Looking at the new windsurfing equipment 2012 has to offer, it’s clear that windsurfing has come a long way since the clunky longboards and cloth sails of the 1970s.
Windsurfing technology continues to develop, allowing beginners to learn more easily and advanced sailors to take on the biggest of waves and the strongest of winds with ever more style and agility.
New Windsurfing Equipment 2012
So, what new equipment is out this year? And what’s available if you’re looking at upgrading your board, sails or setting yourself up from scratch?
The Neil Pryde Atlas sail
Available now, the Atlas 2012 is an onshore wave sail designed for sailing upwind and through breaking waves. It accelerates quickly and jumps well. In November, it got a glowing review in Windsurf Magazine, who praised its acceleration and lift, and its ability to deal with a wide wind range. What sets it apart is its high surface tension, which keeps it stable and responsive.
Fanatic double glass sandwich board technology
Fanatic make their waveboards using a special sandwich construction that uses glass-cloth reinforcement in a PVC and wood ‘sandwich’. For 2012, they have introduced wood and PVC stringers into the boards, which help keep them stiff and strong. These boards are effective, lightweight and impact-resistant.
Avanti c-clip
Avanti have introduced a new clew closure clip, called the c-clip, on their sails. The clip is designed to provide an easy, strong and lightweight closure system, and the company have applied for a patent on it.
North Sails Hero sail
This is a radical new design: a 4-batten wave sail designed to allow perfect wave-sailing. It has a balanced luff length, with the luff and the boom the same length, giving the sail great ‘throw-ability’, while still being stable.
It is lighter than the wave sails you’ll usually get on your windsurfing holidays and most riders can use a size smaller than they normally would. It has plenty of manoeuvrability without any loss of stability.
North Sails ibumper
The ibumper is an innovative new mast protector from North Sails. It uses highly resistant material on the exterior, which thermally conducts shocks to shock-absorbing foam. It is very light, effective and non-abrasive.
Goya masts
The new Goya 2012 masts offer a completely new technology: the Diagonal Flex. This brand new technology is found only on the new Goya masts. The masts can bend, twist and flex easily, allowing them to cope with the windiest conditions without breaking.
They have a wall thickness 50% more than most masts on the market, but they are also very light, as they use aerospace technology. They also use a 90% carbon lay.
Simmer Flywave board
Simmer have introduced a range of new boards, of which this is probably the most radical. It is designed to offer stability in the toughest of breaks, and uses the same carbon-x technology found in freestyle snowboards. That means that they allow for more flex, so the user can drive them forward more easily, and they absorb more shocks, giving them greater durability.
