Windsurf MagazineVAYU AURA 5.0 2022 TEST REVIEW

VAYU AURA 5.0 2022 TEST REVIEW

THE VERDICT

Light, agile and with subtle yet accessible power, the Aura is a crisp, manoeuvre-oriented wing with wonderful, parked stability. Whilst the additional soft handles are a bonus, the brand’s reputed ‘Bridge Boom’ hard handles were unanimously favoured amongst the team.

THEY SAY

“Introducing the new AURA VAYU lightweight wing, perfectly balanced, built for effortless floating behind you. Featuring our proprietary centre strut design which offers you the most control over the wing when needed. Side or rotational movements are eliminated since the handles are firmly locked into the centre strut. Being superlight and balanced, this AURA will float and basically disappear when riding a wave.”

WE SAY

Last year we tried the Vving from Vayu – the first wing of its kind with a trademarked ‘Bridge Boom’ strut system. The second generation Vving is now available, but this year we’re testing Vayu’s all-new wing – the Aura. Classed as their “high performance wave wing”, it is said to become “neutral in your hands when free-winging”. Another new feature for 2022 is that it comes supplied as standard with two very different handle setups – soft handles (pre-installed when unrolling the wing initially), and the brand’s more familiar solid boom-system handles. Inflation is recommended up to 7 PSI and is carried out via a standard bayonet valve, the air feeding into the central strut via a single hose. Sensibly, the second hose as seen on the original Vving has been replaced by a dump valve for easy deflation. Once inflated, the Aura has a pronounced dihedral leading edge profile and a tight leech along the trailing edge of its canopy, albeit some looseness in its main body, allowing it to fill out once powered. The canopy uses a premium D2 ripstop material, which is fabricated in a “high tenacity polyester yarn” and said to have the best strength to weight ratio in the industry. And unlike the Vving, the Aura has no windows.

Tried initially with the soft handles, the Aura feels light and lifty from the off. It has a relatively high aspect outline, with quite a short central strut length, so in light winds the power delivery is more subtle, requiring some rider intervention and input to really make the most of its bottom end power. That said, with good technique and rhythm, the Aura can inject the power for early flight, the tight canopy providing the feedback and useable response. Once going the soft handles are comfortable in the hands yet twist quite a bit and took some getting used to. In powered conditions this is less of an issue as the wing powers easily and pulls away from the rider, but in light marginal conditions, as the wing’s power and position fluctuate, the twisting movement in the handles compromises control somewhat. Coming back in, we changed the handles over to the Bridge Boom hard handles, using the countersunk screws, Allen key and fittings supplied. It’s a simple intuitive process and takes no longer than five minutes. Back out on the water and the Aura’s feeling and connection is transformed, becoming crisper and much more direct. The weight increase is there, but we think this is a worthwhile trade-off for the added stiffness and sense of control. Fast and efficient on all points of sail, the length of the dual booms allows the rider to shift their hands into the right place for more power or control without letting go of the wing at any time. And like the Vving, the leash tether is placed above the neutral handle on the wing’s leading edge, so that it’s loose and free when the wing is parked during a wave ride or downwind glide. And it’s during these moments that the Aura really brings a smile to your face. Light, balanced and well behaved, it just sits there, allowing the rider to concentrate on their ride, connecting their turns or pumping the foil for that extra bit of speed. It really is a delight to use, the handles easy to relocate at the end of a ride or transition. The leash itself is an elasticated cord and is extremely long, so does get in the way quite often during transition if on the wrist … yet easily long enough to attach to a waist leash.