Can anyone shed some light on wing design with what in the design makes the wing perform? There is no perfect wing design but helps with finding the next wing quiver.
- Upwind
- Flagging out
- Grunty
- Low end
- High end
- Tacking /Jibing
- Backwind riding
- Racing

- upwind: thin leading edge

-flagging out: light weight materials

- grunty, low end: low aspect

- high end: high aspect

- tacking/jibing: light weight

- backwind and racing: don't know.

Of all things, I find wings to be the hardest to read stats/designs of online. The only thing I look at with any real consideration is size, weight and span. Weight being the absolute #1 most important thing to me. Beyond that I expect I have to try them to be able to truly understand them.

Here I talk about wing characteristics that I like in depth, but I have no concept of how to read marketing information and confirm I'm getting what I want: www.wouzel.com/post/considerations-for-wing-selection-and-the-ocean-rodeo-glide-aa

- upwind: thin leading edge, lower profile wing section

- flagging out: less dihedral, lower weight, looser canopy in the back third of the wing

-low end: thicker profile wing section, lower aspect wing

-high end: lower profile wing section, double skin leading edge, stiffer leading edge, higher aspect

-tacking: more dihedral to create a more unstable but playful wing, stiff leading edge, thinner leading edge or lower profile to cut through the wind, a wing that doesn't try to fly horizontal or flagged and will happily fly on it's side

-Gybing: depends on the gybe, if it's just a normal floating the wing gybe - then light weight.

-backwind: stiff leading edge, wing tips that will flex in either direction so the wing will catch wind when powered from the wrong side

-jumping: stiff leading edge, allows for a much nicer glide back down, speed for take off (ie thinner leading edge, lower profile wing section)

- Upwind: Lower drag. Leech tension on the tighter side but condition dependent (see racing below). Just enough depth in canopy rear.
- Flagging out: Low drag. Loose leeches. More vee in frontal view.
- Grunty: Deeper + stiffer (frame + canopies) + depth forward.
- Low end: Deep + stiff tube-frame, tight-ish leeches.
- High end: Flatter canopy shape, small diam tubes, stiff enough for the wind type, tip "twist".
- Tacking /Jibing: Low drag. Full len boom. Light weight.
- Backwind riding: Dual skin.
- Racing: Higher aspect ratio (thus long foil-masts), full len battens w adjustable tension, positive leech roach, mid-race adjustable canopy tension and leech length, low drag via smaller tubes and dual-skins, tube-frame designed with flex to match canopy shape. Rigid canopies and tubes via fancy materials, long booms for draft stability and less VMG loss when tacking, middle windows for safety.

I'm keen to know how the different brands calculate their wing areas. Because a 3.5 from one brand is like a 4.0 from another.

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Faff said..
I'm keen to know how the different brands calculate their wing areas. Because a 3.5 from one brand is like a 4.0 from another.

Yeah I wrote about that in my wing article. When talking with various brands the story I was told is that there is a couple different types of software out there that calculate it differently. One brand told me they originally calculated a specific way and then realized it wasn't what the rest of the industry was doing so they changed it for their next gen. Kinda funny that's not a standardized thing.

Tried and owned a lot of different wings and brands I think Emmets describes it as close as I experienced.Regarding to flagging, I had tried lots f wings that are on the heavy side, but flag really well due a bit fuller profile (Cabrinha Mantis/ North Nova) and then its size + windspeed specific as well.
My new wings: Vayu Aura3 are quite intersting in that as well as they are a bit fuller, but are for me a new standard in flagging.

Regarding to sizing: having a background in helping developing windsurfgear I experienced that the sizes are always +/- and based on what people wanna buy. Een if you have the perfect wing you probably won,t order an 5.13 but happily buy it as 5.0 is written on it

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Jeroensurf said..
Regarding to sizing: having a background in helping developing windsurfgear I experienced that the sizes are always +/- and based on what people wanna buy. Een if you have the perfect wing you probably won,t order an 5.13 but happily buy it as 5.0 is written on it

That's a great point and makes even more sense when a brand only does whole sizes so they just round it off.

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Jeroensurf said..
Tried and owned a lot of different wings and brands I think Emmets describes it as close as I experienced.Regarding to flagging, I had tried lots f wings that are on the heavy side, but flag really well due a bit fuller profile (Cabrinha Mantis/ North Nova) and then its size + windspeed specific as well.
My new wings: Vayu Aura3 are quite intersting in that as well as they are a bit fuller, but are for me a new standard in flagging.

Regarding to sizing: having a background in helping developing windsurfgear I experienced that the sizes are always +/- and based on what people wanna buy. Een if you have the perfect wing you probably won,t order an 5.13 but happily buy it as 5.0 is written on it

Yeah, amazing how windsurf sails were exactly 4.7 or 4.5.

One piece that makes a wing easy to tack is also the angle of the front handle. If your handle has an angle where the back of the wind is higher or at lease make it neutral when you release your back hand, it will tack better...if the angle make the back of the wing still loaded in the wind when releasing it will be harder(front side tack.less an issue in back side tack as soon as you are using both hands and try to copy Ken Adgate tack...because you can't really copy his style!!!

Tight canopy = longevity. Loading Dacron doesn't break it down, bending and folding and flapping break it down. If your wing is loose and flaps through tacks, maneuvers, luffing, etc it's breaking down and stretching more, resulting in more flapping and more breakdown etc. a tight canopy is going to resist that breakdown more.