Still looking for a complete dw transition, Jack cut it right after this freeze frame. You can see the canopy start to collapse just like the S3. Again I am not trying to slam Ozone, just educating perspective buyers that these high aspect wings are difficult to do dw transitions with. I do think they should do a dedicated instructional video on transitions. I only do a normal dw jibe on my S3, just not much of a bat-ton twirler. It’s more technical, you have to start it early and have the trim right, but you can do it reliably with practice. I would assume the AB is the same but maybe not
I’ve been doing this with a demo brm l1 6.5 in very light wind. And it works.
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For lightwind sailing with larger pws, heel side tack and toe side downloop are honestly easiest transitions.
Yeah the frigate was one of the first of designs where special techniques were required for lw jibes. Agree this is a good approach to help generate line tension. Grabbing the top A line helps too
@Wouzel I’m seeing Orbit 5.9 for $1710 and Afterburner 5.7 for $1779, but I realize now the smaller Orbits are cheaper, although the suggestion is to size up the Orbits.
Why the hang up on the light wind gybes? I think the Afterburner marketing is pretty clear that you’re trading off handling vs Pocket Rocket for improved VMG. No one’s promising excellent light wind gybes, and the specs show that it’s heavier than the Pocket Rocket. The whole point is what could we make if we focused on VMG and gave up on ease of use.
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the ‘hang up’ is that all of the hype videos talk about the AB like its an everyday PW for advanced riders and that these trade offs are no big deal. I think the hype is going to frustrate some aspiring riders looking for a hot wing to go upwind better and will be frustrated with it quickly: larger pack down, more complicated pack down, longer lines, and difficult to transition. To be fair some like Patrick Rebstock have been open that its a specialty PW and he still plans to use the PR for dw runs. I just think that message should be more transparent.
Man…PW angst…
Less time online, more time foiling?
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Bingo! We need wind. August has been rough in Florida 
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This… this is amazing!
I’ve got the D-Handle and I can confirm I’m also not much of a ‘D-Twirler’ 
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Tried a 3.6m AB in lighter wind, didn’t really remember the gybes being too difficult. But I wasn’t really paying attention. I find the more “deep in the window” parawings harder to gybe because they sit so deep they tend to back-stall into a downwind turn.
Sign of the times is the shift in Hydro-Gav’s language… “compromises” instead of “dislikes” when talking about AB. Too much hype kills brands. and too much marketer infiltration without proper disclosure distorts the perspective and makes more people cynical. we should know who was paid for their reviews and if the people reviewing the wings got gear for free, trips, kickbacks or just gear for loan etc. this is standard practice/FTC guidance in relation to influencer marketing but apparently not in PW land.
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I don’t think smaller sizes are ever an issue. It’s the larger ones that tend to get locked up and are challenging in true lw conditions(10-15mph)
So far have not seen and dw transitions of a AB even in strong wind. So I am starting a conspiracy theory for fun that it’s not capable of a standard dw transitions 
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I feel like most parawings are pigs to gybe at those windspeeds though. Not just the AB?
I’ve only had time on a couple of other brands, but I found it easier to just tack in low-wind, or do the “round the back” maneuver.
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Should be getting the ABs sometime this week hopefully. I’ll post up a quick review from a bitter, sarcastic, and hateful person.
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update - finally found some dw transitions(towards the end in the conclusions section). Looks pretty much identical to the S3 as far has technique.
Anyway hope everyone is super stoked on their gear and has a great new season. This is my favorite discipline by far and it just keeps getting better! (Sorry for the saltiness above - lack of wind does strange things to a frother’s brain)
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I think it’s probably more light wind gybes than the wing design. I gave away my 5m PRv1 because if it’s light enough to need a 5m then gybes are pretty much guaranteed to land on my head and trap me in the web and I can wait for better conditions.
All the reviews talking about difficulty of gybes when they are using 5.5m or 6.5m wings to me mean it’s time to learn behind the back or downloops or tacks, no parawing gybes well when just gliding downwind kills all the apparent wind.
Speaking of S3.
Got the 4.2 recently and my God is frustrating, coming from Frigate and heavily modified BRM V1.
Marginal conditions with messy lake waves.
Could not get the thing to take off from the water without lots of frustration, can’t take off with it flying to the front of the window, waves touches it and down it go.
Jibing I can learn to manage but getting it off the water was so frustrating. 2 walks of shame. Haven’t done that since first day of BRM v1 (got it on a whim, one of the first one out).
Maliko v1 handled dw jibes in the lightest of wind. It was dramatically easier than the S3. I think its still a great pw to learn on.