I tried a custom flat stab with the rear shim today and wow what a difference it makes, I prefer that much more to my 390 which feels too locked in when I carve hard. The flat stab is much looser. I liked it Thinking the ultra short might be ok now. for 980 winging.

980 pumps very similar to the 900. It has the same acceleration and projection the harder you pump, whereas the 910 doesn't. The 980 has more roll instability when pumping (compared to the 900) due to the lack of anhedral, but that's also why it turns better as it allows you to roll in and out of turns significantly easier. 980 also has more glide due to the higher aspect ratio. I'm consistently getting 5+ minute rides proning with it. I had to move the 980 forward in the track box compared with the 900, which I believe may have helped alleviate the sliding turn issue.

Hdip said..

shaka808 said..
I'm consistently getting 5+ minute rides proning with it. I had to move the 980 forward in the track box compared with the 900, which I believe may have helped alleviate the sliding turn issue.

5+ minute rides in the surf? Compared to how long were you up for on the 900? Nice info regarding the track placement too. Thanks.

3 minutes was about the max ride length for me on the 900, and just shy of 1 mile total distance covered connecting 3-5 waves. On the 980, my max is just shy of 6 minutes and 1.3 miles, with 8-10 connections.

shaka808 said..
I've been proning the 980 with the 390 tail, no shim, for a month now. First couple days I noticed the slide a bit when cranking turns at high speed, but it's no longer an issue for me. It's just a slightly different technique/feel than the 900 but you get used to it. The 980 can be pushed very hard and cavitate a wing tip with very little noticeable loss of lift, whereas the 900 stalls as soon as the wingtip hits air. In my experience the 980 turns and carves significantly tighter than the 900, very similar feel to the 910 albeit with better glide and much much faster.

thanks for this review....how heavy are you?...

thanks...im240# and .i tried the 900 with the ultrashort fuselage and 420 tail and though...WOW...this thing is just like a GL180 GoFoil with a better tail...only rode it in 1 footers for about an hour so probably would get better as i dail it in...

absolutely going to try the 980 now!

The new Axis Carbon mast are in stock 760 & 860 . Plus the new 420 to suit the 980 . It's like the flat wing with turned rips and a 380 is on the way as well. www.instagram.com/p/CJm584NrkYO/?igshid=1c1ep3pqesanc

First up I'm not a team rider or ambassador for Axis. Yes agree it's a moderate weight saving but the tapered carbon mast gives flex down low on the fuselage and doesn't flex like a Aluminium mast from the mast plate . Similar to a surfboard fin only flexing on the tip. This gives you way more control on a loaded turn . Same goes for all the other carbon mast on the market , other than the GoFoil which is by far the stiffest on the market with virtually no flex at all but no weight saving over a comparable stiff aluminium mast . Not knocking the GoFoil it's super stiff , it's what you want to feel when you ride . You won't no rock n roll on your Sup , it's the stiffest .

Controlled mast flex down low feels really good and when reaching on the ding it pushes you forward on a reach . When you unload the pressure it all stays under your feet , compare that to a loaded Aluminium mast it snaps back and is really unsettling. For the prone guys it gives you way more surfing feel rolling in and out of turns . Way heaps easier to control. The tapered carbon mast won't pendulum under your feet like a aluminium mast on your Sup . For the punters probably not worth the extra money to go carbon but for the performance riders , it's a must have . IMHO

Piros said..
First up I'm not a team rider or ambassador for Axis. Yes agree it's a moderate weight saving but the tapered carbon mast gives flex down low on the fuselage and doesn't flex like a Aluminium mast from the mast plate . Similar to a surfboard fin only flexing on the tip. This gives you way more control on a loaded turn . Same goes for all the other carbon mast on the market , other than the GoFoil which is by far the stiffest on the market with virtually no flex at all but no weight saving over a comparable stiff aluminium mast . Not knocking the GoFoil it's super stiff , it's what you want to feel when you ride . You won't no rock n roll on your Sup , it's the stiffest .

Controlled mast flex down low feels really good and when reaching on the ding it pushes you forward on a reach . When you unload the pressure it all stays under your feet , compare that to a loaded Aluminium mast it snaps back and is really unsettling. For the prone guys it gives you way more surfing feel rolling in and out of turns . Way heaps easier to control. The tapered carbon mast won't pendulum under your feet like a aluminium mast on your Sup . For the punters probably not worth the extra money to go carbon but for the performance riders , it's a must have . IMHO

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Helps me understand and confirm why...

I was on Armstrong this past summer. I tested a buddies Axis during the summer, and was shocked by how dead and weird it felt. Back when I used to ride Axis, I had no idea aluminum felt dead.

Then I got to demo the Axis HPS980 on a carbon 86cm mast and was shocked! I had no plans to leave Armstrong. But that demo ride changed my life. I'm on all Axis carbon and HPS gear today. I thought the carbon mast had contributed to my new love affair with Axis, but wasn't sure by how much. Your comments help my understanding

Piros, cheers for the info.

Axis claims to be the stiffest mast on the market, I find it hard to believe that their 19mm mast would flex at all anywhere, I've certainly not felt that ever happen on mine and I get the impression that the carbon mast is heavier than usual because they want no flex but the other benefits carbon masts offers
I would have thought the tapered carbon at the bottom is mostly for less drag and thus more speed.

On the Axis 760 cm Carbon mast complete set up you will get a weight saving of apx 300 grams compared to a complete Ali set up. Not massive but you can definitely feel it when you pick up the 2 different rigs. The 300 gram saving includes the removal of the Ali mast / fuse insert.

Here is some carbon mast fun facts:- I still consider the Gofoil 29" mast the stiffest on the market BUT it's not tapered and has a much wider cord at the fuse 135mm and weighs apx same as the Axis 16mm Ali mast however the Gofoil is only 13mm thick, that's pretty good. Price $1,400 Aus but that includes the fuse so good value for a very good mast & fuse.

I rate the Starboard carbon mast as definitely one of the best on the market but they come with a price tag to match. However you can now pair the Axis right up against it . They basically are the same dimensions 110mm wide at the fuse , both an inch narrower at the fuse than the GF but slighlty thicker at 16mm . Price-wise:- Starboard apx $2,000 their windfoil mast are $3,000..... Axis 760cm $1,100 & 860 $1,165.

Stiffness wise yes Gofoil at top then closely followed Axis & Starboard ( Moses) which are much stiffer than the following:-( no order) Takuma , Cloud , Uni , Sig , Armstrong , Neil Pryde & Lift . The bottom of the list for stiffness I've used is the MFC but that was their original gear haven't tried any of the new stuff but again alot of high end proners liked that flex. This is just all my opinion some might not agree but it's just what I've found. Because of the differences in wing designs you really are never going to get a fair comparison to test which carbon mast is best. Re the stiffness it all comes down to where it flexes and torsional strength (twisting) so not all flex is bad and with different cores and carbon layups affects how the mast will react differently to load , that's what separates the brands not purely the flex test. The Armstrong for example has a hardwood core and may feel a touch more flex than others but behaves really well under your feet and feels good .

So which is best don't ask me..... and is the Axis worth the upgrade , for me definitely yes as a proner , wing ding not really , DW Sup paddler definetly and Sup surfing probably . Again all in my humble opinion.

frenchfoiler said..

Piros said..
On the Axis 760 cm Carbon mast complete set up you will get a weight saving of apx 300 grams compared to a complete Ali set up. Not massive but you can definitely feel it when you pick up the 2 different rigs. The 300 gram saving includes the removal of the Ali mast / fuse insert.

Here is some carbon mast fun facts:- I still consider the Gofoil 29" mast the stiffest on the market BUT it's not tapered and has a much wider cord at the fuse 135mm and weighs apx same as the Axis 16mm Ali mast however the Gofoil is only 13mm thick, that's pretty good. Price $1,400 Aus but that includes the fuse so good value for a very good mast & fuse.

I rate the Starboard carbon mast as definitely one of the best on the market but they come with a price tag to match. However you can now pair the Axis right up against it . They basically are the same dimensions 110mm wide at the fuse , both an inch narrower at the fuse than the GF but slighlty thicker at 16mm . Price-wise:- Starboard apx $2,000 their windfoil mast are $3,000..... Axis 760cm $1,100 & 860 $1,165.

Stiffness wise yes Gofoil at top then closely followed Axis & Starboard ( Moses) which are much stiffer than the following:-( no order) Takuma , Cloud , Uni , Sig , Armstrong , Neil Pryde & Lift . The bottom of the list for stiffness I've used is the MFC but that was their original gear haven't tried any of the new stuff but again alot of high end proners liked that flex. This is just all my opinion some might not agree but it's just what I've found. Because of the differences in wing designs you really are never going to get a fair comparison to test which carbon mast is best. Re the stiffness it all comes down to where it flexes and torsional strength (twisting) so not all flex is bad and with different cores and carbon layups affects how the mast will react differently to load , that's what separates the brands not purely the flex test. The Armstrong for example has a hardwood core and may feel a touch more flex than others but behaves really well under your feet and feels good .

So which is best don't ask me..... and is the Axis worth the upgrade , for me definitely yes as a proner , wing ding not really , DW Sup paddler definetly and Sup surfing probably . Again all in my humble opinion.

Yes at least we have the choice which is good. I have to say this combo looks sexy which wasn't true before. Carbon mast + black fus look great.

It looks good for sure but a real shame axis isn't interested in making carbon fuselages.
I'm tired of rinsing and tefgel all the time !

Piros said..
Yeah can confirm carbon fuse won't happen , but in saying that the base of the carbon mast won't corrode as it has an insulation against the fuse with brass insets . Carbon to Ali can be just as bad as stainless against Ali . Hear your pain though S/steel screws for wings into Axis Ali fuse will always be a problem. Up side to that the Axis Ali is a very high grade Aluminium and couple that with Tefgel you are safe for a long connection periods. I've had to drill out bolts on plenty of other brands but never on the Axis . There really is very little saving in weight/ strength going from Ali to carbon on the fuse unless it's all one piece like the Gofoil & Takuma which makes it hard for travel .

Disagree with the weight saving. Mine is light and no fizz bro

Anyone remember the Gong carbon fuse? I had one. It was a boat anchor.

For the mounting style of the Axis fuse currently (like the old Gong) I can confirm a solid carbon fuse would weight the same as aluminum.

To save weight, it would need to be a completely different design type of fuse.

Probably why Neil Pryde also took a pass on the carbon fuse. It's similar design style as Axis.

Anecdotal evidence here. But I had an axis setup for 7 months. I took the baseplate off the mast twice in that time. I never took the tail wing off. Never rinsed my gear after a session.
I Set it up the first time with tefgel and didn't have to redo it. It all came apart just fine when I sold it. I do take the fuse off the mast everytime to get it in my car and I changed front wings on occasion.

Just got the 810 to try. It goes with the BS fuselage, and I have the ultrashort. I was expected this front wing to be thinner, it is not as thin as the 980.

Wingspan : 810mm
Chord : 155 mm
Actal area : 1070 cm2 / 166 in2
Volume : 1284 cm3
Aspect ratio : 6.42

I will let you know what I think, I should be able to ride it soon.