NEW HYBRID - RS:ONE - NEIL PRYDE

"One start line, one race course, one objective - victory. Victory against others, the elements and yourself in an accessible, performance one-design class.

NeilPryde presents its one design concept featuring one board and one rig from the same pedigree as the RS:X, the official gear for the 2012 Olympics. It will allow young athletes to achieve their first steps towards Olympic competition and weekend racers to compete together. See you on the start line!"

As one design class, like the Bic Hybrid OD, Bic Techno 293 OD, RS:X and Kona OD all gear is fixed.

The RS:One comes with a 7,8 m2 5 batten twin cam sail, a 460 cm. 65% carbon 2,2 kg. mast, a 200-250 cm. 30 mm. T6 alloy boom, a 48 cm power box finn and a 63 cm long centerboard, a US pin power joint and a 34 cm alloy extension (X3).

"Patrice Belbeoch the RS:One Board Designer say´s 

What is your involvement within this project? 
I wanted to work on a board which will be the natural step to the RS:X. It is a great opportunity for our sport and for our young racers as it seems that they are not satisfied with existing boards today. The one-design concept allows everyone to compete on an equal footing while encouraging and developing sportsmanship. Mr. Neil Pryde and I share the same view on this and our paths crossed.

The combination of my world cup experience and the different R&D programs that myself and shaper Jean-Marie Guirec have been involved in over the years helped with the board development.

Can you explain the board design brief ?
Even if the design brief looked simple on paper, it was actually pretty complex to achieve. The RS:One must excel in a large spectrum, performance, range, handling, accessibility, and still has to fit with the evolving sizes of youngsters (taller, stronger). The simplicity of use and its attractiveness are key to the success of the RS:One. No matter if you are in light, medium or strong wind conditions, you will still get the same pleasure sailing this board.

What is the first test feedback like?
The first test feedback from the NeilPryde team confirmed the thoughts shared with my son Cedric and other, young Bic Techno OD 293 athletes. The RS:One performs incredibly well in all kind of winds. The parallel outline board shape provides great glide. The 63cm dagger board helps the board to perform in sub-planing conditions while the 48cm fin brings the board to high speed in planing conditions. The board allows for wide curve jibes creating amazing speed out of the turn that will be a clear advantage on the race course. The RS:One is a result of many months of R&D and international tests conducted by different athletes in Brittany, Hong Kong and Denmark.

The board is designed with the under 20's in mind but, can it be a competitive Raceboard or an alternative to a wider windsurfing audience?
The RS:One can't be compared to a Raceboard as it is a one-design board like the RS:X. A Raceboard is longer in length and comes with different sail sizes, which makes the comparison impossible. I can guarantee the incredible potential of RS:One in light winds, it will be extremely difficult to beat once the wind picks up and allows the board to plane. On top of that, this board will be easy to handle and therefore really fun to ride."


  

Below you can compare RS: One´s  data with other "hybrid" boards from the last 6 years.

BRAND MODEL MODEL YEAR Length (mm.) Wigth (mm.) Weigth (kg.) #1 Volume (L.) Board martriael Finbox type Standard fin size (cm.) Centerboard length (cm.) Masttrack length (cm.) No. Of straps
NEIL PRYDE RS:one 2011- 3000 750 14 209 AST Power box 48 63 ? 6
F2 Discovery 2009- 2750 900 14,9 225 Power box 34 (34-50)
BIC Hybrid OD 2006- 3080 820 15,5 240 ASA Deep tuttel 60 70 6
KONA Kona One 2006- 3500 700 15,5 220 Power box 46 65 0 4
TABOU Windstyler 2006- 3250 720 220 AST Power box 34 70
F2 Lightning 2005-2006 2850 880 15,9 225 Carbon / kevla / sandwich Deep tuttel 65 (50-70) 83 40 8
NEIL PRYDE RS:X 2005- 2860 930 15,5 220 Carbon sandwich Deep tuttel 60 or 66 77 40 9
BIC Techno 293 OD 2004- 2930 790 12,5 205 CTS Trim box 46 60 3 adj. Pos. 6
MISTRAL Prodigy 2000-2009 2946 877 15 255 HRS composit technology Power box 50/34 72 41 8
AHD Tactik Sailboard 2011 3200 760 13 250 US box 30 ? 0 0
STARBOARD Phantom Race 320 2011 3197 708 15,8 260 Tufskin Deep tuttel 44 (40 to 48) 78 75 8
EXOCET X2 2010 350 800 230 Wood and carbon Tuttel 52 85 45 8
STARBOARD Phantom Race 320 2010 3200 700 13,7 260 Tufskin Deep tuttel 44 (40 to 50) 78 8
SURFERS GROUP Hybrid Race One 2010 2700 800 17,5 220 Power box 38 62 50
STARBOARD Phantom Race 320 2009 3200 710 15.5 233 Deep tuttel 48 (42 to 52) 78 8
EXOCET Pacer 300 PRO 2008 3000 800 13 255 Carbon/Wood Sandwich Deep tuttel 60 70 30 8
EXOCET Pacer 300 2008 3000 800 14,9 255 Biaxial/Wood Deep tuttel 52 70 30 8
EXOCET Pacer 290 2008 2900 700 14 216 ASA Deep tuttel 52 65 8
EXOCET Pacer 300 PRO 2007 3000 800 14 255 Carbon/Wood Sandwich Deep tuttel 60 70 30 8
EXOCET Pacer 300 2007 3000 800 15,5 255 Biaxial/Wood Deep tuttel 52 70 30 8
EXOCET Pacer 290 2007 2900 700 14 216 ASA Deep tuttel 52 65 8
STARBOARD Phantom Race 320 2007 3200 710 15,2 233 Deep tuttel 48 70 6
STARBOARD Phantom Race 320 2007 3160 707 14,7 245 Deep tuttel 48 6
STARBOARD Hybrid Race 2006 2870 770 12 220 Tufskin Deep tuttel 54 70 47,5 8
STARBOARD Hybrid Formula 2006 2930 830 13 230 Tufskin Deep tuttel 60 70 47,5 8
EXOCET Pacer 300 2005 3000 800 14,9 255 Carbon/Wood Sandwich Deep tuttel 65 80 30 8
EXOCET Pacer 290 2005 2900 700 14 216 ASA Deep tuttel 52 80 8
STARBOARD Z-Class 2005 2729 1001 12 206 Deep tuttel

To read a 2006 german article on some hybrid boards from the German magazine Surfer click HERE

To go to the RS:One webpage click HERE