2011 Freeride 5

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Color Choices:
Grey Blue | Grey Red | Grey Orange
- 2011 Freeride 5 Rigging Guide (pdf)
- 2011 Freeride 5 Catalog – High Res (pdf)
- 2011 Freeride 5 Catalog – Low Res (pdf)
Speed. Balance. Control.
The Freeride 5 is designed for sailors of all levels who take their windsurfing seriously. Whether you want to be the fastest on the water or make perfect jibes, the unique draft-forward profile of the Ezzy Freeride allows you to sail with greater efficiency and less effort. The Freeride 5 is perfect for flat water blasting and bump-n-jump sailing.
Strong and light and no monofilm.
The Technora® and Tri-Lite materials used in the Freeride makes it undeniably the finest handcrafted freeride sail in the world.
Easy to tune.
The color coded downhaul marks and the color coded outhaul cords, making the sail’s massive wind range easy to navigate.
You’re not the first to rig it.
Our quality is guaranteed because we rig every sail in our factory before it’s shipped.
Unmatched customer service.
We take our customers as seriously as we do our sails.
Email us (info@ezzy.com) and you will get a personal response within 12 hours.
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2011 Freeride 5
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Luff
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Luff
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Boom
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Boom
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Suggested Mast
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No. of Battens
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Size (sq.m.)
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min
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max
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min
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max
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5.5
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438
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440
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175
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183
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430/25/21
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6
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6.0
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452
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455
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183
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190
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430/25/21
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7
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6.5
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467
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470
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189
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198
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460/25/25
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7
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7.0
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478
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481
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197
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205
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460/25/25
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7
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7.5
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488
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491
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205
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212
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460/25/25
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7
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8.5
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504
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508
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220
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228
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490/26/29
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7
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9.5
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514
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518
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238
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248
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490/26/29
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7
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Pulley System
Our removable, 316 stainless steel tack pulley can be replaced with our 316 stainless D-ring for those who prefer a grommet with a pulley hook.

Our colored outhaul makes rigging easy

Note on Masts:
Ezzy Sails work great with the Ezzy Mast system, but also work with a variety of other brand masts (RDM and regular diameter). You could contact your mast maker and see if the bend of your non-Ezzy mast is compliant.
Ezzy mast bend curves are tip: 75% to 79% and base: 62% to 65%
Note: this is not carbon content. This is percentage bend relative to the midpoint bend.
For further info on Ezzy Mast sizing, please refer to our Mast Configurator Tool


Hi,
I have fanatic freewave 115 board and i am looking for 7.0m sail to match it.Do you thing the freeride 5 sail is a good choice?Isn’t it to powerfull and hevy for a freestyle wave board?
Regards!
Ivo
hello Ivo,
I would recommend the 7.0 Freeride. I think that is the right sail for the board!
Nice!
Hi Tim,
Love the looks of the new freeride 5. Its been almost a month since I got my 5.5. I got to use it today and all I can say is WOW!!!
How do you guys keep making them better? Fast, powerful and huge wind range. The slight weight reduction in the top of the sail makes a big difference. A lite and balanced feel. Thanks for all your help…..
Hello agn Tim – Sorry I missed U at the recent Windance May 22nd Swap Meet. I need the Lightest / Best overall sail to step up from my Ezzy Zephyr 7.5, for light winds over here on the East side. Because Zephyr is tauted to span 6.5 – 8.5, I am looking at the 9.5 FreeRide 5. rgds & tnx, Mike Stephens ( Veradale, WA )
nice to hear from you Mike. The 9.5 Freeride is a nice sail, but personally I might consider the 9.5 Infinity for light air pull. Is there something about cams you don’t like?
I have a Tabou Rocket 145L board and a Gaastra Matrix 6.5 sail. I am 170 lbs and the board planes, but I am only rarely able to get into the footstraps as the sail doesn’t have enough power. I want to increase size. My boom extends to 212 cm and I have a 460 SDM Fibrespar mast. I want to make the move to RDM as I have heard the performance is much better. The wind is usually in the 10-20kt range. Would a 7.5 Freeride 5 be big enough do you think or would you recommend going to maybe an 8.0? Also, can I mix a 460 base with a 490 top. There doesn’t appear to be any overlap at that size range.
Thanks – Chris
thanks for the message Chris. One thing that comes to mind with your set up is perhaps a bigger fin might be beneficial for you. I find many times that a bigger fin can make everything really come alive.
I think a 7.5 Infinity or Freeride is a perfect place to look. The nice thing is that it will rig on a SDM or RDM just fine. The Freeride boom range is 205-212, so it would fit your set up perfectly.
Where is home for you? Wondering if there might be a place nearby that you can demo one…
I’m trying to decide between the 2010 and 2011 Freeride 7.5. Are there updates that would make the 2011 a better choice? Also, I want to use a dedicated Ezzy mast. Should I mix upper and lower halves for a 7.5 or go with a standard Ezzy 460/91% carbon mast. I’m 80 kg and have a 125 ltr Tabou Rocket.
Bill
thanks for the questions Bill. The ’11 is a finer sail. David has lightened the head of the sail, improved range, and reports are positive. The ’10 is a mighty fine sail too. I would guess they are hard to find these days however.
The 7.5 calls for a 460. If you are going to spend quite a bit of time on this sail, I would suggest you get the 460 tip/bottom.
Check out our mast configurator. It can help you build a quiver of masts around your sails…especially focused on your most used and important sizes.
http://www.ezzy.com/masts/mast-configurator/
Regards,
tim
Hi,
I am just about to buy a 2011 Freeride 7.0, I’m being recommended at Maverx Stilo 300. Will this mast work well with the sail?
Thanks
Fergus
hi Fergus,
Thank you for the email. I’m not familiar with the Maverx mast system or their bends. I cannot say how they would work. Our mast is based on a 63% / 76% bend curve.
Hi,
I’ve got an ezzy freeride 2011- 7.0m.I am rigging it on a 460 poxerex wave 60 mast.When i set the sail for a light winds and the leech is loosen to the first marks( even less),the boom needs to be set at 206 cm ( 1 sm above the max setting)!
For stronger winds the boom needs to be set at 210-212 cm and if i try to match it with the corresponding colour rope and outhaul it to the end of the boom, it is impossible to do so-the profile of the sail gets super stiff.A friend of mine have 2009 freeride and his sail has much more shape and power.One more thing – my sail does not have the big “EZZY” inscription between the botom two battens.In general the measurements do not correspond at all,the sail does not have a great tunning range (some thing that ezzy sails are famous with).
I am from Bulgaria and buy my ezzy sails from the dealer here.I spoke with the man and he said it’s ok 🙂 I think it’s not!
What is your advise?
Can i count on any asisstance?
Best regards!
Ivo
Hi Ivo,
Great to hear from you. Please see my comments below:
I am saving money to get a light wind sail for the conditions we have here in San Diego. I have been looking online at the GAASTRA Savage 8.7, Neil Pryde Helium 8.5, and one of the shops suggested I look into the Ezzy Freeride. I will be pairing up the sail with my current although outdated boards (Starboard FreeFomula 168 or F2 Sputnik 280), I am 158 lbs and have been inactive in terms of windsurfing for about a year. It’s time to get back on the water:)
indeed! Let us know if we can assist in any way with your decision
Neil Pryde advertises the Helium as a light wind sail, but it looks like the range is pretty narrow (8.5 shows 5 to 13 for a 80 kg/176 lb rider). The H2 may be a better choice, but may not get you planing as fast. Given my current weight, what would be the
wind range of the Ezzy FreeRide 8.5 and the Infinity 8.5? Which would get me
planing faster with the light winds (my guess Mission Bay is predominantly 7 to
12 this time of year and not much more), and keep me respectable on the water
🙂 How would the FreeRide and Infinity compare to the Pryde’s?
Whatever I choose, will require an additional investment in booms and masts. So many options, what did we ever do before Google?
Thank you for your assistance,
Paul
hi Paul,
thank you so much for the message. I’m going to forward your question to one of our dealers who sells both Pryde and Ezzy. It is hard for me to compare to the Helium as I haven’t personally sailed it. Please look out for a reply from Gary at Isthmus. Thanks!
What should I patch the tri-lite scrim panel with? I have a very small hole (0.5 inch or less.) from a bad catapult I assume.
hi John,
Thanks for reaching out. Sorry to hear you have a hole. If possible, please email a pic of the damage to me at ezzy@gorge.net, and I can assess with David the best way to patch you up. Where do you live?
Regards,
tim
What do you recommend for separation between sizes? If I start with a 7.5 Freeride, what is the best next smaller sail – 6.5 or 6.0?
good question! A big part of this is based upon local sailing conditions. Also, what boards you are using, and skill. I would pose this question to your local windsurf dealer as well.
Personally, I’m a big fan of big jumps between sail sizes. It makes it easier to choose what to rig! Also, it encourages you to spend more time on each sail and get to know how to tune it. With that being said, I’d suggest going 7.5 to 6.0. Hope this helps!
Just bought my first Ezzy sail last week, a 7.5 Freeride 5. I am very satisfied with it! I use it on a JP X-Cite Ride 150 with my NP X6 mast, seems to work perfectly. Super light feeling and great wind range, no problem to use it in wind strength up to when I can switch down to my 5.9 sail!
I will be easy to choose sail size from now on! Think my 5,9 will be replaced too!
Hi Paul,
I don’t know if you already managed to buy the new sail of your choice, but i would have some words in favor of the Ezzy sails. I’m 80 kg too, and I bought a 8.5 Freeride for my F2 Rx 133 litre board. It really feels nice and easy in my hands, fast but still loves to do jibes, and surprisingly I can still keep it under control when the others are on their limit with 6.5-ish sails with 110-120 litre boards, so the wind range of the Freerides is absolutely huge. And I don’t even have to mention the bulletproof construction, which is an other point if you plan on buying your sail for longer terms. Based on my experience no other brand can compete with the performance/longevity/price ratio of the Ezzy sails.
Hope this helps,
Balázs
just bought a 6.5 freeride 5,an would like to know why the furrell on your mast is on the top part of the mast? i have n l’s.will my 460 be as good as ezzy’s?
thanks for reaching out. Our original mast design was developed with the designers at Powerex. Powerex RDM’s also have the ferrule at the tip. It was important for us to make a mast that was backwards compatible with Powerex. We also believe the tip and bottom sections should be the same length (unlike NL). The NL 460 has a softer bottom and stiffer tip than our mast. We’re not as big a fan of their bend. They work okay, but not the best.
Hi. I’ve just purchesed 7.5 freeride V along with mast Gaastra SDM 460 , 25 ICMS, 55% Carbon. Looks that this is not working at all, in spite this choice has been recomended by dealer. For light wind, with extension 30, the loosenees don’t appear on the leech at all. Minimum extension i need to adjust is 35, what gives luff 495cm, while max figure given for this sail is 491. What could you advise ?
thank you for the inquiry. The best way to assist is actually to have a look at how your sail rigs up. Do you have a digital camera? might be a good idea to email the pics of your sail rigged up directly to David to assess your tuning and mast. David’s email is david@ezzy.com
Regards,
Tim
can I rig a skinny carbon mast with my 8.5 freeride? If not what is the maximum sail size for a skinny mast?
thanks for reaching out. The 8.5 Freeride works great with a 490 RDM mast. In fact, our 9.5 works well with a 490 too. Any and all Ezzy Sails work with RDM masts (standard masts too). FYI, it has been difficult for anyone to engineer a RDM mast bigger than a 490.
I am starting to have problems inserting my SDM mast in my 7.5 Freeride sleeve. I think the previous owner lubricated it in some way, but the lubricant is probably gone now. Can you suggest a widely available lubricant, or does it need to be a specialiezed product?
Hello there,
I was thinking to buy a 133 Starboard Futura for the light wind days and I have to decide on the sail… I am about 75kg and my biggest sail for the moment is the Freeride 2009 6.0 … I was thinking either the freeride 7.5 or the Infinity 7.5… What would you propose…?
I already have a 460 mast and since I don’t want to spend too much money I wouldn’t go for an 8.5 sail even though it might sound a better option…
thanks for the email Yan. Can’t think of a lubricant, but I can suggest you take a piece of clear packing tape, and wrap it over the headcap of your mast. The tape will allow the tip of the mast to slip inside the luff sleeve with more ease. Give it a try!
Thanks for the email Yiannis. You can’t go wrong with either the Freeride or Infinity. I prefer the Infinity for upwind sailing, more power, and more “power steering” feel, but I like to take lots of speed into my jibes. If you are a little more tentative with your jibes I would suggest the Freeride. I hope this helps!
Hi guys, I got an Ezzy Freeride 5.5 2011 and the awesome Ezzy RDM mast 430. I am really satisfy and impressed with your products but I still struggle to find the perfect rig setup because I can’t see the loosens in the head of the sail because in the 2011 model the white surface is stiffer and doesn’t help a lot. Do have any picture of a 2011 model rig to show us how to identify the right loosens?
thank you for the message. How is the sail feeling to you? We can help to pinpoint rigging based upon the balance, stability, and pull of the sail on the water.
Also, have you reviewed the rigging videos?
http://embedr.com/playlist/2009-freeride-rigging-video
Our new sail, called the “Cheetah” will be up on line very soon. We will have some much higher quality rigging videos that will help you to identify proper downhaul.
Also, you can refer to the new video we posted recently of the Panther Limited. In it, there is some tips worth reviewing for downhaul.
http://vimeo.com/28333378
Kind Regards,
tim
Thanks a ton Tim. The sail is simply amazing and I am ready to buy also a 6.5 -)
I will have a look and post again.
Thanks
I am debating between an Infinity 2011 7.0 and a Freeride 2011 7.0. Which sail offers more stability and power/has a wider wind range? Thanks!
good question Scott. The Infinity has more power and wider range. The infinity pulls like a truck!
I am curious about the weight. What does the 6.5 weight?
4.462 Kgs.
Hi, I have a Freeride 7.0, for this sail I use a 460 Bic mast 60% carbon with IMCS 25, costant curve. My question is: will I see the looseness by the coloured dots marks as well as I would see it using an Ezzy mast?
thanks for the message Riccardo. We try to make our sail work on a very wide range of masts. I am not sure of the bend characteristics of the Bic masts, but I’m guessing your performance should be okay. The best thing to do is take pictures of the sail rigged up on the beach so that we can assess how the head twist looks and how your settings look. Email them to david@ezzy.com for review!
Thanks!! I’ll post you the pics by mail in a couple of weeks.
I sail mostly in land and often in light wind where my 6.5 is not always enough. I’m very much at intermediate level. Would I be better off with an 8.5 infinity or 7.5 zephyr for something on the light days
Hi, I have just got Ezzy Freeride V 7.5 , Ezzy 460 mast and chinook medium length carbon extension 32cm. To be able to downhaul the sail on max wind setting I need to use 32cm spot on the extension. Extension fits loose in the mast and when I am using last 32cm spot on it there is only small part of the extension stays inside the mast which creates about 0.5cm-1cm lag on the other end of the extension which in its turn creates extra curve on the bottom part of extension+mast construction. Since Ezzy sails are designed for a specific bend of top end and bottom end of the mast is it safe to use medium extension for this configuration or I should exchange it for a long extension or may be you know some other fix for this problem?
Best Regards,
Max
thank you very much for the message Max. Do you think it might be possible to snap a photo of the sail rigged up?
You might check to make sure the headcap is snugged up as close as possible to the top of the sail. This might reduce a few cm. You can email the pics to ezzy@gorge.net.
With the chinook extension, you can rig any of their extensions on the very highest hole and you will be safe.
Hello
Could you tell me what is the big difference between te Infinity sail with the cams and the Freeride with the cams?
Which would be more fun for a 7.5 meter sail meant to sail around Massachussettes in low wind and usually gusty conditions?
What do the cams add? (besides pain with rigging)
Thanks
Alena
thanks for the message Alena. Our infinity (which we now call the Lion) has two cams. The Freeride sails we make (now call the Cheetah, and years past was just the ‘Freeride’) are specifically no cam sails.
Cams add low end power, and better performance sailing upwind. Some people prefer a no cam design because Cambered sails have a tendency to rotate and power up with more force. People that aren’t as sturdy on their turns tend to like the mellower transition a camless sail can provide.
Cam sails aren’t that difficult to rig…at least not ours. They literally take an additional 10 seconds at the most. Still, so many people seem to prefer the carefree spirit and easy handling of a camless model.
Hope this helps!
Greetings, I recently sold my old Retro 7.0 and am trying to fill out my selection. Next one down is 5.5, next up is 8.5. Was debating getting a 6.5 and 7.5, but with all the claims about range, was wondering what you thought about filling that hole in my quiver. Also, I read the Infinity can be sailed without the cams, but I can’t seem to find any reviews using it that way. I am partial to cam-less for ease of rigging – I have a 9.5 Infinity, I follow the directions, but it is still more hassle than I like. What would be the difference between an Infinity running cam-less and a Freeride? Thanks.
thanks so much for reaching out and asking!
1. the scaling of your quiver depends on lots of factors. Your skill level, boards and booms, and local conditions all way in. We always advocate working with your local dealer to get their sound opinion on how to best set yourself up. In general, I can say that one thing that has improved with sail design is range. With that in mind I feel it is best to select bigger jumps between sizes. It teaches you how to tune your sails, and makes it easier to choose what size sail to rig too! The more time you spend on each individual sail the more you get to know how to dial it in. The Infinity is designed to be used with the cams. It truly sails better with the cams in. When we had the older cam (’06 and older) we found it sailed pretty well with the cams taken out, but the new camber system really needs to have the cams in for the proper batten profile to occur. Cams get a bad rap. They really make the sail more rangy. I’d suggest a cambered design for your biggest sail.
Hi Ezzy Folk,
I have a Freeride V 7.5 and have recently dumped my 460 SDM. I now have an option of either mixing an Ezzy 430 top with an Ezzy 490 base, or just rolling with the 490 and accepting a couple of inches of mast at the base. I’m a big guy (100kg) so assume it’s best just to go with the 490 straight, especially in the gusty lake conditions where I sail, but I’d like your view before I rig it for the first time on my Ezzy masts.
cheers
Jimbo
thank you for reaching out! The best mast for that sail is the 460. You will be happier if you use a 460 over a 490. I suggest you do the mix and match system as you mention above, but you will want to use the 490 TIP and the 430 BOTTOM, not the other way around. The top section you want to be the same length or longer to get the proper bend. Hope this helps!
Cool thanks- 490 tip it is then!
Hi, I’m having some trouble adjusting the outhaul on my Ezzy Freeride sails. When I downhaul for high wind setting I have looseness to the front mark. But when I adjust the boom for the high wind outhaul line it seems impossible to pull the sail to the end of the boom (and even getting close 1-2″ requires a lot of strength). The sail to me looks very flat so I’m thinking it’s hard to get much outhaul when it’s so flat. Am I perhaps over downhauling? BTW this is a for a Ezzy 5.5 Freeride on an Ezzy 430 mast.
Thanks!Peter
thanks so much for the message Peter. I’m confident we can help you get dialed in.
I wonder if you could snap some shots of your sail rigged up for us. I’ll send a separate email to you with an idea of what kind of picture we are looking for. We’ll get you dialed!
Nice day!I want to buy a “FREEDIDE V” sail 2011 9.5 m2. How I must to combine top and bottom of EZZY mast for this sail? What brend name masts can be using with this sail besides EZZY mast for achieve a good result? What masts can be working with this sail better – RDM or SDM?With best regards!Andrew
thank you for the message. Check the ezzy.com site for our dealer and distributor listings. Hopefully someone in your area has a 9.5 Freeride!
The Ezzy 490 RDM mast is a great choice for the sail. Another way to go would be a higher carbon content Fiberspar or Powerex mast. There are many many masts on the market, and it is a struggle for us to keep up with their bend characteristics. Let me know what you find out there, and I can quickly let you know if we have some feedback. RDM and SDM masts work great. The most important thing is to get a higher carbon content if you can.
I’m an owner of a new 2011 6.5 Free Ride V. Once rigged there is quite a bit of slack between the top two battens. I increased the tension in the battnes by several turns of the tool, but the slack is still there. Sail is tight between all other battens. Is this a flaw in the design? Am I missing something while rigging? I’m using a standard diameter 460 mast, extension is at 10. Help.
hello Dmitry,
I am currently responding to your other message. The modern sail design is quite advanced. You do not want to have a completely tight head and fabric. The sail is designed to “twist” for maximum efficiency. I will send an email shortly explaining more.