Windsurfing Equipment Tests - American Windsurfer

Windsurfing Equipment Tests - American Windsurfer - Windsurfing Reviews

Sails: Neil Pryde @ Islamorada

Neil Pryde RX1

Size tested: 8.4
Mast: 490, 29
Boom: 7' 6"
Weight: 12.0
Durability: c
Downhaul Ease: 8
Rig Ease: 5.0
Speed: 10.0
Power: 8.0
Stability: 10.0
Waterstart: 6.0
Rotation: 6.5
Luffability: 6.5
Price: $886

At first glance the RX1 doesn’t look all that different from last year’s Z-1, but there are subtle changes that set it apart. The first thing we noticed was the refined front end of the Shear Tip. It’s sleeker than last year’s, and it seats automatically in the tip of the mast—no walking to the head of the sail while rigging to make sure the sail head and mast tip have properly mated. Another improvement is in the camber inducers. They’re a little wider and better tailored for their positions in the luff sleeve. We still found them hard to keep on the mast while rigging, but overcame that problem by clamping on the boom and outhauling the sail before downhauling it. The most significant change from the Z-1 is in the way the shape is built into the RX1 through more use of seam shape rather than luff curve. This is reflected most obviously in the fact that downhauling this sail is a snap since there’s little luff curve. On the water the RX1 improves slightly on the Z-1’s already impressive power. All told, the RX1 offers the best combination of speed, handling, easy rigging and top-notch components on the market today.

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