POINT-7 HF 5.8M 2013 TEST REVIEW
POINT-7 HF 5.8M 2013 TEST REVIEW
THE LOW-DOWN
The Point7 HF is an all-round freeride sail. Apparently ‘HF’ stands for ‘Have Fun’ and that is what this sail is designed to deliver, all in a simple and affordable package. With sizes ranging from 4.0 right up to 9.0, each size has a different freeride focus to appeal to a range of riders’ demands. The 5.8 is aimed at freewave or freemove performance.
AT A GLANCE
• 5 battens with 3 micro leech battens
• Adjustable head
• Kevlar tack fairing
• High-cut foot and straight leech
• High-aspect shape
• Large monofilm window
Although this Point-7 is a fairly basic looking sail, it has plenty of X-ply up top but not so much reinforcement around the foot.
RIGGING
The HF 5.8 rigs on a 430 mast and can fit either an SDM or RDM. Using a Point-7 100 RDM it was extremely straightforward to rig, with a simple tuning range mostly altered by tweaking the outhaul.
PERFORMANCE
It feels well-balanced and also light in the hands, despite weighing-in as the heaviest sail in the test, but strangely the extra load isn’t felt while in use. It’s got plenty of bottom end grunt to get up and going quickly and powers you up in lighter breezes. It has a pretty good wind range although you can find it a bit limited right at the very top end when the wind really starts to pick up. The HF is indeed all about mucking about and really is easy and straightforward to use – nothing fancy, just nice and simple functionality.
THE VERDICT
The Point-7 HF is plain and simple a fun sail to use. It delivers a decent level of performance to a wide range of riders but will appeal mostly to the entry-level sailor who is looking for a functional sail at a keen price point. The performance is more aimed towards freeriding but it would also be useful crossing over into small waves although it isn’t built to take serious beatings so don’t get too critical!
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