GOYA NEXUS 6.9M 2015 TEST REVIEW
GOYA NEXUS 6.9M 2015 TEST REVIEW
OVERVIEW
Superbly made with lots of detail and reinforcement, the Nexus 6.9m can be used on an RDM or SDM mast, the importers opting for it to be tested here on a Goya RDM with an IMCS of 26. Easily the tallest sail in the group, it has more luff curve than most and sets with moderate shape in the bottom panels, but very little profile above the boom whilst at rest. The battens are also completely pulled away from the mast, free from any rotation, and the leech is loose right from the clew to the head, particularly so in the upper panels.
BRAND CLAIM
“The new Nexus delivers uncompromised Freeride performance. It comes with scrim body panels, Carbon Stretch Control and a refined outline upgrade. The Nexus is very light, very strong and very fast. Magnetic low end power, easy handling with massive high wind range and unlimited speed potential are the keywords that define this sail.”
PERFORMANCE
On the water, the Nexus is quite a unique sail in this group. At rest it feels smaller and more manageable than most, yet has a tightness to its panels, giving it an alert nature and enabling quick response to gusts as they arrive. Pumpable and springy in the hands, its centre of effort is positioned high and back in the draft, focussed around the rider and lifting the board clear of the water. As with the 6.4m Nexus tested last month, this larger sibling’s character and power delivery style can be altered significantly by playing the outhaul, both in amount and by utilising the two clew eyelets. Opt for the top eyelet and minimal tension for more punch and obvious power in marginal winds; move down to the bottom eyelet to soften the delivery and make the sail more manageable as the wind increases. The Nexus doesn’t have the extra gear and ‘slipperiness through the air’ as other more dedicated freerace sails here. The high centre of effort is harder to pin down into a locked stance, and the efficiency to keep accelerating gust after gust isn’t there. But what the Nexus lacks in this department is made up for with its handling. Whilst feeling firm and direct when sheeted in, its stability is never in question, enabling the pilot to ease out and relax into a more upright stance if required. The draft of the sail then reduces in depth, returning to a more neutral position and reducing in power, to provide the time to compose or reposition. It is a great asset to aid manoeuvre in transitions and allows the rider to vary technique to suit their style.
THE VERDICT
In this size the Nexus provides a solid, direct power delivery that can be defined and adjusted easily on the outhaul setting. More freeride than freerace, it may not have the top end zip of others here, but goes neutral in transition, making it easy to manoeuvre and reposition.
Other sails in this test: