Windsurf MagazineNEILPRYDE ATLAS 5.8 2023 TEST REVIEW

NEILPRYDE ATLAS 5.8 2023 TEST REVIEW

Verdict
With excellent early planing ability, the Atlas produces a powerful feel that never wavers. Whether it’s on the straights, through the shorebreak or round the turns, the Atlas provides the needed drive on tap.

The Lowdown
Neil Pryde’s Atlas is a design masterpiece. Manufactured with some very evident craftsmanship, the Atlas is produced in seven sizes from 4.2 to 6.5m. The sail is designed in three construction options: pro, pro-HD and HD. The pro-HD is the brand’s most lightweight construction, whilst the HD is the brand’s most affordable construction. Sitting in the middle of the two and on test here is the pro construction, hailed as their most premium construction. The 5-batten sail is Neil Pryde’s high-performance wave sail aimed at onshore conditions or for heavier riders. A stand-out feature of the Atlas is its powerfuse clew and tack, the brand’s signature fully laminated radial that overlaps internal panels. For the 2023 season, this feature has been redesigned to be lighter in weight. The powerfuse creates strength in areas of high load whilst also assisting the sail in distributing load progressively into the main body of the sail. Looking further up the sail, the centre panels possess lightweight arm laminate to minimise swing weight whilst providing rip resistance. The sail’s leech boasts a lightweight 3mm laminate with unidirectional technora fibres that ensure the panels maintain shape. Once rigged, the Atlas displays a fair amount of leech tension in a bid to provide power for early planing and upwind performance. NeilPryde states, however, that the sail responds well to tuning, allowing riders to trim the sail for all conditions. Displaying a reasonable amount of luff curve, the Atlas is sure to be able to handle the upper end of the wind range with control.

Brand Claim
Superb early planing combined with controllable power, stability, upwind performance and high wind control make this a favourite sail for onshore conditions and / or heavier sailors.

Performance
With its first outing in marginal winds, the benefits of the Atlas’s leech profile were clear. With shed loads of positive feedback in the hands, the pull of the rig was high and forward, making it a real asset for getting going. Once up and going, the Atlas adopts a slightly deeper profile helping the rider glide through lulls effortlessly as it encourages a more upright and active stance.

Tuning the Atlas is paramount to get the best out of it as the breeze builds. Once more downhaul is applied, the sail responds well to gusts, and while the sail possesses a good breathing range, the drive in the rig feels gutsy, commanding the rider to take control. However, when the power is directed into the board, the kit accelerates well, with the rider always knowing where the sail’s power is placed. Through manoeuvres, the sail’s high and forward draft makes positioning the rig forwards easy and what’s most noticeable is the sail’s ability to maintain drive throughout the turn. With the Atlas’s strong skin tension and deep profile, the power through the turn is incredibly stable, allowing the rider to really commit with their body whilst using the rig to keep the board’s nose under control. The sail has a real dependable nature through the turns, ensuring smooth sailing even in challenging conditions.