32" Mast vs. 36" Mast ; Which is Better?

[kitegirls]

I know everyone's gonna say its personal preference. But I don't believe it. Which mast is better overall? I am mostly free riding and maybe gonna do some smallish wave riding a couple months out of the year (1 to 3 feet). I don't intend to race, jump or do any tricks etc. The water is always choppy where I am and the wind averages 15 mph to 30 mph.

I know the obvious; that its harder to breach the 36" and it clears chop much better. But what are the other advantages and disadvantages to each. Or just simply which one is better? Thanks!

[evan]

A 81.26cm or 91.44cm mast


Sorry, needed to make that conversion to get a sense of metric sizes. But if it is really choppy you can use every bit of length you can get. The only advantages of shorter masts i know of are starting in shallower waters, less severe crashes (although you can argue if that's noticeable on those lengths) and some waveriders prefer a shorter mast for the more direct feeling and faster turns and playing around in the shallow shorebreak.

[atomic-chomik]

What Evan said.

[kitegirls]

A 81.26cm or 91.44cm mast


Sorry, needed to make that conversion to get a sense of metric sizes. But if it is really choppy you can use every bit of length you can get. The only advantages of shorter masts i know of are starting in shallower waters, less severe crashes (although you can argue if that's noticeable on those lengths) and some waveriders prefer a shorter mast for the more direct feeling and faster turns and playing around in the shallow shorebreak.

So a 10cm shorter makes a noticeable difference in turning speed? What is it, like 1.87% faster?

[Foil]

I use the 82cm and 101cm mast, and use the shorter one a lot, near to 50% of the time as when the tide recedes it's too shallow for my nerves to cope with,especially if I want to sail in our shallow lagoon, as its the thought of hitting the bottom that scares me most, as hitting it is never a problem, the fear of hitting spoils a session, its like expecting a slap off my wife, wincing at the thought!
the 82 mast is great and at times i forget what size I am using as the shorter 82cm just feels so good, until that is I get choppy conditions or waves, waves are easy to use the 82cm mast in, as you have time between the crests and troughs to control your height, but not so easy in chop, as that stuff is so random, so you just drive through it with bum cheeks firmly clenched and one eye open just expecting that slurping sound of doom.

get both if you can, big difference in size, the difference between great fun or clenched bum cheeks.

[jumptheshark]

If your going to be sarcastic with peoples who answer from experience, why ask in the first place ?

My first three seasons foiling was on a 91cm mast. Along the learning curve I incrementally changed pretty much everything. Board length, board volume, Worked my way steadily up in wing size. By the third year I was getting pretty close to my perfect fit, and decided to cut 10 cm off my mast. For me it was a very noticeable and positive change. If I were to describe it, it would be a change in feel and response.

Tie 500g of weight to the end of a 91 cm rope and swing it in circles above your head for a bit then shorten the rope to 81cm and see if you can sense more than a 1.87% difference. The shorter rope will rotate much faster. Almost every parameter on a hydrofoil is pretty sensitive to change. Thats precisely why the mast is offered in 32" and 36"

Longer is more suited to those who want to go fast and ride with the mast canted over at a greater angle.

Shorter is more suited to those who want to carve around and enjoy the quicker response rail to rail.

It takes only a few sessions to acclimatize to a new height. Mast length change between 32 and 36 has far more to do with how you want to ride and how you want your foil to feel than it does water depth or chop height.

If you want to waterstart and ride in shallow water your better off going down to 70cm. Chop height is generally rider skill.

[Kamikuza]

A 81.26cm or 91.44cm mast

So a 10cm shorter makes a noticeable difference in turning speed? What is it, like 1.87% faster?

IMO it's not turning speed so much as how it reacts to input. And a longer mast, no matter how rigid, will flex more as wings get wider, in an uncontrolled manner.

I have 75cm mast and originally had 90cm mast, but considered it useless so cut it down to 82.5cm. While I was waiting for a new 75cm mast after selling my gear, I got used to the 82.5 on my smaller 660mm wide wing, but can't stand it with the 820mm wide wing.

So yeah, 7.5cm makes a noticeable different to comfort and ease of riding for me. Perhaps I'm just not good enough to cope...

[Windigo1]

I have an 80cm and 90cm on my Moses 633 foil with a custom fuselage. I can't see much difference but I think I prefer 90cm more freedom when it gets choppy!

[jakemoore]

What is it, like 1.87% faster?

1.93%

I'm switching between 70 and 100 cm. I thought I would use the 70 only when it was onshore wind and wave riding and too difficult to body drag out to deep enough water. In truth I prefer the 70 mast most of the time. Its easier to practice tacks and jibes with a longer mast. Waves much more fun with the shorter mast. You learn to ride low and not breach. The waves and chops lick the bottom of the board from time to time but you learn to enjoy that as well. I think 80-85 would be perfect.

[purdyd]

Shorter is stiffer, quicker turning, start in shallower water, a slight bit less drag when starting, a tad easier to maneuver into place, a little quicker to push over when starting from the side, less distance to fall, lighter, easier to put away,

Longer will get above the chop more, less likely to come out when, turning, in a straight line, or heeling over.

And yes, you can tell the difference between 10cm length in masts. You will get used to either length.