FEEDBACK: DROID UPE ARAMID

The new UPE Aramid Droid – due to arrive on February 29th – has already allowed a number of wingfoilers like Stéphane to score sessions. He shares his first impressions.

Wingfoilers: Bastien and Malo, GONG team riders, with Droid UPE Aramid wings.

Theory into Practice

“Hallelujah !! I was finally able to test their home-made “ALUULA”. . I’m taking advantage of every opportunity to test a variety of gear from different brands, and here… I must admit I was blown away by what I tried!

The DROID Aramid: strong torque, power and neutrality when surfing, Patrice Guénolé explains it perfectly in his tech talk and on the product page (both are super well done). This first test throws me into a much more palpable reality, with the feeling…. “super whaou”, with gear that’s definitely more performance-oriented than what I had before.”

Conditions of the session

“Conditions: 20 to 25 knots with the Droid 5.5m2 , a small Lethal 45L, carbon mast 85, Fluid M-H 1000cm2, Fluid H42 stab. Swell from 1 to 1.5m and … a brand new, unknown spot for me now (thanks Frédéric Huet for the good advice!). So clearly: I was in the very high end with my 5.5. I would have needed 4.5m2, but I took the opportunity to test its ability to pull Gs, manage excess power, launch sky high (++) and surf overpowered. It clearly ticks all the boxes. A real delight. Go for it!”

Power and balance

“Strong torque: all you have to do is to move the front hand backwards by a centimeter, and zhou, you get Watts ++. A couple of times, I’ve put the turbo in front of a wave, and it reaches crazy speeds. A few messed-up jumps due to this power that pulls well on the front and makes you touch the board before jumping and ending up … catapulted 10m away! A real treat! My sinuses are well rinsed! Balanced and twisting, we can see those who want to do 360s with power: it’s the perfect freestyle wing.”

Boom and freefly handle

Boom: what a bliss to play with this boom, let your hands glide over the grip zone. What a pleasure, how easy to manage. Former windsurfers like me we will get their bearings easily. And the jibe with the wing held in one hand to make it turn… so easy. Freefly handle: perfectly positioned, a little lower than before, super rigid. And it’s just as useful in freefly… as on land (to manage the wing with headwinds behind a sheltered breakwater!). In terms of design, I find the idea to make it semi-rigid to avoid destroying my board (important, I think!!) to be a well-considered choice. You can also take the wing one-handed from the front of the boom and keep a little power in surf…It’s very useful when you risk being dropped by the swell train if you don’t keep up.”

Lightness, rigidity and solidity

“The wing is light and neutral in surf. Top in the announced program. Lightness and solidity: inflated to 6PSI, it’s rock-solid! It would reassure me to have a small patch of Aramid in case I need to repair it if I cut the wing. Perhaps a 20cm by 4cm strip should be provided in advance? I’ll ask my favorite repairer first and see if it’s really necessary or not. You’ll be pulling some serious Gs with this wing that’s for certain! The only limit is the man, as they say. Rigidity: I start in waterstart by sinking the board and the rigidity is felt from that mome”nt on. Downwind tips touch the water and can snag, and the stiffness of the wing means you can control it better by twisting it and preventing the tip from snagging. When there’s too much wind, nothing moves, it evacuates well and accelerates almost endlessly. So it’s not uncomfortable.

Price, colors and sizes

“Price: A wing for performance, but at an affordable price with the price … how can I put this … let’s say it … that allows you to buy a quiver for the price of a single yellow wing from other brands 😉 Color: I took it in the neon green color in white, based on a reasoning: in my opinion, it’s the color that’s best seen from far out at sea in the event of a problem… in the case of a DW failure, for example. Size: it’s a compact wing. The same goes for the even better-designed bag: the Droid 5.5 bag is much tighter in diameter and measures just 1.4m (i.e. 50cm less than the bag on my SuperPower Boom – see photo).”

Conclusions

“I’m delighted with my purchase. Thanks to the GONG Galaxy team for these innovations and this customer experience (from the delivery logistics to the end of the session!), all within a controlled budget! Thanks to Christian Souchet for the photos. Now all I have to do is make progress… Top gear. The locals are very impressive on the water, and welcoming. The spot is beautiful. The wind and the sun are there.”

Order before February 29th 2024 to ride with a UPE Aramid Droid, Neutra or Pulse DP wing from the Team Series!