Hi guys.
what length mast would you recommend for surf sup foil.
I have a axis 90 for wingfoiling, I read shorter is better. thanks in advance

I would guess that between 79 and 85 would be the sweet spot. But it depends on where you ride and what the conditions are. If where you ride is shallower than shorter would be better. If where you rid tends to have glassier conditions then shorter could be better. I was riding an 85 because where I ride is further out so deeper, and it gets a little more mixed up even when smoother with different swells that cross up. When the performance masts came out I opted for longer and went 93 over the 79 and I have not had any problems. I still have and older 72 that I use once in a while for small beach breaks.

70 to 85 depending on how deep

70 to 85 depending on how deep

76 seems pretty popular with the Sup DW crew , that's I'm using but must admit do miss a bit longer every now and then.

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rgmacca said..
Hi guys.
what length mast would you recommend for surf sup foil.
I have a axis 90 for wingfoiling, I read shorter is better. thanks in advance

To me it sounds like all the advice on here is spot on, the only thing I would add is if you wing on a 90 then you kinda get used to that length mast so stepping down to an 80 is ok but 75 might be a leap too far if you bounce between two masts.

generally the wider the span front foil, the longer the mast. That way things kind of stay in a similar proportion for turns and feeling when a tip might pop out.maybe down wind not such an issue

I use a 63cm mast (with baseplate that'll be 65 cm), because our (mostly weak and mushy, knee/hiphigh) waves tend to break on shallow sandbanks. It's no fun paddling out and hitting the sandbar on your way :-). It limits pumpability, especially beacause the length of the supfoil board(s).
A mast length of 75 to 85 cm seems a good compromise.

Is lowering drag when getting up onto foil the only reason people ride the shorter masts for downwind? Drag is going to be the same once you are on foil, and margin of error is superior with the longer mast.

I get why some people prefer the roll of a shorter mast for prone, but for downwind, I can't see that being a major factor.

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Velocicraptor said..
Is lowering drag when getting up onto foil the only reason people ride the shorter masts? Drag is going to be the same once you are on foil, and margin of error is superior with the longer mast.

I'm guessing water depth in some areas would be another reason..

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Velocicraptor said..
Is lowering drag when getting up onto foil the only reason people ride the shorter masts for downwind? Drag is going to be the same once you are on foil, and margin of error is superior with the longer mast.

I get why some people prefer the roll of a shorter mast for prone, but for downwind, I can't see that being a major factor.

Pretty much right but also once up the closer the foil is to the surface the faster you will go, not just through less mast drag but also the foil travels through the water easier and with less drag when close to the surface (it displaces the water above it easier)
With a shorter mast it is slightly easier to judge the height and ride high.

I personally used to use an 82 most of the time for surfing and down winding but when I went to a HM Carbon, I bought a 75 thinking it would be less drag to paddle up.
However, as I usually surf with an 899 or 999 but often use a big wingspan 1300 for dw and I find I often breach a wing tip or catch a rail if I am not careful and think I would prefer an 82.

Use 80 for ding and surf. Good compromise.

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tightlines said..

Velocicraptor said..
Is lowering drag when getting up onto foil the only reason people ride the shorter masts for downwind? Drag is going to be the same once you are on foil, and margin of error is superior with the longer mast.

I get why some people prefer the roll of a shorter mast for prone, but for downwind, I can't see that being a major factor.

Pretty much right but also once up the closer the foil is to the surface the faster you will go, not just through less mast drag but also the foil travels through the water easier and with less drag when close to the surface (it displaces the water above it easier)
With a shorter mast it is slightly easier to judge the height and ride high.

I personally used to use an 82 most of the time for surfing and down winding but when I went to a HM Carbon, I bought a 75 thinking it would be less drag to paddle up.
However, as I usually surf with an 899 or 999 but often use a big wingspan 1300 for dw and I find I often breach a wing tip or catch a rail if I am not careful and think I would prefer an 82.

Just bolt on the new ONE mast mate 80cm stiffer faster, lighter thinner cord thinner thickness and far far stiffer torsional flex than anything on the market and will bolt straight on the Axis fuse. Win win win!!

I like the 80cm as an all round size for everything, anything over I feel bit long for most things and going shorter just brings back memories of early days to much and all the breaching!!

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paul.j said..

tightlines said..

Velocicraptor said..
Is lowering drag when getting up onto foil the only reason people ride the shorter masts for downwind? Drag is going to be the same once you are on foil, and margin of error is superior with the longer mast.

I get why some people prefer the roll of a shorter mast for prone, but for downwind, I can't see that being a major factor.

Pretty much right but also once up the closer the foil is to the surface the faster you will go, not just through less mast drag but also the foil travels through the water easier and with less drag when close to the surface (it displaces the water above it easier)
With a shorter mast it is slightly easier to judge the height and ride high.

I personally used to use an 82 most of the time for surfing and down winding but when I went to a HM Carbon, I bought a 75 thinking it would be less drag to paddle up.
However, as I usually surf with an 899 or 999 but often use a big wingspan 1300 for dw and I find I often breach a wing tip or catch a rail if I am not careful and think I would prefer an 82.

Just bolt on the new ONE mast mate 80cm stiffer faster, lighter thinner cord thinner thickness and far far stiffer torsional flex than anything on the market and will bolt straight on the Axis fuse. Win win win!!

I like the 80cm as an all round size for everything, anything over I feel bit long for most things and going shorter just brings back memories of early days to much and all the breaching!!

Yep gotta admit 80cm sounds spot on.

Pretty sure they weren't around, at least over on the West side, when I was chasing a stiff carbon mast.

My big decision will be what to bolt a mast onto next dw season, I'm exploring options ATM so I'll be in touch soon

You end up riding at the same height regardless of mast length. Unless you focus on changing the height. So if you normally ride the 75cm and put on an 85, the foil will just be deeper in the water. The closer you can keep the foil to the surface, without breeching, the more efficient your foil will be. Shorter mast will catch the energy of small bumps better too.

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Hdip said..
You end up riding at the same height regardless of mast length. Unless you focus on changing the height. So if you normally ride the 75cm and put on an 85, the foil will just be deeper in the water. The closer you can keep the foil to the surface, without breeching, the more efficient your foil will be. Shorter mast will catch the energy of small bumps better too.

Yep 100% agree Headip but have you tried down winding a 1300mm wide foil on a 75 mast, there is not much room for error between breaching or catching a rail.
Fat Old Bastards like me need huge wings when learning to paddle up unfortunately.
Hopefully next dw season I will be on a smaller foil but I think a longer mast allows you to turn a lot harder and as long as you concentrate on riding high you should be able to get close to having your foil close to the surface when running straight.

OP was talking about surf sup foiling though and for surf you don't have to be that efficient, so although lately I have been on my 75cm carbon as opposed to my 82 ali, I do wish I had something around 80-82cm in carbon for everything.

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tightlines said..

paul.j said..

tightlines said..

Velocicraptor said..
Is lowering drag when getting up onto foil the only reason people ride the shorter masts for downwind? Drag is going to be the same once you are on foil, and margin of error is superior with the longer mast.

I get why some people prefer the roll of a shorter mast for prone, but for downwind, I can't see that being a major factor.

Pretty much right but also once up the closer the foil is to the surface the faster you will go, not just through less mast drag but also the foil travels through the water easier and with less drag when close to the surface (it displaces the water above it easier)
With a shorter mast it is slightly easier to judge the height and ride high.

I personally used to use an 82 most of the time for surfing and down winding but when I went to a HM Carbon, I bought a 75 thinking it would be less drag to paddle up.
However, as I usually surf with an 899 or 999 but often use a big wingspan 1300 for dw and I find I often breach a wing tip or catch a rail if I am not careful and think I would prefer an 82.

Just bolt on the new ONE mast mate 80cm stiffer faster, lighter thinner cord thinner thickness and far far stiffer torsional flex than anything on the market and will bolt straight on the Axis fuse. Win win win!!

I like the 80cm as an all round size for everything, anything over I feel bit long for most things and going shorter just brings back memories of early days to much and all the breaching!!

Yep gotta admit 80cm sounds spot on.

Pretty sure they weren't around, at least over on the West side, when I was chasing a stiff carbon mast.

My big decision will be what to bolt a mast onto next dw season, I'm exploring options ATM so I'll be in touch soon

Nah only just out now, but if you want something longer than the 75cm plus stiffer and quite a bit faster then they might be worth a look.
Just hit me up when you are ready and I'll shoot you some info