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Reply in Topic: New Armstrong Masts
beached57
beached57
143 posts
143 posts
6 May 2026 2:03am
BWalnut said..
I am so thrilled everyone is getting skinny masts now! It will be good to hear how it holds up with bigger rider evaluations. Did the current performance mast have any stiffness complaints? I'm not much in tune with Armstrong stuff.




from what i've seen in videos, the performance MKII is geared for heavier riders rather than the skinny X. at 90 kgs i've had no complaints with current 865 performance mast but will likely go to 795 MKII performance mast rather than X. I wing and foil drive, no parawing nor DW.
beached57
beached57
143 posts
143 posts
26 Apr 2026 12:22am
i'm about 90 kgs and use the Armstrong MA 990 for foil driving. I started FDing with the HA 1180, but that felt crazy unstable to me (and my friends). sometimes i think even that 990 has too much lift for me with the FD, and once on foil it still feels fairly unstable side-to-side. Assuming it's an equipment problem and not the rider (a big assumption) do you think a 770 UHA would be the next step, or is that too small for FD at my weight? I've tried the 780 HA with FD but couldn't even get on foil with it so worried UHA 770 might have same issue, but think UHA 870 may overlap with MA 990 too much.
beached57
beached57
143 posts
143 posts
25 Apr 2026 2:40am
KB7 said..
I assume you will be doing upwind/downwind off the western reefs of Lord Howe, such a nice place. I wouldn't go bigger than the 870 because you will have proper ocean bumps moving fast. I'm 85kg and use my 870 for light wind winging and parawinging. I sold my 980 as the 870 renders it totally redundant. It gets up the same or easier, glide is next level giving you much more time to pack the parawing away while the foil auto glides and it's much faster.
If I was riding fast ocean bumps I would want the 770 or maybe 670 so the 870 at your weight will be ideal. I ride mine with the 130 surf tail and it turns surprisingly well once you shed the speed a bit.


i'm about 90 kgs and use the MA 990 for foil driving. sometimes i think even that 990 has too much lift for me with the FD. Do you think a 770 UHA would be the next step, or is that too small for FD at my weight? I've tried the 780 HA with FD but couldn't even get on foil with it so worried UHA 770 might have same issue, but think UHA 870 may overlap with MA 990 too much.
beached57
beached57
143 posts
143 posts
15 Apr 2026 8:07pm
your gear seems fine. as prev responder said: practice. for example, i've been winging for years now and still struggle with foot switches. why? cuz i almost never do them. once i'm on my preferred side, i just don't switch, so i don't practice them, so i don't get better. but in my local conditions, i've been forced to deal with shore break, rough seas, breaking waves, gusty winds, etc., and all this has forced me to become better. don't be discouraged, just keep going out and you'll naturally get better.
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