Whats your Mast preference with the FreeRide Foil. the 70cm or 95cm ?

I just tried the 95cm Mast, feels very solid but not as loose as I am used to.

Would the 70cm mast make tight turning easier?

The 95cm mast is best because you can bank it harder and turn much more aggressively.

You have to turn the 70cm a bit flatter. If you bank it too hard you pop the foil out of the water and can crash. The 70cm is quite fun for a change and you can ride in all sorts of conditions. It's real benefit is in shallow water. You can launch in shallower water, or come in closer into the wave zone without worrying about hitting the bottom.

Thanks

I plan to get a 70cm as well for Low tide riding in our area.

Only had the one session so far on the 95cm, will stick with it for deep water riding and have fun on both.

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Gorgo said..

eddiemorgs said..

...

Gorgo , do you use straps ? How did you arrange them on the 120 ?
I have been using opposing front straps on the 155 which has 2 lines of holes for the back of the straps but the 120 has only 1 line of holes for the back of the straps .
I ended up just putting one strap at the front until someone suggest a better way . I don't really use it anyway except to start .

....

I have two straps at the front. The outside of the straps are on the middle position, and the inside of the straps share a single screw hole in the middle.

I have Dakine straps with the twist control plastic thingy. Where the two straps meet in the middle I replaced the twist control fitting with a stainless washer to accommodate the extra thickness from having the two layers of strap on a single screw. It works fine. I always have one foot in one of the front straps and jump quite a lot. I checked the screw the other day and it was nicely screwed in. No sign of it pulling out or anything.

I have the back strap in the most forward position behind the mast. When riding with the Freeride foil I have my back foot in the strap. It feels quite balanced. I tend to do a lot of jumps and larger radius turns.

With the Cruzer foil I feel more comfortable with the back foot in front of the mast. I do lots of carving and S-turns and tight radius turns. I am generally riding in fairly large chop or waves. It feels a bit less balanced with my foot in the back strap. Doable, but not as comfortable as the Freeride. I do put my foot further back when riding upwind. May favourite thing to do is swoosh around in the wave zone and back foot forward feels best for that.

PS Even better is to swoosh around in the wave zone near where the windsurfers are struggling to get off the beach.

Cool, thanks Gorgo and Midtide , I will have to try a longer screw I think. I have just put one longitudinal strap on for the minute. (Doesn't sound good does it ? ) ??
i dont jump at all , so don't really use them much anyway and will probably end up strapless.

Agree with where you have ended up with strap placement. The cruzer needs more weight at the front , especially when loaded up , the freestyle needs comparatively more at the back. Kind of stands to reason with the different aspects of the foils.
Cheers.

Strap position seems to change with power and water state. I was blasting around quite happily last night in the straps on the Cruzer and 95cm mast with my 15.5 kite. On the smooth water it was a blast loading up the foil and fanging.

When I am using a small kite and there is a lot of chop or waves then I move my back foot further and further forward.

Just tried the 70cm mast, freeride Foil and 120 freeride board with. 9 mtr boxer kite in 15 knots. A lot of fun, great carving, easy to jump and fast. Now to try new things and get out of my comfort zone. Will use the 95cm next high tide session

Second session with the 70cm Mast and freeride foil. Tried 3 and landed 2 back rolls. So easy to carve when you commit. Still heavy footed and struggled to change foot position, will keep trying. In low tide conditions, the 70cm mast is great.

A few photos for those interested in the recent Jshapes gear

I have now had the jshapes 120 board for a month . Seems very robust and lightweight and awesome fun .
It's also a thing of great beauty . And gets many sideways glances from passersby.
It seems to have made things more easy compared to the 155 when transitioning and generally buzzing about . Less to move about I guess
I have opted for a single strap ... I prefer to ride out of the straps and just use this for getting up . Could probably do away with it at some stage .

I have the V1 mast and now have both the freestyle foil and the cruzer foil . Both are great fun , I swap around according to conditions .... if its pretty flat , the freestyle foil is locked in fast and well balanced , also fun and loose with a wide range of ability . I learnt on this ... it was not easy especially when learning to transition , but that was also due to learning about kite and foil management at the same time .

The cruzer is beautifully balanced , requires more front pressure with speed ... its so much fun and so forgiving when breaching or generally stuffing up . I get this out when there is a bit of swell or just want lazy cruise about ... so loose and turns with great feedback . It's also pretty quick ...
Fun on waves ... could be a bit slower , but I understand they have also made a wave foil now .
Much easier to transition although I am now proficient on both foils in foil gybing .
A really good foil to learn and advance on .

Compared to other foils I have ridden , the crispness , balance and feedback I get from both of these foils is top class . Certainly the lightness of the gear is an advantage ( the gear comes in at 5.7 kg when bolted together ) . Anything else feels heavy and takes a little time to adjust .

I have ridden this gear with a 7m , 9m , 12m Neos to a 17 Zephyr . Always very controllable and fun . The gear has taken a quite a few knocks into sand .... .... but with no problems except to tidy up the odd knick .

I cant fault this gear ... I ride with a slightly smug smile most of the time ... it's way better than me ....
I try others , and I reckon I have found my little bit bit heaven . Although you never know ...

Cheers

Eddie

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eddiemorgs said..
A few photos for those interested in the recent Jshapes gear

I have now had the jshapes 120 board for a month . Seems very robust and lightweight and awesome fun .
It's also a thing of great beauty . And gets many sideways glances from passersby.
It seems to have made things more easy compared to the 155 when transitioning and generally buzzing about . Less to move about I guess
I have opted for a single strap ... I prefer to ride out of the straps and just use this for getting up . Could probably do away with it at some stage .

I have the V1 mast and now have both the freestyle foil and the cruzer foil . Both are great fun , I swap around according to conditions .... if its pretty flat , the freestyle foil is locked in fast and well balanced , also fun and loose with a wide range of ability . I learnt on this ... it was not easy especially when learning to transition , but that was also due to learning about kite and foil management at the same time .

The cruzer is beautifully balanced , requires more front pressure with speed ... its so much fun and so forgiving when breaching or generally stuffing up . I get this out when there is a bit of swell or just want lazy cruise about ... so loose and turns with great feedback . It's also pretty quick ...
Fun on waves ... could be a bit slower , but I understand they have also made a wave foil now .
Much easier to transition although I am now proficient on both foils in foil gybing .
A really good foil to learn and advance on .

Compared to other foils I have ridden , the crispness , balance and feedback I get from both of these foils is top class . Certainly the lightness of the gear is an advantage ( the gear comes in at 5.7 kg when bolted together ) . Anything else feels heavy and takes a little time to adjust .

I have ridden this gear with a 7m , 9m , 12m Neos to a 17 Zephyr . Always very controllable and fun . The gear has taken a quite a few knocks into sand .... .... but with no problems except to tidy up the odd knick .

I cant fault this gear ... I ride with a slightly smug smile most of the time ... it's way better than me ....
I try others , and I reckon I have found my little bit bit heaven . Although you never know ...

Cheers

Eddie

Mate,that looks awesome my next foil rig heard nothing but good reports
Broken hand to mend first?? Whereabouts do you ride up there ??

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Floter said..

eddiemorgs said..
A few photos for those interested in the recent Jshapes gear

I have now had the jshapes 120 board for a month . Seems very robust and lightweight and awesome fun .
It's also a thing of great beauty . And gets many sideways glances from passersby.
It seems to have made things more easy compared to the 155 when transitioning and generally buzzing about . Less to move about I guess
I have opted for a single strap ... I prefer to ride out of the straps and just use this for getting up . Could probably do away with it at some stage .

I have the V1 mast and now have both the freestyle foil and the cruzer foil . Both are great fun , I swap around according to conditions .... if its pretty flat , the freestyle foil is locked in fast and well balanced , also fun and loose with a wide range of ability . I learnt on this ... it was not easy especially when learning to transition , but that was also due to learning about kite and foil management at the same time .

The cruzer is beautifully balanced , requires more front pressure with speed ... its so much fun and so forgiving when breaching or generally stuffing up . I get this out when there is a bit of swell or just want lazy cruise about ... so loose and turns with great feedback . It's also pretty quick ...
Fun on waves ... could be a bit slower , but I understand they have also made a wave foil now .
Much easier to transition although I am now proficient on both foils in foil gybing .
A really good foil to learn and advance on .

Compared to other foils I have ridden , the crispness , balance and feedback I get from both of these foils is top class . Certainly the lightness of the gear is an advantage ( the gear comes in at 5.7 kg when bolted together ) . Anything else feels heavy and takes a little time to adjust .

I have ridden this gear with a 7m , 9m , 12m Neos to a 17 Zephyr . Always very controllable and fun . The gear has taken a quite a few knocks into sand .... .... but with no problems except to tidy up the odd knick .

I cant fault this gear ... I ride with a slightly smug smile most of the time ... it's way better than me ....
I try others , and I reckon I have found my little bit bit heaven . Although you never know ...

Cheers

Eddie

Mate,that looks awesome my next foil rig heard nothing but good reports
Broken hand to mend first?? Whereabouts do you ride up there ??

We ride from Rapid Creek , through Casuarina surf club , Lee point and around to Buffalo Creek. On a good northerly we can slip around to Fannie Bay.
Plenty of wildlife as we kite too. One of our new guys hit a turtle on his foil yesterday.
I work from home and kite 3 or 4 times a week. Darwin is surprisingly good , always warm , and once you make adjustment to light wind. A big breakthrough for us was good big kites and the north nugget , and now foils.
Woohoo!

Also a great mob of people , skilled kiters and if its not windy , always up for a beer and a chat.

I have got the 120cm board + 70cm mast + cruzer foil and had a first go in 30 knots and big chop. It is way lighter than anything else I have seen, the wind kept picking the board up (the foil pretty much floats) and sometimes it would even foil. Not ideal learning conditions and I really struggled. Lots of breaching, running the nose into waves, and struggling with the variable power output of gusty winds and a fast little kite. The board is much smaller than I have used before and very sensitive to weighting when starting off. The board sinks too and I was hitting the bottom sometimes.
I eventually got port tack sussed but really struggled with starboard, probably because of the chop direction. It can point really high and travel at what feels like 10 knots. Looking forward to a lighter wind day, hopefully tomorrow.

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simonp said..
I have got the 120cm board + 70cm mast + cruzer foil and had a first go in 30 knots and big chop. It is way lighter than anything else I have seen, the wind kept picking the board up (the foil pretty much floats) and sometimes it would even foil. Not ideal learning conditions and I really struggled. Lots of breaching, running the nose into waves, and struggling with the variable power output of gusty winds and a fast little kite. The board is much smaller than I have used before and very sensitive to weighting when starting off. The board sinks too and I was hitting the bottom sometimes.
I eventually got port tack sussed but really struggled with starboard, probably because of the chop direction. It can point really high and travel at what feels like 10 knots. Looking forward to a lighter wind day, hopefully tomorrow.

Sounds like tricky conditions mate !
Big chop and short mast will make it a little more difficult too .
Will make the foil buck a little with the rise and fall of the wave hence the running into the swell with the shorter mast contributing .
You wont notice the board after a bit I suspect , keep fairly inert on it , ie dont move about too much and keep your body centered .
Time on the water ...

15 knots today and it was much easier but I did end up over-powered on a 9m when it started blowing above 20. It is so different from the Airush setup I had been using up to now. It foils up much quicker and my reactions aren't yet quick enough so there is quite a bit of kangaroo bouncing. The 70cm mast doesn't give much room for error. I found that I had to put all of weight on the front foot so I think I will move my foot-hooks further forward. More time on the water required.

Session #3 and it all clicked. I was riding too powered up and too far back on the board. It carves so sweet, points high and low, rides fast and slow.

I had another session in the afternoon when it was warmer but only 8-10 knots on a 10m. Just drifting, waiting for a gust, if I get get up on the board I can foil, and if I can foil then I can race upwind and then foil the swell downind. This is an amazing sport.

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simonp said..


Session #3 and it all clicked. I was riding too powered up and too far back on the board. It carves so sweet, points high and low, rides fast and slow.

Looks like your board has tracks built in for other foils ?

Yes. It's a custom that I bought second hand.

Would be great if Jshapes produced a plate mount mast like Gofoil have.

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toppleover said..
Would be great if Jshapes produced a plate mount mast like Gofoil have.

Manta foils make a deep tuttle to plate mount adaptor which looks nice...
www.mantafoils.com/e-shop/Manta-deep-tuttle-to-plate-adapter-lighter-version-p103155385

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snalberski said..

toppleover said..
Would be great if Jshapes produced a plate mount mast like Gofoil have.

Manta foils make a deep tuttle to plate mount adaptor which looks nice...
www.mantafoils.com/e-shop/Manta-deep-tuttle-to-plate-adapter-lighter-version-p103155385

Not worth it imo for the extra weight & cost.

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toppleover said..

snalberski said..

toppleover said..
Would be great if Jshapes produced a plate mount mast like Gofoil have.

Manta foils make a deep tuttle to plate mount adaptor which looks nice...
www.mantafoils.com/e-shop/Manta-deep-tuttle-to-plate-adapter-lighter-version-p103155385

Not worth it imo for the extra weight & cost.

Agreed , don't see the point

After a fair amount of research I picked up a Jshapes setup with 95cm mast and cruiser foil. Really impressed with this gear, it really is a thing of beauty!! I found it very easy to learn foiling on (5 sessions or so and im getting long rides and riding downwind when required), while seeming like im not going to outgrow it anytime soon.

If anyone is sitting on the fence I thoroughly recommend this sport, and while i dont really have any other foil gear to compare it to, ive found the Jspapes gear to be top notch with a lot of headroom for growth as you progress!

Another fan here of Jshapes foils and boards.
Being over 60 am basically an apprentice at foiling.
Had some sustained runs both ways recently on 155cm board with cruzer foil 90cm mast.
No successful transitions as yet.
Just using dual front straps centred no rear strap.
Next day Tried the freeride foil.
What a different feel altogether.
Had trouble with my foot pressure ,position and weight.
Found it bucking nose diving.
Wind was gusty also making balance worse.
After some feedback regards freeride strap position and foot pressure.
Strap position behind mast for freeride foil?
Front straps back also?

I ride both the Cruzer and the Freeride in the same way, front foot in the straps, back foot on top of the mast. The front mast screw is probably the sweet spot for the back foot. Bring your back foot a little bit further forward if it's choppy or you're going fast.

There's not a huge difference between the foils when it comes to riding. The Cruzer is a fair bit more forgiving. When you push down on the Cruzer you can feel a solid push back. The Freeride is a lot more subtle. It will ride the same way, just feel different and require more subtle input at first.

Put the front straps about the middle of the range. You can move them forward with more experience. That can balance your stance and make the back strap a bit more accessible. You can move it back if you want a narrower stance.

I have a rear strap set in the forward position (last holes before the tuttle screws). I really only use it for jumping (and positioning the board for water starts).

As a beginner you will overload the back foot. The last thing you want is to have your back foot behind the mast. It's generally best to have it a bit forward. You can experiment with moving it back as you develop a feel for the foil.

Once you've learned to ride in a balanced stance you can ride in the straps all the time if you want. It's huge fun for aggressive blasting around.

PS I normally ride my 120cm board. For fun on lighter days I dug out the 155cm board. Sooo much fun. So stable and forgiving. It's like walking around on an aircraft carrier.

PPS I'm 62. I don't want to do anything but foil. We've had a photographer turn up at the beach recently. This is what J Shapes is made for.

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Gorgo said..
I ride both the Cruzer and the Freeride in the same way, front foot in the straps, back foot on top of the mast. The front mast screw is probably the sweet spot for the back foot. Bring your back foot a little bit further forward if it's choppy or you're going fast.

There's not a huge difference between the foils when it comes to riding. The Cruzer is a fair bit more forgiving. When you push down on the Cruzer you can feel a solid push back. The Freeride is a lot more subtle. It will ride the same way, just feel different and require more subtle input at first.

Put the front straps about the middle of the range. You can move them forward with more experience. That can balance your stance and make the back strap a bit more accessible. You can move it back if you want a narrower stance.

I have a rear strap set in the forward position (last holes before the tuttle screws). I really only use it for jumping (and positioning the board for water starts).

As a beginner you will overload the back foot. The last thing you want is to have your back foot behind the mast. It's generally best to have it a bit forward. You can experiment with moving it back as you develop a feel for the foil.

Once you've learned to ride in a balanced stance you can ride in the straps all the time if you want. It's huge fun for aggressive blasting around.

PS I normally ride my 120cm board. For fun on lighter days I dug out the 155cm board. Sooo much fun. So stable and forgiving. It's like walking around on an aircraft carrier.

PPS I'm 62. I don't want to do anything but foil. We've had a photographer turn up at the beach recently. This is what J Shapes is made for.

Thanks Gorgo
Great advice much appreciated.
Yes my foot position with the cruzer foil rear foot on mast screws or just on the front screw seems perfect for trim.

As mentioned I have the 155cm & just got the 135cm

Being 102 kgs the 120cm was a bit small .
Antoine suggested 135
So my foot position is the same with the 135 board
with the freeride foil.
Found it is very subtle the change from cruzer to freeride.
Such a buzz. What an amazing feeling up on the foil.

I test rode the j shapes last year and it's a great ride. I ended up getting the moses fluente mostly cause if I wanted to change a wing I could just unscrew it. Is the new model still one piece below the mast?

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Macster said..
I test rode the j shapes last year and it's a great ride. I ended up getting the moses fluente mostly cause if I wanted to change a wing I could just unscrew it. Is the new model still one piece below the mast?

Hi Macster
Yes agreed they are an excellent foil.
Moses also have top line carbon foils.
jshapes website has the one piece foil fuselage.
No change as yet.
Happy to have the three wings,two masts,two boards.

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LeighMajor said..

Gorgo said..
I ride both the Cruzer and the Freeride in the same way, front foot in the straps, back foot on top of the mast. The front mast screw is probably the sweet spot for the back foot. Bring your back foot a little bit further forward if it's choppy or you're going fast.

There's not a huge difference between the foils when it comes to riding. The Cruzer is a fair bit more forgiving. When you push down on the Cruzer you can feel a solid push back. The Freeride is a lot more subtle. It will ride the same way, just feel different and require more subtle input at first.

Put the front straps about the middle of the range. You can move them forward with more experience. That can balance your stance and make the back strap a bit more accessible. You can move it back if you want a narrower stance.

I have a rear strap set in the forward position (last holes before the tuttle screws). I really only use it for jumping (and positioning the board for water starts).

As a beginner you will overload the back foot. The last thing you want is to have your back foot behind the mast. It's generally best to have it a bit forward. You can experiment with moving it back as you develop a feel for the foil.

Once you've learned to ride in a balanced stance you can ride in the straps all the time if you want. It's huge fun for aggressive blasting around.

PS I normally ride my 120cm board. For fun on lighter days I dug out the 155cm board. Sooo much fun. So stable and forgiving. It's like walking around on an aircraft carrier.

PPS I'm 62. I don't want to do anything but foil. We've had a photographer turn up at the beach recently. This is what J Shapes is made for.

Thanks Gorgo
Great advice much appreciated.
Yes my foot position with the cruzer foil rear foot on mast screws or just on the front screw seems perfect for trim.

As mentioned I have the 155cm & just got the 135cm

Being 102 kgs the 120cm was a bit small .
Antoine suggested 135
So my foot position is the same with the 135 board
with the freeride foil.
Found it is very subtle the change from cruzer to freeride.
Such a buzz. What an amazing feeling up on the foil.

I swap between the cruzer and the freestyle foils depending on conditions , and the vibe ... and use the 120 board . Only front foot strap , only use it to get going then mostly only toe in . I don't like being strapped in .

I tend to use smaller kite for cruzer and bigger kite for freestyle . They both are sweet foils but quite different.

Cruzer loads up early , front foot at most forward position , back foot on forward mast screw sometimes over mast .
Cruzer very agile , great fun in waves , slow and quick ,need to ride it well forward when going quick

Freestyle ... kinda the same but back foot over mast and sometimes a little further back if going quick .This foil releases beautifully , very smooth, less push back , incredibly balanced with speed and fun to boot when you get it dialed

Regarding the one piece thing ... these foils are made as a package ... they dont need adjusting , they just work . If I am after a different foil for the conditions I just swap , its easy .

Away for a month .... really miss my foils

Select to expand quote

eddiemorgs said..

LeighMajor said..

Gorgo said..
I ride both the Cruzer and the Freeride in the same way, front foot in the straps, back foot on top of the mast. The front mast screw is probably the sweet spot for the back foot. Bring your back foot a little bit further forward if it's choppy or you're going fast.

There's not a huge difference between the foils when it comes to riding. The Cruzer is a fair bit more forgiving. When you push down on the Cruzer you can feel a solid push back. The Freeride is a lot more subtle. It will ride the same way, just feel different and require more subtle input at first.

Put the front straps about the middle of the range. You can move them forward with more experience. That can balance your stance and make the back strap a bit more accessible. You can move it back if you want a narrower stance.

I have a rear strap set in the forward position (last holes before the tuttle screws). I really only use it for jumping (and positioning the board for water starts).

As a beginner you will overload the back foot. The last thing you want is to have your back foot behind the mast. It's generally best to have it a bit forward. You can experiment with moving it back as you develop a feel for the foil.

Once you've learned to ride in a balanced stance you can ride in the straps all the time if you want. It's huge fun for aggressive blasting around.

PS I normally ride my 120cm board. For fun on lighter days I dug out the 155cm board. Sooo much fun. So stable and forgiving. It's like walking around on an aircraft carrier.

PPS I'm 62. I don't want to do anything but foil. We've had a photographer turn up at the beach recently. This is what J Shapes is made for.

Thanks Gorgo
Great advice much appreciated.
Yes my foot position with the cruzer foil rear foot on mast screws or just on the front screw seems perfect for trim.

As mentioned I have the 155cm & just got the 135cm

Being 102 kgs the 120cm was a bit small .
Antoine suggested 135
So my foot position is the same with the 135 board
with the freeride foil.
Found it is very subtle the change from cruzer to freeride.
Such a buzz. What an amazing feeling up on the foil.

I swap between the cruzer and the freestyle foils depending on conditions , and the vibe ... and use the 120 board . Only front foot strap , only use it to get going then mostly only toe in . I don't like being strapped in .

I tend to use smaller kite for cruzer and bigger kite for freestyle . They both are sweet foils but quite different.

Cruzer loads up early , front foot at most forward position , back foot on forward mast screw sometimes over mast .
Cruzer very agile , great fun in waves , slow and quick ,need to ride it well forward when going quick

Freestyle ... kinda the same but back foot over mast and sometimes a little further back if going quick .This foil releases beautifully , very smooth, less push back , incredibly balanced with speed and fun to boot when you get it dialed

Regarding the one piece thing ... these foils are made as a package ... they dont need adjusting , they just work . If I am after a different foil for the conditions I just swap , its easy .

Away for a month .... really miss my foils

Hey thanks Eddie
Really appreciate the feedback.
Bit hard round here only one other mate foils.
Our Other kiters are being a bit block headed or finding the cost of foiling hard to justify.
As I figure it life's to short at my age to not learn how to Foil.
Its definitely a whole new learning curve but I feel more positive I am slowly getting it.
More Foil time.
Its very subtle balancing act.
Just love the simplicity of foil tech.
How we can fly above the water.
Thanks again for the feedback.

Im getting some great info from this forum thread. I am thinking of moving on from my aluminium set up to carbon. The J Shape foils look the part and have great feedback from riders at my local. I only foil in the 13-22knot range. Would still call myself a novice but feel a carbon setup will see me through to a more advanced level. I am not doing any prone foiling as I'm time poor but I like the style. At this stage I am enjoying buzzing about in lighter winds riding the chop. I am 85kgs and ride a 127 Naish hover with standard track mounts. I ride a 7m kite only. I swap to a surfboard when it gets above 22knots.

My question is would the Cruizer foil suit me in this wind range? I do not want to sacrifice any low end. I would also want more mast length with the 95cm. Does anyone have a good light weight deep Tuttle adapter plate for this set up. I would rather not have to buy a new board to fix a JShapes mast to if possible.
cheers.