Hey mate yeah I prefer the 75 for me I have the 82 19mm ali and didn’t like it as much also found myself touching the bottom alot more at some of our spots so the 75 suites better for me I still feel like I can bank over pretty hard you just do it slightly different knowing the mast is that tad shorter.
Westcoastfoiler, or others, can you comment any further on the benefits of the High Modulus Carbon specifically for downwinding.
I SUP foil Pillar Point (aka in and around Mavericks, CA) 150+ times per year. This means bigger surf and I have bent the 19 mm Aluminum mast. I have stuck with aluminum because it is cheaper to replace bent aluminum than other options.
However I have been lured into downwinding. Bay runs are less technical, but the ocean runs we have been doing are 1) Harder to takeoff and 2) much more difficult to connect and continuously fly the bumps.
How much better is the Carbon High Modulus in the Downwind conditions specifically:
For Pump, For Glide, For Confidence . . .
Note: I have been focused on the Axis 1300 foil, big and wobbly but can step down to the 1099 when appropriate. My weight 85 K / 190 lbs. Barracuda style 7’ 9" x 21" x 128 liter board.
@Beasho, I can’t comment much on the downwind side yet as we haven’t had conditions to try it out. Things Ives noticed prone and towing tho are, the HM speed is faster than the 19mm Aluminium which with the increase stiffness has made my pump game go to another level constantly connecting two waves to 4-5 I think this and the speed will cross over to downwind well, are they as strong as the aluminium I can’t answer that I’ve never bent my 19mm haha but definitely interested to hear other people’s thoughts.
And again very happy with my choice to go to HM
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@Beasho
I am 90kg and have been sup foiling and winging for years, I have bent 75 and 82cm Ali masts.
I still think they are great value mast and it was only due to some heavy wipeouts in big conditions and getting dumped in the shallow shore break after sup downwinders with my big 1150 wing that they bent.
I think that is probably to be expected with the forces generated by big foils on big sup boards.
I procrastinated for ages as to wether to go to the HM mast because of the expense and if so what size.
Some of my surf locations are shallow and I believe for dw paddle up 75 has less drag but in bigger surf and winging you can turn harder and just have less chance of breaching or catching a rail with the 82.
I ended up going for the 75 and mainly use it with the 1300 or 1050 wing on a 7’ Sunova Aviator for downwind and 899, 999 and 1099 ART wings for surf on a 6’8 Aviator.
Absolutely no regrets about the purchase it is sooo much better than the Ali for For Pump, For Glide, For Confidence . . .
I also hated the little bit of movement between mast and base plate on the Ali especially noticeable when using the big downwind wings, not an issue now.
Honestly just go HM you will love it.
I spent so much time trying to justify the cost but love it so much now I am actually considering getting an 82cm as well
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Thanks guys for pushing me over the edge. Received the Axis High Modulus 75 cm yesterday and put it to the test today.
Noticeably less wobble when paddling. Appears to paddle faster than the Aluminum. I was taking off on unbroken waves, pumping doubles and flying around like a champ.
No more excuses with this newly minted Bumble Bee 6’ 9" x 26" x 5" @ 115 liters and 10 lbs 15.9 ounces
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For what its worth, here was the beating that bent my 19 mm aluminum 90 cm mast.
We were paddling in from Mavericks, buoys were 9 feet @ 14 seconds, not too huge. Black hand reef had some good, manageable foil waves. This is the last reef before the safety of the lagoon. I was trying to catch one more wave when a set lit up the reef. Nothing like having your leash hog tie the foil with incoming overhead walls of white water.
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Hopefully no one minds that I revive this thread. I am interested to see what combos people are riding for wing foiling waves and proning. I am 6’1” at 185 lbs.
Current setup: Spitfire 840 and 360/45 tail with two pop can shims at the front of the tail foil to bring it more level. Regular Ultra Short fuse
-Great for waves, super easy, decent glide, overall easy and surfs well. The tail makes this combo lift of the water easier, glide better, pump better, and do smooth turns.
-With 300 P tail the turns are very lively, like a short board, which I love; however, it is harder to get flying in lighter wind and doesn’t have the glide. I find myself sticking with the 360/45 tail. If I was towing I would go 300 P tail.
Bigger waves and/or more wind: Spitfire 780 with 360/45 tail. Surfs very well with just a little less glide than the 840 but can handle bigger waves, overhead stuff.
-Towing I would use 300 P tail.
Previous foil: ART 899 with 300 P tail. I loved the speed and glide of this combo, it took a lot of concentration in turns to prevent breaching a tip and was harder to get off the water. Breaching a tip ended in foiling out.
Previous to 899: BSC 810 and 350 P tail. I loved this combo as well. This was a supervery linear lift, turned like a short board. This setup did not glide much, I guess the trade off for staying in the pocket. As the wing foiling wings got better and faster there was too much dra
Prior to BSC 810: HPS 980 and 420 tail. This is what I learned on. It was too locked in with the 420 tail. The 420 also cut my leg. I went to the 400 P tail and later 350 P tail. Each time the foil turned better and went faster.
-HPS 980 is now my small wave prone foil, as I am learning.
I am interested to hear combos people are using. I ride with one guy using the new Armstrong 680 and 580 and another guy using the F-One Skate 750 and 650. I have noticed they seem to go a little faster and glide a little more, otherwise similar.
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I’ll post up my experience with 1051, 1121, 1201 ART PRO foils, riding at about #210lbs. Surf foiling and wing foiling. I’m personally amazed that these three foils are so different even though the numbers are sort of close. The wingspan is not changing much, but the chord (and total lifting area) changes by much more. Please note: I am convinced that these foils ride totally differently for a lighter weight rider because I keep reading reviews that don’t agree with my experience.
The 1201 is a pumping machine, it is very easy to pump and glides really well. It has good low end (slow speed) lift and glides with very little drag. Getting up with a wing happens really early, and gliding through long drawn out jibes works. Unfortunately, it rides like a big foil - turns sluggishly and has a bit of time-delay from input to maneuver. It does turn better at slow speeds than at high speeds. These days I only ride it in the surf with really small waves, and have stopped using it for winging. I don’t think there are any conditions where I could get the 1201 going by couldn’t get a smaller foil in the air with the wing. So it doesn’t really get used for winging.
The 1121 is really nice balance between being fairly pump-able, good low end lift, but also surfs decently well. I think I can pump the 1121 just as long at the 1201 (from a cardio point of view) but it is a bit less forgiving so I’m more likely to screw something up and come off foil. So because it is a much more fun foil to ride, the 1121 gets about 10x more time on the water than the 1201 for me.
The 1051 is a go-cart in comparison to the other sizes. It is so snappy and responsive turning that I enjoy riding it the most of the three. But at 210lbs, it is really difficult to pump well. It has almost no low end lift and in fact drops out of the sky if I lose speed. I have to use really gentle and quick pushes while pumping to get it up to speed and keep it going fast. Once its moving fast, it is a very efficient foil. With the wing, I have to really get the board going before I can get it out of the water, and it is very difficult to “ollie” out of the water. It wants to be going fast.
Overall, I love the range of this quiver and haven’t found other foils I like nearly as much.
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Jon,
Good to hear! I was wondering if anyone was riding the smaller, high aspect ART Pro’s for surfing.
Ald, interested to hear what tail and fuse are you using and your thoughts?
Observations from measuring a lot of the other foil setups. Their front wings are all much closer to the mast than mine, and their tail sections are still shorter that mine. Thinking I need to try a Crazyshort Advanced fuse. I( don’t have room for the Advanced +)
fwiw, I rode a 1201 with an Advanced+ fuse, and then next day swopped to a regular Advanced. The difference was pretty severe.
The Advanced gave me the exact feeling at the low end that I really disliked about Axis. The feeling was pitchy, unstable and imprecise. The newer fuse reduces that
Hopeful that the next Axis release this year ticks a few more boxes than usual 