GEAR: WHICH MAST LENGTH SHOULD YOU CHOOSE FOR WING FOILING?

First flights, freeride, freestyle, waves or racing: choose the right length for your sessions.

Your mast length directly affects how your foil feels on the water. A short mast builds confidence during your first take-offs. A longer mast gives you more clearance to ride through chop, bank the foil and avoid touchdowns through turns.

But progressing doesn’t necessarily mean riding higher and higher! In wing foiling, 85 cm remains a benchmark for freeride, freestyle and waves, while longer masts meet the specific demands of slalom and racing.

Getting started: 85 cm to support your progression

An 85 cm mast remains our top recommendation for getting started in wing foiling and progressing over the long term. It provides the clearance you need to learn to control your ride height, handle chop and attempt your first manoeuvres. An all-round size you can keep as your skills improve and your riding evolves.

For someone completely new to foiling, a short mast can nevertheless make those very first sessions easier. Flying closer to the water makes foil control more intuitive. You feel more confident initiating your first take-offs and discovering how the foil responds. Finding your bearings from the first few sessions helps build steady progression. A shorter mast can save you time when starting out, for a relatively small investment in aluminium construction.

A 62 cm Alu V3 can therefore be a useful stepping stone. A size sometimes offered in schools (or in shallow water). Simply think of it as a learning tool. The low ride height that initially helps you control your foil becomes a limitation once you start flying over longer distances.

Our choice: the Alu V3 85 cm for getting started and progressing, with the option of starting on a shorter aluminium mast if that helps you approach your first sessions with confidence.

 
Wing foiler: Mathieu, GONG team rider, riding a Zuma FSP 2X, Plus wing, Alu V3 85 mast, X-Over front wing and stabiliser.

Freeride: 85 cm, the versatile benchmark

Enjoying long reaches, nailing your jibes, accelerating or discovering freefly: 85 cm offers an excellent balance between control and freedom of movement. You have the clearance you need to ride through chop and bank the foil without making it unnecessarily demanding to control.

Three constructions let you tailor this choice to your preferences:

• Alu V3 85 cm: a high-performance, affordable option.
• Carbon V3 85 cm: a lightweight, responsive setup.
• HM Carbon V3 85 cm: the benefits of carbon with greater stiffness.

Our choice: the Carbon V3 85 cm for regular freeride sessions, or the Alu V3 85 cm if budget is your priority.

Freestyle: precision at take-off

In freestyle, the mast needs to provide enough clearance to set up jumps while maintaining precise foil control. 85 cm remains a benchmark length, even at the highest level.

Stiffness helps deliver a crisp response underfoot and clean pop. HM carbon provides a particularly direct response when accelerating, initiating a trick and linking moves.

Our choice: the HM Carbon V3 85 cm for the control and precision at take-off that HM construction delivers.

 

Wing foiler: Malo, GONG team rider, riding a Hyperloop FSP Pro, Droid Aramid X, HM85 mast, Ypra Freestyle V3 Atmo front wing and stabiliser.

Wave riding: finding the balance between height and control

In waves, mast length helps you handle steep faces and commit to turns without the board touching the water. 85 cm is the versatile choice for wave riding with a wing and linking carves in freefly.

On small waves or at shallower spots, you may prefer 77 cm for a more compact feel. Conversely, 92 cm provides extra clearance for wide, fast turns and choppy conditions.

Our choice: the HM Carbon V3 85 cm for precision and responsiveness on the wave. The HM 92 for XL waves.

 

Wing foiler: Malo, GONG team rider, riding a Lethal FSP Pro, Droid Aramid X wing, HM85 mast, Fluid front wing and Ypra Surf-Freestyle stabiliser.

FreeRace and Race: more height to hold your angle

At high speed, a long mast gives you more clearance to ride through chop, load up the foil while heeled to windward and keep the front wing submerged. Your choice then depends on your goal: riding fast for fun, linking jibes in slalom or optimising your lines around a racecourse.

For FreeRace and slalom, the HM Carbon V3 100 cm is our benchmark choice. Its length lets you hold steep angles while retaining good manoeuvrability through direction changes. The HM V3 92 cm offers a shorter alternative focused on glide and speed with small front wings.

The HM Carbon V3 107 cm takes things further towards Race. It provides extra height for committed racing lines, with more specialised handling than the 100 cm.

For competition, the range also includes the 112 cm Ypra Race V3 and the new Ypra Race V3 Atmo Pro Team Series, also in 112 cm. This length lets you heel further to windward without the tips breaking the surface, while retaining more clearance at high speed.

The new Ypra Race V3 Atmo, built in UHM carbon, combines stiffness with an optimised profile to maximise speed, upwind performance and VMG. Available in Top Plate and Deep Tuttle versions, it is designed for competitors seeking a mast dedicated entirely to Race performance.

Our choice: the HM V3 100 cm for FreeRace and slalom; the new Ypra Race V3 Atmo 112 cm for dedicated Race use.

 

Wing foiler: Bastien, GONG team rider, riding a Racer FSP Pro, Pulse Aramid CZ, Ypra Race mast, Ypra Race V3 Atmo front wing and stabiliser.

Thickness matters too

For a given length, choose your mast according to the loads you place on it. In the Alu V3 range, the 17 mm profile suits front wings with a wingspan under 120 cm; the 19 mm provides greater stiffness with the larger wingspans used in light wind.

For the HM V3 85 cm, the 14 mm prioritises glide and speed, the 15 mm versatility, and the 16 mm stiffness for powerful riders and pumping or light wind use.

Discover our GONG V3 mast range and choose the one that will take your next sessions to the right height!