Thanks IndecentExposure! I am in talks with the local distributor about a Hydra Sport 6.7 (counterpart of the Hydra 7.0), together with a hookipa mast. David also making his case for what not/and what to!

What's the verdict? Are you acquiring a Hydra? I think the Hydra Sport is not only the sweet spot for foiling, but farther ahead of other foiling sail designs.

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IndecentExposur said..
What's the verdict? Are you acquiring a Hydra? I think the Hydra Sport is not only the sweet spot for foiling, but farther ahead of other foiling sail designs.

still waiting for it (Hydra Sport 6.7) has been ordered.

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IndecentExposur said..
What's the verdict? Are you acquiring a Hydra? I think the Hydra Sport is not only the sweet spot for foiling, but farther ahead of other foiling sail designs.

Picked up my Hydra Sport 6.7 this morning, and headed straight for the lake where there was a perfect 12 kts (with stronger gusts). I had to get a bit used to it, to understand where the pressure point in the sail is, which is a bit more forward. After some mast base, boom height adjustments, and harness lines a bit more to the front I got a good taste of it: very happy with the choice!!

Ride height is improving all the time with each outing, even before the Hydra Sport I saw it improving. Only thing today, I found myself 'fighting the rig' much less. Once up and going, the biggest difference with a freeride sail I found was that I didnt have to all the time correct the sail. It was there, and it was much quieter.

SO with that I could focus on my feet, balancing, responding, making small feet inputs etc. For me that is the biggest gain I found today.
When I adjusted my harness lines more to the front, I also was able to be more comfortable in harness lines. I did a 3 hr session until the wind literally dropped.

Another great feature is its ability to absorb gusts!! Normally I would fear an incoming gust and get out of control. Now: hahaha! I enjoy listening to the slight crackling noise of the luff at the 3/4 batten. You keep hearing it all the time, like some active-suspension at work. Its there right above the head, and doing its work. Deflating the luff when no gusts, and extending/deepening the profile when the gust hits. Its a brilliant solution.

Also when I rigged the sail.. I was amazed how deep the sail was. I've never seen a cambered sail with so much depth! SO as for cam/no-cam discussion, this one is closed for me. Can't wait to go on the next session.

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IndecentExposur said..

MProject04 said..

MrA said..
I now have a hydra in 7 m. I got the 7 as I do not have a mast less than 430. Also being based in Brisbane I figured we get so many light days that the extra area would come in handy given my poor pumping skills.
Have only used it once as the wind has been up since I got it or I have been working.
The day before I received the sail it had been light and gusty offshore so used the 6.5 m Ezzy Cheetah. I needed the size to get going and went well but was a handful in the gusts.
Next day was similar so it was a good comparison with the hydra. Don't know if it was the extra.5 m area or the long foot that made getting going much easier. Noticeably much more bottom end. Big difference when flying in the gusts. The 3/4 batten seemed to make the sail much less affected by gusts and felt more comfortable approaching the areas where it was gusting. Maintaining level flight was also easier. You can hear the sail changing shape but it is not really transmitted to the hands. Almost like it dampens the gusts.
I don't claim to be a great sailor and I only took up foiling this year. The sail does seem to do as claimed. I am now saving for smaller masts and smaller hydras.
If you are in Brisbane area and want to try my sail to see what you think and post your thoughts PM me and we can meet at Wello on a day that suits and you can try it on your board and compare to the rig you are using. I will post a pic next time I rig the sail.

I am considering the Hydra 7.0. I am in exactly same situation: started this year, poor pumping skills, and challenges with maintaining level height.

- How do you look back now on the Hydra?
- The lightwind days you described in your post above, how many mph or kts was that?
- also for comparison your weight?

Tks!

Hey Proj04!
Any of the Hydras will help you a lot! I've been on a handful of hyrda's all season. Hydra 7.0, 8.5 and the Hydra sport 8.1. I've published a few reviews here. I'm in search of the lightest wind flights I can find. All of these sails deliver a fantastic foiling experience, especially with beginners. These sails have made my foiling much more enjoyable (I do revert back to the cheetah's from time to time to compare the differences). When in gusty winds, the Hydra out performs. When in flight, the Hydra out performs.

I have enjoyed my Hydra sport 8.1 over the 8.5. The only real difference is that elongated foot past the clew and Ezzy trimmed up the angle between the clew and the tack. However, the 8.1 has a slightly better advantage in stronger air (gusts).

As for the 7.0. It won't be as powerful as the 8.1 or 8.5. But if you like a bit more wind than the really light stuff, you can't go wrong with it. Of the traditional Hydra's, the 7.0 is my favorite.

Hi,
Thanks for the great review. I'm also looking for the very low end. I'm 88kg, have a 145l foil board (81cm wide), big wing (cca 1500 cm2). Currently I have a 2 cam 7.2 freeride sail and need cca 12-14 knot gusts to start flying. I would like to approach 10 or sub 10 knots.

Do you think any or both of Sports 8.1 and 8.5 pro can achieve that? What is the upper limit of wind for these sails?
Do you think Hydra outperforms other dedicated foil sails?

(unfortunately I cannot try, just purchase any of these)

Thank you for your reply in advance!

Cheers,
B?lint

Foilbalint said,
Do you think any or both of Sports 8.1 and 8.5 pro can achieve that? What is the upper limit of wind for these sails?
Do you think Hydra outperforms other dedicated foil sails?

I can't answer for the 8.5 or other dedicated foil sails but can attest to the Sports 8.1 capacity to handle 20plus wind. I rigged the 8.1 hydra sport reading the wind as 8 mph on the beach and about 12 mph out by the break wall. I got out by the break wall and it was really blowing. Basically the depowering feature worked to my satisfaction in what was 20mph plus winds. I did have to sheet out a little further than normal to depower.

I've also tried Hydra Sport 8.1 in 12 to 15 mph winds on my Mistral 260 l Equipe. It gets me up on a plane much faster than a 7.5 cambered Ezzy Lion.

All and all I am very happy with the Hydra Sport 8.1. Since my pumping skills are poor the Hydra Sport 8.1 pulls me up on a plane and onto the foil easily. In the future with improved pumping skills, I may only need a smaller sail like the 6.7 Hydra Sport.

PS: I'm about 84kg, ride a 150 liter Wizard that's 83 cm wide with a Infinity 84 foil.

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Foilbalint said..

IndecentExposur said..

MProject04 said..

MrA said..
I now have a hydra in 7 m. I got the 7 as I do not have a mast less than 430. Also being based in Brisbane I figured we get so many light days that the extra area would come in handy given my poor pumping skills.
Have only used it once as the wind has been up since I got it or I have been working.
The day before I received the sail it had been light and gusty offshore so used the 6.5 m Ezzy Cheetah. I needed the size to get going and went well but was a handful in the gusts.
Next day was similar so it was a good comparison with the hydra. Don't know if it was the extra.5 m area or the long foot that made getting going much easier. Noticeably much more bottom end. Big difference when flying in the gusts. The 3/4 batten seemed to make the sail much less affected by gusts and felt more comfortable approaching the areas where it was gusting. Maintaining level flight was also easier. You can hear the sail changing shape but it is not really transmitted to the hands. Almost like it dampens the gusts.
I don't claim to be a great sailor and I only took up foiling this year. The sail does seem to do as claimed. I am now saving for smaller masts and smaller hydras.
If you are in Brisbane area and want to try my sail to see what you think and post your thoughts PM me and we can meet at Wello on a day that suits and you can try it on your board and compare to the rig you are using. I will post a pic next time I rig the sail.

I am considering the Hydra 7.0. I am in exactly same situation: started this year, poor pumping skills, and challenges with maintaining level height.

- How do you look back now on the Hydra?
- The lightwind days you described in your post above, how many mph or kts was that?
- also for comparison your weight?

Tks!

Hey Proj04!
Any of the Hydras will help you a lot! I've been on a handful of hyrda's all season. Hydra 7.0, 8.5 and the Hydra sport 8.1. I've published a few reviews here. I'm in search of the lightest wind flights I can find. All of these sails deliver a fantastic foiling experience, especially with beginners. These sails have made my foiling much more enjoyable (I do revert back to the cheetah's from time to time to compare the differences). When in gusty winds, the Hydra out performs. When in flight, the Hydra out performs.

I have enjoyed my Hydra sport 8.1 over the 8.5. The only real difference is that elongated foot past the clew and Ezzy trimmed up the angle between the clew and the tack. However, the 8.1 has a slightly better advantage in stronger air (gusts).

As for the 7.0. It won't be as powerful as the 8.1 or 8.5. But if you like a bit more wind than the really light stuff, you can't go wrong with it. Of the traditional Hydra's, the 7.0 is my favorite.

Hi,
Thanks for the great review. I'm also looking for the very low end. I'm 88kg, have a 145l foil board (81cm wide), big wing (cca 1500 cm2). Currently I have a 2 cam 7.2 freeride sail and need cca 12-14 knot gusts to start flying. I would like to approach 10 or sub 10 knots.

Do you think any or both of Sports 8.1 and 8.5 pro can achieve that? What is the upper limit of wind for these sails?
Do you think Hydra outperforms other dedicated foil sails?

(unfortunately I cannot try, just purchase any of these)

Thank you for your reply in advance!

Cheers,
B?lint

Yes. I've been able to make flight in and around 8-10 knots of wind; and that's at 6000ft of altitude! I've sailed both 8.1 and the 8.5 up to about 17-20 knots of wind. They get a little harder to handle at that wind speed, but doable. I was also able to make my 6.5 cheetah fly in the exact same wind (if this helps for comparison).

Thank you for your reply.

Iakeeffect: and what is the low end for you for the sails?

IndecentExposure: still, is 8.x hydra better than the 6.5 cheetah, or the difference is not marginal?

Thanks,
B?lint

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Foilbalint said..
Thank you for your reply.

Iakeeffect: and what is the low end for you for the sails?

IndecentExposure: still, is 8.x hydra better than the 6.5 cheetah, or the difference is not marginal?

Thanks,
B?lint

I'm 11 sessions into foiling. I have no pumping skills. And I'm old. Honestly it takes about 12mph to pull me up on the foil. I have to get the board up on a plane before its up on the foil. I've watched videos of guys my age with great pumping skills and smaller sails who could probably knock 4 mph off that. Maybe at the end of next year I will be able to lower the low end.

However the 15 year old Neil Pryde 6.5 slalom sail I started foiling with would take 15 mph to pull me up on a plane and then onto the foil. So the Hydra Sport 8.1 is a vast improvement.

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Foilbalint said..
Thank you for your reply.

Iakeeffect: and what is the low end for you for the sails?

IndecentExposure: still, is 8.x hydra better than the 6.5 cheetah, or the difference is not marginal?

Thanks,
B?lint

I mentioned the 6.5 vs. the 8.1 in regards to the wind speeds I was working through that day. We had 6-10 knots initially; so I rigged the Hydra 8.x. The wind built throughout the day and up to 18-22 knots; and I got tired of fighting the 8.x and went back to the 6.5 (the smallest sail I had with me).

So yes, the Hydra is much better for foiling. Period. The end. If I had a 6.x Hydra with me, I would've rigged that instead.

The big differences is the water friction. With a traditional windsurfer, you need to be powered up on the sail at all times to keep the board moving through all the water friction and drag. With foiling, the drag is about 20% of that of a windsurfer, so you need the sail to flatten out when you're going faster through the air. I can use my 6.5, but it's not ideal.

Thanks a lot for your answers!

How are people liking their Hydras? I just got my hands on a 5.5 which I'm confident will replace a traditional 5.0 and 5.8 in my quiver, probably not my 6.5 though. I'm looking forward to having the extra surface area on the foot of the sail for pumping. When I overlaid the Hydra 5.5 with my 5.8 wave sail it was obvious the difference here was huge. Up until now I've had a tightly-spaced 5.0/5.8/6.5/7.3 quiver of wave and freeride sails. I found I would rarely use the 5.8 as if I was lit on the 6.5 I could drop to the 5.0 I'm hoping to go down to a 5.5 Hydra with the 7.3. If I like the 5.5 I will likely swap the 7.3 for a 7.0 Hydra. What sort of spacing are others here with Hydra quivers running?

5.5 is extremely tunable, and with tuning, easily covers 5-6.2 meters.
That means retuning if the winds change outside your initial tuning.
Both out and down are important.

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LeeD said..
5.5 is extremely tunable, and with tuning, easily covers 5-6.2 meters.
That means retuning if the winds change outside your initial tuning.
Both out and down are important.

That's great to hear, and based on what I waw overlaying the sails, that sounds like a reasonable size range. Thanks!

Hard to tell from the pictures:
Are these built with the usual Ezzy bulletproof construction? Considering the 6.7 as a biggest sail with the potential for using it for light wind waves.

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Grantmac said..
Hard to tell from the pictures:
Are these built with the usual Ezzy bulletproof construction? Considering the 6.7 as a biggest sail with the potential for using it for light wind waves.

They sure seem to be. I am impressed with the construction, at the same time, the sail itself is very light. To look at it I would have expected it to be heavier.

Hi Hydra-riders!

went out yesterday in 18 - 25 kts conditions with my 6.7 Hydra Sport. Down and outhaul at max settings. I was surprised how long I could still manage to foil, while everyone else was foiling on 4.5 or smaller sails.

Still it was too much and a bumpy ride. I am now considering a smaller Hydra for such conditions.
Should I be looking at the Sport or Pro? Is the smaller Pro much more suited for uber-gusts?

Dear all Ezzy Hydra experts out there!

i am totally new to windfoiling and due to Covid-19 situation, still have my first go waiting to happen...
But i bought the slingshot Levitator and Infinity foil and then a range of the Ezzy Hydra sails to match with it, to be fully equipped for when the magic flying can start!

Tried today first time to rig it up home in the garden and it looks fantastic!
Disclosure, its probably around 12 years ago i bought my last top end sail gear for windsurfing, but the quality and attention to every detail on these Ezzy Hydra sails is way beyond top-notch compared to anything i have ever seen before! With clear measures and ranges quoted on how to rig it perfectly up! Built in rope trolleys in the downhaul, built in mast foot protectors, built in mast top cap, etc etc! The built quality and attention to details is superb! ??

Question did though come to my mind now, after diving into the details of this, as i notice now that aka this downhaul indicator, for MIN, MED and MAX downhaul markers, to get to level with the bottom of the designated Ezzy Mast that is matching, is actually attached to the bottom of the mast luff by use of some velcro tape. So how is one to actually place this correctly, so it can be used for easy but optimal rigging going forward please? From where should i measure to where, to make sure its where as intended? I bought also the Ezzy mast top and mast bottom in those indicated sizes (430 and 400cm).

LOOK at the sail as you downhaul.
LOOK at the wind.
LOOK what size sail you chose.
Now decide how much downhaul you need.

Cyber - Ezzy sails are rigged at the factory before shipping, and that indicator is then placed on the velcro in a way which is accurate for your specific sail. It'll be a pretty good guide, given that you're using the Ezzy mast, if you just use it as you found it, but as the sail ages the luff sleeve will stretch and so you may have to adjust the indicator downward by a bit. After half a dozen tries you'll find you're not really looking at it anymore but are rigging as Lee suggests - looking mostly at the relationship of the front of the battens to the mast and at the looseness of the leach. The indicator is useful at first though, because most sailors don't use enough downhaul when they first try a new design.

As said above, the indicators are good for the first few sessions, but you still need to know what the sail looks like for what wind conditions you hope to find.
Bases have different settings also, for the same numbers. Yours might be different from theirs.

At 1:20


This is from the ezzy page

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LeeD said..
As said above, the indicators are good for the first few sessions, but you still need to know what the sail looks like for what wind conditions you hope to find.
Bases have different settings also, for the same numbers. Yours might be different from theirs.

The nice thing about the Ezzy system is that it really doesn't matter what base extension you're using, as long as it's long enough to allow you to downhaul to the mark. The reference is to the foot of the mast itself. I've copied it to some degree by marking the lowest part of the luff of my Point7 sails, which are touchy about downhaul - too little and you can't get the cams on, too much and you can't get your hand inside the luff sleeve. So I have one mark on the luff which is where the first cam pops on, another with slightly more downhaul where I can get the other three cams on, and then I can go ahead and downhaul until the pulleys touch

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Gwarn said..
At 1:20

This is from the ezzy page

Wow thank you Gwarn, great video !

So I can see that when I tried rigging the 6.0 m2 yesterday, then I was actually already then rigging it up way too hard and flat. As I got exactly these same kind of stretch lines along the mast luff, which normally would mean that your downhaul is too tight. But here from the Ezzy video you see exact same thing when they rig it up for strong wind. I am very very surprised about how soft and deep this sail should be rigged up in low wind conditions. Will try now with the 5.0 m2 sail. And if Ezzy factory at test rigging the sail have determined that downhaul indicator is placed right place now using the Velcro tape for that gauge marker, then one should actually make some permanent marking of this on the sail itself, so it wont move ever from there?

Attached screenshot from Ezzy video, where sail is set up for strong wind range, and the ripples are visible down along the mast luff due to high downhaul tension. So leaving them like this is OK, and thought is that the wind will blow in and make sail smooth despite this? So no more outhaul tension in the boom to remove those wrinkles? If so, certainly quite different from my wave-windsurfing days with NeilPryde- and ART wave sails...

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Cyber said..
Dear all Ezzy Hydra experts out there!

i am totally new to windfoiling and due to Covid-19 situation, still have my first go waiting to happen...
But i bought the slingshot Levitator and Infinity foil and then a range of the Ezzy Hydra sails to match with it, to be fully equipped for when the magic flying can start!

Tried today first time to rig it up home in the garden and it looks fantastic!
Disclosure, its probably around 12 years ago i bought my last top end sail gear for windsurfing, but the quality and attention to every detail on these Ezzy Hydra sails is way beyond top-notch compared to anything i have ever seen before! With clear measures and ranges quoted on how to rig it perfectly up! Built in rope trolleys in the downhaul, built in mast foot protectors, built in mast top cap, etc etc! The built quality and attention to details is superb! ??

Question did though come to my mind now, after diving into the details of this, as i notice now that aka this downhaul indicator, for MIN, MED and MAX downhaul markers, to get to level with the bottom of the designated Ezzy Mast that is matching, is actually attached to the bottom of the mast luff by use of some velcro tape. So how is one to actually place this correctly, so it can be used for easy but optimal rigging going forward please? From where should i measure to where, to make sure its where as intended? I bought also the Ezzy mast top and mast bottom in those indicated sizes (430 and 400cm).

The indicator should be set based on the recommended mast (Ezzy). I have never had to move mine. If you're using a different vendor mast, I think Ezzy has some instructions on his website to assist with the right setting.

Don't forget to really pull in that tack strap... really helps for pumping and moving faster.

Good luck! great sail!

Cyber- There will be a black line on the sail that the factory drew onto to the sail. Your sail is black so look close it's there,

David closes his eyes and tells you what it is like to foil on a windsurfer.

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RichardG said..
David closes his eyes and tells you what it is like to foil on a windsurfer.

His other foil vid is cool too - he articulates the buzz nicely.

Frothing

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Gwarn said..
Cyber- There will be a black line on the sail that the factory drew onto to the sail. Your sail is black so look close it's there,

Wow Gwarn, you are obviously a star with insider knowledge!

Indeed when i now checked in near details on the Ezzy Hydra sails, i see a special black line that has been marked onto the black sail cloth at the bottom of the sail luff/tack. Must though say it takes a lot of downhaul to get it down to the bottom of the mast. And i use the Ezzy masts made for purpose of these sails, so no variation there. But i also notice that the sail mast head, is located still like just at top of sail and still like "inside" at the outmost shortest mast length possible, as the mast is not even visible here when mounted inside. So its not like old days in windsurfing where we at times had like 20-30cm of bare mast and strap, from top of small sail to get up and attach to the mast cap on top of mast.

but agreed, its always best to keep all this as short as possible. But it does mean at same time that aka the mast foot extension is maybe also borderline to be set at "the recommended measures" to aka light wind settings. As already there, the sail appears pretty stretched out already.

Also the outhaul appear 5-8 cms on required boom length more than what the numbers quoted on the Ezzy Hydra sail gives as guidance for this. Now i do not mind really, as know how to setup a sail from windsurfing. Just wanting to know if experience out there is that these numbers on the sail should be followed strictly or variations do occur to perfect trim? To me then by following the guidance for MIN wind setup, then the sail appears very sloppy and somewhat wrinkled. And still not even sure that the weak wind would be able to blow it out to make a perfect wing/sail shape for max power?

Anyone had the chance to try the new ezzy hydra pro in fin mode? I really like the HS concept, but to me it looks like the Taka with the 3/4 batten, a sail I had before and didn't matched the gusty conditions I usually ride, so it got replaced by Legacy.
But then people who have used the HS say it handles gusts very well, something that the Taka never did for me, so I'm puzzled right now.
I'm interested in the 5'7 size, to use with a 116 fsw (Tabou 3S) board and a surf style foil (Hypernut+Moses combo).