jobic said..Windgenuity said..DavidJohn said..jobic said..DavidJohn said..
and later on look at getting the new C35 composite mast from Naish.. It's only 35% carbon but just as good and much cheaper than the full carbon..
Mmmh, does it mean that the full carbon is junk or that the C35 weights a ton?
No.. It doesn't mean the full carbon mast is junk.. or that the C35 mast weighs a ton..
It means the full carbon is slightly lighter but at a much higher cost for a very similar performance..
I did a little video on this the other day for instagram TV. During this video I weighed and tried a linear stiffness test live (un rehearsed) to show the properties of the 3 masts on offer for S26 (2022 Season). In short (from memeory),
Weighing the 85cm masts (as I did not have all the 75cm models available) on large scales.
- S26 Alloy 85cm was approx. 1800grams.
- S26 C35 85cm was a tad under 2000grams.
- S26 C100 85cm was under 1800grams (maybe 1775-1780g-ish).
Then I placed them all on the ground horizontally and levelled them out with a shipping pallet under the fuse end and basically bounced on them taking my weight totally off the ground (I am 6'2" and 90kg).
- The Alloy as we know was impressively stiff, lineally stiffer than probably most carbon masts out there.
- The C35 was surprisingly stiff, way stiffer than I was expecting and definitely comparable to the Alloy. It did not go/flex down as much, but it had a different feel in the way it took the load. You really feel this awesome shock absorbing when you ride it to and it is still what I ride majority of the time for surfing.
- The C100 was clearly stiffer than the lot.
With this, obviously the Carbon 100 is the lightest and stiffest, but it is also the most expensive by quite a bit (as are all good carbon masts out there). But the Carbon 35 is only about $100 more expensive than the Alloy (depending on what size you go for). But the torsional control and flex is amazing. For a little weight gain, you get a ton of amazing feel for very little extra coin.
Here is the link to the IGTV is you can be bothered watching it -
www.instagram.com/tv/CNtk14NBsG6/ Hop this helps with the masts.
Ride safe,
JB
Righto, went to check that video which shows JB putting his foot on a few masts to try to achieve some sort "flex test".... in one direction.The reason most people upgrade to carbon (the good ones) is that they understand that there is more to it than just linear rigidity. Most of them now have a tapered mast starting with a broader chord close to the plate. The C100 doesn't have that....
While I would certainly put my money on the C35 VS Alloy, I would not even consider the C100 as there is no way it can offer the same ride as Armstrong, SAB or the new Slingshot with a 120mm chord from plate to mast. It is certainly not a new thing as all the race foils (ML, Chubanga, Levitaz...) all have that tapered design.
The little information I could find on the C35 is that it uses 35% UD carbon which as its name suggest, achieve rigidity in ONE direction. SAB has a similar mast but chose not to offer it over 72cm length. They've scrapped their alloy mast altogether and now only offer that mast as an entry level set up. It has also a thicker profile which makes it slower than their full carbon counter parts but still more than enough for most of us.
Those hybrid mast sound pretty good to me as an alternative to aluminium with the benefit of being easy to repair but are certainly no match to a well designed full carbon mast.
Brands should definitely start to display informations such as Chord, Thickness, lay up and type of fibre that they used, especially when customers are forking out $800 to $1500 in a mast.
Rant over...
I wouldn't consider that a rant. And great idea to spec a little more info. which I have listed below as best I can.
One thing that I guess does not come across it that non linear stiffness/response/feel. I know with a lot of carbon masts out there, they are noticeable softer than Naish' alloy. So yes going for bigger chords and thickness is needed to get them stiffer. Obviously carrying this all the way down to the fuse would be far too draggy, so tapering is a great option and offers up some cool flex. But, if you can get the stiffness staying narrow at the base, then this is always going to be far more efficient and faster!
Here's some stats,
S26 Alloy 75cm. Chord = 129.64mm, Thickness at 40mm (as deep as my digital vernier callipers can go) = 17.46mm. Weight 1600grams
Aircraft grade aluminium with 3 stringer and extruded fore and aft thread ends to fasten the plate and bottom cup along with glue. Price $649 (based on 75cm)
S26 C35/75cm. Chord = 116.85mm, Thickness at 40mm (same reason) = 16.71mm. Weight 1800grams
100% Pre preg technology for all layers, moulded high density foam core, The ends carry a full carbon lamination, UD carbon as well as biax glass in its lamination. The fuselage connection is bonded as well as screwed, the screws go into the full lamination part of the mast and are set in 2 M10 inserts, both the 100% and the 35% carbon mast have a high gloss finish. Price $749 (based on 75cm)
S26 C100/75cm. Chord = 116.85mm, Thickness at 40mm (same reason) = 16.71mm. Weight 1600grams
100% Pre preg technology for all layers, moulded high density foam core, The ends carry a full carbon lamination, 100% carbon utilizes a combo of UD carbon as well as 3K carbon. The fuselage connection is bonded as well as screwed, the screws go into the full lamination part of the mast and are set in 2 M10 inserts, both the 100% and the 35% carbon mast have a high gloss finish. Price $1449 (based on 75cm)
I hope this helps a lot in comparing apples with raisins.
Ride safe,
JB
