The most glaring price difference can be found at F4: the 95 carbon mast costs 1214 euros more than the 85 aluminium mast. A good 1200 euros - not for the mast, but as a surcharge! Reason enough to check thoroughly for whom this is really worthwhile. First of all: the carbon mast is definitely the better choice. If money is no object, you can also get the higher-quality product. However, if you don't have thousands to spend, you can also have a lot of fun with the much cheaper version.
In this article:
We have tested these film masts:
The test candidates at a glance:
The foil masts in detail
Aluminium versus carbon - The foil masts in the individual evaluation and price check
The wings of the foils tested are identical and, with the exception of Fanatic - where the carbon mast requires a carbon fuselage - the fuselage is also identical. Only the mast makes the difference.
F4 Freerace
The very sportyF4 Freerace Foil with its carbon mast is particularly stiff in all bending directions, laterally and in torsion - both in the bending test on land and on the water. The foil convinces with a lot of speed with good control and a focus on half-wind courses - and not so much on upwind courses. The aluminium mast does not change this characteristic, even for dedicated foilers. The aluminium mast is inserted into an adapter with a fairly long sleeve at the top end and is screwed to the fuselage with an additional adapter at the bottom. Our testers did not notice any difference in stiffness - nor did they notice any significant loss of performance.
Of course, even the slightest differences, which we could not detect, could have an effect in competition. The only noticeable difference was the shorter mast length of the aluminium version. Ten centimetres more mast length results in more safety in wavy conditions and generally slightly more reserves - once you have become familiar with the higher flight level.
surf conclusion: The aluminium mast alone ensures 100 percent foil fun and plenty of power. If you prefer more ground clearance, we recommend the carbon version - just like all racers. The stiffness is top in both cases.
Price check:1214 euros is quite a lot. But the carbon mast is ten centimetres longer and actually extremely stiff. The aluminium profile is also fun, and not just because of the price.
- With carbon mast:2819 euros; 5.4 kilos
- With aluminium mast:1605 euros; 5.72 kilos
Fanatic Aero Free WS 100
TheFanatic-Foilis categorised between freeride and freerace, regardless of the mast equipment, and offers plenty of speed for its 1000 mm front wing while still offering good light wind characteristics. The full carbon chassis has a very elegant shape, the connection of the car bon fuselage to the foil mast is form-fitting - without corners and edges. The stiffness is at a very high level, which ensures good controllability. In contrast to the other brands, the aluminium mast also requires a different fuselage (made of aluminium) to the carbon set. This increases the total weight by 800 grams. This constellation is also very stiff - especially in torsion, the foil is hardly impressive, and the carbon set is only slightly stiffer under lateral bending loads. This first test of strength ends in a draw.
As expected, there is no noticeable difference on the water, at least not in terms of bending stiffness. On the other hand, the aluminium foil (the carbon wings remain) initially seemed a little more nervous around the transverse axis; it did not have the nice, even lift of the carbon version. A precise measurement revealed the difference in the slightly different geometry of the fuselage, which leads to a slightly lower angle of attack of the rear wing in the aluminium construction. However, this deviation could be adjusted as far as possible with the strongest "+" adapter supplied under the rear wing. As a result, the aluminium version hardly differs from the carbon version. Only from around 33 km/h does the aluminium mast produce a not exactly discreet whistling noise, which is an argument not to be underestimated in favour of the almost silent carbon upgrade.
surf conclusion: Even in the hybrid version with carbon wings and aluminium mast/fuselage, the ride feel and performance are not noticeably reduced. The appearance of the carbon set is very classy for the extra cost, the lower weight is certainly another argument, and the carbon mast foils almost silently.
Price check: For a difference of around 800 euros, the carbon set looks very classy and foils silently. The riding characteristics are very close together.
- With carbon mast:2188 euros; 4.04 kilos
- With aluminium mast:1358 euros; 4.82 kilos
Naish Windwind HA 914
WithNaish the inexpensive alternative to the 100 percent carbon mast does not come from the aluminium factory, but also as a laminated version - but with only 30 percent carbon in the fabric. Despite the price difference of 620 euros, the two masts look almost indistinguishable, but the real carbon mast looks a little crisper when bent on land. In absolute terms, both masts do not quite achieve the rigidity of the Slingshot or F4, but shine with their elegant finish and low weight. The foil on the C100 emerged from the previous foil test as a sporty freeride foil with a slightly more sensitive flying position. The cheaper C30 mast is a little more powerful, and the 100 also provides better, more direct control in the jibe.
surf conclusion: The price difference is smaller, the difference on the water somewhat greater than with the other carbon-aluminium comparisons. With Naish, the carbon upgrade is therefore even more worthwhile - if it is basically justifiable in the budget.
Price check:The C30 mast is not as cheap as the aluminium masts and is less stiff, so the carbon version is a little more attractive.
- With C100 mast:2538 euros; 4.98 kilos
- With C30 mast:1918 euros; 5.2 kilos
Slingshot Phantasm 926/872
With a mast length of 103 centimetres, theSlingshot Phantasm a whole league higher than the other candidates in the test. Nevertheless, the carbon mast is extremely stiff, the wide and long base with mast and head made from a single mould in monocoque construction with the large contact surface, fixed via the four screws of the double US box, ensures the best possible connection to the board. Nothing wobbles or bends. The foil convinces as a fast freerider that gets fast with little noticeable resistance - but doesn't necessarily want to be pushed upwind like a race board.
The long aluminium mast has a noticeably harder time with this. Although the pure performance is hardly diminished, the mast sits on the board with noticeably more flex in the short adapter piece. If you tend to foil underpowered, you will still enjoy all the advantages of the high flying position, even in waves and manoeuvres - the combination of a very long mast in a slim aluminium construction does not appear to be ideal when edge pressing. The carbon mast, which sits much tighter, noticeably improves control. On the aluminium mast, the powered flight appears somewhat more turbulent.
surf conclusion: With a length of over one metre, the carbon mast can make full use of its advantages - and is the recommended choice. In addition, this carbon mast is a particularly rigid construction. We recommend the aluminium mast to manoeuvre foilers - or otherwise prefer one of the shorter masts that are also available. Because a mast length of 85 to 90 centimetres is also easily sufficient for sporty freeracing.
Price check: Despite its 103-centimetre mast, the Slingshot Carbonfoil is one of the more affordable top models. In our opinion, the upgrade is therefore particularly worthwhile for this mast length.
- With carbon mast:2408 euros; 5.1 kilos
- With aluminium mast:1528 Euro; 5,28 Kilo
Starboard Race Evolution
The twoStarboard masts are visually - at first glance - very similar. The aluminium mast is also constructed in one piece with a seamlessly attached plastic adapter for the deep tuttle box. At least in terms of construction, there are hardly any disadvantages when connecting to the board - and the aluminium mast shows no weaknesses even when bent and turned on land. The profile is similar in thickness to the carbon version - with the main difference being that the carbon mast is significantly narrower towards the bottom of the profile. While the aluminium mast, like all aluminium profiles due to the manufacturing process, remains the same throughout.
On the water, the two 85 masts of the same length do not noticeably differ in terms of feel or performance. The aluminium mast is accompanied only by a slight whisper - and even with a lot of pressure, the foil reacts exactly as it does on the carbon mast. The 85 centimetre length offers sufficient ground clearance, even in undulating conditions. The foil also shows its strength on the aluminium mast with very good speed and top control. It likes to gain height and is easy to edge, and the aluminium mast also works perfectly here without any noticeable losses. We didn't focus on the perhaps wafer-thin speed differences in this test, but our trackings were so close together (as with all other mast pairings) that non-racers will have a lot of fun with both Starboard masts.
surf conclusion: Even with Starboard, the carbon mast could probably have a wafer-thin advantage on the race track, but for non-professionals the aluminium mast also opens the door to very sporty flying with fast foils - like the Race Evolution tested here.
Price check: For a good 1800 euros you can already get a top freerace foil with an aluminium mast. The upgrade is more of a luxury.
- With carbon mast:2768 euros; 5.8 kilos
- With aluminium mast:1862 euros; 6.06 kilos
