Here is the video of the fifth day of the Surf Worldcup Podersdorf 2011, where Steven van Broeckhoven could win the Single Elimination. Steven could also win the double elimination and is the first European winner of a PWA freestyle event since 2,5 years. > Steven wins PWA Surf Worldcup Podersdorf
Look at Ezzy sails. The basic design is solid, decent foil and doesn’t change annually. Then you have a company like Pryde that changes the outline twice a year and heralds it as a major breakthrough each time, and release a lineup of 10 different sails. Look at the slalom lineup of each company, they don’t change much whenever there’s a shift in the winds of fashion. They’re marketed towards the “mature” windsurfing consumer who’s seen many things come and go. Wave sails? You just can’t be seen with last years colors, outline, graphics. Companies don’t release products when they… Read more »
No Poolshark you misread. They would still presumably sell the same amount of product, except the product wouldn’t have to be updated as often. One could argue that the extended deadline of biannual release could prompt more thorough R+D and result in product releases that are more than aesthetic, this warranting more incentive to purchase “the latest”, whilst keeping resale up during the intermission.
And how they will afford their R&D if they only sell their products every now and then?
Yes I agree 100% Witchcraft. I think it would be beneficial for this expensive sport if sail companies released gear bianually or whenever they’re confident the product it “better”. It’d increase resale value which would help consumers, industry would have more time for R&D and the consumer would surely be more confident with their product knowing that it is truely better. At the moment the differences between the lastest and superceded sail designs is subtle, expecially with established windsurf brands. I like how board manufacturers such as Patrik will only release products once they are truely a better product. It… Read more »
@Vldimir: New doesn’t always mean better! Perhaps the old sails work better? Why the hell are there always persons, who want the newest equipment and think that the newest stuff help to progress in sailing?