EZZY WAVE 5.8M
2020 TEST REVIEW
THE VERDICT
A manoeuvre machine with a monstrous tuning range, which enables you to play to your heart’s content and make the most of its improved handling response in all wind strengths.
OVERVIEW
Having tested the Zeta last year, and it remaining unchanged for 2020, we thought it worthwhile adding the new Ezzy Wave to this category, to see how this 5.8, the largest size in the range, faired against more crossover oriented designs. It is also the only size in the Ezzy Wave lineup that possesses five battens, and whilst there is a weight implication, it remains comparable to some of the lightest in the group. Rigged on a Ho’okipa 430 cm, it has a massive tuning range on both downhaul and outhaul, with the usual dual minimum markings provided on the calibrated tack guide – the first for non-planing float-and-ride sessions. Whatever the setting though, the Wave sets with Ezzy’s signature deep forward facing profile, which extends high up the luff. With a short boom, high cut foot and raised foot batten, the Ezzy has a tall elongated outline, using quality x-ply and scrim throughout its panels. Build and attention to detail are up to the loft’s usual dizzying heights, with more Velcro in the extended tack fairing than Fort Knox has locks, and the most industrial tack roller in the industry. Having got on famously with the Wave in our 5.0m test earlier in the year, it would be interesting to see how this one faired.
BRAND CLAIM
My goal with the Ezzy Wave was to combine the power and stability of our Zeta, with the lightness and handling of our Elite. Getting the Ezzy Wave right was a challenge. It had to satisfy both my son Graham’s need for power in European onshore conditions and 8x world champion Kevin Pritchard, who demands lightness and manoeuvrability for side-off wave riding.” David Ezzy
PERFORMANCE
Rig the Ezzy Wave on its most minimum setting, and be prepared to be amazed at how much pull and feedback a 5.8 sail can generate! The draft is just so deep and the sail so malleable that it allows the mast to flex and spring with every pump to such an extent that the sail’s panels envelop the leeward boom arm! It’s a secret weapon for float and ride sessions, and whilst stability is ultimately compromised as the wind increases, it allows you to make the most of otherwise ‘un-sailable’ conditions. A few centimetres of downhaul tension can completely alter the nature of the Ezzy Wave – a feature consistent throughout the range, but more apparent than ever in this 5.8m. It pays well to take time tinkering with the settings to explore its potential, the tuning guides provided in the tack and clew providing a good indictor of just what’s available. Tuned for planing conditions and the Wave provides full-bodied and useable feedback through both hands, the sail most comfortable in an upright and manoeuvre-oriented stance. It feels crisper and more responsive than Ezzys of old, poised and ready to react to the rider’s demands. The power is always there, encouraging the rider to enter manoeuvres and transitions pro-actively, and inspiring a more assertive style of riding. At the same time it has to be said that there’s certainly less softness to the delivery, less breathability in the panels, which means that any increase in wind strength is more obvious in these new sails, requiring more tuning and less reliance on the sail’s natural range. Yet, fear not, if tuning range is what’s required, the Wave has it in abundance. Just be prepared for a few more tuning trips to the beach in variable conditions.
VITAL STATS
Size: 5.0
Luff: 440-444 cm
Boom: 167-177 cm
Battens: 5
Ideal Mast: Ezzy 430 cm RDM
Available Sizes: 3.0,3.4,3.7,4.0,4.2,4.5,4.7,5.0,5.2, 5.5,5.8
Price: £695
Other sails in this test:
THE LINE UP