NeilPryde Hornet 7.2 against Hellcat 7.2

On land: Both sails were already brand new 2013 models and either, like the Hellcat, significantly revised or, like the Hornet, completely new. In the case of the Hellcat, which now has a sportier design, more luff curve and a tightly cut mast pocket mean that the camber sail is actually ahead overall when rigging. The two cams of the Hornet are - poof - folded onto the mast, threading the mast is child's play despite the only moderately wide mast sleeve.

With the Hellcat, the mast has to be pressed into the pocket against its will. The trim forces are still in the green range, both sails show moderate loose leech, the Hellcat already has a recognisable profile in the lower area even without wind pressure. The camber zips on the Hornet are nice and long, so that the camber can be folded up easily despite the narrow mast pocket.

On the water: Just as the two sails have nothing in common on the scales - the wider mast pocket and two cambers of one sail outweigh the additional batten of the other - so does the first impression at the beach start and when bobbing out of the wind cover in a strong northerly wind in the morning. Both sails appear light and sufficiently agile, really nice and compact for 7.2s.

The Hornet offers a little more lift at the beach start, even in the lightest breeze, and therefore seems almost lighter than the Hellcat. Just behind the jetty, where the first gusts hit the sail with a vengeance, the Hellcat can score a few points. Even when slightly unfurled, it lets the pressure out in the stronger gusts, whereas you have to work a little harder on the Hornet. During passive planing, the sails are neck and neck for the first few metres, but then the Hornet puts a few metres between them in the lower planing wind range with noticeably more acceleration. It feels much tighter and has a clear increase in performance in the lower wind range. Surprisingly, the Hellcat even seems a little more damped despite an additional batten, but can easily keep up at the top end. At least if you trim it accordingly - with a lot of slack over the luff and a flat profile thanks to the corresponding trim sheet tension.

This also shows the decisive difference between the camber and no-cam sails. In terms of measurable performance, the differences are minimal, but the camberless sail has to be re-trimmed more often. The camber sail combines a bulbous profile with good controllability and is therefore ahead in fluctuating wind conditions. Nevertheless, in this smallest size of 7.2 square metres, the camberless Hellcat is not beaten. If you like to do duck jibes or generally prefer short strokes with lots of manoeuvres, the Hellcat is still a winner. Both sails are very stable in the hand, the Hornet is even smoother, which fits in with the comfortable overall impression. Compared to the H2, the new Hornet is particularly impressive with better rotation in the jibe and, as a freeride sail with camber, continues the good virtues from the old V6 days.

Web: www.neilpryde.de

NEILPRYDE HORNET 7.2

Luff: 471 cm

Fork length: 196 cm

Slats: 6

Weight*: 4.8 kilos

Price: 759 Euro

Test mast: NeilPryde X65 SDM; 65 % carbon; 460 cm; 25 IMCS; 2.1 kilos

Price: 499 Euro

NEILPRYDE HELLCAT 7.2

Luff: 472 cm

Fork length: 202 cm

Slats: 7

Weight*: 4.8 kilos

Price: 719 Euro

Test mast: NeilPryde X65 SDM; 65 % carbon; 460 cm; 25 IMCS; 2.1 kilos

Price: 499 Euro

* = Surf measurement

Downloads:

Test: Cam against NoCam (pdf)