Windfoil producers have been quite conservative the past year in term of innovation. However, sail producers have now entered the windfoil game, and many brands have launched dedicated foil sails to improve foiling performance and comfort.
These sails have often in common a short boom and a large amount of the sail down low, to increase power and optimise stability.
Ezzy sails is now launching a windfoil sail called the Hydra:
The first thing we can say about the Hydra is that it has a very unusual design. The sail is derived from the EZZY Taka 4, which is a pure wave sail. Like the Taka, the Hydra has a ¾ batten above the boom, offering lightness and power.
The sail has also a small mast thanks to the top batten, a small boom and no cams, resulting in a very light sail and enhanced manoeuvrability.
The main difference with the Taka 4 is obviously the enormous bottom batten, which gives the sail a somewhat whacky look. But knowing what Dave Ezzy has achieved before, we can trust that he has not just created this design by chance!
The long bottom batten makes the centre of effort on the lower part of the sail, which is best for foiling, as it gives more stability and power. The long batten is also optimal for pumping to plan and to keep the board flying in the lulls.
Simon Bassett of 2XS testing the Ezzy Hydra
In our opinion, this new concept from Ezzy is really interesting as it’s clearly oriented towards a more freeride direction of windfoiling, with smaller sails, more accessible to a larger crowd.
Difficult to know if this design is just a curiosity or a real innovation which will set the standard for windfoil sails in the future. Either way, we like that producers like Ezzy make such bold moves. It's the best way to push the needle forward.
The Ezzy Hydra will be available in 4.0, 5.0, 5.5, 6.0 and 7.0 m2
Prices from €699.
READ THE INTERVIEW WITH DAVID EZZY,
DESIGNER OF THE HYDRA WINDFOIL SAIL
Comments