So I've finally been able to get my new 2021 Ezzy Wave's on the water as I picked them up after the end of our last season 4.2, 4.7, 5.2..... so good to be back on the water!!!

For reference I'm currently using with Quatro Pyramid 87ltr (Epic board) and weigh roughly 80-82kg.

I had a mix of 2020 Wave's and Taka last season and had lots of iterations of Taka, Elite and Waves over the years, so I was really keen to see what they came up with this season as I really loved the 2020 Wave last year. The main thing they have done is flatten the baton area above the boom, I would say it's not a huge difference, but more of a slight change. As you might know Ezzy have a history of quite deep profiles - so I feel this is a great area to explore for them.

It would be easy to assume that there would be a loss of bottom end power in changing to a slightly flatter profile, but I have to say that on the water I really couldn't see that. There is an efficiency with this sail that seems to power up early and get you planing just as quickly as last years, it responds really well to light wind pumping and as it fills gets you through those lulls as well. So I was really stoked with that as I was a bit nervous thinking it might lose some of that bottom end, no need to worry.

Where this change really comes into its own is in top end control/range and a free feeling in the hands in transitions and wave riding and this has been an awesome improvement. Handling on the new Wave's is buttery smooth and I'm loving it! I feel the Ezzy's I've had over the last few years have always handled the top end really well and can be sailed over powered, but even more so on the new ones. All session so far have had a mix of conditions from under powered float and ride to powered to overpowered, so I have had good opportunity to feel them out in those conditions, then coming in to quickly make rigging adjustments as needed after testing its limits.

All in all, another great sail from Ezzy and highly recommended.

I'd love to hear other people's experiences, so feel free to throw in some comments.

Here is a pic of 5.2 rigged on min 2 and min out haul setting, so you can see there is still a fair amount of depth in this setting - which is the deepest the profile can be, obviously a fair bit flatter when rigged with more down haul and outhaul- I'll try to remember to take a pic next session it's rigged that way.

Happy Sailing

Here are some pics rigged on different settings showing the different depth of profile available on the new sails.

FYI The outhaul settings are different for each of the Downhaul settings. For example, the minimum outhaul on Min 2 is different from the minimum outhaul on Min1 , Med or Max. So within each Downhaul setting you have the ability to change of profile with outhaul.
And remember its the area around the baton above the boom they have changed and flattened slightly on the new sails, the foot baton still has a fair bit of depth, which I think is why the bottom end is still so good and the flattening of the upper are has improved handling and top end.

First pic use set on Min2 Downhaul and min outhaul.
Second pic set on Min1 Downhaul and min outhaul.
Third pic set on Med Downhaul and med outhaul.
Fourth pic set on Max Downhaul and Max outhaul.

Daz,


The new waves lock fantastic, I'm a big fan on my elite 4.7 & 5.0 (19) and 5.5 & 5.8 (20) waves.

I love the fool proof rigging and light and power sails.
I'm finding that I'm mostly rigging medium to high down haul and adjusting the out haul as required, even 1cm makes a huge difference.
The 5.8/5.5 is my most used sails, on them 90% of the time 5.5 for cross island off, 5.8 for cross on. Use with 98 cube and 105 power, awesome combination of boards for east coast waves and winter float and ride conditions, sometimes extremely gusty 15-25 knots SW.I'll be ready for a new set in the coming weeks.
Thanks for the review and pics, cheers.

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Nerdburger said..
Daz,


The new waves lock fantastic, I'm a big fan on my elite 4.7 & 5.0 (19) and 5.5 & 5.8 (20) waves.

I love the fool proof rigging and light and power sails.
I'm finding that I'm mostly rigging medium to high down haul and adjusting the out haul as required, even 1cm makes a huge difference.
The 5.8/5.5 is my most used sails, on them 90% of the time 5.5 for cross island off, 5.8 for cross on. Use with 98 cube and 105 power, awesome combination of boards for east coast waves and winter float and ride conditions, sometimes extremely gusty 15-25 knots SW.I'll be ready for a new set in the coming weeks.
Thanks for the review and pics, cheers.

Awesome, you'll love the new sails!!! I'd be keen to hear more about your 98 cube and 105 power, experience, differences etc... did you post a review of them???

I find With our generally lighter wind down our way I seem to end up rigging at the lower end - Downhaul sometimes min 2 but usually min 1 up to med, very rarely on max, but sometimes and outhaul min to medium, again rarely on max. Such big tuning range on these sails though!!!

Can anyone give a comment on the build quality? I have some 2007/8 ezzy SE's still going strong?? The build quality in those days was of the highest order, is this still the same? I have heard that build quality has been degraded over the years?

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hardie said..
Can anyone give a comment on the build quality? I have some 2007/8 ezzy SE's still going strong?? The build quality in those days was of the highest order, is this still the same? I have heard that build quality has been degraded over the years?

Build quality is as good as ever, probably even better as they continue in their quest to improve their sails, but longevity really comes down to materials used. Lighter weight materials will inevitably deteriorate at a faster rate than heavier duty materials, so there could be an argument that they might not last quite as long. I usually update sails every season or two, but I have found them able to take a beating, only once have a ripped an Ezzy sail in the last 5 years and that was because I managed to put the nose of the board through it fully powered up. When I sell them to update, they are almost always in really good condition and people I have sold them to have gone on and enjoyed them for a number of years after me. To me, that's testament to a really good combination of design, construction and materials used!

Ive seen way more destroyed sails from other brands than I have of Ezzy's, I'm sure it does happen but it doesn't seem that common. And then there are all the other variables, use and abuse, time on the water, do you take care of them, store them out of the sun, leave them on the beach baking for hours etc... I take care of mine and the next user thanks me.

Anyway, that's my experience.

Sailed the '21 Waves the other day and as you said Daz they feel lighter in the hands than the '19 Elites I had. Super happy with the sails. I've also got a 5.3 Taka which I haven't used yet.

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Flying Dutchman said..
Sailed the '21 Waves the other day and as you said Daz they feel lighter in the hands than the '19 Elites I had. Super happy with the sails. I've also got a 5.3 Taka which I haven't used yet.

Glad ur enjoying the new sails, it's hard not to!!!
the new Taka looks sick too, I think it's the same as last year (which I had and loved) with updated colours.

Thanks for the review. Really liked the Elite. Using a few season old model Zeta 5.8 & 5.2. Back then the shop recommended Zeta for larger and Elite for smaller sizes. Was the Zeta a replacement for the Tiger? Friend who loves the Tiger received a Elite or Wave by mistake from the distributer. She tried it and did not like it. Hindsight I should have probably gone with the Elite/Wave of that generation. Only problem with Ezzy durability is their durability. I only replace gear once trashed beyond worth repairing. So it will be awhile until I replace the Zetas.

Hi Daz

just getting to grips with my 21 Ezzy Waves

Any tips you find in tuning to get the sail to release ie not pull so much on the top turn? i was on Severne blades that are very different and its taking some adjustment on my part to feel a similar thing when i go to top turn... sometimes i got pulled over the wave like it has too much force when i want to pivot around and feel like i cant handle it as well. i guess i need to move hands more!


ps
for the med setting should there be any drop away / wrinkle in the clew? ive used sails before when the clew is floppy almost down to the boom. Here it feels there is very little unless maxed, and even that its confined to the top panel?

cheers

northy

Crank on the downhaul to Max Northey and adjust outback for tuning. Also if you want more release leave the tack strap loose to minimise the belly.

You can talk to Dave Ezzy directly, it's a bit tricky to get a shaped sail to depower. Handy in side-on, a bit slower/heavier in side environment. Maybe the taka is better?

Or you can use a size smaller? I liked the 4.5 a lot, the 5.0, I basically had to use at max downhaul, it'd pull too much. Then I lost some spring which I like (pumping response, low end grunt).

Try going 10 or 15mm past max downhaul. Normal for me on my Ezzys in any wind.

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northy1 said..
Hi Daz

just getting to grips with my 21 Ezzy Waves

Any tips you find in tuning to get the sail to release ie not pull so much on the top turn? i was on Severne blades that are very different and its taking some adjustment on my part to feel a similar thing when i go to top turn... sometimes i got pulled over the wave like it has too much force when i want to pivot around and feel like i cant handle it as well. i guess i need to move hands more!


ps
for the med setting should there be any drop away / wrinkle in the clew? ive used sails before when the clew is floppy almost down to the boom. Here it feels there is very little unless maxed, and even that its confined to the top panel?

cheers

northy

Hi Northy, I like to stick between the recommended settings, but it's worth checking that the Velcro patch with the settings is in the correct position to start with, (I had a friend whose was not in correct position and couldn't work out why it was rigging crap, moved it to correct position and all was good. There should be a black pen line on the sail, that should be lined up with the medium setting and then just play around within those settings to see how you like the feel, I'm not a fan of anything over the max setting, but that's just my thoughts. I did find going from the Taka (more neutral sail) to Wave(more constant but controllable power) that it does pay big dividends to work on hand placement and move back hand forward in top turns, you will find this makes a massive difference to that feeling of being pulled forward- in reality this is helpful for all sails. I can honestly say that they feel light and easy in the hands in my experience. I can't comment on recent Blades, but have had some a few years back and in comparison the Ezzy Wave definitely has more power and might take a little bit to get use to, I found I could use a smaller Ezzy than Severne Blade in same conditions.

"for the med setting should there be any drop away / wrinkle in the clew? ive used sails before when the clew is floppy almost down to the boom. Here it feels there is very little unless maxed, and even that its confined to the top panel?"
.... that is how they are supposed to look, Ezzy Wave isn't designed to set with a really loose leech. If you are still having trouble, maybe go a size down in sail and then rig on the lower settings Min1, min2, med... I much prefer the feel of the sail going smaller and on those settings rather than going bigger and maxing out down/outhaul.

hope this is helpful and you can find your sweet spot with these sails, I love mine!!!

Agree with Big Daz. I've got the new Taka 7s and see some wrinkles at the med setting, more as you reduce the downhaul. I'm not stressed about it because they feel great. The downhaul range is one their greatest strengths.
I was up at Gnaraloo over the last 2 weeks in uncharacteristic light winds during the late season fronts further south. I was hugely impressed with the the 5.3 at min1. Heaps of torque for general sailing and climbing up the mast in no wind waker starts, a joy to pump onto swells: so responsive. Then on the wave the sail just disappeared letting you carve freely. Actually I much preferred the light wind days over the windy ones that followed. So easy to read the wave, hit the lip etc, great for riding the wave the way you want to.
Cheers Jens

On a side note, I picked up a foil board and foil and the Ezzy Wave makes a great foiling sail as well!!!

Rigging at the lower end min 1 and 2 makes it great to pump up and get foiling and is then nice and light in the hands.. Great to be able to get even more use out of my sails

Hi there Happy new Year
The Surf Magazine Did the test on wave Sails It seems that they claim a bottom end loss and less power and planning ability on the Ezzy wave . I am not sure which would be a better choice for <20 Knots Ezzy wave 5.5 or Ezzy taka 7 5.3 which has a lot of grunt

and a Googles translation of the test

"When it comes to features, the Ezzy sets the bar pretty high:" "Clever installation aids. An extendable mast protector and high-quality mesh materials are just a few examples" "- it is all the more astonishing that the Ezzy Wave even has the" "The 3-kilo switching wall cracks. When starting off, the Ezzy needs to be guided a little more. To find the right angle of attack. It is not part of the sails that have bear power, the technical deficits of pilot dodging_ When powered up, the sail stabilizes itself, but it absorbs impacts wonderfully and is agile and light in the hand at all times. When shifting maneuvers, the Ezzy Wave rotates very smoothly and without great effort, and the concept leaves nothing to be desired on the wave: Here it provides good propulsion when it comes to driving down. Nevertheless, the Wave can be rigged flat if necessary - then it becomes noticeably more ag1 around the longitudinal axis and is really neutral in the hand in maneuvers and in the bottom turn. surf Conclusion: The Ezzy Wave combines the best Equipment with really good handling, control and a balanced wave character. Only if you have a powerful butt Wersail for bump & jump conditions or a very flat sail for freestyle " "seeks, does not give ideal advice."

Hi Snapfigure,
Unfortunately I'm in a great position to answer your question. Two weeks ago I lost my complete rig to some sneaky wide sets at Margaret River. My Taka 7 was only about 6 months old but Mark at Surf and Sail didn't have any more 5.3s left so I replaced it with a 5.5 Ezzy wave. First impressions are that the sail seems more efficient probably because the foil is more stable. When a gust hits the Taka you see the foil distort a bit, this is much less noticeable on the wave. However I find that the Taka pumps onto swells more easily than the wave, which feels a bit deader in comparison. On the wave the Taka goes more neutral, particularly in cross on bottom turns. That doesn't mean that the Wave is bad, just not quite as free as the Taka. Same for the cutback. The Wave is good, but not quite as light. Occasionally I've had the heavyness described by Northy, but not so much lately, so maybe I've adjusted to it. Yesterday was my first proper cross off wave sailing session with the Wave and I was very impressed. The SE are very gusty, varying from glass to properly planing and the waves generate a lot of apparent wind, especially when you got the lip. Here the foil stability of the Wave seems to be a real asset. Once I had accepted that I needed to pump a bit more to hook into the swells I really enjoyed the control on the waves which had me getting more and more into aerials off the main peak. In summary I think that I'd probably rather have the Taka, but I'm also quite looking forward to exploring the pros and cons of the Wave. BTW if I did more jumping and chop hopping I think that it would be a no brainer: the improved foil stability of the Wave would be a clear winner. Cheers Jens

Sorry to hear that Jens
nice review The wave should be more stable with less neutral feeling and better drive in cross on waves but i think it is a little less powerful than last years ezzy wave at least in planning ability. Taka would be preferable in better cond side side off but as Ezzy claims it i not just a side shore flat sail like many others

---This allows the Taka to be extra powerful when you're pumping into a wave or trying to get a jump while also able to go flat and hyper-manouverable when riding a wave or flying through the air. This is most noticeable in bottom turns that are more vertical, backloops that are easier to land, and freestyle rotations that effortlessly----


Had a discussion with David about wrinkles He told me that he ve changed perspective many years now on more how the sail feels rather how it looks.


There are a lot of different wrinkles in our sails: - Bubble below the head batten that looks funky, but serves a purpose by tensioning the head. I found to get the sails to feel nice, I needed to design the head in a way that tensions the upper leech without adding shape in the luff, yet still allowing the head to twist correctly. This shaping causes a wrinkle below the head batten. This wrinkle does not adversely affect the sail's performance because the head of the sail does not require any profile. The head only needs the right amount of tension to twist correctly. A correctly twisting sail is easier to sail and more efficient because it delays the onset of stall in the head. - Diagonal wrinkles between #1 and #2 battens that look worse with less DH. - Diagonal wrinkles extending from the clew to the luff. These are a result of mast bend. All good sails have them. - Diagonal wrinkles extending from the ends of the batten pockets towards the luff. Again, these are a result of mast bend. - Diagonal wrinkles extending from the front of the #3 batten (5 batten design), or #2 batten (4 batten design). Worse with less DH. - Draft wrinkles running vertical from the luff of the batten pockets. - Vertical wrinkle along the luff above the foot batten. This wrinkle forms the profile and will fill out when the sail is loaded. ? Horizontal wrinkles running across the luff in the boom area. These are unavoidable and occur when the mast bends, which causes the tension to transfer to the top of the boom cutout. They could be made worse by too little downhaul, or too much outhaul. - Batten tension may remove some. Best not to over-tension battens just to make the sail less wrinkly. David's philosophy about wrinkles: Years ago, I used to design sails in part by making them look pretty with no wrinkles. Over the years I have learned that this is not the way to make great sails. I now design strictly by the performance of the sail and do not obsess over wrinkles. After all, it's not a painting to be hung on the wall. It's a sail that has to go against mother nature's gusto. Who's to say how it's supposed to look- Maybe to mother-nature-wind finds wrinkles a thing of beauty;) There are three types of wrinkles: 1) Static wrinkles 2) Dynamic wrinkles 3) Screwed up design wrinkles 1) Static wrinkles: These are the draft wrinkles of an un-loaded sail. Some can be minimized by batten tension, tack strap tension and more OH and DH. They go away when the sail is loaded. 2) Dynamic wrinkles: These come from the mast bending and the subsequent twisting and flattening of the sail relative to the sail's draft and luff curve. They are diagonal and run from the leech to the luff, starting at the clew and then each of the batten ends. 3) Screwed up design wrinkles: These are bad wrinkles and indicate potential sailcloth failure. This can be caused by the wrong cloth used in high loaded areas, or seams running across load lines and stressing. I take these type of wrinkles very seriously and avoid them like the plague. I hope there are none in the sails. In Conclusion: 1) If you own an Ezzy Sail, you will have some wrinkles in your sail. 2) The wrinkles are part of the design. 3) DO NOT rig to get the wrinkles out, instead use the rigging indicators. 4) Please judge the sail by how it feels and not how it looks.

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hardie said..
Can anyone give a comment on the build quality? I have some 2007/8 ezzy SE's still going strong?? The build quality in those days was of the highest order, is this still the same? I have heard that build quality has been degraded over the years?

Yes they are not as durable as they once were. My Elite 5.7 started showing signs of failure after 2 seasons. Some small cracks appeared between the reinforcing threads here and there. After season 3 I replaced a panel. After season 4 I replaced another one. The bottom panel needs replacing now too but I haven't done it because I bought an Ezzy Wave to replace it.

I wasn't hard on it. I didn't leave it cooking in the sun. I have a couple of older Ezzies, an SE and an Infinity, and they are still sound.
Apart from that it was my favourite sail - throw about and well behaved. It got a fair bit of use.

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hardie said..
Can anyone give a comment on the build quality? I have some 2007/8 ezzy SE's still going strong?? The build quality in those days was of the highest order, is this still the same? I have heard that build quality has been degraded over the years?

The problem on assessing build quality and materials used is that it can take years for issues to arise, then we dont know about how the latest sails will fair. I had 2005 Wave SEs and used them a until 2016. They were great. No issues with a 2012 Panther, 2015 Cheetah. I have 6.5m/7.5m/8.5m 2015 Lions. The vinyl window has a small tear in the corner on the 8.5 & 7.5. I had the 8.5m repaired, I've not bothered with repairing the 7.5m, just taped it as I bought a new set last year. The material at the clew has gone a bit stiff on the 7.5 & 8.5m, I suspect due to off the water damage crunching it when transporting in my new van. I had a temporary 'hammock' before getting racking sorted out and the sails moved back and forth.
I still use the old Ezzy sails for learning to foil on. I've put a small hole in the bottom panel of the 7.5m & 8.5m from crashing, or uphauling more and the panel creasing on the board.

The new 2021 sails are a lot lighter due to different material being used. No issues yet, but they havent been used much as we havent had much wind. I think the quality of the stitching etc is still excellent.

The Cheetah and Lions which get most use are 6 & 7 batten sails however. If you reduce the number of battens in a sail from 5 to 4, does that mean in a hit on a breaking wave and subsequent tumbling in the white water, all the stress is on fewer seams? The sail area and force is still the same.

There is always a line between durability and lightweight performance

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Snapfigure said..
There is always a line between durability and lightweight performance

LOL, well there you go, noone is infaillible. I have owned more than a dozen of Ezzy sails since the brand launched, and I have had one occurence where my 4.5 Ezzy Wave finished in a similar state one very windy afternoon 20 years ago. Let's say that a very dodgy loop attempt ended up with me landing head first into and through the central panel of the sail, my body went through it like a knife through butter. I didn't feel anything and thank God for that, because had the construction been strong enough to resist the impact I would have literally broken my neck and would be typing this from a wheel chair. or not at all !!! It was the only time in my weekend wavesailor life that I damaged an Ezzy, and I have had many visiting rocks and whatnot, but they always stood up fine. But as I said, no sail in the world is indestructible, so I'm saying your posting is a bit of a cheap shot Snapfigure ;-) Imo the current Ezzys are very solidly built, and are still among the very best of the market concerning durability (although I do regret personnally that they gave up the vinyl window on the "high end" products, at least I appreciate they kept it for the Zeta and the Legacy)

The PVC window can take a lot of stress away from the surrounding materials. Didn't know they kept it for some models, cool!

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Al1 said..

LOL, well there you go, noone is infaillible. I have owned more than a dozen of Ezzy sails since the brand launched, and I have had one occurence where my 4.5 Ezzy Wave finished in a similar state one very windy afternoon 20 years ago. Let's say that a very dodgy loop attempt ended up with me landing head first into and through the central panel of the sail, my body went through it like a knife through butter. I didn't feel anything and thank God for that, because had the construction been strong

As you can see the sail colors are pretty bright This sail was bought by my friend just 9 months before and was used in just light wave conditions, not in CT or abroad. This is so Unreal for Ezzy sails to turn into pieces by a weak onshore 2.5 m wave in just 9 months My friend ezzy maniac could not believe this damage (we had 2 similar incidents with the new ezzy sais) as he has been using Ezzy sails in heavy breaks not in loops all around the world from the 90s. He told me that this also applies to the ezzy mast they are not as durable as before. Never had similar damage before with ezzy sails . He used to make fun of the prydes in 2008 in CT breaking so easily but now he is skeptical about the New Ezzy sails mast durability. Off course, there is not a sail in the world that is indestructible, but this NOT the point Whether you like it or not Whether the big brands like it or not this is just an observation from a windsurfer to windsurfers The new sails perform much better but are NOT as strong as they used to be and that's All. and if you think this is strict think of the 800 E$ that a sail costs. I still have 10 Ezzys 5 takas 2 elite and 3 panthers and I still, love them and still count on them. Also surprised by the durability of s1 pro and blade pro in comparison to the models before 2020. I wish they are ok when traveling abroad cause if such a thing happens at the beginning of a trip, especially in places that you cannot buy or find another it will be a mess. All in all, there is always a line between durability and lightweight performance . Cheers

Masts too, darn!

Hi All, unsure & need help
updated my naish 5 sails recently to 5.2 & 4.7 Zeta 2nd hand so far so good
thinking about a 4.7 or 5.0 Taka eg for days that are for 5.2-4.7 reports have it that the 4.7 performs like a 5.0
like the idea of having more control when l ride waves/ swells eg not so power up on the 5.2
not that l ride big waves just having fun with what comes
lm thinking if l get a 5.0 taka it might make the 5.2 redundant
any suggestions?

I trashed my favourite sail at windang before Easter, and a 400/430 mast. The sailed had been my most used for 2 years, the masts have been 2-3 yrs old. No sail would have survived, was a big day, but not huge, it was totally my own fault, stuffed the timing and ate it in the heavy shallow shorey.
Was bummed at the instant expense (sail and complete mast) but mainly angry for missing a session that I was so looking forward too.
some good cross off wind and waves were on offer.
I only had a 5.8, in the car which was too big, and was down a mast section to rig on anyway.
Will definitely go with more Ezzy waves again, getting but with a 5.0 and 5.8 combo, not ideal, but doable.

Lesson learnt for me is spares, masts and sails, will gear up with a new 4.7/5.2/5.8 maybe a 5.5 as it's an awesome size for east coast for me, when funds allow, and a couple of spare masts. Nothing worse when driving big kms for a geat session and breaking kit.
Are the new waves as strong as the old Ezzy SE, no, but are lighter, and better for wave sailing, and I love them. I don't think any wave sails would have survived my stupidly / bad timing, wipe out and mutant Shorey but that's wave sailing.

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gonewiththewind said..
Hi All, unsure & need help
updated my naish 5 sails recently to 5.2 & 4.7 Zeta 2nd hand so far so good
thinking about a 4.7 or 5.0 Taka eg for days that are for 5.2-4.7 reports have it that the 4.7 performs like a 5.0
like the idea of having more control when l ride waves/ swells eg not so power up on the 5.2
not that l ride big waves just having fun with what comes
lm thinking if l get a 5.0 taka it might make the 5.2 redundant
any suggestions?

I've got the '22 Taka in a 5.3. Love these line of sails. A 5.0 would be like a conventional 5.2-5.3 sail.

Thanks for the reply, l will go for the 4.7 Taka should be perfect