KAIWI: the mast built for glide

Most masts are built to be stiff. The KAIWI was built to be efficient. It is a pure performance mast, designed to minimise drag and maximise glide for downwind racing, pump foiling and prone foiling, and with more than a year of development behind it, its capabilities are beyond doubt: it has already topped international podiums in all three disciplines.

Why it is so fast

By optimising for smaller-span wings and lighter riders, the KAIWI achieves an exceptionally low-drag profile that larger, stiffer masts simply cannot match. An in-depth analysis of both hydrodynamics and structural loading let the R&D team optimise every aspect of the mast's geometry and material stiffness, in Ultra High Modulus unidirectional carbon, at 780 mm.

What began as a project to create the world's most efficient downwind race mast soon proved to have much broader appeal. The same efficiency benefits any rider looking for less drag, better glide and more control, in any discipline where glide is what wins: a long downwind run, a flat-water pump session, a prone wave connected to the next one.

Who it is for, and who it is not

The published guidance is wings up to 100 cm span and riders up to 85 kg. Read that as what it is: a conservative figure from a company that would rather understate than overpromise. In our own riding the KAIWI handles most of the range with ease. Where it does reach its limit is at the extremes, the biggest foils and the heaviest riders, and for those the Ultra Pro and the FATTY remain the right tools: superior stiffness and control for large spans and big loads. Neither can match the KAIWI's drag and glide in the disciplines it was made for. That is the trade, and it is a deliberate one.

It fits every AXIS fuselage, including the Ti Link, so it drops straight into the setups you already ride.

The short version

• Ultra High Modulus uni carbon, 780 mm.
• Built for glide: downwind racing, pump foiling, prone.
• Best with wings up to about 100 cm span and lighter riders; the Ultra Pro and FATTY take over for the biggest foils and heaviest riders.
• Fits every AXIS fuselage.

For riders focused on maximising glide, maintaining speed and extracting every ounce of performance from their foil, the KAIWI sets a new benchmark. KAIWI Ultra High Modulus Uni Carbon Mast 780, available now.