Sizes Available: 2.3, 3, 4, 5, 6m
Sizes Tested: 4, 5, 6m
Ozone Says:
Following the very successful launch of the Wasp V1, the second-generation V2 design has been extensively reworked offering even more power, control and comfort. It’s lightweight, simple to set up, easy to use and offers amazing all-round performance whether you are freeride cruising, wave riding, boosting air tricks, down winding or just starting out.
Our innovative Leading Edge and Strut design creates stability and minimizes airframe flex, delivering a solid, direct and well-balanced feeling. This rigidity also helps develop power at low speeds to get you powered up and planing sooner. The platform has been modified and the wing tip shape has been refined to reduce interference with the water or ground. The Power Handle positions have been optimized and the design updated to a round ergonomic shape for increased comfort and control. The streamline De-Power Handle at the front of the Leading Edge completely de-powers the wing for total control when carving on swell or carrying the wing.
Visit for more info: https://ozonekites.com/products/wings/wasp-v2/
The Wingsurfer Says:
The Wasp V1 was one of the early leaders into the wing market with its super user-friendly design and classic Ozone attention to detail. With the release of the Wasp V2, Ozone has capitalized on its early success with material and design upgrades that combine the high points of the Wasp V1 and improves the performance while maintaining the durability and intuitive all-around performance that has carried the Wasp to beaches around the world.
The Wasp V2 comes with a more durable canopy ripstop featuring Teijin triple ripstop and an upgraded Dacron material that seems to increase the stiffness of the wing’s frame and power-generating surfaces while ensuring the wing shape remains crisp well past your first couple of sessions. The changes to the canopy for this year include a slightly adapted wingtip design that helps keep the wingtip out of the water and aids in recovering the wing back into riding position on those occasions when you do plant the tip in the water. The craftsmanship on the Wasp V2 shows quite a few refinements that streamline the transitions into patches and attachment points as well as move the leading edge closure seams away from areas where the rigid folds might come in contact with your hands or face during waterstarts.
The Wasp V2 features two separate Boston high-flow valves (one on the leading edge and another on the boom) which you can inflate in any order. While the separate inflation points on the boom and LE add an extra step to the pump-up process, deflation is much faster with two ports of exit and no need for a distribution hose. It’s also much easier to fold up into a tight pack job when all the air is pushed out of the boom. We found the separate valves also allow you to dial in the perfect air pressure to both the leading edge and the boom, and since proper inflation is both critical, yet often a personal choice, you can be sure every part of the Wasp V2 is perfectly dialed to your liking. One of the key design elements of the Wasp has been the bigger diameter inflatable struts which require less drastic inflation pressures to get the stiffness you want out of the wing. If some riders tend to hyper-inflate wings to get the stiffness they desire, the downside is extra strain on joints and potential seam failures. The Wasp doesn’t need those higher inflation pressures because the stiffness is built into the frame which leads to greater longevity and fewer seam and bladder issues in the long run.
This year the Wasp received slender windows that stretch just along the boom and are made of a new see-through material that blends durability and longevity by offering a more plyable material that doesn’t have any memory for folds or bends. Ozone succeeded in adding a bit more situational awareness without softening the feel of the wing or adding the kind of weight that hurts performance. Of most importance, the windows help you spot other users on the opposing tack before it’s too late. If you’ve ever experienced a high-speed wing on wing crash (we have), you know that without a window you have to put significantly more effort into remaining aware of your surroundings in crowded spots.
The Wasp V2 control points/handles are improved as well for this year with the power handles receiving complete reboot in design, feel and placement. The Wasp V1 had functional handles that featured wide webbing stuffed with rectangular EVA blocks, but the V2 handles have a more ergonomic design with rounded EVA core inside the webbing loops. There’s some extra plushness to the new handles which feel better in your hand and the rounded surface removes the square edges that can be hard on your fingers. With the softer and more ergonomic grip your fingers will thank you during longer sessions.
The original Wasp had six handles down the length of the boom, but for the V2, Ozone has strategically reduced the number of handles to a single front handle and three back handles, not including the two Y-handles that continue from V1. In our opinion, fewer options but better tuned handle placement really upgrades the Wasp’s versatility. It reduces confusion for newer riders and tends to encourage better hand-sequence habits through waterstarts and transitions. While the V2’s new layout reduces the places you can grab a handle, there is always a strategic handle within reach and this helps ensure riders of all skill levels are grabbing handles that offer better tuning. We found the single front handle located in perfect position while our back hand frequently landed in the middle back handle for most riding, although on long upwind tacks the farthest back handle tended to straighten our stance and reduce strain on our muscles and elbows. While the y-handle tends to be a personal choice for its asymmetrical positioning, we did experiment with the y-handle because it allows you to extend your hand’s stance on long tacks. The neutral handle on the leading edge is placed perfectly for flagging the wing out and chasing swells. The Wasp offers a narrower diameter than the other handles and the larger hoop ensures that your knuckles don’t chafe against the leading edge.
When it comes to on the water performance, the Wasp V2 continues to earn its street cred as an all-around freeride wing that doesn’t get pigeonholed into just one discipline, but excels with user-friendly control in every aspect. The Wasp V2 does a great job of steering along the yaw axis which makes the wing fairly actively without feeling jittery or unstable. The reduction in handles and other material choices have helped shed some weight which brings a lighter approach to the V2, with its frame feeling extra nimble as you’re flying it upwind and more particularly when you’re in hover-mode foiling downwind.
In terms of power, it seemed as if the 5 and 6m had a bit more power built into the canopy, which felt like a combination of the increased stiffness in the frame, a bit more profile in the airframe surface and perhaps more efficient canopy tension. All of these shifts seemed to yield better power when pumping as well as apparent power from sheeting in and accelerating. The 4m was our pick for chasing waves, as it delivered excellent float in the flagged-out position, but the 5m was still quite capable in onshore rollers when the wind lightened up at the end of the day. The nimble maneuvering makes transitions easy and the V2’s quick access to low-end power helps you stay on foil in clutch moments. On longer upwind tacks the V2 seems to find a good balance between upwind angle and on-demand power. The bigger diameter leading edge still gives you efficient penetration into the wind and when you combine that with the Wasp V2’s intuitive sheeting and good power delivery, you have an impeccable all-around wing that delivers for both your entry-level upstarts and advanced athletes like Kai Lenny.
When it comes to accessories, the Wasp V2 includes a waist belt rather than the usual wrist leash. You can purchase a wrist strap as an aftermarket accessory but we tested the Wasp V2 with the waist leash that comes stock with the Wasp V2. The waist leash can remove some of the more annoying leash tangles that happen with wrist leashes, but you can still get wrapped during aggressive riding. We found that if we cleared the leash before every waterstart then we had no problems. The waist leash seemed to help with preventing our wrists from getting wrapped and locked during fast tacks, gybes and other transitions. It’s also worth mentioning, for those riders who have to paddle out through shore pound or to a wind line, the waist leash allows you to stroke freely without the wing pulling at your wrist. However, the plastic buckle on the waist may be the weakest link if you were to accidentally release it at the wrong time. We never experienced problems, so that is pure conjecture. Our wings also came outfitted with the optional harness leash. This design uses dyneema infused with bungee tension so it stays out of the way during normal riding and doesn’t hit you in the face like some others, which is our biggest complaint with dangling harness loops.
At the end of the day, the Wasp V2 is a clear step forward that doesn’t micro-focus on just one aspect of the wing market. With user-friendly handling and easy access to power the Wasp is super fun for everything from mastering technical gybe tricks to chasing waves and launching big lofty airs that are easy to land. The Wasp V2 does everything well with a classic eye on all the little details that get you on the water and keeps you there for hours.
