WASP

Had the opportunity to give a 6m WASP a go today in 12 to 15 knots.

My experience is on 4m/5m duotones and a 7m gong.

The 6m wasp is definitely smaller than the 7m gong. I overlayed them and the gong is wider and longer. I didn't think to compare to the 5m duotone, but it feels much bigger.

The wing material reminds me of the stuff they used in the zephyr kite.

Pumped up the wasp and leading edge is bigger than the duotone or gong (it's huge). The centre strut is inflated via thin tube from the leading edge.... the tube is way too thin and it cannot be locked off. Takes time to fill the strut and empty the strut (criticism number 1). The centre strut is used to shape the wing and is fat from start to end. It is as stiff as the duotone boom. There entire wing and boom are stiff and there is no flex. Very similar to the duotone. Whereas the 7m gong flexes a lot and you lose power with the flex.

The wasp is light. Lighter than the gong or duotone and floats nicely on a soft breeze.

(Last criticism)... ****ty cheap nasty thin handles (ozone added the extra side handles and they are STIFF, should have used those on the boom). I plan to attach a solid boom of some sort (paddle probably).

I went out on the AXIS 102 and Naish Hover 125.

Pumping up onto the foil was pretty straight forward. Pumping the wing generates a lot of power (equal to gong). But to my surprise I dragged the wing a bit, pretty sure that is just an experience issue.

Once I got on the foil, I had heaps of power and it was easy to turn it on and off.

Upwind performance was decent. My impression is the duotone is just a tad better, but with more experience there may be little difference.

Coming off the wind was great and wing sat nicely without the duotone fidgeting.

It is powerful little engine and might end up being my biggest wing

Those are my impressions.

Select to expand quote

hilly said..
Great review I just got the 5 it is awesome. Love the total depower riding a wave no flipping around like the duotone. I have even chucked the wing and riden a wave then picked up the nicely behaved wing at the end. Packs up into a small package , brilliant. Not sure what the thinking is with the small tube to link the leading edge and strut, only negative.

I do like the small pack up, just not the 5 minutes of strut massage to get the air out.

Thanks for review. I have Gong 7m and wasp 4.2m, but haven't used them enough yet to really have good feedback.

I did notice yesterday the lack of a stopper on the strut valve -- kind of odd from a kite manufacturer, as these are standard on kites, so that if you lose inflation in main strut you still have at least one strut that floats. However, maybe less important on wing, since you are most likely on a bigger floatier board that you can paddle. Still, if desired this would be an easy add-on.

I was also surprised by the small diameter rubber tube, takes ages to deflate that big centre strut. It's also limp, so it's prone to bending. I am going to replace with a larger spare from one of my kites (or just standard black tubing from hardware store), add the zip ties to connections so it can't come off, and add the isolating stopper.

Select to expand quote

juandesooka said..
Thanks for review. I have Gong 7m and wasp 4.2m, but haven't used them enough yet to really have good feedback.

I did notice yesterday the lack of a stopper on the strut valve -- kind of odd from a kite manufacturer, as these are standard on kites, so that if you lose inflation in main strut you still have at least one strut that floats. However, maybe less important on wing, since you are most likely on a bigger floatier board that you can paddle. Still, if desired this would be an easy add-on.

I was also surprised by the small diameter rubber tube, takes ages to deflate that big centre strut. It's also limp, so it's prone to bending. I am going to replace with a larger spare from one of my kites (or just standard black tubing from hardware store), add the zip ties to connections so it can't come off, and add the isolating stopper.

I was thinking of adding the same isolating stopper that the Gong uses. That way I could essentially just leave the centre strut mostly inflated and pack the whole thing in long bag (exactly what I do with the Gong now to avoid removing the struts).

Select to expand quote

juandesooka said..

bigtone667 said..

juandesooka said..
Thanks for review. I have Gong 7m and wasp 4.2m, but haven't used them enough yet to really have good feedback.

I did notice yesterday the lack of a stopper on the strut valve -- kind of odd from a kite manufacturer, as these are standard on kites, so that if you lose inflation in main strut you still have at least one strut that floats. However, maybe less important on wing, since you are most likely on a bigger floatier board that you can paddle. Still, if desired this would be an easy add-on.

I was also surprised by the small diameter rubber tube, takes ages to deflate that big centre strut. It's also limp, so it's prone to bending. I am going to replace with a larger spare from one of my kites (or just standard black tubing from hardware store), add the zip ties to connections so it can't come off, and add the isolating stopper.

I was thinking of adding the same isolating stopper that the Gong uses. That way I could essentially just leave the centre strut mostly inflated and pack the whole thing in long bag (exactly what I do with the Gong now to avoid removing the struts).

Yeah, I did same for Gong due to the to battens...just leave it long and get a windsurf sail bag.

One of my mates is using a 6 foot surfboard bag for his 5m Gong.

Select to expand quote

hilly said..

MidAtlanticFoil said..

bigtone667 said..

hilly said..
Great review I just got the 5 it is awesome. Love the total depower riding a wave no flipping around like the duotone. I have even chucked the wing and riden a wave then picked up the nicely behaved wing at the end. Packs up into a small package , brilliant. Not sure what the thinking is with the small tube to link the leading edge and strut, only negative.

I do like the small pack up, just not the 5 minutes of strut massage to get the air out.

The best way to deflate the strut is to stand at the leading edge of the upside down wing. After opening the main valve, you can reach down and pick up the strut by one of the handles. Place the strut between your legs and squeeze like mad with your legs and hands in erratic motions. The thrust and jerking motions seems to do the trick. After a few minutes, the strut will be a limp noodle

Would disagree. Watch the end of this vid for pack down, works well

Just make sure you have nothing sharp underneath and/or make the tube larger.

I only had two criticisms of the wing. It's minor compared to the handles, and I can work around it.

Select to expand quote

hilly said..
Larger tube with lock off would be gold. Used to the handles now. My problem is sunscreen, have to clean the hands really well after applying it or very slippery handles

I have been using spray-on sunscreen for this reason in summer. Sticks could also be a solution, I use for instance the Run Guard sticks to avoid skin on skin chafing in summer, cleaning hands after using petroleum jelly was a pain.

I was tempted to get the 6m Wasp, but think I'm gonna wait a few more weeks for the Gong Pulse to be released. The Pulse will be Gong's third generation wing in less than 9 months, and a 6m Pulse should run about $630 USD delivered to the US versus $930 for the Wasp

Select to expand quote

Dspace said..
I was tempted to get the 6m Wasp, but think I'm gonna wait a few more weeks for the Gong Pulse to be released. The Pulse will be Gong's third generation wing in less than 9 months, and a 6m Pulse should run about $630 USD delivered to the US versus $930 for the Wasp

Interesting! I bought a Gong first gen 5m on initial release, jumped on the hype bandwagon with both feet, before even any reviews were out. Initial reviews were middling, regarding low end power particularly, and Gong quickly responded with the Pro edition. And now there's a 3rd Generation, just months later? Wow. I got into some online debates about this strategy. Some consider it a positive: responsive designer, always tweaking things, quick improvements. Maybe I am cynical, but to me it seems more negative: insufficient testing, relying on paying clients to be testers, who then end up stuck with quickly obsolete products. Releasing another new version before the older versions are even out there seems to signal a lack of faith in your own product. I don't really want to hack on Gong, as I do like their disruptive DIY ethos. I rationalized it that I paid maybe 60% of the going rate for my wing, so it's like I am on the semi-bro team for the bigger brands, buying at "cost". ;-)

I sold my Gong 5m and then got a can't-pass-up deal on a 7m (gen1), so ended up buying back in. Flying it back to back with my ozone 4.2m, seems the Gong is quite a bit more flappy ... the ozone frame is solid. Looking forward to your testing Warwickl.

Select to expand quote

Dspace said..
Hey Juansesooka, let's face it, we're all guinea pigs in this very new wing a ding thing. Many of us are quickly downsizing our boards, moving to high aspect low profile wings, etc. Even my Duotone wings, which have served me well, are clunky with some significant drawbacks.

Who knows, by the time the new Gong Pulse is released, we might hear about the next generation Duotone wing, and I'll be tempted to wait for that,.......and on it goes

oh yeah, no doubt...don't get me wrong, I am not bitter about it. Was more just mulling about product release strategies. Companies that are locked into annual releases have negatives too, slow to react OR release a new colour and then hype it as a "game changer". I reckon there's a happy medium in there somewhere.

how to attach a paddle for a boom

Supnorte, that board looks awesome! Not to change the subject but is Arnaud able to knee start with it? How much does he weigh?

360 anyone?

Nice video. Your friend looks very comfortable with the wing.

The 6m seems to work really well in low wind conditions.

Select to expand quote

bigtone667 said..
Update: I am now up to about 20+ sessions on the 6m WASP and it is definitely my light wind option.... The 6m and 4m WASP's will replace the 7m Gong and 5m/4m Duotone wings.

I am now used to the soft handles and I have no dramas with them now.

The pumping up the beast is still a pain (I am sure my 15m Rebel requires less effort).

The draining of air is still slowish. I place the end of the centre strut on my thigh and roll it until all the air is expelled (rather than do it on the ground where sharp objects could puncture the strut).

At 105kg I use the 5m as my "big" wing. Paired with a 2400 front wing I can get up in pretty light wind (10 knots). Don't think I will go bigger as I like the handling of a smaller wing, especially wave riding. Agree about the handles they are a non issue when used to them.