So aside from cost, is there any reason use any brand’s older style mast or are they totally obsolete? I see that Axis and Unifoil still have their old style masts for sale, is that just a case of having old stock on hand or trying to fit a price point? Do any of you find yourself reaching for the old mast for some reason like speed or low weight?
Speed seems to be the word. Unifoil have some interesting (long) chats on their YouTube about the original vs katana mast and how the former is less drag leading to better surf performance on surf foils.
Anyone comment on direct experience with axis back to back? I imagine the same likely applies and have heard that the original axis is great on narrower foils.
Obviously speed trades off against pump stability, and the trade off worsens when you go wide foil span
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Cool, got a link to that unifoil video?
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And also at 1hr mark on this one they also discuss it
Some guys still prefer the thinner mast. It is faster. Weight is a huge difference. Over 160 and it really starts to become an issue. But my son still rides the thinner mast.
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It seems like wingspan also a factor. I remember the old style takuma mast working for the 980 but being almost unusable for the 1095 for me (@ 227 lbs).
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Wingspan seems to have a big effect. I’ve done pumpfoiling with the same mast on the SAB foil 1350 and 1750. There was flex with the 1350, but it wasn’t that bad. While the 1750 was almost unrideable, load up the rail to turn and you just bend the mast and set the board oscillating.
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I’m 86kg and use Axis for prone/FoilDrive and winging.
The following is in time sequence…
Winging in 25-35 knots, big chop - using the v1 86cm carbon mast with an ART999 - it felt vague and scary, I assumed that it was just me being crap. I changed to the 82cm 19mm alloy mast and everything stabilised, the board was controllable and it almost became enjoyable.
Winging in 15 knots, 90 cm alloy mast, PNG1300 (1700sqcm) - I’d been FoilDriving on the 1300 with a 75cm 19mm mast and loved it. I took the 1300 out in 15-18 knots on an 90cm and hated it, I barely knew where the board was going to point next. I changed to the 82cm 19mm mast and it was vastly improved but still not as stable as the 75cm.
FoilDriving in 4 foot (front) waves - I’d been using the PNG1010 (1400sq cm) for a while with the 75cm 19mm mast and getting much more confident with carving. I changed to the ARTPro1201 and was surprised by how much flex it generated in the carve ie very unstable. I changed to the PNG1300 to check if it was foil flex and I was completely twanged off the board. Hilarious! As in ter-WANG!
I ordered a 75cm HM carbon mast and have been VERY happy with it. It’s stable and predictable and if you’re a heavier guy then you’ll really appreciate the difference.
If you’re a lightweight, maybe not, but stay away from those pies, just in case!