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Testimonials
Words from the Beach

Trudi - "My relationship with Hurricane Sails began as love at first sight - I mean session. A perfectly rigged 3.2 offered to me on the beach and I said yes and we've been together ever since. Sailing on Hurricanes is like being with a perfect dance partner that you’ve been dancing with for years. I have been nicknamed the Energizer Bunny because of how long I stay out for every session; hours and hours, yet I never feel worked or tired because the sails have such an incredible range and so forgiving. Sailing Hurricane’s has improved my sailing more than I could’ve ever dreamed of. Swell riding is magical, transitions are dreamy, and charging back up wind is effortless. If you are looking for a change, and want to have a better time on the water and become a better sailor then Hurricane’s are the sails to be on!"

Bob - "Hurricane sails are incredibly balanced and rotate on an axis providing seamless jibes and precise sail handling. They also power up quickly and do have a softer feel and smooth out the gust better than any other sail I’ve owned, they sail very lite with no front or back hand pull just perfectly balanced. I've owned 12 brands of sails, several made locally and none had a full lineup that worked flawlessly in the smaller size range as Hurricane's do. Local support is paramount.
A great "Gorge" weapon!"

Kelly - "Being a small-sized woman Gorge sailor I love the power of Hurricanes without feeling over-powered.  Swell riding feels smooth and ALSO …I can rig a sail in 5-minutes! Love it!…"

Dave - I love riding swell.  Doug lives and sails in the Gorge so he has designed his sails to be optimum for our conditions.

Bill - "After more than 25 years windsurfing on one of the more-popular sails in the Gorge, I recently switched to Hurricane Sails. Why would I change? The answer is simple. I did a side-by-side test of my sails vs Hurricane. The Hurricane won by a wide margin on all of my test metric's. Among many wonderful characteristics, they delivered smooth, steady power in the worst conditions possible. My thinking is: Life is short, so If I can have more fun sailing, Hurricane's are worth every penny!

Craig - "Hurricane's are amazing! So smooth, balanced and powerful. They love to turn and are able to sail clew first down a swell with ease. Now I know why most people sailing on Hurricanes, among many things, have been sailing a half a meter smaller than me while I was was on the major brand I'd been sailing on for the last 25 years."

Aaron - "Hurricane Sails are awesome for so many reasons; among them are an astounding range, they love to turn, so forgiving, I can see clearly through the window after it’s 4th season, and they were built right here in the Gorge for me in my colors. Even better I regularly find myself cutting up the same swell with my sailmaker! How cool is that?"

Erin - "Love these sails! They feel so light and maneuverable, keeping me on the water when others are heading in to re-rig. Their rigged range is huge. Customer service is awesome. Douglas is available to answer any questions and demonstrate how simple and uncomplicated it is to rig for the conditions. I’m very happy Douglas has come out of retirement to make sails for us!"

John - "For decades I’ve watched the loyalty, durability, design and passion associated with Hurricane Sails, and when Douglas Van Zandt (DVZ) decided to reopen his loft, I was eager to demo a locally built, custom windsurfing sail. I’m happy to say DVZ’s Hurricane Sails live up to the heritage with a perfect combination of cutting-edge design, playful & powerful characteristics, custom color combinations, and a light & balanced feel that is very adjustable to meets the needs of different sailors. I love ‘em!" 

Dave - Hurricanes immediately stepped up my sailing with smooth handling both jibing and while wave riding . The range and ability to tune for different conditions, for both windsurfing and windsurf foiling, is awesome.

Carole - "Hurricane sails do just what I want them to do with no effort. They de-power in any transition, but yet power right back up in the turn. As a result, they feel light on the water. They have improved my sailing!"

Darrell - After my wife Carole convinced me to try the Hurricane Sails I was sold on them. They have amazing range and go upwind like no other sail I have used. I have had days on my 4.2 when bigger guys were on 3.7 and I was still in control. Other times I was still planing on the 4.2 when guys were slogging on 4.7.  Amazing sails.  Thanks Douglas

Mike - "I’ve tested hundreds of Gorge performance sails for a wind surfing magazine and owned many scores of them over 40 years of mostly full time windsurfing.

In terms of rigging, handling, user-friendliness, wind-range, gust-busting, and visceral fun, Hurricanes have always stood alone at the pinnacle of the fleet." 

Sandy - It took only one sailing session to realize that Hurricane Sails are far superior to others.  The construction and attention to detail is unequaled, but what really makes the difference is the way the sails handle, even in the gustiest conditions.

Bill - My interest in getting Hurricane sails was in part, that many of the good windsurfers on my beach were switching to Hurricanes and I could see they were delivering for them; and when I demoed the 4.2, I was impressed at how powerful with a smooth soft feel it had, both in a normal position and in a clew-first position. Great in both directions! Now after a season of owning a 5 sail quiver, I find that I don't need to fuss with the tuning on the fly nearly as much as my past sails. Their range is excellent and are a pleasure to sail in the goofy, gusty conditions we have seen this past year. When I'm windsurf foiling they have proved quite stable and hold power well through the turns without the turning on and off like a lot of wave sails; no need for a specialized quiver here! 

I was pleasantly surprised with the stability even though the sail felt light in my hands.

Rigging was simple and easy to follow your tips

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