Broken board noses are one of the most common types of damage in windsurfing, and anyone can do a perfect skid. Surfbent aims to redirect the energy generated by the fall and prevent the mast from hitting the bow at all.
On land: The 250 gram lightweight plastic construction is simply screwed into the mast rail together with the mast base. The additional weight, which protectors always bring with them, is therefore in the place where it is least noticeable when surfing. You should only note that the mast base plate has a maximum diameter of eleven centimetres, otherwise the Surfbent will not fit. On the plus side, compared to other designs on the market, the entire adjustment range of the mast rail remains usable.
In use: The Surfbent hardly hinders surfing at all, but if you kick it when turning, it is certainly less unpleasant than kicking the unprotected mast base plate. If the mast hits the front during a fall, it (or the extension) hits the surfbent before the mast reaches the tip of the bow - in this respect, the part fulfils its function of absorbing the energy that occurs. However, the energy generated by the surfbent is redirected into the mast foot - and this is precisely where we see a problem: due to the leverage, the forces generated there appear to be very high, and the power joint and mast foot tendons in particular could suffer. In extreme cases, this would mean that the board nose is intact, but you can no longer get home due to a sheared mast foot. The loads on the mast track also seem high to us because the sail lying in the water always edges the board up slightly. Climbing onto the board to launch the sheet inevitably puts a lot of leverage on the mast track. Nevertheless, it should be emphasised at this point that we have not suffered any damage during operation. The Surfbent crew also emphasises that the protector has been tested over a longer period of time with different windsurf boards and that there has been no damage to the mast base or chord.
surf conclusionThe Surfbent fulfils its purpose and protects the bow for little money - it only costs 59 euros. Surfbent has responded to our criticism by equipping the latest version with a glued-on rubber pad - a step in the right direction. We will try to carry out a long-term test with the product - you can of course read all about it in surf magazine.
Information about the product at www.surfbent.de
