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AEROTECH
Aerotech’s owner, Steve Gottlieb, was one of our dealer testers, but you never would have known there was any connection. Talk about low-key. No hype on the Aerotechs from him, and praise for the others when it was due. It eventually did become clear that he believed in the Aerotech sails, however.
The Aerotech line just seemed to have that fresh look and after further prodding, Gottlieb did volunteer that they spend “tremendous efforts this year in improvements”. Practically every sail sent to the test had 100% grid monofilm which according to Gottlieb, gives the sail better UV protection and durability.
With a focus on making the best possible sail and sold at a midrange price tag, Aerotech is starting to become a “world brand” with six distributors carrying the sails in Europe and Asia. You wouldn’t know it talking to Steve and you wouldn’t know it if you didn’t ask.
CHARGE 4.75
Aerotech says that, without a shred of a doubt, these are the best wave sails they have ever produced. They came from Aerotech’s new designer, Ben Severne of Australia. They are intended to be versatile, as they are the only wave sail Aerotech makes.
SCORE: (4 ratings)
Speed 4.0 Power 4.25 Stability 4.25 Range 4.5 Waterstart 4.5 Overall 4.30
COMMENTS:
“Nice and light, well behaved, weak construction.”
LITE CHARGE 5.8
Rated twice, the Lite Charge got three 5’s and two 4’s from one sailor, straight 2’s from the other, although there’s a chance those 2’s were meant for the Charge.
COMMENTS: None
FREERIDE 5.25
Like the Windwing Catalyst Airs, this is a convertible sail with removable cams. Except for the window, which is reinforced, it’s totally X-ply.
SCORE: (3 ratings)
Speed 4.33 Power 4.33 Stability 4.33 Range 4.33 Waterstart 4.33 Overall 4.33
COMMENTS: None
STAFF: Newfie gave it straight 5’s, including his added category of Handling. “I rode this sail with the two cams removed and found it handled very similar to a wave sail,” he said.
ULTIMATE CARVE II 6.25
Like the Bump and Jump sails, this line was designed to be affordable and durable (without sacrificing performance, says Aerotech, naturally). Smaller sizes are more oriented toward bump-and-jump sailing, while the larger sizes have cambers. The 4.75 had five battens with one cam, the 6.25 had six battens with two cams.
SCORE: (6 ratings)
Speed 4.0 Power 4.0 Stability 4.33 Range 4.33 Waterstart 4.0 Overall 4.13
COMMENTS:
Said retailer Gary Stone, who gave it one 4, two 4-pluses and two 5’s, “The sail felt like it wanted to go fast, but it was limited by the Starboard Fish board. The cams didn’t easily rotate.”
VMG 7.5
Aerotech claims that this line, from 5.5 to 10.5, might be the lightest, fastest race sail ever built. That’s a big boast if you’re not a World Cup winner, but our seven-batten, four-cam 7.5 was indeed light at 10.0 pounds, especially impressive considering it was 50 percent X-ply. Because our testers weren’t racers, and they may not have even gotten beyond the break, we’ll not use the low score in Speed as credible evidence of anything.
The VMG features Reactive Leech Technology, which is Aerotech’s mechanical approach to gain maximum aerodynamic efficiency at the head of the sail, by using a rod off the tip of the mast. Unlike Windwing and Pryde, however (but like the Sailworks X-T), the tip of the leech is no higher than the mast.
SCORE: (3 ratings)
Speed 3.67 Power 4.33 Stability 3.67 Range 3.67 Waterstart 3.33 Overall 3.73
COMMENTS:
“Rotated very easily,” said a tester who gave it a 2 in Waterstart because the wide mast sleeve and luff pocket bagged a lot of water.
“Handled gusts really well.”
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