Individual test 2017: Freerace sail Neilpryde V8
What a time it was when NeilPryde still had the big block bubbling away. The popular V8 was taken out of circulation for a few years as it was no longer up to date, and the Hornet filled the gap. In 2017, the V8 - with new software and power management - will once again be authorised for all waterways. Above all, designer Robert Stroj wanted to give the sail "early planing and acceleration" so that it can also be used as an alternative to racing sails. Nevertheless, "a lot of influence comes from the racing sail", as Stroj explains, but "in comparison, the V8 would be about one square metre smaller." After our first comparison rides, freerace fans in particular should be delighted with the return. Because the V8 is coming back into the future with many old virtues in a modern outfit:
The sail looks light and compact, the pressure point, which is positioned a little further forwards, is super stable. This sets it clearly apart not only from the Hornet, but also from the Ryde NoCam sail. It is positioned much more sportily and is also suitable for really powered-up surfing in strong winds. One more batten, all tube battens except for the foot batten and the wider mast sleeve compared to the Hornet are essential ingredients. The sail is extremely stable over the board, can be easily locked on the deck and releases a controlled amount of pressure at the top in gusts, just enough to maintain immense acceleration. As promised, the V8 planes well, but acceleration and "pull" are even better. In the lower and medium planing wind range, the sail seemed to be supercharged, reaching top speed very quickly after planing and maintaining it for an extremely long time even when the wind dropped - which led to a top average speed on long strokes across Lake Garda. Even in crisp gusts, the sail remained flawless and easy to control, even with low clew tension.
The handling is also new: with even more noticeable rotation, but significantly less "rumbly" and more than acceptable for a freerace sail.
NeilPryde V8 7.7 Model 2017
Sizes6.2 | 6.7 | 7.2 | 7.7 | 8.2 | 8.7 | 9.4 square metresLuff434 | 454 | 472 | 490 | 507 | 524 | 542 cmFork: 187-192/ | 193-198 | 199-204 | 205-210 | 210-215 | 215-220 | 221-226 cmPrices829 | 849 | 899 | 949 | 999 | 1049 | 1099 EuroInfo: www.neilpryde.com
