Worksheet Sail Launch/02 - Neil Pryde

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The new 2003 sail collection from Neil Pryde is an innovative blend of pure product
design and Elegant Engineering. What follows is the story of the who’s, how’s,
what’s and why’s that have resulted in this distinctive new collection and
underscores why Neil Pryde is still the No. 1 sail maker in the world of windsurfing
The Background Story
Neil Pryde’s 2003 sail line up marks
something of a departure from the splashy
graphic styles that have become a hallmark of
contemporary windsurf sail design. Clean
lines and a distinctly elegant, understated
style reflect this shift in thinking - pure
performance and elegant engineering are the
central themes at the heart of this new
collection and it’s these themes that have
guided the Neil Pryde design team in their
approach to this project.
Simon Narramore, the Neil Pryde Brand
Manager, Robert Stroj, Neil Pryde’s Chief Sail
Designer and Thomas Meyerhoffer, an
industrial design consultant from California,
spearheaded the sail development
programme, and over the last 12 months have
collaborated to create one of the most
technically advanced sail collections ever
produced by the brand.
The design team set out to develop a recognisable,
engineered continuity throughout the
Neil Pryde sail range, the most visible element
of which has been dubbed “The Frame” –
a distinctive outer edge around the sail.
The frame gives a visual clue to the actual
purpose of the individual sails. Styled like a
set of blades – you can see at a glance that
there’s a more robust, chopping edge to the
frame on the wave and crossover sails,
whereas the faster flat-water sails appear to
have a leaner, slicing edge to their frames.
an approach that’s given the sails a distinctive
family resemblance, through a shared, easily
recognisable silhouette.
“If you look at the classic cars like a VW Beetle
or the 911 Porsche, they’re instantly recognisable,
even at quite a distance” explains
Neil Pryde Brand Manager Simon Narramore,
“there’s a strong visual element to the work
we’ve been doing with this project too.
“We wanted to develop a line
of sails with a distinctive Neil Pryde
silhouette that would be instantly
recognisable out on the water.
But we wanted to do this without
slapping huge coloured graphics on
the sail right at the end.”
“We wanted to develop a line of sails with a
distinctive Neil Pryde silhouette that would be
instantly recognisable out on the water. But
we wanted to do this without slapping huge
coloured graphics on the sail right at the end
of the design phase.
“Again, if you look at the great car marques
over the years, individual models have
developed over the years like the 911
Porsche or the Beetle and the Golf at VW, the
silhouettes my alter a little each year but the
model remains as essentially the same
recognisable platform, for many years,
delivering a particular level of performance to
a particular type of customer.
“With sails it seems the market is saturated
with models from many different companies
and it’s almost impossible for people to know
what they’re getting. Everything seems to get
changed every season, from product names
to colours and styling so how can we expect
our customers to keep up with it all?
“We’ve got some established sail models in
the Neil Pryde range and we’ve been working
to define some uniquely recognisable shapes
and styles for these individual product
platforms. With that done we can then focus
on refining each of them, just like the car
companies do.
“A V8 customer or a Core customer
expects certain distinctive performance
characteristics from their sail. I’d rather
Rather than applying aggressive graphic
elements over the surface of the sails, these
simple styling cues have been skilfully
engineered into the body and structure of the
sails themselves. Part form, part function it’s

see our designers in Maui focusing on
providing better performance each
season than worrying about how to make
the sails look different to last year. If they
look right in the first place, why keep
messing with them?
“Within each of our product model
platforms we now have a clearly prescribed
performance spectrum. It’s now up to
Robert Stroj and his test team to constantly
refine this performance year-on-year. The
names and the basic silhouette of our sails
should remain recognisably the same so
that our customers can easily identify the
models they prefer and so that the sails in
their quiver don’t end up looking completely
different from one year to the next.
“These new sails that Robert and Thomas have
designed are particularly subtle and elegant
- this is really what I see as the Neil Pryde trademark.
The purely aesthetic parts of the product
design have now been ‘elegantly engineered’
into the sails themselves rather than layered
on at the end with coloured materials.
“The purely aesthetic parts of the
product design have now been
‘elegantly engineered’ into the sails”
“The great thing about working with Robert is
that he’s such an excellent engineer. We’d worked
with Thomas Meyerhoffer and he’s brought us
these amazing concept drawings. We all loved
the drawings, but the problem remained - how
would they actually work on the water?
“Over the course of the past six or seven
months, Robert and Thomas have worked
together and figured out how to form them into
working sails that look fantastic and perform at
the very highest levels out on the water.
“You’ve got to remember, it’s a tough job
making sails for the likes of Dunkerbeck,
Polakow, Albeau and Stone - they’re a
particularly demanding audience. The guys in
the design team have not only built a line of
sails that our team riders all love to use, but
they’ve done it with a lot of style and with the
kind of finesse that you don’t often see in
windsurfing these days.
The Product Design Team
Robert Stroj
Chief Sail Designer
Thomas Meyerhoffer
Industrial Design Consultant
Simon Narramore
Neil Pryde Brand Manager
As Chief Sail Designer at Neil Pryde, Robert’s
efforts to continually push the limits of
performance and engineering are tireless.
Since making his debut at with the hugely
successful RS-1 Racing Sail, Robert has gone
from strength to strength in the two years
since he has been with Neil Pryde.
Robert’s development work on the wave and
freestyle sails have also earned him great respect
from some of the world’s top sailors, with Antoine
Albeau winning last year’s freestyle world title
on Robert’s innovative Expression sail.
Thomas is no stranger to great design having
worked for some of the world’s leading
product companies: Apple, Nike and Ericsson
to name but a few.
Based in California close to the Ocean, and
a keen surfer and windsurfer himself, Thomas
brings with him a subtle blend of Scandinavian
simplicity and California-cool. His collaboration
with the Neil Pryde design team has helped
define the unique look of the 2003 collection –
a look that could easily redefine the face of
modern windsurfing sail engineering.
The driving force behind the 2003 sail design
programme, Simon is an award-winning
marketer who is dedicated to maintaining
Neil Pryde’s position as the No.1 windsurfing
brand on the water.
His decision to combine Robert’s technical
expertise with Thomas’s design abilities was
instrumental in creating what is certainly
one of the most elegant, technically
accomplished sail collections ever produced
by Neil Pryde.

Design & Development
Elegance That Works On The Water
The central design theme of the 2003
collection has been dubbed “The Frame” - a
distinctive outer edge around the sail that
gives a visual clue to the actual performance
range of the individual sails. We asked Thomas
Meyerhoffer to elaborate a little on the
background thinking behind these distinctively
elegant designs:
“ We basically began by looking at what
everybody’s doing in the market and as
anyone can see, many of the sails have begun
to look the same. You have your mast sleeve
and batten pockets, you put some film in
between them and then someone simply
smacks a big graphic right across the middle
of it all. We really wanted to step out of that
and create something a little different.
with each sail formed a little differently. The
styling of each model varies depending on
what the actual sail does on the water. For
example, the wave sails are very aggressively
styled and the flatwater sails tend to be
simpler and more streamlined.
“There’s a lot of functionality in the designs
too - the wavesails and the freestyle sails
remain very open in the middle, the window
area is much larger than normal so you can
see very clearly what you’re doing and where
you are on the wave. You can also see we’ve
used more x-ply to reinforce those sails so
they’re very well built - but they stay light and
easy to handle as well.”
With sailmaking however, styling counts for
nothing if the sails don’t perform on the water,
and at Neil Pryde the performance standards
have been set very high indeed. A top priority
in the development process is always testing
the sails with the team riders to ensure that
their performance was up to par.
“We worked very closely with Antoine Albeau
on the Expression,” explains Neil Pryde Head
of Design, Robert Stroj. “I’m sure that all the
work we’ve done with Antoine on the
Expression has helped him become the
current Freestyle World Champion – there’s
no question, he’s contributed a huge amount
to developing this year’s sail.
“ We basically began by looking at
what everybody’s doing in the market
and as anyone can see, many of the
sails have begun to look the same...
We really wanted to step out of that
and create something a little different.”
“I guess the real question we started with
was how to break away from this basic
formula, how to make the sail different from
a kit of parts, a coloured mast sleeve, some
coloured battens and some big graphics that
you simply juggle around to look different
every season.
“My initial approach was to make the battens
visually blend into to sails, or best of all to
make them “disappear” altogether. As we
experimented with this it began to lead us to
a very different look and these explorations
finally brought us to our “Frame” theme.
“The frame wraps around the sail and as
you’ll see it kind of opens up in the back,

“You can see that Antoine is a really big guy, so
he needs a sail that will give him a lot of speed
and power. You have to remember that he’s
competing with a lot of smaller, lighter guys who
have a natural advantage in freestyle, so power,
speed and manoeuvrability were all important
factors here. We’re really seeing the Expression
becoming the Freestyle sail for bigger guys.”
Nowhere is rider input more important than
through the Signature Series wave sails. The
Signature Series sails are developed around
the sailing style and character of some of the
world’s best sailors:
The Search is used by the Power Pair - Bjorn
Dunkerbeck and Antoine Albeau. The Zone
is the weapon of choice of Jason Polakow
and the Core is the favoured sail of Josh
Stone and several of the young up-andcoming
sailors on the Neil Pryde team, such
as Ricardo Campello and Diony Guadagnino.
All of these riders have been involved in the
development programme of the 2003 sails with
Robert Stroj devoting much of his time to fine
tuning the performance of individual models to
meet their exact demands, as he now explains:
“If you look at the Search, you can see that
it’s a no-compromise, powerful wave sail.
Compared to last year’s model it’s much
stronger built, with the whole top area of the
sail now in X-ply. You can clearly see that
this sail is all about power; it’s what the bigger
guys like Bjorn and Antoine demand.”.
“This year’s Zone, is the most radical of all
the wave sails. Right away you’ll see how it
reflects Jason’s sailing style. The lines of this
sail are extremely sharp, dynamic and radical.
“Jason always asks for a sail that’s very fast
down the line, which flattens nicely, depowers
when he’s in the cutbacks and in the
jumps has a stable profile. It’s why he
demands five battens – basically he wants a
sail that has a wide wind range, that’s light
in the hands and stable.”
A big development has been the evolution
of the Core, Josh’s Signature sail. Robert
continues:
“This year’s Core is very different in comparison
to last year’s model because the bigger sizes
have been specially designed for freestyle.
“The younger riders have been asking me to
give them a 4 batten freestyle sail, something
soft, light and forgiving. I realised that there
was actually no point in developing a new
freestyle sail, we already have the Core and
this is the sail that the young guys love to use.
They’re already using the Core all the way up
to 5.3, the only problem was that they were
missing the bigger sizes. So that’s what they
got this year!”
The final area of the development process
was sourcing new materials. With the dramatic
new frame design, a whole new colour system
has been developed to maximise the visual
impact of the sails. Both Robert and Thomas
have put a great deal of energy into
researching new semi-transparent x-ply
materials that give the 2003 sails their
distinctive look.

The Result
He takes feedback and input from the team
riders very positively, so we’re able to get a
lot of work done quickly and get the best
possible product made.
The results of the 2003 sail design
programme have been declared a success
by the both the Design Team and the Pro
Team riders.
“There’s no question, we really set ourselves
a difficult task this season” reflects Brand
Manager Simon Narramore. “We set out to
create this distinctive ‘elegantly engineered’
silhouette for the products which has been
quite a challenge in itself. Meanwhile we
were also under all the usual pressure from
our Pro Team riders to give them sails that
perform at the highest level out on the water.
Juggling the two issues simultaneously has
been a tricky business to manage.”
Clearly the Team riders agree that progress
has been made in all the right areas:
X9 mast is so light and you really feel the
difference in weight when you’re on the
water, it’s an incredible combination”
“For me it’s important to have an allround
sail, because I like to sail in all
kinds of conditions from hardcore
down-the-line wavesailing to trickster,
new school freestyle, and the Core
let's me do it all.”
Josh Stone
Team mate and test partner on the Zone,
Greg Allaway is also quick to show his
support for the 2003 Zone:
“I’m just super stoked, the new Core is killer.
We’ve moved the draft forward, and stabilized
the power, which makes it much better for
down-the-line wave sailing. You can really
lay it down hard in the bottom turns and it
will de-power, for a very smooth, clean turn.
Of course we’ve maintained it's excellent
manoeuvrability, the new Core feels really
light, which makes it great for freestyling.
For me it’s important to have an all-round
sail, because I like to sail in all kinds of
conditions from hardcore down-the-line
wavesailing to trickster, new school freestyle,
and the Core let's me do it all. So you really
couldn’t ask for anything more.
Head of Design Robert Stroj believes a new
standard has been set with the 2003 sail
collection:
“What makes me really excited about the
new line is that together we’ve managed to
develop a completely new approach to sail
design, where the product is actually built
and styled from the beginning instead of
just adding superficial graphic styling to the
finished sail just to make it look good.”
“The new Zones are technically very well
built”, enthuses Jason Polakow, “You see it
immediately when you look at them. In
performance terms, the new Zone is softer,
especially the 4.7 and below, which means
it’s great for pumping out of the lulls.
“I’m also finding that I can use smaller sails
in competition, which is always a plus.
There’s also a little more twist-off at the top
of the new sails which makes them more
forgiving when you’re overpowered.
“I’ve been using the new X9 mast in the
new sails and they feel great together. The
“These new Zone’s have an easy, wellbalanced
feel so whether you’re in a bottom
turn where you need a lot of power or you’re
coming off the top of a wave, the Zone
handles really well. This year’s sails are
definitely stronger than before and the new
design, with its huge window area offers
much more visibility making it the perfect
sail for me.”
Josh Stone also has a lot of good things to
say about his new Core sails. “I'm really
excited about the changes we made this
year. Robert is an incredible designer and
it’s been a real pleasure working with him.
“Obviously for a high performance product
like a windsurfing sail, the styling is only a
beginning. The real test is out on the water
in the hands of the riders and our customers
who buy the sails.
“We’ve managed to reduce the weight of
the sails across the range, and even though
they look and feel lighter, they’re actually
stronger than ever. I’m happy to say that
sails look fantastic and the team riders love
using them.

NEILPRYDE SAIL RANGE 2003 WAVE
The Signature Wavesail of Bjorn Dunkerbeck.
The most powerful of the three wave sails, the Search has been formulated around the virtues of the 12 X World
Champion: Power, Stability, and Consistency. The Search is designed around three principles: Excellent low-end
power for early planing, wide wind range for use in varying conditions, and stability for optimal control. The low
end power is achieved through more aggressive shaping in the bottom section of the sail. The Search has a wide
wind range and is designed to be a lively sail with very quick response. This means a sail body that will work in
unison and react instantly to the gusts and lulls faced in less than ideal conditions. The stability comes from a
combination of stable draft placement and a relatively flat top section that allows the leech to open up softly and
efficiently without disturbing the flow of air across the sail.
Five battens for stability » Aggressive shaping for more power » High aspect ratio with
longer mast for high response » Light construction built to endure the waves » Top section
shaping for increased power in onshore conditions
Five batten configuration
Luffglide Luffpocket Material
CNC Tapered Rod Battens
Rounded Head Configuration
3.9 4.2 4.5 4.7 5.0 5.4 5.8 6.2

NEILPRYDE SAIL RANGE 2003 WAVE
The Signature Wavesail of Jason Polakow.
Specifically designed to match the radical wave sailing style of Jason Polakow who demands a sail that reacts to his
every whim. The Zone has less shaping than the Search and a lower aspect ratio, which lowers the center of effort.
It also has a flatter top section, which combined with the lower center of effort, translates into a well balanced sail
that has ample power down low and lots of release in the head. This aspect, combined with a well rotated body that
quickly flattens out and depowers on demand, allows the sail to completely neutralize and disappear when doing
bottom turns, and then quickly power back up to speed to allow you to do as you please with the wave. Light but bomb
proof construction, designed to take a beating in big waves, like Jason himself.
Five battens for stability » Moderate shaping for power & lightness » Moderate aspect ratio
for high response & low center of effort » Well rotated body that flattens out and depowers
instantly » Light but strong construction with limited use of monofilm, maximum use of X-Ply
Five Batten Configuration
Luffglide Luffpocket Material
CNC Tapered Rod Battens
Rounded Head Configuration
3.3 3.7 4.1 4.4 4.7 5.0 5.3 5.7

NEILPRYDE SAIL RANGE 2003 WAVE
The Signature sail of Josh Stone.
The lightest of the three Signature sails specifically designed for the light to medium weight, wave and freestyle
sailors. With only four battens and an even lower aspect ratio than the Zone, it is the most forgiving of all the
wavesails. The flat shaping and compact outline give the Core a soft feel with the power coming from down low
where it is most controllable. This allows you to power and depower the sail at will permitting you to set up for
radical maneuvers. The smaller sizes are dedicated for radical waveriding and the lighter wave sailors like Josh,
while the bigger sizes are dedicated for the radical freestyle sailors just like Josh!
Four battens/ Lightweight » Flatter shaping for excellent depowering » Compact outline
with low aspect ratio for a lower center of gravity » Specific window outline for ultimate
visibility and maximum sail reinforcement » Light but strong construction with limited use
of monofilm, maximum use of X-Ply
Four Batten Configuration
Luffglide Luffpocket Material
CNC Tapered Rod Battens
Rounded Head Configuration
2.9 3.3 3.7 4.1 4.4
4.7 5.1 5.4 5.7 6.2

NEILPRYDE SAIL RANGE 2003 CROSSOVER
The sail of choice of Freestyle World Champion Antoine Albeau.
The Expression has been designed to provide very early planing power with the balance and control needed
for sophisticated maneuvers. The result has been a powerful, responsive, and balanced sail that is a step above
the Search in low-end power but with a more forgiving body that allows the sail to flatten out and depower at
will. This allows the sail to stay neutral when sheeted out which is crucial for pulling off maneuvers. These
characteristics have been accomplished through aggressive shaping in the lower part of the sail combined with
a well-rotated body. A lightweight construction with reinforced foot area make the Expression an ideal crossover
sail for full-on freestyle as well as for moderate conditions wave sailing.
Five battens for stability » Shaped for added lift, essential in freestyle » Similar high
aspect ratio to the Search for high sail response » Well rotated body that flattens out and
depowers instantly » Lightweight construction with reinforced critical foot area
Five Batten Configuration
Luffglide Luffpocket Material
CNC Tapered Rod Battens
Rounded Head Configuration
4.2 4.7 5.2 5.7 6.2 6.7 7.2

NEILPRYDE SAIL RANGE 2003 CROSSOVER
The RAF Jet is a very versatile crossover sail specifically oriented for flat-water cruising or maneuvers.
Designed to provide the top end speed and control for flat water blasting with the low end and stability needed
for freestyle. This has been accomplished through the use of draft forward shaping for speed and control, a tube
supported profile for draft stability, and a moderate foot outline to provide speed and maneuverability. With
the use of progressive monofilm thickness, the RAF Jet also provides the lightness desired in the top of the sail
for flat water cruising, and the heavier, stronger monofilm in the boom and foot area for a long lasting freestyle sail.
Five battens configuration » Tube supported profile above the boom for draft stability » Draft
forward shaping for speed and control » Moderate foot outline getting the most out of speed
and maneuverability » Progressive use of monofilm thickness
Five Batten Configuration
Luffglide Luffpocket Material
Neil Pryde Component Batten
System
Rounded Head Configuration
4.9 5.4 5.9 6.4 6.9 7.4