Robert, up to 700 grams weight saving on a 4.7 NeilPryde Combat, that sounds like a huge step. How did you slim down the sails so much?
The weight savings might be interesting for our marketing department, because they always want to put a number on it. As a designer, I think what's behind it is much more important. Around 50 per cent of the work goes into developing new materials that make it possible to achieve this weight reduction without compromising durability. The other 50 per cent went into new designs and sail cuts.
Let's talk about the material first. Are we talking about a newly developed material or is it ultimately about having found new ways with existing materials?
Up until 2023, we had our so-called "clew" in the clew area. PowerFuse material, where sheets of the same material were laminated overlapping each other. Now the laminate consists of different materials that have high-strength aramid fibres, which allows us to save a lot of weight. So this is not off-the-shelf material, but a laminate that we have developed ourselves and which we can incorporate into our sails. This laminate is used in the HD and Pro HD versions of our wave sails are used, in addition to which the sails are also available in a ProFuse variant. This design is compatible with the Q-Bonded material. Aramid fibres are welded together, which means that there are no seams, saving even more weight.
Why are there different construction methods for the models?
The ProFuse construction method is the most complex in terms of the manufacturing process with its welded laminate and therefore also the most expensive. Of course, we also wanted to offer high-quality technology in the cheaper segment, hence the decision to offer different construction methods. Of course, we have to see how the different construction methods are accepted on the market, so it may be that in future it will be reduced to two different technologies again.
Keyword "price": Where do the new NeilPryde wave sails stand in this respect?
The price is almost exactly the same as last year. A Combat HD in 4.7, for example, is priced at 879 euros - but the HD and Pro HD designs are between 500 and 700 grams lighter, making the sails in this weight class among the cheapest on the market. The ProFuse version with its welded technology is naturally more expensive (1169 euros for the Combat 4.7, the ed.)The Combat 4.7, at 2.50 kilos, should also be one of the lightest sails on the market and is - depending on which competitor you compare it with - 100 to 300 euros cheaper than other sails in this weight class.
According to you, the sail design of the Combat model has changed completely. What are the most important changes and why did you make them?
In the past, our Combat wave sail has always been criticised, including in your tests, for offering a lot of power, but sometimes lacking a little control in strong winds. To improve this aspect, we have made a number of adjustments. For example, the downhaul rope tension has been increased on the new Combat and we now use a material called Taffeta in the luff.
As a designer, I find what is behind the weight reduction much more exciting than the bare figures
Taffeta? What's it all about?
Until now, it was possible to use either foil material for the luff track, which is quite stiff and gives a sail a crisp, direct feel. However, as foil cannot simply be sewn together - otherwise it would tear - you have to work with a relatively large amount of tape under the seams, which in turn adds weight. The other option is cloth material, which is great for sewing, but is very soft and can look kind of "dead" over time if it has been stretched a bit. Taffeta is a mixture of both, like a dacron coated with a thin cover of film. As a result, it offers hardly any stretch over a long period of time and is also easy to work with, but does not make the sail too stiff.
Are there any other adjustments you have made?
Overall, the boom dimensions of the NeilPryde Combat are slightly shorter and the centre batten above the boom is now stiffer, which should improve the stability of the pressure point. In addition, the battens protrude a little more past the mast and have less built-in profile. The leech is also no longer flared so far above the boom, which should mean that the sail no longer loads up so much in overpowered conditions, but instead offers more neutrality and better handling.
The Combat is not the only wave sail in your range. There is also the Atlas and the Zone 3-batten sail.
The Atlas has always been our sail for freemove and onshore wave conditions. Of course, the Atlas has also undergone changes in terms of materials, but its design has remained the same. It has always been a 5-batten sail anyway, focussing on power and control. That's why it has significantly more belly and a more firmly integrated profile compared to the Combat. However, the Zone, a 3-batten sail that we are also very proud of, has been newly developed.
Sails with three battens were a brief trend a few years ago, but they never really caught on due to their specialised area of use. Would you agree that the Zone is a sail purely for specialists?
Of course, a concept like the Combat has a wider overall range of use, mainly due to the better control in strong winds. Nevertheless, I would say that the Zone is not only good in down-the-line conditions like here on Maui. We have completely redesigned the sail in co-operation with our team rider Morgan Noireaux. The battens are positioned slightly diagonally to cover as much of the sail as possible with just a few battens, making the whole construction tighter. We have also done away with the soft PVC window of the past and replaced it with mono film, which also gives the sail more rigidity. The Zone has a lot of power combined with excellent neutrality. It is ideal for light riders and wave fans who regularly ride in light to medium wind conditions and don't want to race around overpowered with their sail. I'm almost a little sad that sail concepts like the Zone are loved by team riders but have never really arrived on the market.
Robert, thank you for the interview!
Whether the changes made by the NeilPryde team are effective and the new wave sails are really as light as advertised, you will soon read in the test - this will appear in surf 4-2024.
