Duotone Super hero pulley system

I have a mixture of Superhero's from different model years.

The 22 & 23 model year sails have the pulley has the blue ring.

BUT for 25 model year, they now have 3 pulley block with a larger central pulley to align the rope when you are using the 2 pulley loop & go system (as shown). So everyone is a winner.....and they say windsurfing innovation is dead

So now people with newer style extensions and older extensions (or too stubborn to try something new) are all happy.

It's a bit more fiddly with newer extensions compared to the plastic separator but probably a compromise they made based on feedback from the second group with older extensions lol.

They physics don't matter for sails that don't require much force to downhaul like wave and freeride sails. The 16% difference in force won't be noticeable while you have to pull 16% more rope with 3 pulleys. This is the difference between pulling once or twice so give me 2 pulleys anytime.

16% (2/6th) is not even considering the increased friction as a result of the extra pulley so the practical difference is probably much smaller even. Based on my experience, the 2 pulley system feels more smooth so would potentially even require less force in reality.

I don't have any of theses issues cause I use simmer

Yeah it doesn't really translate like that. Let's use some examples for a wave sail (e.g. 60 kg of down force required) and a camber sail (e.g. 120 kg).

wave sail - 2 pulleys: requires 20 kg of down force, something that most people can easily do

wave sail - 3 pulleys: requires 15 kg of down force, only 5 kg less (8.3% of 60 kg)

There's not much benefit in having that extra pulley, especially when considering the extra rope length which means you'll have to pull two times when extension is over 20 cm.


camber sail - 2 pulleys: requires 40 kg of down force, pretty hard work

camber sail - 3 pulleys: requires 30 kg of down force, still a lot but most people would be able to do or use a tool to assist. The benefits of a third pulley becomes relevant when forces increase.

I think everyone who still believes there's a benefit in a third pulley for a wave sail, find me or someone with a modern sail on the beach and you can try it :D I'm sure you'd agree that the difference in pull force is negligible and as mentioned earlier, you mind find it feels more smooth due to less pulleys.

If you haven't tried, well you can't know.

Those cranes deal with tonnes of weight, not small loads like in our case.

What I know is based on real life experience using both 3 and 2 pulleys on wave sails. You don't have to agree but I do challenge you to try it out yourself and you will understand what I mean.

Edit: here is the reason: the extension acts as a third pulley. I didn't even realise it was there lol as you don't need to loop through it. Mystery solved Everyone happy now?

I'd like to chime in from an engineering point of view. The math says that the third wheel doesn't increase by a third , but goes better and increases the ratio by half again. So if your pulling 20 kg over one pulley your creating 40 kg. Do it over the second , it's 80 kg. Over that third wheel it increases to 160. That's not counting the other two pulleys at the base. We're talking lots of tension. Yes we lose lots , bending rope over a wheel that really doesn't spin easy or at all. That's where dyneema rope is better , cos it just slides when the wheels don't spin. Friction costs energy, but no where near what an added wheel produces. It doubles what the last wheel did. I did the maths once after downhauling an old 8.6 m race sail and as an educated guess , was pulling at least 80 kg trying to get that last cm. Probably more.I'm a big guy and veins on my forehead wear popping.My calculations got me close to 900 kg of stress my poor sail and mast had to put up with. That's calculating with a massive 30% off for friction. There is no way in hell I could have achieved that with two pulleys.
ps, if your wheels are ****ty and don't spin , more wheels will produce more friction. It could be a factor. A big factor. That's the only reason why dyneema rope is an easier pull. Not because it bends easier , probably opposite, but that it slides over wheels that don't spin. Those little wheels don't like to spin. I've given up trying to unjam them. I just use the third wheel , or better still a power EX.

Also I might pull twice but I rig once. So the saving of some 10-20sec while I am looking at the waves and making small talk really dun bother me. Loop n go is a notional advantage only. If the current forecast works out in the next few days, I'm going to try an only pull once if I can, just to see. But usually I pull twice and dun care about re-setting my downhaul puller tool thing and pulling for a second time.



I have an extension that works. It has no bits that might fail in the desert and can't be replaced or dodgied up simply. Its simple AF like they all have been for 40yrs and the pulleys line up with the sail part. Can borrow another one exactly like it with about 5mins notice. I have sails where the small blue thingy won't turn to crap in the sun (that a euro company didn't think of) and fall off.
I have an Ezzy sail pulley bit in the spares box so if I broke the standard one, I'd re-install in 30sec and be on the water again if I wanted.


I like easy, durable, fixable, same as all the others for consistency. Not "a little bit harder to pull, and BTW you need our extension too".
Oh and after a couple of years we go back again. Its marketing rubbish.


I'm out now but will reaffirm to the OP - nothin wrong dude your rope lines up good enough and if you get pulley to pulley contact, you're golden go sailing. Formuline might be better like others said.
I think I need to also go sailing

There's been no wind.

Oh wait, what are we discussing here? I think I might have my forums mixed up