Another Ezzy Panther Elite Review

2013 Ezzy Wave Panther Elite Test 5.3m (4 Batten)

Tester: Conrad Edge (82kg).
Recreational sailor for 22 years, and have been using Ezzy sails and Masts since 2007. I have owned the Panther SE, Panther II, Panther III and now currently sailing the Wave Panther Limited.

Day 1- Pinnaroo Point, Western Australia
Equipment: 2011 Starboard Kode 86L, Ezzy 400 RDM Wave Mast, Chinook Carbon Extension.
Conditions: SSW 18-22 Knots, 2m swell.

Having just tried the 2013 Severne Swat 4 batten sail a few weeks ago in the UK, and being impressed with its stability and power, I jumped at the chance when Mark from Surf Sail Australia asked me to test Ezzy's new 4 batten contender, the 2013 Ezzy Wave Panther Elite.
My 'weapon of choice' was the 5.3m Elite, as it is the closest comparison to my current 5.2m Limited.
Straight out of the bag it looked and felt like the distinctive first-rate build quality to which I am accustomed from Ezzy. Nice to see we still get the key ring too.
Rigging was relatively easy and the downhaul indicator/gauge is a nice touch which takes the guess work out of how much downhaul to apply.

Once rigged in the 'Min' setting, the Elite appeared to have more downhaul than I would normally have on my Limited sail in light winds, and looked slightly flatter too. The sail felt physically light, although not noticeably different to my Limited.


Once on the water, it felt stable and accelerated smoothly and continually. Given it was only 18-22 knots; I was quite impressed at the speeds possible. The sail felt light, smooth and allowed for lightening fast gybes, possibly quicker than I have done on the limited!
As the sail appeared slightly flatter than the limited, I was expecting it to be twitchy and gutless, but this was not the case at all. It was perfectly balanced and there was still enough power to plane out of gybes with ease.

So to summarise day 1: my first impression is a good one, a light, stable, fast sail that doesn't appear to be phased by gusty winds.
My next test will be where the sail should be most at home... in the waves. Roll on tomorrow!


Day 2- Lancelin, Western Australia
Equipment: 2011 Starboard Kode 86L, Ezzy 400 RDM Wave Mast, Chinook Carbon Extension.
Conditions: SW 25 Knots, ¾ mast waves.


I arrived at Lancelin early to find the wind had not yet kicked in, it was a light 12 knots.
Offshore I could see the waves were perfect down-the-line left handers. Eager to test the sail again I rigged the 5.3 Elite and dogged out to the break...
Lucky for me, a 4.5m Great White Shark had been sighted hanging around the area and therefore the break wasn't crowded either.
After a couple of hours the wind had built to a steady 25 knots and it was time to put the sail through its paces.
On the waves, the Elite once again impressed me, with its stability, smooth power and steady continual acceleration. My bottom turns were powerful and controlled but never back-handed, and the top-turns were snappy, fast and light. You could effortlessly throw the sail around in any direction and it appeared unwavering and composed.
When jumping, the sail again felt light and provided enough power to glide to back down to earth gracefully.
Even in the impact zone where the wind was slightly confused, the Elite still had enough power to pull you over the waves and out of trouble from the exposed reef or stray sharks teeth!
For a time, I purposely didn't adjust the outhaul to see how the sail would perform when more powered-up, and it was still perfectly balanced. I then applied outhaul and the sail depowered slightly but was still well balanced and usable.
Before testing, I must admit I was very sceptical as to whether the Elite would be as good as David Ezzy said it was in his promo video. Having owned many 4 batten sails in my early windsurfing years, my biggest concern was stability, power and controllability. I can confirm my mind is now at ease. I am very impressed with its stability, control and the huge wind range of this sail.
So to summarise day 2: the Elite has continued to impress me, very light and controllable in the waves and more than enough power to pull off any manoeuvre. This sail can take all you throw at it!

Conclusion: After testing this sail for about 10 hours now, the new 2013 Ezzy Wave Panther Elite comes highly recommended. It is a great new addition to the Ezzy range, and I believe there is a market for this fast, light, manoeuvrable and forgiving 4 batten sail.
Comparing the Elite to the Limited, I would say the Elite is possibly lighter, and when rigged the same doesn't have as much low end grunt, but the difference is very small.
But for sailors looking for an easy-to-handle, comfortable sail in the waves, look no further.

Or as David Ezzy would say...”You need to order it!”

I've recently purchased a quiver of these, and had a chance to try the 5.3 and 5.7. I'm really happy with them-and agree with the review posted above. Simply put, these bigger sails feel smaller than their older equivalents (lighter, easier to throw around), but generate the same grunt.

I'm also really impressed with Dave Ezzy's rigging instructions. Because I didn't have an extension that would go as high as was required with the 400 or 400/430 combo, I used the larger mast option that only needed 10-15 cm extension. As a result the downhaul indicator on the bottom of the sail doesn't work, but this was no problem because the Ezzy instructions tell you what to look for in terms of diagonal wrinkles on the sail. Bottom line is that when you follw the instructions the sails feel great, but if you over down or outhaul they won't.

Cheers, Jens

these sail just rip. love them to bits, well done dave, as time goes on,