Wing techno

It benefits from the strongest construction on the market. And yet it is lighter! While nothing is indestructible, we still want wings capable of coping with the worst treatments and equipping the best riders.

The seams are further reinforced, always with the aim of increasing the longevity of your wings. The reinforcements are strategically positioned so that the wing can withstand all the stresses you will apply to it during use. We are the opposite of the basic wing technology of low cost brands. Our low prices can only be explained by the absence of intermediaries. Our wings are built according to the rules of the art, to last and endure the usual constraints of this new sport. At GONG our wings are top of the range and if by bad luck you were to break them, they are repairable from A to Z with the components that we keep in stock for your favorite repairer.

Materials:

The structure of our wings is composed of a leading edge and a central strut in Dacron DIMENSION POLYANT DP175LL which form a rigid skeleton when the internal TPU bladders are inflated.

Dacron DP175LL is a very durable and very rigid polyester fabric, and this particular variant is also light. A true world reference for Dacron, it is the most proven material on the market. It is perfect for giving excellent performance for as long as possible. It is also easy to find for discreet repairs.

The rigidity of the structure is ensured by bladders in the leading edge and in the central batten. Our bladders are made of 80 microns thick TPU for added strength. The tubes themselves and all the accessories are heat-sealed to withstand significant pressures.

The structure is made up of two independent bladders: one for the leading edge and one for the batten. Connected by the One Pump system, you can inflate them simultaneously thanks to the valve on the leading edge. The One Pump clip separates the airflow between the two bladders at the end of inflation. You thus benefit from a double chamber of safety when sailing and an ease of replacement if necessary.

To reinforce the rigidity of the structure, we worked on the longitudinal and volumetric dimensions of the sections of leading edge Dacron DP175LL panels. In the center, the sections are reduced and with a large diameter, the closer you get to the tips, the thinner the leading edge becomes to reinforce the rigidity of the arc of the wing.

Being the control area of the wing, the central strut has also undergone major transformations to stiffen the structure of the wing. The assembly technology for the strut is the same as the one used for the leading edge, with specially reinforced seams to ensure material hold in all conditions.

Our expectations are clear: a very rigid, resistant and light structure.

We dress the structure of the wing with a 50g/m² spinnaker canvas, so very light, but weaved in triple ripstop to stiffen and strengthen it. Three large-diameter fibers reinforce the fabric at regular intervals and in two 90° axes. This mesh will stop the tears and prevent them from spreading. But it will also lock the deformations of the fabric to guarantee the stability of the shape when sailing.

This fabric is coated with a protective layer that forms a near impermeable barrier to air and protects it from the sun and humidity so that it lasts as long as possible. This surface treatment also has a water-repellent effect to repel water on the spinnaker instantly and lighten the wing when sailing.

Wing foiling is an extreme sport. The equipment has to cope with harsh conditions and this requires the integration of reinforcements.

The subject to these heavy loads have been reinforced by the addition of a strap at the seam. Collages, specific stitches, multiple layers for example.
The of the leading edge and of the strut are lined with a thick and robust Nylon layer.

The leash attachment point on the leading edge is even more reinforced than the bridle anchors on a kite. It’s super strong and it’s essential because a break there would cause the wing to explode.

Assembly:

The panels are cut using a numerical control. Accuracy is absolute to guarantee you a shape that is 100% compliant with our 3D design.

The assembly of the panels is achieved by a succession of sometimes very complex seams. Indeed, while the flat seams in the canopy remain simple, other assemblies such as the batten for example must be sewn using specific techniques, to withstand the constraints of this new sport.

The canopy is an assembly of spinnaker panels that define the profile of the wing with cutouts precisely defined in design on the 3D software SurfPlan. These cutouts are necessary to create a 3D shape from a “flat” fabric, but they also serve to stiffen the canopy in the directions where the efforts are the greatest. Our huge laser cutting table combines precision and pace in order to obtain a result that meets our requirements.

The shape evolves considerably from one model to another depending on the wing program: ease of use, range of use, dynamism, reactivity, performance… And it is our R&D center made up of engineers, 3-D designers, our shaper and GONG team riders, who are responsible for developing the best solutions for your uses.

Handles construction:

In order to accompany you even further in your progression, and thanks to our clever GONG Fastening System, you have the possibility of changing your textile handles into rigid handles or a boom for a more direct feeling with the wing.

Our modular textile handles consist of a rigid PVC body and comfortable EVA foam. They are wrapped in a very resistant and non-abrasive Nylon webbing. The rigidity of the set thus provides direct and precise control of the wing in all circumstances, protects your board from shocks, and can be stored in one minute.

The fixing parts are designed for assembly without play. They are completely removable in 30 seconds, therefore scalable and interchangeable with textile, rigid or boom handles.

The handles are screwed onto strap reinforcements that go around the central batten to distribute the forces over the entire circumference of the latter. This system has already proven itself for many years on our wings with textile handles, and this for uses over 12 months.
The assembly sandwiches the webbing for maximum strength and allows no twisting. And the cherry on the cake: the screwing nut is a standard US foil fixing nut. A smart choice to never find yourself helpless 😉

In order to protect the wing from rigid parts, we use Kevlar reinforcements, very expensive materials but which offer incomparable abrasion resistance. We have made the choice not to use sewn flexible plastic whose lifespan is quite poor in the marine environment, under heavy loads and because of UV.
The fixation parts are made of nylon loaded with 20% fiberglass, which guarantees them a very high durability. In addition, this material reduces the risk of damaging your board: nothing is worse than carbon hitting carbon. The nylon is perfectly rigid but sufficiently absorbent in case of shocks. We also advise beginners to favor textile handles to protect their board and their front teeth 😉 Ditto when you try your first back flips and end up lying on the central strut!!!

The tubes of our rigid handles and of the boom* are made of prepreg carbon applied in 4 directions for minimum weight and maximum strength/stiffness. It’s the most high-end tech on the market to make no concessions between stiffness, weight and performance. With their oval section, they offer better grip for less fatigue and maximum comfort. The ovalization also offers more rigidity while allowing the diameter to be reduced. Our rigid handles are covered with a textured molded grip which further improves its grip and reduces effort. It’s velvet…

(*optional items)

The number of handles is optimal. Three handles are set on the structure of the wing: a downwind handle on the leading edge for surfing sessions and launching and two handles on the central strut to steer the wing. The rear hand handle is elongated to adjust your hand placement and be in the action in all circumstances. On the rigid version, the front hand grip is ideally placed and with an ideal opening angle for your wrist and for a pistol grip.

The position of the handles is precisely defined according to the model and according to the size of each wing. We study each wing to determine the perfect place to position your hands.

UPE wings technology

UPE 200 TECHNOLOGY

It benefits from an ultra high-end construction that is both super solid and light! Though nothing is indestructible, we want durable wings capable of withstanding the worst treatments, to equip the best riders.

UPE 200 is an ultra high-end fabric of laminated hard polyethylene that replaces dacron on all the inflatable parts of this new wing.

It is a super light structure fabric: 116 g/m². This is 30% less than the Dacron DP 175LL which is 162 g/m². Though it is lighter, it is more resistant in elongation and much more rigid! To integrate it on the wings, it required a complete redesign of the wings starting with the seams which had to be adapted to this new material. After dozens of tests on a traction bench and then in real conditions, the UPE wings show much higher resistance to pressure than the dacron versions. So in addition to having a lighter and more rigid material, it is also possible to inflate it harder!

The gain in sailing is just incredible! Precision, power, maneuverability, control: everything is increased tenfold by the rigidity of the UPE, it really is the super high performance wing for demanding riders!

Extra perk of the UPE, once deflated its specific lamination becomes flexible. The wing folds smoothly, you don’t feel like it’s creased or damaged in any way.
Of course, such performance comes at a price. In this case $70/ml for UPE against only $6/ml for Dacron, a factor of more than 10. It is also more difficult to cut and sew, which increases production costs.

UPE ARAMID

The PULSE DP UPE ARAMID benefits from the most efficient technology to excel in racing:

The double profile, a world first in the wing foiling world, reduces drag to increase average and maximum speed in an incredible way. Air flows are optimized on the lower surface: performance is boosted.

The Low Drag System technology on each tip consists of a rigid, removable slat, tensioned by a profiled clip to allow smooth air flow.

UPE Aramid is a true jewel of textile technology developed by experts in nautical textiles. The UPE base combined with woven Aramid fibers make it a fabric that is both very light, very rigid and very resistant to tearing.

The boom with prepreg carbon applied in 4 directions enjoys the most high-end construction on the market to allow optimal rigidity with very low weight. Its oval shape offers an ideal grip which prevents fatigue, reduces the overall diameter of the boom, and increases rigidity. It is also covered with embossed EVA for perfect grip and comfort.

The fixing parts of the boom are designed to cancel out any play and to be completely removable, therefore scalable but above all extremely durable. We made the choice not to use sewn soft plastic whose lifespan is quite poor in the marine environment, under heavy loads and because of UV exposure. We have therefore chosen to make our fixing parts in a rigid plastic heavily loaded with fiberglass to offer them a longer life than those of soft handles.

The boom is screwed onto webbing reinforcements that go around the central batten to distribute the forces over its entire circumference. This system has already proven itself for many years on our wings with soft handles. The assembly sandwiches the strap for maximum strength and does not allow any twisting. And the ultimate trick: the screwing nut is a standard nut for US foil box. A smart choice to never find yourself helpless 😉

The boom has an ideal opening angle for your wrist and for a pistol grip which allows you to have a new way of gripping the wing which can be extremely useful in maneuvers, in freeflying or simply on land.

In order to protect the wing from rigid parts, we use Kevlar reinforcements, very expensive materials but which offer incomparable abrasion resistance.

Our spinnaker is made of triple Ripstop throughout the canopy. Firstly because the feeling is much more rigid, firmer. Then because it is the best against tearing without affecting the lightness. Three large diameter fibers reinforce the fabric at regular intervals and in two 90° axes. This mesh strengthens the fabric against heavy shocks.

RIGID HANDLES :

In order to make no compromise on performance, the Droid UPE comes standard with our very innovative and well thought-out rigid handle system.

The tubes of these rigid handles are made of prepreg carbon applied in 4 directions for minimum weight and maximum strength/stiffness. It’s the most high-end tech on the market to make no concessions between stiffness, weight and performance. With their oval section, they offer better grip for less fatigue and maximum comfort. The ovalization also offers more rigidity while allowing the diameter to be reduced. Our rigid handles are covered with a textured molded grip which further improves its grip and reduces effort. It’s velvet…

The fixing parts are designed for assembly without play. They are completely removable in 30 seconds, therefore scalable and interchangeable with textile handles or a boom.

We have made the choice not to use sewn flexible plastic whose lifespan is quite poor in the marine environment, under heavy loads and because of UV. This is why our handle bends are made of 20% nylon loaded fiberglass, which guarantees them top notch durability. In addition, this material reduces the risk of damaging your board: nothing is worse than carbon hitting carbon. The nylon of our handle bends is perfectly rigid but sufficiently absorbent in case of shocks. We also advise beginners to favor soft handles to protect their board and their front teeth 😉 Ditto when you try your first back flips and end up lying on the central strut!!!

The handles are screwed onto strap reinforcements that go around the central strut to distribute the forces over its entire circumference. This system has already proven itself for many years on our wings with soft handles. The assembly sandwiches the webbing for maximum strength and allows no twisting. And the cherry on the cake: the screwing nut is a standard US foil fixing square. A smart choice to never find yourself helpless 😉

In order to protect the wing from rigid parts, we use Kevlar reinforcements, very expensive materials but which offer incomparable abrasion resistance.

We are the opposite of the basic wing technology of low cost brands. Our low prices can only be explained by the absence of intermediaries. Our wings are built according to the rules of the art, to last and endure the usual constraints of this new sport.

At GONG our wings are top of the range and if by bad luck you were to break them, they are repairable from A to Z with the components that we keep in stock for your favorite repairer.

UPE techno of our wings

The structure of our wings consists of a leading edge and a central strut in UPE 200 which form an ultra-rigid and ultra-light skeleton when the internal TPU bladders are inflated.

The panels are cut using a numerical control. Accuracy is absolute to guarantee you a shape that is 100% compliant with our 3D design.

GONG’s experience as a pioneer in the sport with a Team of the highest level, combined with the know-how gained over decades in our production plants, guarantee you an end product that is durable, light and perfectly in line with our design and our expectations.

Inflation of the wing is ensured by bladders in the leading edge and in the central batten. Our bladders are made of 80 microns thick TPU for added strength. The tubes themselves and all the accessories are heat-sealed to withstand significant pressures.

The bladders are covered by the structure in UPE 200 which gives its shape to the Wing. This is worked on these longitudinal and volumetric dimensions to maximize performance. This is why the central sections are shorter and of large diameter, then refined when one approaches the tips.

Our expectations are clear: a very rigid, resistant and light structure.

We dress the structure of the wing with a 50g/m² spinnaker canvas, so very light, but weaved in triple ripstop to stiffen and strengthen it. The triple ripstop will stop the tears, preventing them from spreading any further. But it will also lock the deformations of the fabric to guarantee the stability of the shape when sailing.

The canopy is an assembly of spinnaker panels that define the profile of the wing with cutouts precisely defined in design on the 3D software SurfPlan. These cutouts are necessary to create a 3D shape from a “flat” fabric, but they also serve to stiffen the canopy in the directions where the efforts are the greatest. Our huge laser cutting table combines precision and speed in order to obtain a result that meets our requirements.

The shape evolves considerably from one model to another depending on the wing program: ease of use, range of use, nervousness, reactivity, performance… And it is our R&D center made up of engineers, 3D-designers, our shaper and GONG Team who are responsible for developing the best solutions for your uses.

Wing foiling is an extreme sport. The equipment has to cope with harsh conditions and this requires the integration of reinforcements.

The seams subject to these heavy loads have been reinforced by the addition of a strip at the seam. Collages, specific stitches, multiple layers for example.
The tips of the leading edge and of the strut are lined with a thick and robust Nylon layer.

A wing is also made of many essential accessories:

The large rapid inflation/deflation valve on the leading edge which is doubled on the strut for immediate deflation and compact storage. Always in one pump, it’s inflated by the leading edge in a few seconds.

The number of handles is optimal. We offer three handles placed on the structure of the wing: a downwind handle on the leading edge for surfing sessions and getting in and out of the water and two handles on the central batten to steer the wing. On the 2023 range, the length of the rear handle has been increased to be able to adapt the positioning of your hand whatever the circumstances. The front handle is ideally placed and an open angle allows a comfortable wrist position and also a pistol grip.

The position of the handles is precisely defined according to the model and according to the size of each wing. We study each wing to determine the perfect position to place your hands.

The two steering handles are sewn onto the wing strut with reinforcement straps that go all the way around the strut in order to relieve the batten fabric from taking on all the efforts.

Our handles consist of a rigid PVC body and comfortable EVA foam. They are wrapped in a very durable and non-abrasive Nylon webbing. The rigidity of the whole handle thus provides direct and precise control of the wing in all circumstances, protects your board from shocks, and can be stored in one minute.

The straps holding the handle and harness line take up all the load of the rider and distribute this effort around the entire circumference of the central strut. It is clearly the most solid: both on a huge effort at a given time, and for a use beyond 12 months.

The leash attachment point on the leading edge is even more reinforced than the bridle anchors on a kite. It’s super strong and it’s essential because a break there would cause the wing to explode.

To make the sessions last while preserving your back, we have placed two nylon harness loops on the central strut to mount a harness line (sold separately). These very light nylon loops are discreetly integrated into the base of the handles. Long sessions and one-handed tricks are yours!

Our GONG Wings