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Mast: 90cm vs 100cm

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kitenight11
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Mast: 90cm vs 100cm

Postby kitenight11 » Tue May 31, 2022 11:05 am

Hello,
could anybody report his/her experiences with taller masts - especially while playing/carving in small waves or chop downwind?

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Re: Mast: 90cm vs 100cm

Postby leeuwen » Tue May 31, 2022 12:14 pm

Longer masts are more stable/slower in pitch.
If you want to ignore chop/small waves it’s great and eg footswitches are a bit easier.
However, if you want to play in the waves going up and down you probably better off with the more nimble 90cm.

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Re: Mast: 90cm vs 100cm

Postby Windigo1 » Tue May 31, 2022 12:27 pm

Most waves foils are in the 70 to 90cm range because you want agility longer mast are mostly for racing because you can have a steeper angle and edge hard while keeping your wings in the water. I prefer something around 80 cm it,s a good compromise between agility and stability. Smaller than that you breech to easily. 100 cm is great if you want to go fast through the chop instead of playing with waves.

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Re: Mast: 90cm vs 100cm

Postby Peter_Frank » Tue May 31, 2022 4:30 pm

Extremely individual...

I have found masts below 90 cm to be useless for any fun, both flat water and waves.
Some like these supershort masts.

I prefer my 92 cm mast.

100 cm is fine for super choppy wave "mess" indeed, but often not needed.

I would aim for 90-95 cm if going for a mast for fun in waves.

Racers use longer masts, 110-115 cm, but makes no sense for freeride fun.

Shorter masts are great in marginal winds where difficult to get out to deep water, but thats it, apart from that only disadvantages IMO.

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Re: Mast: 90cm vs 100cm

Postby Jyoder » Tue May 31, 2022 6:14 pm

Love my 111cm mast for powered freeride on small foil and big kite. Can really heel it over on narrow board to load up the Gs during a hard carve, or to drag a hand through the water during a tack or 360.

Took some time to get as dialed and comfortable on it as shorter mast but now I find anything shorter too confining. It’s usually choppy where I ride.

I use 82cm on wingfoil with big wing where I don’t heel over as much and that feels about right. For big slow surfy kitefoil with tiny kite, I’d probably find 90ish ok.

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Re: Mast: 90cm vs 100cm

Postby Oldman_Dave » Tue May 31, 2022 11:35 pm

I prefer 75-80cm for anything except really really lumpy open ocean and stronger wind, where you're struggling to keep water over the foil.

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Re: Mast: 90cm vs 100cm

Postby ieism » Wed Jun 01, 2022 4:45 am

I ride 85cm but my next mast will probably be 90 or 95. Especially when doing downwinders I would like a little taller mast. It's easier to breach the foil carving small waves somehow, and I need to get back upwind in the same waves so a bit more is what I would prefer.

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Re: Mast: 90cm vs 100cm

Postby Trent hink » Wed Jun 01, 2022 4:55 am

I like my 72 cm strut.

It’s more reactive to my input, and not only that…

For trying to ride small waves, it forces me to put the wing right where all the real action is.

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Re: Mast: 90cm vs 100cm

Postby kitenight11 » Wed Jun 01, 2022 8:17 am

Hi and thanks for the input. It seems that most of you prefer shorter masts for surfing small waves in kitefoiling. Unfortunately I wanted to hear exactly the opposite :(
I wanted to change to the Gong - system und have the choice between the 85 and 100cm carbon masts. and since I am fine or sometimes breaches with my actual 90cm mast, I don't want shorter - but also don't want to loose lots of carving potential in waves...
Hmmmm... what to do....?
Btw, when I mean waves. these are mostly only hip hight onshore windwaves....

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Re: Mast: 90cm vs 100cm

Postby Kitehume » Wed Jun 01, 2022 9:02 am

Just go 85cm. You will quickly adapt. Went from 100cm to 85cm. Breached a few times in beginning, but now, not at all.


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