Also known as Wing Surfing, wing foiling has quickly become one of the UK’s fastest-growing watersports. If you’re a fan of paddleboarding, windsurfing or kitesurfing, you’re likely to be a natural when it comes to Wing Foiling, and if you’re not then don’t worry; Wing Foiling has a famously quick learning curve. That said, knowing what kind of gear you need to get started can be challenging even for those in the know, especially when it comes to the mast. Luckily, we’re here to help with a quick breakdown of how to choose the correct wing foil mast for your skill level.
What Is A Wing Foil Mast?
The wing foil mast is the component that connects your foil to the board. It has a large bearing on the leverage and lift you’ll experience, as well as your overall control and stability. They can vary a lot in length and material, so you need to be familiar with how these factors can affect your wing foiling experience.
Mast Length
Your choice of mast length will have a significant effect on your overall control and performance when wing foiling. You’ll want to pick a length that fits your ideal compromise on control, balance, and speed.
Short Masts (60-75 cm) - A good choice for beginners and foiling in shallow water. They make it very easy to get up on the foil and allow you much greater control when you’re just starting out. Your ride height will be more limited compared to other mast lengths, but when you’re a beginner just getting into wing foiling, this is definitely what you want to go with at first.
Medium Masts (75-85 cm) - A fantastic generalist option that gives you a bit of everything. They strike an ideal balance between control and performance that wing foilers of most experience levels will find comfortable. It offers enough height for some good carving and jumps, but without making everything too technical.
Long Masts (85-100+ cm) - Long wing foil masts are well suited to experienced wing foilers and rough, open water conditions. They allow for much sharper turns and higher speeds than the other two lengths, but at the cost of being a lot less forgiving of mistakes.
Mast Materials
There are two main materials that you’ll find wing foil masts made out of: aluminium and carbon fibre. Each comes with its pros and cons, so have a look at the features of each to see which better suits your needs.
Aluminium - Aluminium masts are the more affordable of the two, and come with the advantage of being a fair amount more durable and easier to repair if they do get damaged. They might be less efficient than their carbon fibre counterparts, but they are a lot more beginner-friendly and will still allow you to enjoy some great wing foiling.
Carbon - A carbon foil mast is very lightweight and stiff, which makes it ideal for high-performance wing foiling. It is, however, more expensive and much more prone to being damaged from heavy impacts. We’d recommend that carbon fibre masts be used by more experienced wing foilers who want to take their sessions to the next level.
Wing Foil Mast And Board Compatibility
Not every mast is compatible with all boards. You’ll need to find out what kind of mounting system your board requires before you buy a mast. Most boards make use of a standard plate mount, which uses tracks on the board to connect the two together. However, some brands will use alternative systems, so it’s essential that you’re familiar with which kind of wing foil mast you can use and which you can’t.
