NEIL PRYDE V8 HELIUM SAIL

Not everyone lives within easy access of ideal windsurfing conditions. And nor do all windsurfers want to use the current generation of sails that have been designed for use in light to medium airs. Recognising the need for a smaller, significantly more powerful sail, the NeilPryde Design Centre has created the all-new V8 HELIUM.

The V8 HELIUM combines an efficient sail profile and full body shape into a lightweight, easy to rig, tune and use set-up that uses proportionately less surface area to generate considerable low end power. The result is a sail that delivers all the power you need to maximise your enjoyment ­ and experience the thrill of planing in even the lightest winds.

The V8 Helium comes in three sizes, but contrary to regular sails these are not designed to cover different wind conditions but are in fact all designed to be early planing, extreme light-wind specialised sails and the design of each size is optimised to deliver this performance to a specific body weight. For this reason a light weight person should choose the 6.5, a medium weight is suited to the 7.5 and heavier riders should choose the 8.5 for uncompromised light wind performance.
Robert Stroj
NeilPryde Sail Designer

DESIGN OBJECTIVES:

• Create a light weight, powerful sail. The sail must plane as early as possible.
• The design of the new sail should be based on the logic that the sailor will only need one V8 HELIUM, and that the size of sail they will require will depend on the riders weight. As such, each sail size should be designed to suit a certain user weight range.
• Each size of sail must have the best possible early planing characteristics for any sail of comparable size that is currently available.
• The sail must be simple to use. It needs to be easy to rig and trim, and be as insensitive as possible to less than ideal trim settings.

ACHIEVED BY:

• By using a minimal amount of reinforcement, and a relatively high proportion of monofilm compared to other 2009 NeilPryde flatwater sails, the V8 HELIUMÆs static weight is kept as low as possible.
• The profile of the V8 HELIUM is quite full; it has been optimised to generate as much power as possible.
• Minimal use of twist in the head gives the V8 HELIUM a soft, ôpumpable feel while a slightly tighter leech helps improve absolute bottom end performance.
• The V8 HELIUM has fewer battens than any other sail in the flatwater range and utilises tube rod battens to maintain stability in breezier conditions.
• The V8 HELIUM uses UltraCam Performance Technology for easy rotation and a high level of stability.