RIGONE

The original windsurfer launched in 1967 with a single sail. This sail, rigged on a mast, can be tuned with the outhaul and the downhaul. Unlike a sailboat, it does NOT have the ability to furl down a sail in strong winds. The solution for windsurfing was multiple sails. Different sizes for different wind strengths and for different skill levels. Amazingly, after 60 years, there have not been any sensible alternatives for a quiver of sails.

I have been windsurfing since I finished last in the 1983 Olympic Games in LA. After that humbling experience, I chased the wind and started the American Windsurfer Magazine. I acquired several windsurfing brands, which included Windwing, and helped develop the sport of Kiteboarding by managing WIPIKA International. I formed a vertically integrated business model called WindEXPRESS a few years before Amazon took flight.

By 2004, diminishing returns became tiring, so I put business aside to design and build a sail for what I wanted. This became the start of RigONE, a revolutionary sail that was different and thrilling. So much so that it kept me windsurfing for the next 22 years.

Even with the lure of kiteboarding, foiling, and winging, I kept windsurfing on ONE sail in all conditions and continue to refine the idea of RigONE. It was simple, no quiver, one sail to rig, and I kept thinking, “This should be the future of windsurfing!” I thought the industry would catch up, but no one did. Twenty-two years later, I got tired of waiting.

So for 2027, I am launching the RigONE! Four sails sized to your weight, skill level and conditions. Sails with three provisional patented innovations. One is called the Multi-Tack Inhaul Panel (M-TIP), the other is the Step Leech (SL), and the third is the Draft Extension (DEx). I know the combination of these three NEW elements makes windsurfing simpler, more affordable, and downright thrilling. (Learn More about the patents)

I hope you will experience the thrill of sailing a Rig ONE. It is one sail that sustained my passion for all these years.

John Chao
Hood River, Oregon