Fuselages / Top plate Surf foil

Which foil mast?

The mast size commonly used in surf foiling is 65/70cm, but to start smoothly and feeling more in control, you can do your first sessions with a shorter mast of 45 to 55 cm. You will familiarize yourself more easily with the sensations of flying, and you will gain confidence more quickly with a more docile foil.

The main constraint in surf foiling remains the water depth. In fact, to start well in surf foiling, it is necessary to favor small waves, from knee to hip high.
In these types of conditions, for the waves to break, there will be very little water. So, to get off to a good start, you should favor a 45 / 55cm mast. It will make the first straight flights go smoothly without constantly hitting the bottom. It is also more reassuring,because as soon as the foil rises you quickly lose your bearings, no longer knowing exactly how high you are. A short mast will limit this feeling. It is also more reassuring in the event of a fall, the board will not turn over completely, thus limiting the risk of falling on the foil.

As soon as the first flights are mastered, we then move on to a bigger one. This is a relatively short step in the progression, but necessary for good progress thereafter.
Once the take-off has been mastered, a 65cm mast will be preferred, to be able to gain angle in the turns, but also to have sufficient height when pumping.

What technology?

You have two main choices:

1/ Aluminum foils

Aluminium foils are those with an aluminium structure: platinum, mast, fuselage. But the wings are generally made of fiberglass, or glass plus carbon.

It is easy, quick to produce, and not expensive. Ideal for beginners but limited in dynamism and therefore in performance. The biggest disadvantage is corrosion, which requires good maintenance. The multiple pieces have inevitably some looseness, even if it is close to zero with our new conical fitting.

2/ Carbon foils

All the pieces are made of carbon, which doesn’t mean they are 100% carbon. The mechanical and technical constraints often require the addition of foam, Kevlar, glass, in key areas to mix the qualities and have no weakness.

The huge advantage of carbon is its dynamics. It is not necessarily stiffer than aluminium, contrary to what many people think, as an aluminium foil is by nature quite thick. But it will return to its original shape twice as fast as aluminium.

The sensations are maximum, and the piloting is precise and light at the same time.

Solidity of aluminium or carbon mast

• Aluminium can bend but rarely break. The carbon will return to its original shape unless you go beyond the critical point, which will cause it to break like glass…
• Aluminum can be bent and welded, but repairs are difficult. Whereas repairing carbon is very simple.

3/ High Modulus Carbon foils

TORAY M40J high modulus carbon offers incredible stiffness. It is a high-end carbon that delivers high mechanical properties while remaining resistant. A carbon popular in aeronautics as well as for high-end sports equipment. Its mechanical characteristics such as its superior tensile strength and Young’s modulus make it possible to obtain exceptional performance on the water.

The huge advantage of high-end carbon is its stiffness. To the point that it is not useful to put as much material as with other materials. Thus, we gain a significant weight, almost 20% compared to aluminum. And beyond the measured weight, the dynamism brings a feeling of liveliness and therefore of incredible lightness.

The HM coupled with the stringer increases the performance of this mast tenfold. The decrease in bending is around 30% and the decrease in torsion is around 40% compared to the V2 carbon mast, yet of excellent quality.

At GONG

• We only make top-of-the-range foils. Whether they are made of aluminium or carbon, they are well made and well thought-out foils. Our low prices can only be explained by our choice of exclusive direct distribution. At GONG you will not find Asian copies of well-known foils. We are shapers, designers, engineers and developers of our profiles, architectures, technologies and production processes, and all the skills that make a GONG product come alive are in-house.