Project Cedrus Mast Review
I first heard of the Project Cedrus mast in June 2021. I was fascinated by the idea of having one mast that I could use for multiple foil set-ups. I figured I had to try it out since I have multiple brands of foils. I bought one without any real-world use or really knowing anyone who had one. I had blind faith in the hype that I was hearing, but it sounded too good. Still, I made the commitment. Lucky for me I have an in with Josh at The Foil Shop in Seal Beach and he got me one along with an adapter for my Lift set-up and one for my Takuma that I bought from him.
Why should you get this mast? It is a great question. The mast is not cheap and every foil that you buy comes with a mast. There are several good reasons.
SAVE MONEY
The first and foremost reason is that you can buy a set-up without the mast. Let’s say that you want to get a Lift foil to try. Normally you would buy the Front wing along with a back wing and a mast to go along with it. The Lift mast is about $800. If you only had to buy the Front & Back wings you would save around seven hundred dollars. (The adapter is around $120.) That is a big savings. I bought my Takuma without the mast! That saved me about three hundred dollars! I sold my Lift mast to someone and recouped about six hundred fifty dollars back from that as well. Those two things paid for my mast and adapters! I am looking at other foils to get and now I can get them minus the price of the mast. I recently acquired a Mike’s Lab minus the mast and saved another $1800 dollars. The initial Purchase has led to me being able to save money on my future purchases. It’s cheaper to buy into the next brand you will want to try. Let’s face facts. Foiling is rapidly progressing and what we thought was awesome a year ago is old news today. Guys are updating their foils in a short amount of time. There are very few that have stuck with the same brand for the last four years. The typical mast is $300 to $800 dollars. Project Cedrus would allow one to save money with each new purchase.
UNIVERSAL
Every brand likes to make their base plate different than the others and may use different size bolts. One base plate may be large and the other compact. Placement on your boxes is different and, in some cases, will not allow you to put the mast as far forward or backwards as you may want. Project Cedrus has a beautiful aluminum baseplate that uses M8 bolts. It has open ends which allows you to leave your bolts or WingNuts in the boxes but still remove the mast. The base plate is compact and allows maximum variation in positioning. One example would be the lift mast. It has a longer baseplate and does not allow me to put the mast as far forward in the boxes as my Project Cedrus. This is very important since this brand needs the mast more forward to work better especially with the smaller HA wings. You have the same mast, base plate and M8 bolts for all your foil systems. One set will work no matter which system you use. This allows one to know where the mast should be for each wing and system. It also makes the next category easier.
SHARING IS CARING
You can swap out brands with a friend with just an adapter. If your friend has a Cedrus too this is simple. If you are like me then you would have the adapter for that brand in your quiver. I have an Axis adapter since they are always coming out with new wings. I just need to borrow the fuselage and Wing to give it a try. You do not have to adjust to a new mast each time you try a new wing since it is the one you always use. If you are like me and the mast length you use is not the standard then this takes one less variable out of the experience of trying a new wing or system.
BUILD QUALITY
Please listen to the Progression Project with Kyle from Project Cedrus. There is a reason that he builds the mast the way it is. Let me give you my synopsis. All Carbon is not created equal. One needs to understand the characteristics of carbon. Kyle knows this and how to get the best strength to weight to stiffness out of his mast. Lateral as well as torsional strength are what he puts into the mast. The hardware and metals used on the mast are top grade and purposely used for their strength in the function they perform in the mast, such as connection to the adapter or the baseplate. The hydrodynamics of the cord and wing are all calculated to work for the surf foiler. His mast is 19mm thick which is on the larger size of the spectrum, but he does this to give strength and to allow the use of M8 bolts which are much stronger. It is designed to function at speeds up to 25 mph without creating too much drag that you would notice. He uses a plastic polymer in the front and the trailing edges for weight savings, cost saving and safety as well.
RIDE QUALITY
Kyle has designed a mast that is very stiff not only laterally but also torsional. This removes the wiggle or jelly feelings that one sometimes feels with a regular mast. The stiffness increases the efficiency of your energy transfer to the wing. This will make your wing more responsive and more stable. Pumping is more efficient and allows you to go further with the same effort. Turning is better balanced since the mast reduces the flex and torsion that one would normally feel.
THE NOT SO GOOD
I cannot find much fault with this mast, but I know of others that complain of the thickness and the drag created by it. Hands down thicker wings are slower. The mast is a vertical wing. It is 19mm thick which is on the thick side of the masts on the market right now. I personally do not notice the drag as compared to other masts that I have ridden. I am not a speedster and can only pump so far no matter what. No Limitz has a similar mast that is built well, but they bond the adapter and base plate to the mast so that it is a one brand product. If you are a one brand person and want 4mm less thickness, then that is the mast for you. If you are like me the slight increased drag is not noticeable and you want to future proof your mast, then the Project Cedrus is the right mast to get.
SUMMARY
This mast is the future of foiling for the following reasons.
- Kyle’s knowledge is what our industry needs. Someone with a real understanding of material properties and how to apply it properly in the construction of a foil. The foil industry is still using the archaic surfboard industry process of trial and error with a limited understanding of the reasoning behind it.
- Universal fit. The ability to use the same mast with different brands is what we should all want and demand from the industry. They already do it to a certain degree. Imagine if each manufacture decided to make their own baseplate mount placement dimensions. Your board might work with only one brand, and you would have to get a whole new board for a different brand. That would be crazy! Instead, now all you need is a $120 adapter, but if the foil makers truly wanted to, they could just make a direct mount to the mast as part of their design.
- This is one of the stiffest masts that I have ridden. I have a 55cm, 60cm, 65cm and 75cm version and they are all just as stiff. This design leads to increased efficiency and control of your foil. It will make you a better foiler on the foil you ride right now.
- Cost savings. I personally have saved over $3000 dollars by using this mast for my new foils. I just bought a Mike’s Lab and that alone saved me $1700 dollars. Buy one and done is a great concept.