Anyone got experience of these - good enough for hardcore conditions ? .... any insights into if team use them at hookipa etc ... ?

I'm pretty sure Victor Fernandez uses them all the time. I have had one for a number of years and it works great (but I only sail bump & jump conditions) In my view, the strength will be fine in bigger waves, failure is more likely due to wear from rigging in sand or not rinsing out after sailing. So provided you rig on the Hookipa grass the rinse out at the showers...you should be fine.

cheers Roy , do you adjust on the fly on the water often ? .......

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seabreezer said..
cheers Roy , do you adjust on the fly on the water often ? .......

....probably about twice in 3 years

For me it just makes the rigging easy, I generally don't adjust downhaul much (only the outhaul).

I use them in waves. No issues.

If you study the PWA photos carefully (and some of the facebook Ho'okipa windsurfing photographer groups), I have spotted Victor Fernandez using the Power XT but couldn't tell if it was the carbon or aluminium model (and it wasn't just during the Fanatic/DuoTone promo photo shoots for a few weeks each year).

I have used the RDM power XT carbon and aluminium in the waves for maybe 8 years and never had any issues. they are fantastic.

The ratchet system (power xt) isn't going to make any difference to the structural integrity in the waves .. the power XT ratchet system is separate to the core structural components.

you can save about 100g if you avoid the ratchet power XT and get the Uni XT carbon at about 420g but when I spotted a few pics of Victor using the power XT, I decided the power XT should be fine for me :)

they really are amazing due to:
a) no physical effort to downhaul
b) very easy to get a precise setting
c) very easy to adjust on the beach or even on the water
d) basically zero maintenance - although i always rinse my gear but the salt is completely fine.

super useful info , thanks

JakeNN - is the racket system bare dry ... ? like doesnt need greasing or anything to operate , or water to affect the racket system ... I also noticed a lot of vids YouTube talking about replacing parts / reconditioning the extension ..... , making me think salt water over time really affects the workings ..... ?

Tried to get a couple , have 1 on the way .... so can test for myself soon , and loving the idea of rigging it on my sons rig , and being able to adjust on the fly on the water anytime he gets under or overpowered and not doing multiple rerigs back back and forth to the van , so if it works - major win ..... He can go from stacked on his XS3 - to fine withe some downhaul tweaks - so will be gold for that ...

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seabreezer said..
JakeNN - is the racket system bare dry ... ? like doesnt need greasing or anything to operate , or water to affect the racket system ... I also noticed a lot of vids YouTube talking about replacing parts / reconditioning the extension ..... , making me think salt water over time really affects the workings ..... ?

Tried to get a couple , have 1 on the way .... so can test for myself soon , and loving the idea of rigging it on my sons rig , and being able to adjust on the fly on the water anytime he gets under or overpowered and not doing multiple rerigs back back and forth to the van , so if it works - major win ..... He can go from stacked on his XS3 - to fine withe some downhaul tweaks - so will be gold for that ...

Don't stress .. they are amazing .. dry system and no maintenance .. even the sand doesn't cause any issues, so i wouldn't worry about salt water.

Nothing really wears out easily except the rope like any extension .. if you want to use for 10 years I guess you might need to replace something but maybe assess if any spares are required after the 2026 summer.

It is a simple yet amazing design hence the reliability .... (1) a single cog with stepped edge and (2) a pin to lock.

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JakeNN said..

seabreezer said..
JakeNN - is the racket system bare dry ... ? like doesnt need greasing or anything to operate , or water to affect the racket system ... I also noticed a lot of vids YouTube talking about replacing parts / reconditioning the extension ..... , making me think salt water over time really affects the workings ..... ?

Tried to get a couple , have 1 on the way .... so can test for myself soon , and loving the idea of rigging it on my sons rig , and being able to adjust on the fly on the water anytime he gets under or overpowered and not doing multiple rerigs back back and forth to the van , so if it works - major win ..... He can go from stacked on his XS3 - to fine withe some downhaul tweaks - so will be gold for that ...

Don't stress .. they are amazing .. dry system and no maintenance .. even the sand doesn't cause any issues, so i wouldn't worry about salt water.

Nothing really wears out easily except the rope like any extension .. if you want to use for 10 years I guess you might need to replace something but maybe assess if any spares are required after the 2026 summer.

It is a simple yet amazing design hence the reliability .... (1) a single cog with stepped edge and (2) a pin to lock.

It's the single best piece of windsurfing equipment every made.

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John340 said..
It's the single best piece of windsurfing equipment every made.

+1 .. except I need to buy a new one because I want the new DuoTone colours! Maybe next season.

Wave sails are so easy to downhaul, why would you use one unless you had to (like injury etc)

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Mark _australia said..
Wave sails are so easy to downhaul, why would you use one unless you had to (like injury etc)

They certainly have their fans!

They might be easy to add downhaul on the water with, but with low tension I've seen they dont release downhaul when you click the lever when there isnt enough tension on the downhaul. Whenever I add/remove downhaul, I also adjust the outhaul, which is best done on land, unless its shallow and no waves. Ezzy sails have 1cm between medium and max tension, and the XT swallows 3mm each click. So on average you would never get it to max setting, not far off, but it would bug me as if I want max, I want max. Although I probably wouldnt notice it on the water.

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PhilUK said..

1. but with low tension I've seen they dont release downhaul when you click the lever when there isnt enough tension on the downhaul.
2. Ezzy sails have 1cm between medium and max tension, and the XT swallows 3mm each click. So on average you would never get it to max setting, not far off, but it would bug me as if I want max, I want max. Although I probably wouldnt notice it on the water.

1. never had that problem .. usually there is enough tension to release about 5+cm with the lever release and a quick 10 clicks (approx) .. then it's easy without too much tension to grab the rope with your hands to uncleat for the final derigging.

2. I don't get it .. 1cm from med to max, x1 XT click is 3mm, so just use about 3 or 4 clicks? it's easy to go way past max if you need to. not sure why you cant get to max.

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Mark _australia said..
Wave sails are so easy to downhaul,

some of the pros seem to be able to downhaul wave sails by hand .. whenever I have tried there are 3 problems:
a) rips the xxxx out of my hands
b) strained back
c) physically not strong enough

would love to know how many people can really get full max downhaul with their hands.

victor f seems to be ok with the power XT with his wave sails, rather than by hand.

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JakeNN said..

PhilUK said..

1. but with low tension I've seen they dont release downhaul when you click the lever when there isnt enough tension on the downhaul.
2. Ezzy sails have 1cm between medium and max tension, and the XT swallows 3mm each click. So on average you would never get it to max setting, not far off, but it would bug me as if I want max, I want max. Although I probably wouldnt notice it on the water.

1. never had that problem .. usually there is enough tension to release about 5+cm with the lever release and a quick 10 clicks (approx) .. then it's easy without too much tension to grab the rope with your hands to uncleat for the final derigging.

2. I don't get it .. 1cm from med to max, x1 XT click is 3mm, so just use about 3 or 4 clicks? it's easy to go way past max if you need to. not sure why you cant get to max.

1. So? If you havent had the problem it doesnt mean others wont. Maybe it doesnt happen with the latest version. What sails do you use?
2. The difference between med and max is 10mm. 1 click is 3mm. 3 clicks is 9mm or 4 clicks is 12mm.

If you are going to edit my post with bullet points try to answer all points
3. Whenever I add/remove downhaul, I also adjust the outhaul, which is best done on land, unless its shallow and no waves.

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PhilUK said..
2. The difference between med and max is 10mm. 1 click is 3mm. 3 clicks is 9mm or 4 clicks is 12mm.

2. Wow .. 1mm precision with your downhaul .. that's pretty amazing! I'm really surprised you can even measure with this accuracy and that the starting point is perfect to 1mm .. probably needs a tape measure everytime you rig the sail .. moisture levels and temperature might affect the length too. Tricky. Seems unnecessary to me.

3. Yea, on the water adjustments seems a bit unnecessary .. not too difficult but I'd rather just take a break on the beach.

.

I use a screw driver and generally don't worry about settings after the infatuation with new kit. If it picks up during a session, my recommendation is sheet in and smile thinking about the extra beers your earning. If it drops off, go home and have a beer. Win-win!

Two things for the person who will be getting one:
- if you need to replace the rope, buy the original one (thicker than the regular formuline)
- don't forget to leave the lever in the plus position. If you leave it in the minus position, the lever can drop (that happened to me with an old power XT in an old sail)

they are really good.

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JakeNN said..

PhilUK said..
2. The difference between med and max is 10mm. 1 click is 3mm. 3 clicks is 9mm or 4 clicks is 12mm.

2. Wow .. 1mm precision with your downhaul .. that's pretty amazing! I'm really surprised you can even measure with this accuracy and that the starting point is perfect to 1mm .. probably needs a tape measure everytime you rig the sail .. moisture levels and temperature might affect the length too. Tricky. Seems unnecessary to me.

.

Ezzy sails have a gauge, It's the single best piece of windsurfing equipment every made

^^ can't be the best bit of windsurf kit ever, no mention of screwdrivers or beer. I rest my case.

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PhilUK said..
Ezzy sails have a gauge, It's the single best piece of windsurfing equipment every made

that's a good idea .. looks a bit more accurate than the duotone implementation with an adjustable piece of velcro that always moves and is hard to see.

anyways .. i think the 1mm precision wont cause big problems to your fun and competition results .. seems ok for Victor F anyways.

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JakeNN said..

anyways .. i think the 1mm precision wont cause big problems to your fun and competition results .. seems ok for Victor F anyways.

I said that I dont think I'd notice 1mm on the water.

If I was paid to use them, I would use them. Going back to the crux of this thread, if he uses them all the time then they must be up to the job from a strength point of view.
www.duotonesports.com/windsurfing/more/about-us/team/victor-fernandez/

I can count 5 ready to go in the back of his van, 1 per mast/sail

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JakeNN said..
some of the pros seem to be able to downhaul wave sails by hand .. whenever I have tried there are 3 problems:
a) rips the xxxx out of my hands
b) strained back
c) physically not strong enough

would love to know how many people can really get full max downhaul with their hands.

victor f seems to be ok with the power XT with his wave sails, rather than by hand.

Well I don't think anyone grabs the rope by hand
I use a downhaul tool or harness hook. Severne extension and severne sail = pulleys line up.
Normal DH rope, but slippery forumline is of course easier.
I still downhaul to pulleys touching with ease and I'm no bodybuilder. Do the same on camless crossover like Gator and Gaastra Cross.