Some quick pics I took of the new Skate 100 TE. The new foot pads which are textured with a diamond pattern are much grippier and a nice improvement. The new paint job is very slick with airbrushed rails and full wrap-around graphics. Carbon-Kevlar deck and Carbon bottom with a super light finish... very sick (despite the typo on the board graphics)!
Also of note, since 2010 Fanatic footstrap anti-twist washers have been redesigned and the post spacing now fits DaKine Core Contour straps without any modification. You still may want to grind down the tops of the posts a bit w/ a Dremel, as the CC straps are a few mm thinner than the stock straps, but no more need to melt the holes wider on your straps to get them to interface with the anti-twist washers. The Fanatic anti-twist system is awesome!
I guess I'm taking a page out of the appleinsider.com playbook. Whenever Apple releases a new product, Apple Insider takes lots of nice pictures. Where we differ however is that AI likes to show unboxing photos, showing off the slick packaging, and then finally get to detail shots. Windsurf board boxes are pretty vanilla, so I'll just get to the good stuff.
I just got my hands on a new 2010 Ezzy Wave Panther 2 5.2, and I thought I'd post some pictures. No wind to try it out, and I have a bum elbow anyway, but I thought I'd rig up and see what it looks like.
Limited pre-season quantities & pricing available now! click for details
New for 2010:
“Tri-Lite” cloth used in the center panel. It is called “Tri-Lite” because it consists of film, woven scrim, and X ply. A significant weight savings come from the Tri-lite's thinner film; 37.5 microns, compared to 100 micron film used in our Spectra X ply. The woven scrim combined with the X ply provides excellent tear strength. The overall weight of Tri-Lite is 40% less than Spectra X-ply. “Tri-Lite” has three main benefits:
It is lighter. The 2010 sails have a lighter feel than the 2009 sails. This is noticeable while wave riding, jibing and basic sail handling.
It has better UV resistance. Tri-Lite has more yarns and less film which means it doesn't get "crispy" and brittle from excessive UV exposure.
Tri-Lite absorbs shocks traveling through the sail better than other fabric. This makes the sail feel smoother and less jerky.
Mesh pocket in pad for downhaul line
Stronger Dacron cover on the battens which improves scuff resistance
Just got myself a couple 2010 Maui Sails Locos. This is Maui Sails' freestyle sail which was developed with Taty Frans.
First impression is that the sail is very balanced and neutral. The sail seems to generate power from all over the sail without feeling top-heavy. It just feels like very well distributed skin tension with some release at the top. It sets w/ a lot less rotation and hard shape than many other freestyle sails that I've used, so it's still good for sail handling tricks like duck tacks, and it really goes neutral very easily. The new orange colorway is also nice. My 5.6 is orange, and my 5.2 is blue... for all the people who sail with me. I like to have each size a different color so other people can tell what size I'm using. Maui Sails have also changed their material for the integrated mast pad, which should be more durable.
My only session so far was a very brief and light wind sesh at Candlestick. I'm looking forward to testing it out some more!
