Hi. I have a Signature Albatross 210 foil which I use with a 75 Unifoil carbon mast.I love this setup and I can ride it in most conditions, but the whole fuselage and front wing are a single piece.

The only interchangeable part is the tail wing.

I would like to experiment with different (smaller) front wings but since it's all in one piece and not many people use this brand it's hard and expensive to find parts.

Also, the 75 mast sometimes feels a little short expecially when downwinding on bigger waves.

I'm not sure whether any of the other brands are compatible with my mast, should I bite the bullet and buy a different mast to lock in with a different brand?

I went from a 69cms mast to a 75cms mast to an 83cms mast and for me the 83cms mast is so much more fun for winging, there's no comparison, before I was always having to be so careful to keep the foil just below the surface but with the extra cms I can move all over the place and it feels so much freer (the 75cms may have pumped a little better at times but my technique is more advanced now anyway) so I would say yes if you are in open ocean move UP!

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RAF142134 said..
I went from a 69cms mast to a 75cms mast to an 83cms mast and for me the 83cms mast is so much more fun for winging, there's no comparison, before I was always having to be so careful to keep the foil just below the surface but with the extra cms I can move all over the place and it feels so much freer (the 75cms may have pumped a little better at times but my technique is more advanced now anyway) so I would say yes if you are in open ocean move UP!

Thanks! I was thinking to get an 85, this is very encouraging.
It's funny, I can easily foil without issues of breaching etc. with a 65 in flattish water, but in the ocean things change dramatically.

Yes the ocean is a different beast. For me it means I can pump up the foil to just under the water to get over ropes and stuff as they grow oysters where I foil, and then when carving or dropping down some steep chop bury the foil without losing my ride, this flexibility is great, but I do have to beach start a little further out, that was one advantage of the shorty!

I ride a 66, 76, and 86 mast.

76 is my favorite, great all around and good snappy surf performance.

66 is next, perfect on small days and in light winds.

86 is my least favorite. It's not bad, but I dislike the extra drag and slower rail to rail performance. In especially steep swell I do prefer this, but otherwise I like the small ones best!

It depends on your conditions, I only ride a long mast, Armstrong performance 935 mast and I couldn't go back to a shorter mast. Gives you more space, specially in large swell or choppy conditions.
it does make for a stiffer ride, so I switched to a short fuse (50) and a small tail (140). For winging it's great.
Sup foiling I use a 72 mast, works great as well.
in flat water or wind swell you could go shorter.

Thanks everyone. I am looking at getting a 83 Unifoil mast if I find a decent deal.

You could move over to a more popular foil brand and open up thousands of possibilities - Gong, Armstrong, North, Axxis, GoFoil all offer many mast and front foil options - your wallet may object though

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RAF142134 said..
You could move over to a more popular foil brand and open up thousands of possibilities - Gong, Armstrong, North, Axxis, GoFoil all offer many mast and front foil options - your wallet may object though

Haha yep, I thought about it. As you say it is a big decision, as I would have to ditch my current stuff

I don't know how easy it would be for you to switch, but it seems like you are locked into your current setup (although it sounds like it works as a one front foil quiver for you). I am now up to 3 front foils but still ride one foil way more than the others. Local availability was one of the main factors for my choice. Some people where I am have moved through quite a few different brands over the last 2 years. When I see others having more fun than me I like to check what gear they have.

Yes correct. I'd like to stay with Uni and get a progression wing.

But I keep looking at Seabreeze, if a different full set comes up at a good price I would try to get it
I found out you can use Uni wings on Axis masts with an adapter.

Which brand do you use @RAF142134?

I would love to have a smaller front wing with higher aspect

At my local area I don't think anyone has Unifoil, but that's probably just because of availability, I am currently using GoFoil, I like the full carbon and the simplicity of set up and tear down. The mast and fuse are one and one screw for the front foil. I leave everything in place each session, though to change foil I have to get back to my starting point (that can take a while sometimes - depends how far out I've gone) then just remove one screw.
Otherwise most of the big brands are around, at the beginning Starboard and Naish foils were quite popular.

Nice one
My friend is on Naish and we often talked about sharing the foils etc which is convenient

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toroop said..buy a different mast to lock in with a different brand?

I can highly recommend Code 85 mast. Their foils are second to none at the moment.
Another option is Cedrus or No Limitz and get different connectors.

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I can highly recommend Code 85 mast. Their foils are second to none at the moment.
Another option is Cedrus or No Limitz and get different connectors.

Thanks, Code gear looks amazing, not much second hand stock yet.
I'll check those other masts, I thought they were only available in the USA

Some brands are more widely available (distribution/quality/price point), some brands less so. Sometimes you ride a foil that just covers almost all your wants - horses for courses. I am not brand loyal at all, just trying to ride what gives me the biggest smile (however I do appreciate a good product - GoFoilandOzoneare top of my list right now). I was not familiar with Uni or SPG but from the looks of things they are very highly crafted products - you may find they are hard to beat performance wise, but it looks like your wallet could take a bashing
Maybe this answers your original question better than I could:

My Fav Unifoil Setup & Tuning Tips - with Tom Earl (youtube) @2:29 he says he prefers the 83cms over the 75

Thanks that is a great video
After reading around I think my ideal combination would be the 83 mast and progression 140

Uni seem to be the Prone Foilers choice weapon (Mr Bennet!), maybe some other brands better suited to outright winging, though you said you were into downwinding, and their 3 foil tuneable tail packs look brilliant for getting the 'feel' that you want on your setup.

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RAF142134 said..
Uni seem to be the Prone Foilers choice weapon (Mr Bennet!), maybe some other brands better suited to outright winging, though you said you were into downwinding, and their 3 foil tuneable tail packs look brilliant for getting the 'feel' that you want on your setup.

Yes true, the Vyper series expecially is mainly for proning.
I just missed out on a Progression 140 with the tail pack you mentioned

I feel for you, I am much of an items hunter myself, bagged a nearly new Wasp the other day with carry bag and leash for under usd100, put me back on top again