We present the Avanti Sails Icarus membrane 2024.
Man has dreamed of flight for eons
Avanti is proud to offer a product painstakingly developed to bring you ever closer to the limitless realm of our feathered friends. We know riding a foil is special. Some compare the feeling to floating in bottomless powder. Others marvel at the efficiency of slicing smoothly above a turbulent sea. After years of development, and backed by a deep history in foil-bourne craft, Avanti is proud to finally release ICARUS... and it's EPIC.
Dual Construction
Building on the overwhelming success of the standard model, for 2023, Avanti is offering the Icarus ME for the discerning customer. With an Aramid membrane body, the ME version shines as the uncompromising best sail on the market for free-foiling. The ultra low-stretch model yields a larger sailing range, and easier softer handling as a result of it's superior construction. Arguably the most advanced sail in our lineup, you don't need to be a pro to reap the benefits for everyday use.
The Icarus focuses on the concept of using a minimal sail size for maximum delivery. The foiling revolution has us sailing in lighter winds than ever before, and through design, we can now do this with smaller sail sizes than ever imagined. The Icarus features a relatively narrow mid-width sock, and a skeleton lightly balanced on Avanti Arc Cambers for super easy rotation. True shaping carries a solid 3/4 of the way up the plan form. The the tighter twist flow and short boom length work in harmony to deliver unmatched drive per square meter, without excessive back-hand pressure.
My personal background in foiling gave me an edge in approaching ICARUS. There is a lot of history from which I have pulled ideas. In boardsports, my first blush with bulky aluminum foils dates back decades. More recently I became obsessed with the moth dinghy and kite foil setups. We are really excited to take all those hard earned lessons of apparent-wind sailing from our whole team and pour them into a windsurf sail which is truly special.
- Dan Kaseler
Icarus in a nutshell
- High-performance recreational foil sail targeting the real-world rider.
- Redefined low-wind windsurfing by maximizing rig efficiency.
- Fine-tuned foil shapes and twist flows, specific for apparent-wind sailing.
- Ease of rotation and handling, for smooth easy transitions.
- Squared up rider stance via low clew and lowered back shoulder.
Membrane Technology
We started with our own exclusive, ultra-light membrane construction. Proven, copied and ranked, our membrane is engineered to distribute loads evenly and appropriately throughout the sail skin in a way that traditional paneled sails cannot replicate. We call this Smart Load Technology; fiber and strength where you need it, weight savings where you don't.
Special features
- Low Batten Count. Less battens means less weight.
- Traditional Construction. The Icarus features standard film sailbody construction for accessibility and wide market appeal.
- Shorter booms. Shorter booms keep sails efficient and comfortable over the range.
- Less Twist. A straighter leech increases drive and power dramatically. Altogether the sail shaping works in harmony with itself, allowing takeoff at super-low wind speeds.
- Low Foot. With an outline designed to work on a modern foilboard, the low foot keeps drive low, and helps create an aerodynamic fence for increased efficiency, particularly in the low end mode.
- Extra-Wide Boom Opening. It is easy to over-run one's wind on a foilboard, especially when driving downwind and into a jibe. Being able to comfortably grab the mast above boom mid-maneuver is a huge benefit. With a comfortable hand on the mast, one can actively push the clew around and avoid an unwanted splash-down.
How to differentiate the two versions:
Traditional
Avanti's polyester film sails, both monofilm and Xply, are built to exacting standards. Polyester films have dominated the windsurfing market for over 25 years for good reason. Extremely cost effective products can be built from these readily available roll-good materials. While these offerings represent our mid-range products, we have poured our deep knowledge into developing the best iterations possible. While the feeling, response, and durability lay behind our modern membranes, we have done everything possible to deliver the best of the genre. These sails shine when held up to our competitors.
Membrane.
Avanti laminated load-path membranes differentiate themselves with increased durability, weight savings, and superior performance. These sail skins are unparalleled in the market today. Each panel is custom engineered to align high-end Aramid fibers along primary load patterns. Nobody does this better. Where polyester film sails tend to stretch when powered, our aramid membranes carry loads from corner to corner, radically reducing distortion under load. Saving weight and limiting stretch are key to maintaining sail performance over a wider wind spectrum. The result is pure performance which one feels immediately on the water.
Introduced in 2023
- Integral G-10 clew board. An integral clew stiffening board is riveted to the sailbody for superior load distribution.
Specifications
| SIZE | LUFF | BOOM | BASE | BATTENS | CAMS | MAST | WEIGHT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.5 | 398 | 148 | 30 | 4 | 2 | 370 RDM | TBA |
| 5.5 | 421 | 166 | 23 | 5 | 3 | 400 RDM | TBA |
| 6.5 | 451 | 184 | 23 | 5 | 3 | 430 RDM | TBA |
| 7.5 | 480 | 196 | 22 | 5 | 3 | 460 SDM | TBA |
| 8.5 | 509 | 210 | 21 | 6 | 3 | 490 SDM | TBA |
