Armstrong 4.5m AWing first impressions:
Rider 83KG. Intermediate (just)
Wind 17-22knots (maybe gusting to 25)
Armstrong Kit 5'11" 99L board. HS1550 foil, 300 rear, 72cm mast, 60cm fuselage and -2 Shim.
Location fairly flat bay with small wind swell.
I thought I would share my impressions of the Armstrong A wing, of how it actually rides and feels.
The wing pumps up very rigid owing to its large diameter struts. It feels well made and solid. I didn't weigh it but to me it felt a little lighter then a Naish but a bit heavier then a Smik or Wasps I've tried.
The canopy was pretty tight with some small amount of flap/movement. Build quality looks and feels excellent.
Handles are really nice. Perfect diameter and actually quite rigid. They have a neoprene feeling to them which gives great grip and doesn't chafe.
The windows are really flexible and feel kinda rubbery? I do use my windows on my Naish 6M which are obviously much bigger then the Armstrong window. I didn't really use the windows on the A wing as the centre strut was blocking the view. I'm sure you can see through them if you get the angle right.
Leash looks almost identical to the Duotone coiled style leash. I like these leashes so all good with this one as supplied.
On the water: wing just sat on the water waiting for me. Was easy to flip with the front depower or Y handle. Front Depower handle is really long so easy to grab. Wing just floated off front handle. As I got up to knees, I naturally grabbed handle 2 and 4 as it was not super windy initially. Stood up, pumped the wing and yep, it felt very rigid and grunty. Also felt really balanced on the handles ie equal force on both arms.
Got up on the foil easy as. After a few runs, the wind started picking up so I moved my back hand to handle 3. This hand posi felt really balanced too. Later the wind got up even stronger (maybe gusting 25knots) moved hands to handles 1 and 3 giving more depower. Canopy would flutter slightly now and then as I depowered through the gusts.
Gybing (still learning) was generally really nice and the wing felt predictable and light through the transition. Handles were easy to grab / locate. Wing seemed to stay powered through the turn which was a help with confidence in the gybes.
Flying: The wing felt nice and stable at full speed. It stayed on the angle I put it on and didn't want to wander higher or lower by itself. Apparent wind kicks in and this thing really feels like it hauls upwind well and seems to point pretty high.
Power. This wing does feel more grunty then the size suggests. To me it felt like I was riding a 5.3 Naish. I reckon I could of used the 3.5m A Wing in today's wind if I had one, judging by the grunt on the 4.5M.
Pack up: Deflation is quick because of the two seperate large valves. The bag is pretty small so you need to take care rolling and folding and squeezing out the air to get it back in. Not a problem but could possibly annoy you if you were in a mega rush.
In conclusion I couldn't fault this wing in terms of performance. Really balanced and predictable. Super stable and tons of fun. Definitely worth considering if your in the market for a new wing.
