eppo said..
I'm having no issues with the 795 and adjusting from the 85. I'm 75kg. Been in some decent ocean surges to in a spot that really jacks up from deep to a large shallowish reef system. I could imagine there will be some adjustment to the 935 though. I remember getting off the 75 Ali axis way back on the 85 and thinking "this is weird - lot more drag" - especially when proning. Wind looks good this arvo to try the new mast and 1000 combo. Will report back - can't wait !

Waiting!!

Tow foiled behind jet ski (flat water only) then winged on ocean in arvo . no swell on the 1000/795 combo today.

In a nutshell it performs exactly as what's written on the box. Someone (I think Oskar) said it's the love child of the CFv2, the Hs and the Ha. Really does sit bang in the middle of the HA and Hs to be honest (with some CFV2 thinning / concave involved) The stall speed, getting up on foil, glide, speed - all of it sits right in that spot. It's physics I suppose - no surprise really.


Funny as I've been back on the HS for a while now, when first taking off I was like hang on . and had to dig back into my Ha archives. Needs more board speed obviously than the HS. Even dropped off the foil during some tacks etc and thought "oh that's right". It's got some HA DNA in it


Anyone who has ridden both (or all three lines really) won't be surprised what they feel on this foil.


During the tow side of things I can kind of get now what people have been saying about the 935 mast if I extrapolate out. I'm used to just using my sons 72mast/50 fuse/ 725 or 525 combo on his 27 litre prone board. With the 795/1000 it did feel far more locked in. But this was using a 60 fuse and also a much bigger 1000.


Far more leverage was needed to turn. my son found this especially as you'd expect and even then we thought a 800 would be better for this caper. Even a 600 for him.

His handle passes, flips and crap - he took ages to stop bouncing straight back off the water when landing. This didn't happen even with the 1050 he used to use. So it looks a damn good wing for jumping etc. on the Ha he would do the opposite and would sink them.


pumping off the tow rope was astounding for all three of us. We just kept going, picking the tow rope back up again after another pass of the ski. Only our breath (for the two older guys) and boredom (for my son) dropped us off the foil. Might not pump and glide as fast as the HA but you sure as hell can recover and keep going on this thing with ease. It pumps just fn awesome.


showed the wing to a few wing riders roday who I rate in understanding foils and their nuances in design (non armie riders now) and they all said - now here is a wing design that looks right. They had their own foils lined up next to it on boards. A fellow winger on the old 85 mast but just using the 1225 yesterday and today was just blown away how good it was compared to his 1550V2

What did strike me though for the HA junkies above - you may find this wing - mmmm not exciting enough
in ideal conditions. Man even I miss the HAs. Had some of my best and worst sessions on it. Total love hate on those damn things. My son was kind of . bloody awesome but you could tell he was thinking "suppose this wing is good for these kooks - I stilll
Want my HAs". But early days and he was really loving the recovery on the 1000 from jumping etc.

But for the rest of us, who just lost years off their life trying to use HAs in turbulent non ideal conditions - and to actually surf aggressively without wondering when the next weirdness was gonna send you back in the water - it's perfect from first impression anyhow. You can really push this setup far harder than the HA and indeed the Hs line.


Exactly what we've been asking and waiting for!!!

kobo said..

Thanks eppo sound like it is going to be a really good all purpose foil. If it pumps and turns really well it will be a perfect prone surf foil too. I can see it being good for the majority of riders ,especially the ones over 80kg or weekend warriors. As much as I love the HAs , it would be nice to have a cruiser that does everything easily, especially interested in the pump side of things as the HAs require full effort / attention when say pumping into a headwind but it would be nice to cruise a bit more on the pump even if it takes longer to get there..hmm got me curious ??

Really hoping the 1225 fills the wave SUP foil space and smaller wave riding on the wing void in my foil range since reluctantly selling the 1125. Never owned a 1550V2 and want to be able to connect/pump/carve better than the HS1850 I still have as well as outperform the 1125 in the ease of higher speed turning on waves but still get the pump required to reconnect. Anyone know how the MA foil angle will affect tuning on the non-performance masts? Is a mast base shim a good idea?

Just had a super light wind session with 795 and 1325/50/fv200. It felt kinda tight so I started tweaking my stance. I moved my front foot back a bit and my back foot forward, basically narrowing my stance. Seemed to help a bunch with loosening up the carving. I'm going to remove my straps so I'm not stuck with poor foot positioning - until I have the mast position dialed.

MidAtlanticFoil said..
Just had a super light wind session with 795 and 1325/50/fv200. It felt kinda tight so I started tweaking my stance. I moved my front foot back a bit and my back foot forward, basically narrowing my stance. Seemed to help a bunch with loosening up the carving. I'm going to remove my straps so I'm not stuck with poor foot positioning - until I have the mast position dialed.

Yeh just finished a good three hours on tow foiling in waves. We had to wait a fair while between sets so did a ton of riding around waiting. Definitely felt looser today (and narrowing the stance and standing upright helped a ton). Swell wasn't huge and fairly fat so had to earn every wave, pumping into a stiff north Easter until well into the swell/wave. But once on - even on the 1000 you could push this wing as hard as you dared.

Turning is so deliberate and predictable - not sudden mast height spikes - no sudden wobble (and the wave was breaking into some reef outcrops a fair way out - was relatively turbulent in areas. pumped out a linked a few although as I said - long wait between waves



Now mast wise having so much time to experiment on the wake of the ski - what I noticed was how low I could bring the board to carve must be that rake. kept thinking I was going to hit the water with bottom on board and rail but I kept getting surprised I was way off this. You can really get low and lay that mast over hey


want a 800 now . now that would be a sick towing size

Thanks for the detailed update. Sounds like you are adapting to it nicely. Great news about the upwind performance. Happy with the length?

wingedsurfer said..
935 Performance Mast review update: i tried it again today in 15 knots, 1,5 mt wave condition with the 1125. i also put 1 cm back the mast reaching the 2 cm back position (compared to my usual one) as suggested by Armstrong and it felt much better.Surprisingly the 1125 did not feel that hard to turn so i'm assuming my body is adapting to the new mast and i'm starting to liking it. New Pros:
- The bigger height helps me to jump higher and after the landing it recovers on foil easier (maybe the rake?)
- on the start the board rise up very smoothly
- generally very smooth though the water and absolutely quiet
- i feel more in control now on waves (again the new rake or just more performance
)- when i get closer to the surface i feel that is faster but always in control
- the new mast let you go much more upwind
- the pumping is increased but by very little (maybe because i'm light weight - 60kg- so i guess heaveier riders will feel more the difference.
i'm almost sure i will complete my adapt process in the next 2 sessions. I already made a huge progress in today's session. so my suggestion is always to try the mast not only one session and in the different conditions.

Yep you need a few sessions hey agreed

wingedsurfer said..
At the moment i still 'miss' the 85 lenght but i'm almost sure that in the next 6/7 sessions i will not miss it anymore. interesting will be at that point to go back and try again the 85 but also would love to try the 795.

I think I'm around 8-10 sessions in on the 935 and I while I definitely prefer it to my V1 85 by a long shot, I could have easily been happy on an 85cm version of this mast. All this said, I think by the time I've hit sessions 20-30, I would be surprised if I'm still giving it any second thought.

MidAtlanticFoil said..

Oahuwaterwalker said..

wingedsurfer said..
At the moment i still 'miss' the 85 lenght but i'm almost sure that in the next 6/7 sessions i will not miss it anymore. interesting will be at that point to go back and try again the 85 but also would love to try the 795.

I think I'm around 8-10 sessions in on the 935 and I while I definitely prefer it to my V1 85 by a long shot, I could have easily been happy on an 85cm version of this mast. All this said, I think by the time I've hit sessions 20-30, I would be surprised if I'm still giving it any second thought.

I had a really fun upwind DW wing session with the 795 mast and 1325 at my local river spot and was able to achieve my best DW distance depowered by a long shot. Bumps were small in the knee range. Finally locked into a thigh high bump and hooted super loud out of sheer stoke and immediately breached (only 1 breach in an 45 minute sunset session). FV tail ftw.

I really didn't like the v tail with the old mast, especially over 30km/h. Is it more manageable with the 795/935? I'd like to give it another go-might chop the winglets.

eppo said..

paulweller2 said..

MidAtlanticFoil said..

Oahuwaterwalker said..

wingedsurfer said..
At the moment i still 'miss' the 85 lenght but i'm almost sure that in the next 6/7 sessions i will not miss it anymore. interesting will be at that point to go back and try again the 85 but also would love to try the 795.

I think I'm around 8-10 sessions in on the 935 and I while I definitely prefer it to my V1 85 by a long shot, I could have easily been happy on an 85cm version of this mast. All this said, I think by the time I've hit sessions 20-30, I would be surprised if I'm still giving it any second thought.

I had a really fun upwind DW wing session with the 795 mast and 1325 at my local river spot and was able to achieve my best DW distance depowered by a long shot. Bumps were small in the knee range. Finally locked into a thigh high bump and hooted super loud out of sheer stoke and immediately breached (only 1 breach in an 45 minute sunset session). FV tail ftw.

I really didn't like the v tail with the old mast, especially over 30km/h. Is it more manageable with the 795/935? I'd like to give it another go-might chop the winglets.

I just swapped boards with a mate on his 1225 (inwas on the 1000/ ha tail) who had a V on it. Still don't like the damn thing. (Both with 795 masts). No as bad bit still bounce weirdness from the tips. Mate loves it - each to their own I suppose.

damn that 1225 is easy to pump .. Forever.

Ah thanks--yeah same. My mate swears by the v--the 195 is my go-to. The new MA tail should come out early next year.

Sonsaleta said..
Maybe I'm wrong because I tested the 795 only 2 sessions in light wind and we have always to don't assert things without testing a lot in different type of conditions but for the moment my feelings are :

- Still for the moment I prefer the 72 size especially for waves (I do Wing). I feel more inertia with the 795. But I suppose for only 8cm I will get used.
- With the 795 board/foil is more as 1 block. More rigidity.
- I feel the 795 more in a line for the carving when the old mast can almost make a pivot and to turn shorter. It's like softer/easier with the 72cm.
- When I navigate in a straight line I had moments of ventilation with the old one. With the new one for the moment no one. I have the feeling then it's possible to go quicker but for the moment I had only light sessions.
- Normally I like to be a bit nose up so I thought with the new one I will really appreciate this +1 degree rake but it's not the case for the moment. I feel like my front foot is higher than usually and have the feeling that I have to compensate and to push down but actually I think it's only a feeling and not the reality. The plane moves straight it's only my front foot that is slightly more up. I have to get use. Actually I think too it's better when we touch the water with the nose slightly up.
- I had to move 2cm back the 795 compares with the old one and still I felt almost too much power starting flying especially with the HA725 that need to lift step by step.

As I said I have to test much more the new mast and adapt settings and myself to it. But maybe this feedbacks can help people.

Another session with the 795 and my new 1225 that I will use for light wind. I am already used with the +1 rake. Actually after the jumps it's still easier (The MA wing helps also). I find that the new mast fit really well with the MA wing.
looking forward to try my MA800.
I think with the 1225 and the 800 I will fill in all the conditions.

ArthurAlston said..
Another mini-review of the 935 HP mast which may help someone:

I wanted to test only one thing for my first outing so used a 1250, 195 stab, 60 fuse, 5'2" Amos and 4.2 Strike in solid 20 knots of wind. Flat conditions.
I have done about 3500 km on my 85 cm A+ in the last 12 months. And progressed from 1850 to 1550 and then 1250. I recently sold the 1850 and 1550. The 1250 is now my light wind foil and a 925 is my daily driver. I prefer the HA for everything except lighter days.


I moved the mast 1.5 cm to the back of the board. Did the crude "pick-up test" and the rig felt balanced.


Felt a little odd on foil for a couple of minutes and then I had one of the best sessions I can imagine with a new piece of kit. So no adjustment nor shimming or anything fancy. It felt just right after a couple of minutes.


The simplest way I can explain it is that the mast removes almost all "unforced errors." Eppo and others refer to this as the Armie mast's quirkiness. Now that I've ridden the HP mast, I can see occasional mistakes that I always ascribed to as caused by user-error, were in fact jittery behaviours of the 85 A+ mast. I guess that's the language of the A+ mast and you simply learn to live with it. So that's removing a bad thing.


On the other hand, I only had an hour and managed to break 25 km of distance (for the first time ever). The 1250 felt more like a 925. It pumped better, held altitude easier during foot switches, gibed effortlessly and with a confidence inspiring grip like riding a MTB through a well-groomed berm. I was able to point higher than on the old mast. And in the lulls maintain speed with very effort (just a couple of lazy pumps). So tons of pros.


During a normal session like that I would have numerous unforced errors, ie losing grip halfway through a gibe or a mast cavitation at speed or that feeling similar to a fin spin out (for all the ex-windsurfers). I don't think I had a single one of those incidents in the hour. Not one.


Another amazing thing, I took apart my old mast and fuse for the first time in a year before rigging the new mast. No damage to the old gear, the titanium screws were clean as a whistle and the fuse was not stuck in the mast. I had to tap the fuse into place in the new mast because I didn't "slap it in" hard enough. I don't wash my rig with fresh water, always ensure that it's free of sand and then wipe it down with a towel. I don't think folks give Armstrong gear enough credit for this aspect of the kit.


My old mast will go to the second hand market this weekend. Yesterday I added an 800 MA foil to the same rig and did a 50 km session which included a 35 km downwind component. I'll do a small review in the MA foil thread. I guess my 1250 HS will also go to the second hand market.


I also want to test my 925 this weekend. If the effect was so pronounced with a 1250, I'm curious to see how that
combo goes.


So from my perspective, pretty much all the hype is justified.

Well described. I found myself saying "yep" and "yep" after every line. Had the same experience using the 1250 and only changing the mast. Kinda wish I had kept my 925 now. Ah well the 1000MA is more than adequate for this average joe.


what armie has done is not just create a stiffer mast than everyone has been banging on about. Stiffer equals more carbon, more thickness, which equals more drag. Obviously there's a whole lot more to it.




.. But I need to raise a concern of mine (and others). Is that mast plate strong enough. We might as well talk about the elephant in the room.

Wish they had just stayed with the titanium washers , they were perfect.

kobo said..
Wish they had just stayed with the titanium washers , they were perfect.

Yep agree. Seen a few go here. Credit to Armie they are replacing them. Gen 2 will be heavier with a beefed up base.

I think the broken baseplate involved a geared up heavy rider with non oem baseplate screws as he was complaining the standard screws were too short for his Kalama.