anto22 said..From my experience, from what I've seen and from various tests I've been able to do, there's a big difference between theory and practice when it comes to hydrofoil design. I was able to attend mast tests with low chord and high thickness versus larger chord with low thickness. It's clear, the thinner mast gave much better sensations. I also tested wings which were excellents on paper, low drag, good lift, with a high efficiency profile. And of course on the water, it didn't work.
So in foil design, it's good to relate to the theory, but the best thing is to test a lot of things and draw conclusions based on real sensations and real performances

That's what Martin Turbil (from ALLURE brand) and I are doing.
My experience is more limited but i agree 100% with this.
I do not know if the Cedrus designer got those numbers from computer models or actual testing but they do not fit at all with what i have felt riding thicker masts (they felt like dragging seaweed all the time).
I like stiffness too but i am 70kg and i wing/surf with foils around the 1000cm2 size.
I do not need so much stiffness and i do not want it if it comes at the cost of glide.
I have seen a few reviews of the Cedrus mast where the only complaint was the drag.This may not be a factor if you are a big dude blasting in The Gorge in nuclear winds, but for me it is huge.
And surfoil pumping is cardio enough without extra resistance...
Maybe the future will be different thickness/stiffness masts for different riders/purposes.