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Aerotech charge wave sails

 
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atlas.wave55



Joined: 24 Aug 2016
Posts: 111

PostPosted: Thu Jan 07, 2021 6:51 pm    Post subject: Aerotech charge wave sails Reply with quote

Anyone sporting the new charge sails. From what I can tell from recent years there design features look as good as some of the more well known brands with full grid construction and these sails aren't heavy either...but how do they perform?

I have a 3.5m 2001 charge that is dying now but was a great sail. Used it mostly for foiling. It was super powerful for it size; it had a 2nd batten that stopped a few inches before the mast sleeve giving a section of material to balloon out when pumping and give a super stable draft forward profile, the new sails don't look like they have this but I imagine the performance has improved over 20 years
This sail had huge range even rigged on a 400cm mast!
The sail would go really neutral for transitions like duck gybes or down wind 360s. For a 20 y/o sun faded sail it was pretty bomb proof still full grid construction back then, the fact that it lasted this long
Do the new charges still have that durability?
Are these underrated sails or should I be looking elsewhere?

Pictured is the 2021 sails



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NOVAAN



Joined: 28 Sep 1994
Posts: 1544

PostPosted: Thu Jan 07, 2021 8:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Everyone I know that have Aerotech sails a very happy with them. Lots of folks using them at South Padre Island. One person at our lake has a new Charge in 5.2 and 5.8 and loves how they sail. Her only complaint is how difficult it is to insert the mast into the sleeve, The Ezzy Wave and Zeta have that fold near the mast sleeve the really makes for great pumping and goes neutral and de-powers when needed. The Wave is a really good foil, wave and bump and jump sail. The Zeta is wave/freeride sail with lots of low end...
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swchandler



Joined: 08 Nov 1993
Posts: 10588

PostPosted: Thu Jan 07, 2021 9:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Regardless of the sail brands you might choose, the most important thing to do is to get the optimum recommended masts to match with the sails.
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capetonian



Joined: 11 Aug 2006
Posts: 1196
Location: Florida

PostPosted: Fri Jan 08, 2021 9:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

swchandler wrote:
Regardless of the sail brands you might choose, the most important thing to do is to get the optimum recommended masts to match with the sails.


Aerotech sails are designed for a constant curve mast, same as Ezzy, Duotone, etc

According to one of the Aerotech team riders who I sail with regularly (I'm not a team rider and I don't own any Aerotech sails), Aerotech sails are very tolerant of mast curve.
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atlas.wave55



Joined: 24 Aug 2016
Posts: 111

PostPosted: Fri Jan 08, 2021 6:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

capetonian wrote:
swchandler wrote:
Regardless of the sail brands you might choose, the most important thing to do is to get the optimum recommended masts to match with the sails.


Aerotech sails are designed for a constant curve mast, same as Ezzy, Duotone, etc

According to one of the Aerotech team riders who I sail with regularly (I'm not a team rider and I don't own any Aerotech sails), Aerotech sails are very tolerant of mast curve.


Good to know. I have old early 2000s neil pryde masts that are constant curve, before pryde went to flex top or whatever they called it. Glad most brands are leaning towards CC masts now.

I can't seem to find any video of people using the charge, not even a promo video from aerotech!?
They seem to come at a lower price tag compared to most other brands. But the quality looks to be there, hard to say without seeing one in person though. I remember reading about a few aerotech sails that had problems with the adjustable head strap coming off with limited use. Is this still the issue with newer sails?
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jingebritsen



Joined: 21 Aug 2002
Posts: 3371

PostPosted: Sat Jan 09, 2021 5:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

aerotech sales are comparable with other brands in quality. ask any sail repair shop. all brands are hand made, subject to some foibles of human mistakes.

aerotech sails are deigned by a floridian. wind is real world here. we need power here. that is a stand out of aerotech sails. afterall, what's windsurfing without planing, right?

charges are designed with front side, DTL wave sailing in mind. they can be "turned off" at key moments of wave rides.

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atlas.wave55



Joined: 24 Aug 2016
Posts: 111

PostPosted: Sat Jan 09, 2021 10:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

jingebritsen wrote:
aerotech sales are comparable with other brands in quality. ask any sail repair shop. all brands are hand made, subject to some foibles of human mistakes.

aerotech sails are deigned by a floridian. wind is real world here. we need power here. that is a stand out of aerotech sails. afterall, what's windsurfing without planing, right?

charges are designed with front side, DTL wave sailing in mind. they can be "turned off" at key moments of wave rides.


Yes you guys can get some light conditions in Florida, so do we in Canada mostly sailing the great lakes. It's not like Baja Mexico where its foiling conditions in the morning then windsurf the afternoon once the seasbreeze kicks in.

We are usually lucky if it's foiling conditions in the morning before the doming effect starts. Happens during spring and summer.

My old 3.5 charge pulled like a bigger sail; had similar power to my 4.2 pryde sail and it was 100 times more maneuverable and neutral for transitions some of that might have been from rigging on a stiffer mast but still crazy powerful. The clew seemed much higher then my other sails which where more wave/freeride Very Happy

These sails look like they could work well for freeride foiling especially in wave conditions. I'm not into speed or racing just want something that has good power and pumps well, that feels light in the hands for transitions, durability in the waves would be the icing on the cake.
High end range is something I was also impressed with from my original charge sail.
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