I think 91cm (36") is considered standard for kite foiling. 101cm is considered "long", or at least longer than standard. Buddy has that 101, loves it for big chop and for keeping the front wing in the water on deep fast carves.PurdyKiter wrote: ↑Fri Jun 14, 2019 4:52 pmCor... But I thought I was feeling a definite improvement in nice super tight swell and wave carve response on a shorter 91cm Onda mast vs the 101 Ghost Whisperer mast.
Oh... Maybe 91cm isn't considered "short"?
I didn't know that Slingshot/ Moses did a 105cm carbon mast? I thought it was only 91cm / 101cm / 111cm ?grigorib wrote: Here’s my current set - 105/91/80
I fully agree. I recently went back to a shorter (71cm) mast for traveling (it fits nicely in a normal suitcase) while I am usually on a "normal" 91cm. For normal riding, no issues, but BIG disadvantages for more advanced stuff (all the carving in maneuvers and going upwind), as already mentioned.cor wrote: ↑Fri Jun 14, 2019 4:24 pmThis video is too much pro short masts in my opinion. It makes it sound like it's always the better choice. I agree that it's easier to learn on and better to ride in shallow water, fair enough. But I am not sure less drag and shorter masts are really better for light wind. It's so minuscule, you won't even notice.
In fact, the disadvantages surface very quickly once you have progressed from the learning stage:
-you cannot heel the board over when going upwind
-you cannot lean as far into the turns without ventilating/stalling the foil.
-you cannot "load" the board as far for jumping
Even for learning, I am not sure if a bigger mast just gives you more space to control the ups and downs but yeah, crashes will be harder. For me, it was never a problem and I enjoyed the longer mast (90CM) right after I succeeded with actually hovering over the water...so basically after only 2-3 sessions where maybe a shorter mast would've made sense.
My opion is: Better safe the money for a shorter spot unless you are kiting in a shallow spot.
Same experience for me. I brought a 30" mast on a recent trip to save a few pounds of luggage. I really noticed a big difference with the missing 6". It was doable just a little more iffy and tentative, between breaching or burying the wakeskate board.Qiter wrote: ↑Sat Jun 15, 2019 5:55 am
I fully agree. I recently went back to a shorter (71cm) mast for traveling (it fits nicely in a normal suitcase) while I am usually on a "normal" 91cm. For normal riding, no issues, but BIG disadvantages for more advanced stuff (all the
The main disadvantage for me is the much smaller margin for errors on a small mast in choppy conditions. Fly it too high the wing will come out of the water and it will ventilate, fly it too low and the board will catch a chop. If you ride a small pocket board with near zero scoop, you get in trouble quickly, you maybe have a flight height variation of 20-30cm, which is rather technical when its choppy.