Foil mast

aluminumcarbonstand-up paddle board/windsurf

OUR HYDROFOIL MASTS: CONSIDERING THE MAST IS THE SPINE OF THE HYDROFOIL BODY, THIS YEAR WE FOCUSED ON A TOTAL REDESIGN OF THE RANGE. TWO ARE THE FACTORS WHERE WE HAVE BEEN CONCENTRATING OUR WORK: LATERAL AND TORSIONAL STIFFNESS (FLEX AND TWIST) OF THE MAST. MAST FLEX AND FOIL ROLL: Controlling the flex of a mast means to better control the “roll” of the foil. If a foil rolls easily, it is hard to control and the foil becomes very nervous and unstable to ride. Controlling the roll of the foil through a lower flex of the mast is by far the most important improvement on our foils this year to allow extra stability and a comfortable and secure feel. MAST TWIST AND FOIL YAW: Until recently the effects of Yaw on the hydrofoil have been largely underestimated. The Yaw is the twisting/rotational force applied to the mast whilst riding the hydrofoil. This twisting creates a side drag of the foil that depending on the speed of the foil, can quickly lead to a complete loss of control. This is the most important feature on a hydrofoil mast to allow better average and top end speed. MEASURING THE MAST STIFFNESS MEASURING THE MAST STIFFNESS (both lateral and torsional) has been a constant exercise for us this year. For this purpose we have created our standard measuring system to calculate mast stiffness: We fix the mast to a special structure on the wall. This structure will fit either the top plate with 4 screws or a deep tuttle head (racing wind hydrofoils).