reassuringly with its position well locked on the foil and offers moderate feelings of aerial navigation. An aluminum freeride foil and a "narrow" board work well for cross-wind courses.