There seems to be a split in manufacturers making wings with Y handles vs those who don't. Outside of the weight, which is minor, why wouldn't people want them? They offer better ergonomic options for jumping, they're more comfy for good wing positioning when grossly overpowered going upwind, quick grabs, or simply changing your grip on the wing, reducing forearm fatigue. So why delete them? Perhaps make them optional?
1 of my wings the Slingshot v2 has them and I've never used them in 6 months of flying it. Personally the most minimal/lightest wing wins.
They remind me a bit of the old Z booms used for windsurfing.. Some people loved them..
They work well on some wings, like Ozone. But not others. Might be a design geometry difference between brands.
Select to expand quoteDWF said..
They work well on some wings, like Ozone. But not others. Might be a design geometry difference between brands.
Interesting, I hadn't considered the geometry aspect. I've only ridden Ozone, Konrad and Armstrong for comparison so far. They all seemed to benefit from Y handles (IMHO) for the reasons I listed above. I'm curious now to try a wing without them like the PPC. I assumed if you love 'em on one you'd love 'em on all. Happy to be proven wrong!
Y handles are set up on the Wasp in such a way (angle) to be useful. Apparently they aren't of much use on Wings like the Airush and Sling Shot Dart. I believe Naish's new wing has removable Y handles.
On the Konrad V2 4M I own, I hold the first and last handles in powered conditions. in lighter air I'll move my front hand back one handle for better sheeting angle. Overpowered upwind; my front hand goes to the very top of the Y handle and prevents the wing from oscillating in big gusts as much as keeping the front hand on the front strut handle. It's a dramatic increase in top end range, control and comfort using the Y like this. The Konrad isn't the most stable wing at the top end of the wind range, so I may be compensating for this characteristic with the Y handle. Clearing the wing in big wind swell from the water for a re-start in 35 knots, the Y is easier to grab quickly as well rather than reaching further underneath to the front of the strut handle.
I like Y handles and use them especially when over powered. I find it's also nice to be able to position hands on a different angle when having long sessions, find it helps to not strain arms in just 1 position.
I use them for water starting every time (A-wings). Now that I've developed the muscle memory I want them but I suppose if you learned without you wouldn't need them.
I learned with an Ozone with Y handles and liked them. Went to Smik without Y handles and it took a while to get used to it. But now I do not think about them. They are effective helping with transitions, if they do not add too much weight, they are a good addition.
On the Slingwing V1 you used the Y handles all the time.
On the V2 never! The Y handles are actually to keep the wing from distorting under heavy pressure. If you're a heavier rider (like myself) I will make wings taco so the Y straps help a great deal.
Y handles are good on bigger wings / spans as the wing is effectively lifted slightly higher from the water.
I find this super useful when pumping my ozone wasp 6m
