Windsurfing Equipment Tests - American Windsurfer

Sails: Neil Pryde @ Maui

Control Bump Speed Style King Surf

Neil Pryde Core

With just four battens and a short luff, the Core is a light, flexible hard-core wave sail. It’s not designed to be particularly fast, but the flexibility, the softness of the feel, is great for people who like that sort of thing. The low weight and low center of gravity are perfect for both radical wave sailors and lightweights who just want a light sail that suits their low body weight. Of all the Pryde wave sails, this is the one for lightweights because it has less luff curve and thus takes less sheeting force to power up.

Size tested 5.0
Mast 400–19
Boom 5’5”
Weight 6.9
Durability B
Downhaul Ease 9
Rig Ease 9.0
Speed 5.0
Power 6.0
Stability 6.0
Waterstart 9.5
Rotation 10.0
Luffability 9.5
Price $530.00

Control Bump Speed Style King Surf

Neil Pryde MPR

The MPR strikes us as remarkably like the Wave NR: Loose leeched, tightly wound, plenty of luff curve, draft forward. It also features a shorter luff than in past years and a squared head. The luff sleeve is virtually as small as that of a camless sail and rigging friction is minimal. The MPR is the sort of sail that works for medium–weight riders, but really comes into its own when flexing under the load of a heavy weight. That’s probably why our lighter testers didn’t really warm to the MPR while several heavyweights loved it.

Size tested 5.7
Mast 430–21
Boom 5’11”
Weight 7.5
Durability B
Downhaul Ease 9
Rig Ease 8.0
Speed 6.0
Power 6.0
Stability 7.0
Waterstart 9.0
Rotation 8.5
Luffability 8.5
Price $510.00

Control Bump Speed Style King Surf

Neil Pryde Wave NR

As Bjorn Dunkerbeck’s wave sail, the Wave NR should have plenty of luff curve and tension. It does. After all, when a 220-pounder hangs on a boom, masts flex and sails change shape. We think that’s why the Wave NR is wound up so tightly this year and that’s the reason it’s a good sail for big, powerful riders. It’s a fast, loose-leech type of sail that works in any high-wind conditions.

Size tested 5.0
Mast 430–21
Boom 5’7”
Weight 7.4
Durability B
Downhaul Ease 9
Rig Ease 8.0
Speed 5.5
Power 5.5
Stability 7.0
Waterstart 9.5
Rotation 8.5
Luffability 9.0
Price $521.00

Control Bump Speed Style King Surf

Neil Pryde Zone

The Zone is Pryde’s most versatile wave sail, providing good power, capable of excellent speed, and facilitating effortless transitions and maneuvers, primarily in the waves but also in bump conditions. We see the Zone as a middle ground between the extremes of the Wave NR and the Core. It’s fast and suitable for most sailors, but it’s not as tightly wound as the wave NR, a sail we think suits heavyweight sailors best. At the same time, the Zone is flexible enough for most, but not as flexible as the Core.

Size tested 5.0
Mast 430–21
Boom 5’5”
Weight 7.3
Durability B
Downhaul Ease 9
Rig Ease 9.0
Speed 5.5
Power 5.5
Stability 6.5
Waterstart 9.5
Rotation 10.0
Luffability 9.5
Price $532.00

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