Sadly, my high wind wing (Strike v3 2m) got shredded in the parking lot last week. Super bummed about it since that wing had proven itself repeatedly in winds over 40 knots, even up to a 62 knot gust day.

Probably a long shot, but does anyone else have good recommendations for really extreme condition wings? Or should I hunt for another Strike v3. I heard the v4 lost a little top end?

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BWalnut said..
Sadly, my high wind wing (Strike v3 2m) got shredded in the parking lot last week. Super bummed about it since that wing had proven itself repeatedly in winds over 40 knots, even up to a 62 knot gust day.

Probably a long shot, but does anyone else have good recommendations for really extreme condition wings? Or should I hunt for another Strike v3. I heard the v4 lost a little top end?

Few brands make 2m wings. I had a 2.8 PPC Surge which was particularly good in strong wind, but their smallest is 3m now. Same with Smik. A strike might be your best option

Ezzy apparently makes a 2.2m and people seem to really like them. Build quality is legendary in the windsurfing world.

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Grantmac said..
Ezzy apparently makes a 2.2m and people seem to really like them. Build quality is legendary in the windsurfing world.

Crazy, I had never heard of them but they have a dealer and maybe distributor just up the road from me in Hood River. Just shot them an email to see if I can track down a demo. Thanks for this lead!

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BWalnut said..

Grantmac said..
Ezzy apparently makes a 2.2m and people seem to really like them. Build quality is legendary in the windsurfing world.

Crazy, I had never heard of them but they have a dealer and maybe distributor just up the road from me in Hood River. Just shot them an email to see if I can track down a demo. Thanks for this lead!

There is a thread on their V2 just released. Looks really solid and worth waiting for

Two features I like in a very small wing are (1) soft handles which soften the power delivery vs hard and (2) more rear loaded lower aspect shape because you can modulate power more than a higher aspect wing.
the Cabrinha aer and KT wing both look pretty good and come in very small sizes with soft handles, although I haven't tried either of them. The Neilpryde wings also come in very small sizes but hard handles. Maybe worth looking into these for demo.
I've ridden the 2.4 ozone flux above 40 knots and it handles the power very well although probably bigger than I'd want for a dedicated wing in that range and more direct with the hard handles.

Have to say I'm pretty happy with my quiver of Armstrong XPS. Not the best at anything, but do everything really well. Smallest is 2.2. It's a balanced, well behaved wing, especially for smaller sizes which can get pretty twitchy. Flags nicely, really good upwind, intuitive, smooth through tack/jibe. Once out I'm really lazy about going in downsizing when the wind ramps up and find myself out rigged a size too big regularly. They eat gusts and hold up well- don't seem to bag out as quickly as a lot of wings.

I've got the 2.5 and 1.9m North Novas 2023. A quick websearch shows a few still around. Both are very easy to handle in overpowered conditions But as you'd expect, they have a very compromised low end. I'd need at least 18 knots to get the 2.5 up and running and probably 22+ to get the 1.9m going. Hard handles which I prefer for control. Doesn't look like north make those sizes anymore.

The 1.8M BRM parawing works great in 30-40mph Most comfortable I've been in that kinda wind.

On an east wind day in the gorge I needed probably 35 knots to get the 2m Strike v3 going. Close to 30 knots in west winds. So, zero low end on that sucker. But once it was up and flying it was an absolute dream in the heavy stuff.

I did ask Greg what he thought the 1.8m Parawing would do in 50 knots and reasonably he told me he's not sure how I'd feel with it in 50. He didn't give me his personal high end number, but he did say "I have yet to reach the top end of the range for my riding on the 1.8m"

V2 Dynamo's now come in a 2.4m size

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zarb said..
V2 Dynamo's now come in a 2.4m size

I forgot about dynamo, I can probably get a demo on that too...

I haven't checked recently, but Ensis used to offer their Spin down to a 1,8 of which impressive footage featuring Balz M?ller in brutal gusts exists.
I ride the Scores down to 2,8. At 90ish kilos I can sail it in anything above 20 knots and have been out in gusts of about 40 knots. It's rather sturdy.