Aloha is the inexpensive sail that is so good. This is because our goal here at MauiSails™ is to make them all good, regardless of price. Materials and components largely determine price and when the design is right for those materials, the performance will be at the same level as sails that are made with higher cost components. This is what we do with the Aloha to bring extraordinary value to the sailors that may be just beginning the sport.
The Aloha is perfect for first time buyers that will appreciate its soft body tension for maximum feedback and planing ability, a perfect match for sailors who want to sharpen their skills and sail handling on larger wide style boards.
Technical Features
Shaping advantages
We continue our quest for a light feel with full power character. Last year we separated the twist and leech tension from the desired rig loading by using methods developed in the TR-3 evolution. By bringing this same methodology to the wave and freestyle sails, we felt we made big advances in the softness-with-power search. But there was still more to be had in the refinement of the designs size by size. To implement the changes in 2008 versions, we used a blanket of changes, mostly relying on numerical projection as we had done with TR-3. You have to start somewhere.
By applying the numerical progressions we were able to get very close, and second tries got even better. But as you run into your deadlines, you call the final version, and move to the next project. And then you get to use the sails from production every day. This is what drives the next round of changes… the desire for something more.
So this brings us to 2009… many months of refinement on top of the radical beginnings that drove last year. The result is feather light in the hands as all the minor tension inconsistencies are smoothed, and the main body shaping is leaned out to keep chord depth positioned and matching the twisted shape. Leech tension and driving power with a minimum of dragging forces is the result. And shape neutral handling in transitions, even for the largest sizes takes the wave and freestyle series into a whole new realm of wave performance.
Tougher sleeve
Our fiber aligned designs can take full advantage of the new sleeve material we are using. It is more resilient using tougher yarns and very resistant to reef and rock damage.
Multi-strand Kevlar™ leech reinforcements
This year we decided to change the way the leech was designed for ultimate reinforcement. In order to toughen the lower leech where wave destruction so often happens, we added six strands of Kevlar™ and attached them with sewing before adding the tape edge cover. To further add beef through the most loaded leech areas, back to back woven fiber patches take the loads first.
Tack chafe reinforcement
Expanding the area of chafe protection in the lower sleeve has been approached in a way that results in solid protection for the areas that take the serious damage from decks and rails, and a very lightweight solution for the areas that are seldom, if ever, impacted. The end result is saving 250g and is soft on the feet, and tough in all the right places.
New batten tensioners
First introduced with the TR-4 race sails, these new tensioners go even farther to get the leech tension and batten loading equalized near the edge of the sail. They are made of injection molded polycarbonate, and use a 10mm stainless steel screw, and are 4g lighter.
Reduced foot bead:
This saves lots of weight and still does the job, hitting shins and ankles much less hard, and being more flexible in general.
Specifications
Size [m²] |
Mast [cm] |
IMCS
|
Boom [cm] |
Luff [cm] |
Head Extension [cm] |
Downhaul [cm] |
Head/Top
|
Battens
|
Cam
|
Weight [kg] |
| 4,5 |
430 |
21 |
160 |
411 |
23 |
4 |
vario |
4 |
0 |
3,00 |
| 5,0 |
430 |
21 |
173 |
427 |
7 |
4 |
vario |
4 |
0 |
3,20 |
| 5,5 |
430 |
21 |
182 |
442 |
- |
12 |
fixed |
4 |
0 |
3,60 |
| 6,0 |
430 |
21 |
193 |
455 |
- |
25 |
fixed |
5 |
0 |
3,90 |
| 6,5 |
460 |
25 |
202 |
468 |
- |
8 |
fixed |
5 |
0 |
4,10 |
| 7,0 |
460 |
25 |
208 |
480 |
- |
20 |
fixed |
5 |
0 |
4,30 |
| 7,5 |
460 |
25 |
220 |
488 |
- |
28 |
fixed |
5 |
0 |
4,50 |