Interesting to read your review. I have 1.9m and 3.0m PRv2 with the rest of my quiver being Power Packs. I’ve found the 3.0m PR to be very unstable similar to your experience with the 2.4m. If I can use my 2.4m or 3.6m Power Pack instead I’ll always choose to do so.
On the other hand the 1.9m is fantastic. Overall though, I much prefer the Power Pack. I think a big part of that is just that I’m pretty short with a short reach and the shorter lines make a big difference, but I also find the lower aspect is just much more stable and manageable for me. I don’t notice a huge difference in upwind ability but I’m still fairly new to parawinging so maybe if I were better I might.
Good review, thanks for sharing. If anyone else has input on the other sizes, I’d love to hear it. I just got a v2 size 3.0 as my first foray into parawinging. I’ve experienced some instability like you described, but I figured it was just my inexperienced handling skills. I’m going to need a smaller size and had planned on getting another PRv2, but now I’m not sure what to get.
As I mentioned above, I love my PRv2 1.9m. Rode it today out by Celilo and it was managing really junky wind very well. On the other hand I really really love my 2.4m Power Pack. If you haven’t tried one of those I think it’s worth a go, really stable and so nice to pack down. I know there are a lot of options and a lot of noise out there and it’s hard to pick one but I doubt you’d be disappointed in a Power Pack.
@FluidFoil and @WhiteSalmon I never rode the 3m but don’t think you guys are alone with your thoughts on the 3m. I’ve heard others with similar comments to yours and I’ve also heard some who seemed to be fine with their 3m.
I do think Fluids experience with the 1.9 is particularly interesting. At this point I’ve only heard positives about the 3.6 and larger with the 3m being a mixed bag, and the 2.4m comments matching my experience. Initially I thought I would downsize to the 1.9 but hesitated when I heard the other 2.4m concerns so I switched gears. It’s good to see a positive comment on the 1.9m though, I bet thats a really fun size to ride with.
Can’t comment on the smaller wing stability, I added a 5.7m v2 to my 3.6/4.3 v1s and it’s been pretty great. I was inspired by the other post, so today I took out my 34L prone board (I’m 105kg) and once up I had no issue going upwind both heel and toe side, wasn’t overpowered at all. The 5.7 v2 seems a lot more smooth and stable than my smaller v1s. That said, I’m not sure that the v2 brings so much new/improvement that I need to replace my v1s?
Where the hell you guys riding 1.9m PW? Hurricanes? Even Maui guys dont seem to use 1.9M pw.
The Gorge bro… the gorge
1.9 WTH, we will never use a 1.9 here on Oahu
I have about 150 sessions on the V1’s.
I purchased 3 3.6 and 4.3 in the v2 pr and now have about 4 sessions on the v2’s.
Yes they pack up quicker but the stiff lines are a pain in the backside. Yes they have much more top end but have lost the light bar pressure and the bottom end.
So far I am pretty disappointed and will only mention a few things that I am sure of as it’s early days.
Upwind is no where near as good as v1 and as someone who upwinds to downwind this is not negotiable.
The 4.3 tips seem to collapse way too easy and this seems to occur on the tip closest to the water and results in the last 30cm of leading edge tucking up inside the other leading edge lines and get fully stuck there forcing the wing to rise radically up. To untuck requires pulling on the last leading edge lines violently I feel like this is happening in the downwind turbulence of the board. This is what is possible causing the instability for you @Wouzel but so far in the 3 and 3.6 sizes when it momentarily collapses it doesn’t tuck up and stay there but does cause the wing to rise up without warning.
Give me my v1’s any day.
Makes me wonder what the likes of these reviewers are doing when testing. Hydrofoil gavs review of the v2 is flawless.
It’s like we got a v2 designed around a response to all the whinging.
Thanks for the review! I’m very much a beginner (so could be wrong about everything), and really struggled at first with the 3.0v2 when I felt comfortable on the 4.3. I chalked it up to inexperience, and after a few more sessions, am now about as comfortable with the 3.0. I noticed that the 3.0 has a few behaviors that I don’t see in the 4.3. For example, pumping the 3 seems to kill it a bit. After a pump it falls back into the wind window and de-powers. I think this was causing me a lot of problems at first, since I’d be gaining speed and trying to take off, then a pump would kill my bar pressure/drive and I’d usually fall. The 4.3 doesn’t exhibit this at all, and pumps pretty well. I ended up getting a 3.6, and it seems to be a bit more pump-able, appropriately between the 3 and the 4.3, but it doesn’t seem to have a much lower top end than the 3. During one session, I actually thought I was on my 3 when it turned out to be the 3.6. I do think the 3 has a higher lower/upper limit, and it does get more controlled as I become more familiar with its characteristics and my ability improves, but it does seem like the PR v2 is better optimized in larger sizes.
Edit: I watched the video linked again and noticed that the examples of uncontrolled wobbles occur while the rider doesn’t have a hand on the back of the bar. Again, take this with a grain of salt as I’m new, but I’ve noticed that I absolutely need to have tension and control of the back lines while going upwind with the 3.0. Edging closer into (or away from) the wind is how I’m able to control the power in the parawing, as opposed to depowering the back lines. So, when I’m hooked in, I always keep a hand on the back of the bar to settle it and maintain some back line tension.
Two days ago had a nice session on the V2 3.6m at the Hatchery in just the right amount of wind, The swell meter showing average 20mph mostly and a few gusts to 30. Upwind angles roughly matching my V1 3.6. My first sessions I was a little disappointed in the V2’s less snappy turning and upwind angles but loved the packing and redeploy improvement.
The V2 feels a little heavier in that it may drop out of the sky sooner than the V1 in lulls. The upside being all the additional reinforcements on the edges. That said, after a full year my V1s are hanging in there with only a tiny bit of fraying here and there. They’ll easily go another season.
Based on this I may hold off on the new 2.4 and keep using my V1 which I love. Had only 2.4/3.6 for the past year but now have V1 3M which has kinda replaced the 2.4. A 1.9M for full sized adults, I just don’t see it, at least in the Gorge. It would get very little use. Too easy to stall and too many holes here. Last Saturday the 20th I probably could have used a 1.9M in the Rufus stretch with 40+ averages but that’s actually pretty rare and you’d still have to watch for holes. Still used the 3M for DW starts which is admittedly a different use case.
I am pretty small at 135lbs but I do find use for the 1.9m here in the Rufus area. I had a great day on it last Saturday and have had a few other days with it so far in the three weeks or so I’ve had it. I do always try to ride the smallest wing I can though, I really dislike being overpowered and would rather err to the side of too small. Yesterday I had a great time on the 1.9m in gusty winds, it’s such a pleasure to have such a small wing.
Edit a few hours later: Just had another ripping session on the 1.9m, with the wind at 23mph to 31mph and honestly I felt like I could go even smaller. I am getting a lot of use out of that wing and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it. It’s super fun and makes things manageable when they might otherwise feel sketchy.
Have you logged any sessions with it at 40 knots? 23-31mph is in the very bottom and actually even below its stated wind range. It’s great to hear it works there. I’d be looking at it for it’s top end capabilities if I was buying it.
To be honest I’m probably not giving accurate wind speeds and I don’t really have enough experience to know what 30 knots or 40 knots looks like. I’m simply going off of what the ikitesurf free data for Brown’s Island said for today during the time I was out there. Those numbers sound low to me too for how windy it seemed, and like I said I felt like I could have even had a smaller wing so perhaps it was windier where I was sailing than the readings suggest. I can’t really measure on land with my handheld because it’s kind of in a shadow where I launch. What I do know is I am getting a lot of use out of that wing and really enjoying it. Sorry, I wish I had better data for you.
I did ride it last Saturday when others said it was in the 40k range but again, where I was the readings weren’t that high. So far I’ve felt like it has good handling characteristics in all conditions I’ve used it.
Nothing to be sorry about, that’s just an honest reply. Wind gauges aren’t known for being consistent either.
135lbs is good for operating below the stated wind range too. Ozones stated range is based on 176lbs.
Smoke on the water when nearing the upper 30s- low 40s
I’m gonna eat my words here from above after yesterdays conditions. There could be rare occasions even my 200# could use a 1.9m. We started our last Rufus run at 16:22 just on the downslope of the peak wind for the day (Maryhill meter). Struggled to even get to my knees with the 3M V1. Buddy also struggled with 2.5M Kanaha. Averaging about 40, gusts 50ish. Could still go upwind at a pathetic angle once up but wouldn’t want to do it for very long 
Saturday, 6/20 was actually a bit windier on this meter and the 3M was no problem for the start. Brief moments in time I guess…
Still won’t be buying a 1.9 but was interesting for me. I remember only one other time last year where I had to sit on my board and wait for a lull to restart with the V1 2.4M.
Yeah I was thinking yesterday that the 1.9m could probably work for someone twice my size in those conditions. I sailed yesterday for about an hour near Maryhill and I couldn’t imagine being out there with anything bigger than the 1.9, and when I came home I checked every manufacturer to see who made the smallest wing because I truly felt like I could have used a 1m. It looks like more of the same today and tomorrow, and the waves are SO good I’d love to be able to handle the wind but man it’s a LOT. If I was shuttling it would be a different story but as you said going upwind in these conditions is tough, and for me super intimidating. Had my 1.9 absolutely ripped out of my hand by a gust when my harness wasn’t hooked and had to swim for it.
@Wouzel I did get to experience the wing in 40knots plus and for the most part it was as well behaved as I could expect in the conditions. I didn’t really struggle with it other than just dealing with crazy power and gusts, but it held it’s shape and handled reasonably well. I was able to link jibes and hold on to my reaches and work my way upwind without it getting folded or oscillating.
At 190lbs I definitely maxed out the 2.4m pocket rocket v1 several times in the gorge and easily could have grabbed a 1.9m those days. Yesterday was one of them. I grabbed the 3.1m Paia out of the Gear Library yesterday and finally had my first epic session on that thing. Going upwind, one handed, unhooked at times in Solid 40 knot winds. That thing is so well behaved in flight. All I could think was if they could figure out a smooth relaunch, smaller packing size, and better low end for double skins they will win all day long.
I snatched up a v1 1.9m on the way home yesterday. Looking forward to giving that a go soon.