Sport Today

Hi,

I am considering upgrading my current quiver of '97 Combat Wave's to the new
'99 NR.  I going on another two month road trip to Western Australia where
there are cross on shore winds in the range of 18-30 knots. I'm sailing an
8' 5" wave board and I weight 80kg.

It not easy to get demo of the sails as most retailers don't have demo stock
of these sails and there is less wind in Perth (none in Sydney where I live)
compared to further up north in Geraldton.  Thus it kind of hard to get a
good workout on 4.0 and 4.5 sails before I'll will buy them.

1) Has anyone sailed with the new 99WR?

2) How do they compare to the Combat Waves? Is the 99 NR more powerful in
lighter winds?

3) Does this new 'Block Head' design work? Will it allow a greater  wind
range on any given sail, but with the ability to de-power easily for tricks
etc?

4) Has any tried the Neil Pryde 99 Wave mast versus the Wave Pro? Will the
Wave Pro handle some real hard bashing?

Any first hand experiences appreciated.
Regards Leo

Yup

I sailed the 95 combats but switched thereafter to the NR's. The NR is more
powerful in general. It is designed to go up wind and for use in primarily
on-shore wind.

on any given sail, but with the ability to de-power easily for tricks etc?

All I've noticed with the blockhead is that it feels a little softer. It does
have good low end and seems to go upwind better. The ability to depower quickly
is derived more from the shape of flatness of the sail rather than the block
head. Both the NR and Combat (replaced by the Core) depower quickly because
they go almost completely flat when not sheeted in. The Combat/Core are more
suited to side/side-on wind conditions and have a slightly softer feel.

I've heard good reports but haven't tested the new masts yet. I'd be interested
in hearing from someone who has.

Skip Dennis
US-SD77
USWA - Board of Directors
Tech Rep: Neilpryde/AHD/Finworks/Okespor
Cape Cod Windsurfing Association - Vice President
"You're not trying hard enough till something breaks :-0"

Skip,

Thanks for the feedback. Very interesting.

Since most of my sailing will be done at Geraldton in WA which is side /
side on, perhaps the NR is not the sail for me!

Also the nature of the break that I sail at (Coronation Beach) is that there
is more air time rather than full on wave riding. So perhaps the Zone is a
better bet than a Core.  Is this a correct assumption?

Also, given a relatively limited budget i.e. enough for two sails and one
mast, what size spread is the optimum?

In the past I have used 4.0, 4.5 and 5.0 Combat.  Whilst I love sailing the
4.0 and 4.5, there are plenty of times that I need more power and have to go
to the 5.0 . But the 96 5.0 Combat just feels too big for the 8' 5" board
that I have.  A lot of people on this list have talk about the new 'Block
Head' sails requiring shorter masts etc and thus the bigger size sails i.e.
5.0/5.5 feel lighter. Is this correct?

What about the different size sail.  In the past, when overpowered, on the
4.5 I drop down to the 4.0 and I'm in the grove again.  If I chose a new
sail, should I be able to use a bigger spread between sails i.e. 4.0 - 5.0?
(I also notice that the NP Zone have 4.0 & 4.7 that fit on a 400 mast).

Sorry to ask so many questions!

Regards
Leo
PS. I know that I'm been very specific, here but I have not sailed at all
for 12 months, now I have 2-3 months of day in day out sailing in WA.

The zone goes super flat. Of all three NP wave sails, the Zone depowers the
quickest. Its great for tricks and pretty radical wave tricks. For me it is a
bit too flat, I like a fuller sail. If you purchase this sail, don't be afraid
of buying it in the larger sizes. They're very light and don't feel as large as
you might expect.

I've been sailing 3.6- 5.4 on an 8.4 wave board. The small sail and the large
sail aren't the best combination but they feel find.

I'm not convinced that the blockhead designs are any less powerful. In fact, my
experience has been almost the opposite. Since the top twists off  easier, sail
designers have been able to make the body of the sail deeper and more powerful.
With the older designs, more mast bend was needed to create twist and if the
sail was too full it would tend to backwind and become a handful as soon as the
wind picked up. Now the sail  will twist independently  of the reflex of the
mast so designers have been able to make the sails more powerful in less wind
with fewer control issues as the wind picks up.

I think that the range of the sails has improved a bit and that it will be
possible to sail with one less sail. Going from a 4.7 to a 4.0 is certainly
possible. A whole meter difference in the larger sizes is also possible but I
wouldn't recommend that large a spread below 4.5. In my experience, going from
a 4.0 to 5.0 would be a bit difficult but going from a 4.5 to 5.5 is entirely
possible.

No problem, glad to help.

Have fun, ya lucky dog!

Skip Dennis
US-SD77
USWA - Board of Directors
Tech Rep: Neilpryde/AHD/Finworks/Okespor
Cape Cod Windsurfing Association - Vice President
"You're not trying hard enough till something breaks :-0"