Looks like there is a new era in the scene of sailboarding. I like the approach, you know portable, more practical and simply does the job at a fraction of the price. Add a pump up board to the quiver along with the inflatable rig, and you can head down to the beach with just a back pack. As it is inflatable the performance will never out-perform the typical rig but certainly is a must when travelling.

ps. I have since sold my last sail board and have now been taken on the foiling craze. Only behind a kite

I do like the simplicity of that for a SUP rig. For those who SUP and would like to bung a windsurf rig on it, that is ideal for beginners and smaller people. Nice one

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Mark _australia said..
I do like the simplicity of that for a SUP rig. For those who SUP and would like to bung a windsurf rig on it, that is ideal for beginners and smaller people. Nice one

Great concept for those less so competitive sailers... happy sailboarding

A step closer to uniting tea bagers with pole dancers,,,wtf

I love this idea. was talking to my local shop about them. hope they take off.

it's got a lot of plusses.

compact transport.
soft
DOESN"T SINK
SUPER LIGHT
EASY TO UPHAUL

so you rock up to the beach with the fam. blow up the rig and board and away the wife and kids go.

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I'm curious to know how the designers of this blow-up rig solved the problem of linkage;

ie,

how does one attach a soft bladder pocket to a hard deck,

and still maintain that necessary factor called 'mast foot pressure' ?

Why isn't the bottom section of the blow-up 'mast' bending like a maccas drinking straw ?

lol.

For the very first time only ...?

As a windsurfer who loves to plane (and can't stand being off the plane) - that looks horrifying...but new ideas have to start somewhere I guess? I'm sure some smart cookie will develop the idea further.

Seems to be aimed at beginners on very big boards in very light winds. Fine if you always stay a beginner and want to always sail in light winds.

I'm sure it will twist off well in strong winds.

A C-quad might work better.

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Sailhack said..
As a windsurfer who loves to plane (and can't stand being off the plane) - that looks horrifying...but new ideas have to start somewhere I guess? I'm sure some smart cookie will develop the idea further.

They already have,
they replaced the mast with lines and an actual surfboard instead of an old school malibu.

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waveslave said..

I'm curious to know how the designers of this blow-up rig solved the problem of linkage;

ie,

how does one attach a soft bladder pocket to a hard deck,

and still maintain that necessary factor called 'mast foot pressure' ?

Why isn't the bottom section of the blow-up 'mast' bending like a maccas drinking straw ?

lol.

Doesn't take a smart person to figure that one out.

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Sailhack said..
As a windsurfer who loves to plane (and can't stand being off the plane) - that looks horrifying...but new ideas have to start somewhere I guess? I'm sure some smart cookie will develop the idea further.

Correct me if I'm wrong but when i sailboarded there wasn't much plaining under 12 knots. This is a fantastic for those sub 12 knot wind days. "Only takes one popular person to take notice of something before they all do"

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waveslave said..

I'm curious to know how the designers of this blow-up rig solved the problem of linkage;

ie,

how does one attach a soft bladder pocket to a hard deck,

and still maintain that necessary factor called 'mast foot pressure' ?

Why isn't the bottom section of the blow-up 'mast' bending like a maccas drinking straw ?

lol.

For those of you whom do not understand:

The iRig pumps to a mind-blowing 22psi to help keep the sail in shape in higher winds. When the iRig is pumped up to it's potential it works in very much the same was as a kite LE (leading edge). The harder it's pumped the better performance the sail will give. The reason the lower section of the inflatable mast does not buckle is due to the stitching placement along with the thickness of the bladder. The overall thickness of the inflatable varies to enhance performance and to minimise buckling. The lower inflatable section does have a material harder in it to allow a more ridged solid feel when sailing with the iRig. As it may appear the harness loops look much to short. This is because the iRig is designed to be used in minimal winds. I do believe that there is some later models being realised later in the year that will include a higher wind option that includes longer harness loops.

BTW i have no affiliation with iRig nor do i sail their products. However i have had a test run.

Regards Rod.

anyway it's about time somebody said it - needs more downhaul

I think the next step will be an inflatable wing sail

We all know it doesn't take much to get hooked on windsurfing. We should continue to encourage low cost ways of getting into the sport. If people fall in love with this they will want to take the next step, albeit it is not on my Christmas list this year.

I guess parrelels could be made for entry level dating...get an inflatable if you find the real thing too awkward.

as Roxy Music once said in In Every Dream Home

"I blew up your body
But you blew my mind"

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flyingcab said..
Correct me if I'm wrong but when i sailboarded there wasn't much plaining under 12 knots. This is a fantastic for those sub 12 knot wind days. "Only takes one popular person to take notice of something before they all do"

You are corrected. The low-wind *planing* threshold for the largest boards, is about 6 knots.

Granted that is somewhat specialist gear, but the same could be said for kiting using a 25m self-inflator and a foil-board.

I have set aside a 6 pack of cold VB cans ready to give to the first person to forward loop an air sail.

That's awesome. She doesn't look pump up at all.

Having been a windsurfing instructor and now working for NORTH/ARROW SAILS i was a bit unsure about the iRIG concept.

After having it out on the water at demos i now see how much potential this has at getting people into windsurfing again.

Its easy to rig, light, floats, doesn't hurt you to fall on or get hit by and it works well enough to let you learn the basics of windsurfing.
(like sail steering etc)

Sure it's not for the advanced guy, but think about how pumped (pardon the pun) your kids will be to go for a windsurf now.

Keep and eye out, they'll be in your local windsurf store in time for chrissy.

P.S wave and fwd loop vid coming soon.

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lotofwind said..

Sailhack said..
As a windsurfer who loves to plane (and can't stand being off the plane) - that looks horrifying...but new ideas have to start somewhere I guess? I'm sure some smart cookie will develop the idea further.

They already have,
they replaced the mast with lines and an actual surfboard instead of an old school malibu.

Spot on haha.

Not really the same though.

For instance, the irig doesn't get you banned from the beach, need a friend to launch or kill anyone within a 30m radius.

Anyone remember these bad boys...

I do. The gorge wind wing.

That is absolute Gold. Bring back the wind weapons!

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da vecta said..
That is absolute Gold. Bring back the wind weapons!

Sailboarding was peaking 10 years back i think. I believe that it was much more thrilling faster and hard of the body. Guys were riding 2m bigger sails that what they would today with smaller boards.

ps, this is just my view.

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flyingcab said..

da vecta said..
That is absolute Gold. Bring back the wind weapons!

Sailboarding was peaking 10 years back i think. I believe that it was much more thrilling faster and hard of the body. Guys were riding 2m bigger sails that what they would today with smaller boards.

ps, this is just my view.

I think you need to decide if you are an ex sailboarder who is still kind of interested in the sport or just a troll like Lotto. Then those of us who like windsurfing know how to respond.

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da vecta said...
That is absolute Gold. Bring back the wind weapons!

Ar your right. It was the wind weapon...