Windsurfing Equipment Tests - American Windsurfer

Windsurfing Equipment Tests - American Windsurfer - Windsurfing Reviews

Sails: Aerotech @ Aruba

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Aerotech Carve

The Aerotech Carve is billed as a capable but inexpensive sail. We agree that it’s capable, and for several reasons. It’s a good pound and a half lighter than other sails in its size range and it feels quite light on the water. It has a small luff sleeve despite carrying two cams, and this, combined with the low weight, makes the Carve remarkably easy to waterstart and uphaul. It’s also versatile, as the cams can be removed and the sail can be used in camless mode. Power, stability and speed are all good, though the Carve is clearly not as fast as some other sails. It has a slightly draggy feel in gusts but it’s not that much slower than speed-oriented sails like the Neil Pryde V8. The bigger difference between the Carve and a more expensive handling-oriented twin-cam is, of course, the construction. There’s very little X-ply, which is unusual for an Aerotech sail, and there were some wrinkles originating at some of the seams. Still, when you consider the ratio of price to performance, the Carve represents great value for anyone who doesn’t sail all the time.

Size tested 6.5
Mast 460–25
Boom 6’7”
Weight 7.8
Durability D
Downhaul Ease 10
Rig Ease 8.0
Speed 6.5
Power 6.5
Stability 6.5
Waterstart 10.0
Rotation 8.5
Luffability 8.0
Price $308

Novice Control Speed Race Explore Balance

Aerotech Ultimate Slalom III

This year’s Ultimate III is Aerotech’s best ever. Travis Lester called it “fun and stable.” We think it’s an exceptionally good value for intermediate to expert sailors interested in all-around performance. No longer a sail with a wide luff sleeve and deep, super-extra-powerful cams, it now has a narrow luff sleeve, three tiny, removable cams and a moderate shape. It can be used in cambered or camless mode but we tested it with cams. What we found was a sail with decent low-end power, good stability and good speed. Features we think are noteworthy are the new style of truncated head - a functional and aesthetic improvement over the truncated heads in some other Aerotech sails - and a large amount of x-ply in the construction. The X-ply should give the Ultimate III a bit more tear resistance than your average 6.0 freeride sail, and arguably quite a bit more resistance to UV degradation. Whether that’s an important factor for you depends on how much time your sails spend in the sun.

Size tested 6.0
Mast 460–25
Boom 6’2”
Weight 8.0
Durability C
Downhaul Ease 10
Rig Ease 9.0
Speed 7.0
Power 6.5
Stability 7.5
Waterstart 9.0
Rotation 8.5
Luffability 8.0
Price $431

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