I was fortunate enough to demo the latest and greatest Ezzy Taka 3 whilst on Maui this summer at Camp One as well as Ho’okipa Beach Park. When unpacking the sails, I noticed the additional of a new luff panel between the 1st and 2nd batterns. David Ezzy and I discussed how this new feature gives rider a softer feel in hand whilst maintaining the classic Ezzy performance. In terms of appearance, the 3 has a similar panel layout to the Taka 2 with the return of the ½ battern to create even more stability in the sail. The downhaul and outhaul settings have remained the same as the previous models with the downhaul tags and outhaul measurements to allow for a wide range of options. At Camp One I used both the 4.1 and 4.5 in 22-29 knots with cross on wave riding conditions and shoulder to waist high summer swells. The sail appeared to be in its comfort zone allowing for both radical bottom turns and that neutral feeling for off the top tight pocket turns.
I also took the 4.5 up to Ho’okipa with Kevin Pritchard to see how it performed in more down the line conditions. Although conditions were not epic (waist to chest high waves) I was able to see the full range of the sail allowing for power on the inside to get you into the line up whilst having the lightness and manoeuvrability on the wave to really engage the rig and focus on your turns.
Overall I was very impressed with the sail and its performance over a wide range of conditions. Whilst it is advertised as a pure wave sail I believe the increasing stability of the model allows it to be used in both jumping and waves.
By Alex McKirgan
