Hello fellow foilers!
I got out on the new Hydra Sport 8.1 yesterday. Winds here were between needing an 8.5 and a 6.5. Lots of sustained wind building, followed by lots of gusts.

The Hydra 8.1: First impression was awesome! All the key features I love about the original Hydra kept the foiling experience better than traditional sails. Key differences I noticed were the acceleration and speed. I've been toping out at around 18-19 knots with my foil setup and on the traditional hydra 8.5. The newer 8.1 provided better acceleration and much higher speeds (22 knots) (if you think about it, it has a higher aspect ratio). Pumping seemed a bit easier, but I'll need some additional testing to make a thorough conclusion. It gybes a bit better, closer to my Hydra 7.0 than the larger 8.5.

All in all, the Hydra Sport 8.1 feels like it has the similar power as the Hydra 8.5 and delivers better acceleration for flight and speed overall. However, for those less windy days I'll be reaching for the 8.5 to capture as much power as possible.

It's a great sail! If you've been hesitant to purchase the traditional Hydra, the Hydra sport might be a great sail to jump into!

IE

Hi mate!

Have you tried the Hydra Sport in fin windsurf mode?

I'm seriously considering to pick a 5'7 Hydra Sport, to sit next to my 5'2 Legacy, which is a very good sail for my starboard hypernut / Moses 873 SUP foil combo and also is a good engine for my 116 fsw board.

My main concern is that it looks like a lot to a Taka2 sail that I had before in 5'3 size, and not liked it so much...

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Boemix said..
Hi mate!

Have you tried the Hydra Sport in fin windsurf mode?

I'm seriously considering to pick a 5'7 Hydra Sport, to sit next to my 5'2 Legacy, which is a very good sail for my starboard hypernut / Moses 873 SUP foil combo and also is a good engine for my 116 fsw board.

My main concern is that it looks like a lot to a Taka2 sail that I had before in 5'3 size, and not liked it so much...

Okay! I tried out my Hydra sport 8.1 in fin mode. We had winds gusting to 18 knots, and after getting overpowered on the 8.1 in foil mode, I decided to throw it on my fin windsurfer. The wind/sail selection was perfect. The sail delivered ample power. So to answer your question, yes, it does well in fin mode. Comparing to my Cheetah 8.0, the sail will flatten in the lulls, so you will lose a little power. I compensated by bearing down wind to keep the shape and power. The Cheetah could get you through those lulls do to the full battens and shape. In the end, the Hydra sport excels at Foiling, and does well enough at windsurfing.