gription wrote: ↑Fri Mar 05, 2021 4:04 pm
Looks pretty hot. So many new options for the summer in North America. Has anyone ridden this one? Any comparisons to the Strike, A-Wing, Wasp V2?
Disclaimer! I ride for North in the R&D team.
I have been riding the preproduction 5m for almost 4 months now. I have had about an hour on the Strike and about 30 minutes on the final prototype of the WASP V2.
They all feel very different. I find the Nova to be the most grunty out of the 3. It is probably the most intuitive to use followed by the WASP V2. Both the Nova and WASP v2 have similar thicker handles, compared to the very thin square handles of the Strike. The Strike is very stiff, but takes getting used to and needs a different pumping technique to get the maximum power out of it. The Strike jumps really well. It felt a bit unstable on fast upwind courses, the other two feel more stable when pushing them upwind hard. The Nova and WASP V2 generate power very easily and most people will find it easy to get flying with little effort or change to technique even in light wind.
I am not a fan of the thin and loose surf handles on the Strike and WASP V2. I prefer the thick and rigid handle of the Nova. I think this is a matter of taste.
The One-Pump on the Nova has two hoses with clips to the strut which makes pumping and deflating the Nova really quick and easy. The Strike has a deflate on the Strut. The WASP v2 I tried had no One Pump.
The Windows on the Nova are great. The are positioned so that they work passively, meaning you do not have to lift up or lower the wing to see through them. This means you can easily see what is downwind of you when riding at all times. (See attached Picture) That position is also out of the way of the billow of the sail, which means they do not deform the profile in the middle of the Wing and are also out of the crash area when you catapult into the wing. The Strike has no Windows. The WASP V2 has long windows along both sides of the Strut. These are made of a light and stiffer PU material. I needed to move the wing up to see through them when riding.
The Bag of the Nova is awesome. It is long and allows the Wing to be stored folded in half which prevents the windows from being creased and also lets the wing dry in the bag a bit faster. The Strike bag is pretty much the same as the Swing bag. I did not see the bag for the WASP V2.
Both the WASP V2 and Nova have Y Handles which I love.
Another great thing on the Nova, is that the Strut Bladder has lines attached to the Top and Bottom corners of the bladder. This allows for really easy installation of the bladder and also prevents the bladder from falling back into the strut (which is the reason strut bladders can pop) by keeping the front of the bladder secure to the front of the strut.
The Strike feels the stiffest and lightest of the 3. Regardless all 3 of them feel really balance when wave riding and freestyling.
The Black Ripstop of the Nova dries really quickly in the sun. This saves a lot of time
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Gunnar
