Which Mast Base would you choose? - Unifiber

[@alexdugan4467]

This video series is excellent Ben (and crew), thanks! Keep up the good work 🍻🍻

[@SURFtheEARTHguru]

It sucks companies like this do not sell from their website. The "find a dealer" option is trash. Living in the states it's is such a headache getting gear. I've been riding super old gear for way to long because of this. I would have literally ordered a base plate and extension today but had to jump through to many hoops finding where to order one since I cannot on the unifiber site. Even when I find a dealer, they do not carry the stock. I hate that windsurfing is unaccessible here, especially on a budget. Most my gear is used from the early 90's at best. It's 2024, just sell us your gear!

[@whynowind]

I’m in the US too and unfortunately, the market here isn’t that big and many brands don’t see a financial benefit in trying to compete for your attention. To get more brands to sell in the US, we need more people (younger) getting into the sport but it’s likely not happening at a scale that would make sense since there’s almost nowhere to find clubs and sailing schools offering windsurfing instruction. As far as replacing your old stuff, there are at least about 6 or 7 resellers in the US that have what you are looking for. Maybe not Unifiber but equivalent stuff. No excuses!

[@breandanhamon1243]

Ireland has now developed a similar problem (albeit probably not as bad problem as the US) since Brexit, shipping costs makes any gear an extra few hundred quid and there's very few reliable stores in Ireland

[@82xmas-j7w]

nice to hear that someone is thinking about people’s budget… it is an expensive sport and to get more people to join it has to be somewhat affordable… even with used gear it is not affordable for everyone imo

[@doofercall]

Really interesting, not least as a business (co-)owner myself. The marketing - as in, the proposition to potential customers - is extraordinarily clear and I think Unifiber/Job deserves a lot of credit for keeping that clarity and resisting the temptation to make hundreds of variants to fill different niches. Savvy choice!

[@sgoldie3235]

I’m in Canada and I will be replacing my booms, bases and extensions with Unifiber. Great products!

[@Tomasz_C]

The elite boom is really good. I've been using it for waves and freestyle for a few years now. Love the double clamp head. I like that they put some thought into the base plates. The accessory part of windsurfing has been stuck for years (or gimmick/crap has been put on the market).

[@Unifiber]

We're happy to hear that the Elite Boom has been serving you well for both waves and freestyle. The double clamp head and thoughtfully designed base plates were developed with dedicated windsurfers like you in mind. We agree that accessories in windsurfing have needed innovation, and we're committed to providing high-quality, functional gear rather than gimmicks. Greatfull for your satisfaction and support!

[@jmunkki]

The blue boom used to be a composite boom (70% carbon) and I have one of those. Watching this video made me check to make sure I wasn't dreaming about that part, but I guess that part of the product line got downgraded. Our club has been using many of the basic Unifiber components as club gear and there have been some issues, but I'll be the first to admit that there is sand and dirt where we sail and our users aren't experienced enough to avoid getting it everywhere. This includes the downhaul ropes, which then become surprisingly abrasive. We had to discard two RDM extensions because the cleats were essentially sanded down to a point where they no longer grip the rope and the cleats are not replaceable (at least in the version of the product that we had). We switched to another brand that has replaceable cleats. The tendon quick release on the base plate looks nice, but I'm pretty happy with my Chinook 2-bolt quick release plates, so I'm not in the market to upgrade those for another 10-20 years at least. Anyway, I'm glad the brand has evolved from rebranded, badly designed and cheaply produced parts to actually well-engineered kit.

[@Unifiber]

The blue booms are available in three variants: alu with round grip, alu with the v-grip and composite (70%). All is still there:)

[@davedaveson3362]

Interesting, thx for featuring those guys.

[@FanaticNYC]

Have the blue one and i like it very much. Good job

[@LukeJundel]

After couple of adventures with tendons I went back to boge. I believe they last longer, are easy to inspect by bending. Even if there is a small crack you can still be sure there are some sessions left. Whereas with tendons, even if you can easily disassemble and inspect the weakest part (holes) actually what is there to see? You cannot bend the ends, look inside the holes or, if everything seem fine, be confident that after sun, age etc..rubber didn’t lose its properties and just won’t rip apart at some point. I suppose to be on the safe side tendon universals should be replaced after 50-100 sessions. Maybe there is performance advantage of tendons but for freestyle and waves I don’t notice it. B.t.w recently bought myself unifiber elite wave boom (140). Pretty happy with it so far. Like the boomhead. Will see how long it lasts. (maybe could be less play between main and tail tubes).

[@Unifiber]

Critique acknowledged:) Thank you.

[@philipp3529]

i prefer the "boge joints" but its hard to find them in a proper heavy duty mastfoot

[@FrancoisTCS]

Very interesting!

[@sjsrowlands]

Interesting to hear I should be replacing my tenon more regularity - currently using F2 UJs from 1990s … lucky that I sail in harbors me thinks!

[@poijupoij]

I love those exocet boards

[@surfrider75]

White. Had baseplates with loose maatfoots in the 90s. We went to fixed mastfoots in the 90s for a reason. One less link that can fail.

[@GrahamSnowdon]

What watch is that with orange strap @ben?

[@JD-wf9rc]

What about the unifiber windfoil in the back? And can i buy directly online or over a shop?

[@future_horizon]

A very interesting product mix.... def. worth a try! The booms seem to be very spacy though, is it just unifiber or is it the same with other brands?

[@Unifiber]

Spacy?

[@tobylane4935]

Can't beat a good Boge

[@FrancoisTCS]

What about XO sails, wasn’t it an Exocet brand?

[@XOSails]

XO Sails is still active and is now managed under Equipe Trading. The brand will be repositioned to focus on school, club, and center rigs, as well as introducing a range of progressive camless sails in various sizes for recreational sailors seeking uncompromised performance and durability. Currently, older range sails are not listed on the Exocet website. In the future, XO Sails will have its own dedicated website.

[@mmmdesignllc]

Orange but I'd like a neutral color.

[@daveoriordan1537]

So this was why XO sails don't get a look on anymore?

[@Exocet183]

Indeed the new combination board / sail combination will be Exocet / Loftsails / Unifiber. XO Sails will be repositioned to focus on school, club, and center rigs, as well as introducing a range of progressive camless sails in various sizes for recreational sailors seeking uncompromised performance and durability.

[@daveoriordan1537]

@@Exocet183 nice to see you keeping the brands alive and having a purpose.

[@autokanada]

How can I get your products in Canada?

[@Unifiber]

Windforce in Canada

[@MrSquinker]

metal glue, you call it Loctite, the locks the thread of the screws.

[@luisalfredoserafino6384]

Orange for sure!!!!!!!!!!!All my bases are Chinook and I think they are the best in the world.

[@Unifiber]

Orange it is, thank you for your recommendation 🙂

[@sharewavestv]

Moin Ben, i am back on track

[@nikolajmathiesen3620]

Orange

[@jfdube6669]

Orange, go go go.

[@wavegasm37]

Even stainless steel will corrode when used in salt water. Always rinse with clear water after use. I consider the baseplate a safety relevant part and would therefore design it with the least amount of components. This looks over-engineered to me with too many components that could potentially break. Apart from this Unifiber makes great products that I have been using for many years now

[@chrisk7150]

I mean, I understand why Monty would make such a choice, since it frees him to do the thing he loves and really excels at. But if we're being honest, it doesn't really seem that it's going THAT well on the business side of things. Loft's been upping the prices exorbitantly and consistently for the last 14 years, to the point where they have LITERALLY doubled . I fail to see how that would count as "it works well". But that's just me

[@Loftsails]

Equipe Trading has been the partner for Loftsails for the past 9 years, not 14. While the price increases might seem significant, they could be due to factors like inflation, rising production costs, and maintaining high-quality standards. Monty's decision allows him to focus on his passion and expertise. In general, compared to many other brands, Loftsails' prices are not higher for comparable products. Additionally, the previous prices might have been too low to sustain.

[@santiarg54]

Man! UNIFIBER COMES FROM YEAR 3000 WT%

[@loskiff]

So the theory goes like: At first they remove any double pieces assembly on the pin to enhance strength. And after create a new breaking point below the tendon…something is not going the right direction I think….

[@Unifiber]

Not really. The breaking point is always there, since the tendon/boge needs to be connected to the plate itself. We just reinforced it with stainless steel cup.

[@weetwiki]

changing the tendon is like the tetanus vaccine. When you realize that you have to do it, it's already too late...😅

[@bangkobangko1391]

"price shooting up because of Covid" Can someone explain?😂

[@Windrider-ov9yi]

The governments of the world need all the money back they handed out two years ago 🙄

[@colasmeu]

Most of factories in China were closed, shipping costs went up …

[@Unifiber]

It's really a subject for a full YT video on it's own:) But here is a short example: shipping rates alone went so high, that the price of moving one boardbag to EU was half of its production costs:) Then there were a rapid inflation, EUR to USD exchange rates, lack of shipping containers, high-demand (people bored sitting at home) at a reduced production capacity (factories closed or working part time) and increasing costs of raw materials among many others. All these above are, obviously, not an excuse. But there are way more layers beyond common off-hand comments like "brands were/are greedy" :)

[@bangkobangko1391]

Thank you for that video btw and that in depth​ emplanation of the mast bases. It has been a while that I need a new one and I will definitely upgrade mine, it is Unifiber but don't ask me which model. It does not have that low base plate..🙂@@Unifiber

[@Team33Team33]

Top Tip: don't use mast bases with tendons. They break regularly. The colour identification/identity white, blue and red is an excellent idea.

[@Fus-1111]

North base plate plus itendon never broke since .

[@Team33Team33]

@@Fus-1111 How long ? - I've had some good ones too, but they all inevitably break with the salt. Instead of making one that doesn't break iit's built in redundancy because there is no advantage of this tendon system over others. (maybe 10grammes ?). Mistral mast bases used "tendons" that were used to absorb engine vibrations in cars and trucks - They were almost unbreakable - so it's possible...

[@Fus-1111]

@@Team33Team33 more than five years. I used to practice a lot. Now I foiled but it’s still looking good, bulletproof

[@Team33Team33]

@@Fus-1111 That is what the issue is with these tendons. They LOOK bullet proof. 5 years = seriously time to change it mate. It's your life you are endangering.

[@Fus-1111]

@@Team33Team33 not at all looks perfectly new and There’s a leash inside dynema in case of emergency. 30 years windsurfing i can see whether it’s gonna broke or not. But other tendons used to changed them when looking bad about 3 years. 50/70 times a year.