Testerring: Innovative Windsurf Rig Tester Backed by Politecnico di Milano

The windsurf of the future will be more reliable, faster, and easier to handle thanks to «Testerring», a tool invented and patented by Lorenzo Malerba, a twenty-five-year-old technical expert residing in Bussolengo.

It is a clever machine designed to verify the rigs, meaning the behavior of sails, masts, and booms during laboratory simulations and wind tunnel tests.

«I am a passionate windsurfer. When my work commitments allow, I sail in that paradise of sailing which is Lake Garda,» says Malerba.

«I created «Testerring» to offer windsurf practitioners simpler and more versatile tools, and for competitive athletes, to ensure consistently higher performance.»

Features and Benefits of Testerring

«Testerring is a device that enables objective laboratory testing, which is more reliable than on-water tests, naturally influenced by variable wind and marine weather conditions, as well as other factors like currents, wave formations, and more,» continues Malerba.

«Furthermore, with Testerring, the concept of the overall efficiency of the sail, mast, and boom, collectively called the rig in sailing jargon, has been introduced. It examines the ratio between the energy dissipated—necessary for sailing—and the energy produced by the rig under wind stress.»

In other words, numerical data regarding the relationship between wind thrust and the rig’s performance can be obtained.

With «Testerring», which has been both patented and registered as a trademark, it is possible to modify the structure in various configurations and perform direct comparisons between different rigs, accurately replicating testing conditions.

This allows for control over the shape of the sail profiles and the degree of mast bending, as well as the position and displacement of the sailing center of gravity (center of effort), simulating a nearly infinite range of conditions.

It is also possible to quantify the sail’s response speed to gusts of wind.

The most evident advantage lies in having, from the very first water tests, materials with high reliability and a good level of development.

Collaborations and Future Developments

«Testerring» has garnered the appreciation of Pininfarina and researchers from the Politecnico di Milano, who have established a collaboration agreement with Malerba.

«The development of «Testerring» will be overseen by a team of top-level technicians,» reveals Malerba, «who also contributed to the design of Fila, the sailing boat with which Giovanni Soldini won the Around the World Race.»

In a few weeks, testing will begin in the wind tunnel; in the meantime, calibration of the data acquisition system and sensors will continue.

Receiving approval from the Politecnico di Milano, which evaluated with a dedicated commission the opportunity to support my project, is the culmination of two years of great effort, including financial investment.

Now I can say it was worth it, concludes Malerba, and that the future of «Testerring» can only be bright.»