Windsurfing Equipment Tests - American Windsurfer

Sails: Hot Sails @ Aruba

Novice Control Speed Race Explore Balance

Hot Sails Fusion XL

The Fusion XL carries on the Hot tradition of power-oriented sails. We see this in the leech, which can be quite loose on the beach but which tightens quickly on the water. This sail pumps extremely well and accelerates well out of a hole. The majority of our guest testers, most of whom were lightweights, found the Fusion XL to be a bit heavy, rigid and jerky in a gust, but most of our heavyweights judged it smooth and fast. They also felt it to be one of the more durably built sails in the test. Sailors who like a good guide to correct downhaul tension will love the visual downhaul trim markings on the head of the Fusion XL. We didn’t find the screw-type batten tensioners to be the easiest to use, and we worry that the thin cord holding them to the sail may be vulnerable to damage. The single grommet tack doesn’t make downhauling an easy proposition, so a downhaul tool or pulley hook will be needed with this sail.

Size tested 6.0
Mast 430–21
Boom 6’1”
Weight 9.9
Durability C
Downhaul Ease 7
Rig Ease 7.0
Speed 7.0
Power 7.0
Stability 8.0
Waterstart 9.0
Rotation 9.5
Luffability 9.5
Price $469

Novice Control Speed Race Explore Balance

Hot Sails SONIC

The Hot Sonic is very much a power-oriented, speed-oriented sail. It has superb stability – conferred in part by high-pressure cams, strong cam rotation, and an immense luff curve which tensions it like a drum – and it’s very fast. It’s particularly fast downwind because the cams rotate strongly to produce a full leading edge, and the overall depth of draft can be quite high when the outhaul is eased. Leech tension is a bit higher than usual in a sail of this type which made for great pumpability but which also hurt top-end speed and handling slightly. This unusual leech tension, the sail’s high weight, wide luff sleeve and it’s somewhat rigid feel diminished the Sonic’s popularity with the guest testers. However, we feel some of those factors can be mitigated with a softer mast and a ton of downhaul tension. With the mast we tested it on (460/25), the Sonic is a good sail for a heavyweight rider who wants excellent all-around speed.

Size tested 6.9
Mast 460–25
Boom 6’8”
Weight 10.6
Durability C
Downhaul Ease 6
Rig Ease 6.0
Speed 7.5
Power 8.0
Stability 9.5
Waterstart 8.0
Rotation 7.5
Luffability 6.5
Price $549.00

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