I have recently done a few tow sessions on a Nolimitz 85 and wondering if anyone has had a similar experience.
From what I heard I was expecting the mast to perform better in all areas. That isn’t the case for me so far . The mast is definitely stiffer and 600 grams lighter than the current SPG mast i am using.
It was more responsive and direct which felt great when loading up in sharper turns. The downside it was harder to manage at speed in turbulence and where currents meet. Cross currents were not fun.
Speeds around 30kph it felt great, much over that and up to 45kph things became a lot harder to manage than usual. Underwater turbulence (not whitewash) had a more noticeable affect. Not sure if this is due to the extra stiffness or weight reduction ?
How long has it taken others to adapt to changing masts ? I’m 3 session in and still sitting on the fence.
I didn’t find the NL mast to be a game changer in terms of performance. Its not that much stiffer that other masts on the market…except in the context of how crappy takumas previous generation masts were. Huge improvement on that trash!
The SPG mast is actually really stiff for it’s thickness of 14mm, compared to the other production masts on the market. It was not far from the cedrus when I compared them, cedrus being the stiffest I tried.
I agree with @TooMuchEpoxy, NoLimitz are great if you come from bad mast (Takuma and Cabrinha from my experience). When mast are OKish (Lift for me), the improvments, if any, may not worth the price of a NoLimitz mast, especially in Europe where they are hard to get !
I’m using NoLimitz mast mainly because I can use adapter (Takuma base) to fit my front wings (currently using some Lift, Cab, Armstrong, Takuma and Unifoil)
I have tried a few, not all load tested like that though. Ranking of the masts I have tried (best rigidity/thickness ratio for my 77kg):
Fone HM (by a long margin)
SPG carbon mast
Fone carbon previous generation
Takuma alu v1
Gong carbon v2
Cedrus
I would say you want the same chord and thickness across the whole mast for a more predictable drag behavior. 13-14mm being optimal, 16mm is okay, above 17 to 19 is way too much drag, at least for me.
Id also add that there’s at least as much performance gain to be had in Improved connection fitment as there is in mast stiffness. I’m running a Cedros aluminum with a custom, direct fuse, and a bonded on Takuma front wing. Zero connection flex. If I’m being honest, if I could achieve that with a slightly bendy, but faster mast, I’d probably be happier.
Also, there’s big gains out there in faring your connections. Mixing up some kind of fairing compound to smooth out any bumps and cover. Any cracks and sanding. Smooth will help a lot. I’d like to play with my tail Cham and get it exactly where I want it then fair it out. Can’t really adjust it after that.
Agreed 100%. Mast to fuse and fuse to wing connection make a massive difference, as important as the mast. I think the future is in front wing and fuse in one piece, like fone uni cab etc…
The thickness of the fuse can also be felt in the total drag. And the smoothness of the transition between each piece is crucial I believe, I have some homemade connections that are rough epoxy finish and its holding air bubbles when the mast ventilates, delaying the recovery.
I think go foil is the winner all around… Except for wing design. I think the idea of only having one connection between the mast, and the wing is essential. Having a connection at the wing fuse has some benefit in terms of decreased leverage on the connection. The square taper is definitely the best in terms of torsion and the ability to fully seat the taper kicks ass compared to something like Armstrong that you can’t really seat.
Finally, in terms of mast stiffness to thickness ratio gofoil is definitely going to win. That mast ignores weights. Solid prepreg carbon all the way through, no core involved. Hard to compete with that.
I have not tried gofoil. Cedrus is the stiffest mast I ever had, but way too draggy for me, it was a big bummer. It comes down to user preference, weight, front wing size, and activity.
I am relatively light and usually deal with big long period swells, proning or winging in light winds, using mostly relatively small wings from 650 to 1100 sq cm. Any difference in drag/stiffness can be felt.
Heavier rider, bigger foil, slower waters, strong wind winging, would appreciate the cedrus more.
Not to get too far afield but it seems like the NoLimitz masts increase in drag over time. I have one that I use for both prone and wing - per my tracking I have about 350 miles on it since new. I’ve noticed the leading edge is no longer smooth to the touch - its almost abrasive like sandpaper. I can only assume this is from friction with the salt water and whatever sediment there is in there because its worst where the mast meets the wing and tapers (gets smoother) the closer you get to the board. Has anyone else experienced that? Its great to have the mast with the least drag coefficent, but if the drag increases as the mast wears then over the life of the mast then its not as good as a mast that doesn’t wear out but has more initial drag.
I have not. I’m worried what I’m feeling is the carbon weave, and I wouldn’t want to sand into that too much. I’ll see if I can get a good photo when I get off work
If thats the case, I’ve had luck spraying some light clear-coat over it, then wet sanding with very fine grit. Its risky on the leading edge (which is a very sensitive area of the foil), but maybe better than the texture you are feeling.
Funny you say that because I saw someones NL mast on the beach one day and I could totally notice the wearing down texture of the mast. Looked like skin peeling off, I know exactly what you’re talking about. Seems like this happens to other brands also. Don’t really know what affect it has on drag though.
So credit where credit is due, I reached out to NL and they are going to repaint it no questions asked. I pay shipping there and they will ship it back. Slightly frustrating but I appreciate them standing behind their product.
Great to see a bit of data on masts. Someone has been putting the time in
SPG has released 3 different layups in the 850 mast length
Standard
X stiff
High Modulus /race mast
The race mast (HM) felt better when loading up harder in turns or when on a wider span front wing. It wasn’t a night and day difference for me though .
