The Launch of Evolution Aluminum
Evolution Aluminum is the culmination of over 2 years of R&D, which began even before we launched Evolution Wind and Surf this same month in 2023. We could have kept selling the classic aluminum, and we still get inquires today, but instead we decided to focus 100% on our new Evolution interface and developing manufacturing processes for our carbon and aluminum masts that allow us to produce as efficiently as possible and scale in today’s challenging environment.
Our customers continue to love the classic aluminum for so many reasons. The price, the stiffness, the quick leadtime, and the bomb-proof strength. But I didn’t want to just slap an Evolution adapter interface to the same extrusion, I wanted to really push boundaries and figure out how to produce an aluminum mast with the stiffness and drag of HM carbon masts. I also wanted to solve so many other frustrations with various aluminum masts on the market: the filling with water, the loose mount, the confusion of having to buy 3 different components. Just as we changed the industry offering the first discipline specific carbon masts, we wanted to change the game with aluminum too. And we did, in fact, the only competition to this mast is made of carbon fiber and at least twice the price.
The extrusion is highly engineered to offer maximum stiffness, minimum weight, and tolerate the nearly 100,000lbs of force that is applied on the piercing region of each mast when it is formed to a more hydrodynamically efficient section. Thanks to decades of experience in FEA and materials simulation, we were able to design this extrusion and all the associated tooling (extrusion and forging dies) entirely in-house in a matter of months. But cutting steel dies and tooling takes a long time, and we slowly stepped up our extrusion orders from 12” long test coupons to 10’ long samples before we felt comfortable placing a larger order. It’s a pretty unnerving and risky process, spending thousands of dollars on a die to extrude a section that may or may not do what you want or need it to during the forging process. But again, I had no interest in offering another straight aluminum mast, Cedrus exists to innovate and do things differently. It’s scary, risky, and pretty uncomfortable most of the time to be honest. But it can also be extremely rewarding and fun.
Welding was an even bigger challenge, and for that I was fortunate to find a partner who was equally interested in helping small businesses with domestic manufacturing through the use of small robotic work cells. With a background in software and operations, he was better suited than I to figure out how to program robots to weld hydrofoil masts. Evolution Aluminum would not exist without him, and I will forever be in debt as the value of his time, talents, and hard work cannot be repaid through mast sales. There is simply not enough money in the foil industry to get people like him onboard and willing to invest the capital and time needed to advance the products and processes in the way we did over the last 6 months. The technology we have developed is applicable to aerospace, automative, and other more advanced industries. Hopefully we don’t have to pivot into other products or industries, but it’s nice to know we can thanks to the flexability of the equipment we’ve invested in.
Welding the mast into a single unit results in a watertight structure with maximum stiffness and none of the confusion or sloppiness of separate pieces held together by screws. It is simply impossible to achieve tight fits between machined components and aluminum extrusions-the tolerances from batch to batch are too big. Glue is sometimes used to seal and keep water out, but this eventually fails and it adds nothing structurally to the assembly. Even with an adapter bolted on, Evolution Aluminum Forged is 20-30% stiffer in bending and torsion than the well regarded Axis 19mm assembly with the drag of the 16mm option. The Clydesdale model is only slightly less stiff in bending than the $2,500 UHM Pro mast, but has twice the torsional stiffness, all for 1/5 the price. For dock start or pump-foiling 2m span foils, you can save $2,000 and ride any foil with Cedrus.
We’ve been testing this mast for the last 8 months, in all forms of foiling from paddle up starts to wing foiling to performance prone and DW. This mast does it all, and it does it all really well. The constant chord length keeps wetted area very low, especially when compared to modern UHM masts, which makes the mast quite efficient in the paddle ups and lower speed riding when low on the mast. It maintains some of the playfulness and looser feel of Surf, but has nearly the stability and upwind performance of Wind. It’s a do-it-all mast, perfect for those who email us and are torn between Wind and Surf. It’s only a pound heaver than either carbon masts. I do feel that extra pound coming from the lighter weight Wind and riding a sinker board, but based on our surveys and feedback we’ve found that clients prefer stiffness and lower drag in exchange for a little more weight. The feedback has been unanimous: Evolution Aluminum is super stiff, feels bomb proof, very efficient through the water, doesn’t ventilate, and simply put, is extremely user friendly.
Did I mention the mast works with any foil? This isn’t just a “universal mast” requiring a sacrifice in performance to accommodate adapters. It’s actually stiffer and faster than any OEM aluminum mast that it’s replacing, and most carbon. The Evolution adapter interface has been out for about 2 years now, without a single report of loose hardware, sloppy fit, or bolt failure. This interface is stiffer and stronger than any OEM foil connection thanks to a combination of M8 and M10 stainless and titanium hardware. With only a slight thickness increase over the bottom 5cm of the mast, it’s an extremely small penalty to pay for versatility and performance gains above the adapter. After watching videos of re-potting the bottom of carbon masts in order to maintain a tight fit, I’m honestly wondering why anyone would not buy an adaptable mast.
We built this mast for everyone. Are you a beginner looking to get into foiling? Evolution Aluminum will last a lifetime, adapting to your style and foil preferences as you learn and progress. Are you an advanced rider looking for multiple lengths in your quiver? You can now ride 2-3 aluminum masts for the price of 1 carbon, without sacrificing performance. Don't like stressing about paint, reef damage, or have a tendency to be hard on your gear? We dare you to break this mast, which has been field and bench tested with the biggest span foils.
In closing, I want to thank my team, and everyone who’s helped with the launch of this new mast. It’s been an incredibly challenging, intense, and expensive process. I’m really proud of what we’ve created, and know that there’s nothing else out there on the market that compares. I hope you all like it, and wish you happy foiling regardless of what you chose to ride. There’s a lot of amazing gear options out there right now, and we’re all so lucky to be a part of this new and quickly evolving sport.
See you at AWSI.
Kyle
