Inbound: Armstrong MA Mk II

You may have heard that Armstrong recently dropped their hotly anticipated second-generation Mid Aspect (MA) Mk II foils. Well, we made sure we put in our due diligence and caught up with Armstrong Foils for a tour of what’s what…

Photos Franck Berthuot 

Hey team, we recall the original MA foils being quite a hit when they came out two seasons ago, right?

Ideally, you try to create a foil that’s ahead of the curve and inspires new ways of riding. When they first came out, the original MAs had this special combination of speed, carving feel, and a really unique ability to seamlessly recover from breaching the water’s surface. That combination made for an amazing winging and tow surfing foil where riders could take more critical lines than ever before and develop new maneuvers. The MA gave you a lot of freedom to play and experiment. For anyone who’s been watching Cash Berzolla in the last couple years, the MA has been his go-to foil. 

In light of the recent popularity of the HA foils, why bring back a new generation of MA?

The HA has proven to be a real Swiss Army Knife of a foil thanks to its easy pumping, glide efficiency, and especially its ability to lay down sweet carves that are very not HA-like (in the best way). That said, a mid-aspect foil is more pitch stable, rolls into a carve more quickly and seamlessly, and with the right section shape has a better top speed with easier pitch control at those higher speeds. We’ve developed the MA Mk II because those qualities are exactly what most wingers and surf foilers need, especially in powered up conditions where the MA Mk II is more fun to handle than the HA. Basically, if you’re a more advanced rider already on a HA, the MA Mk II is going to give you more control and ability to play hard in juicy conditions. If you’re on the intermediate side, the MA Mk II’s control and forgiving stability boosts your progression.

So it sounds like the Mk II is a technical evolution from the original MA while retaining the same core character?

Basically, yes. The original MA just wants to get up and go regardless of if you’re sending a freestyle air or sliding sideways down the face at J-Bay. The MA Mk II retains that fun character and makes the performance more accessible for riders of intermediate skill level and up. Even if you’re just mowing the lawn or dabbling in waves, the MA Mk II is going to make the session that bit more fun with its responsive, fluid carving and huge speed range – all while being super controllable and forgiving. 

How have you gone about achieving that broader performance range? 

The MA Mk II benefits from what we learned with the HA, meaning it now has lower, more user-friendly takeoff and stall speeds than the prior MA. It’s still mid-aspect with an AR of eight across all the sizes. The science of the foil section and the wingtip shape lets this foil handle turbulent flow like nothing else. Riding through whitewater, breaching in a turn, or landing an air is literally a non-event with seamless and instantaneous recovery. The R&D on this project was quite lengthy to achieve this special mix of user friendliness and high performance. At the end of the day, it took significant real-world testing to see which versions rode the best and achieved our goal. That passion for testing and refining new designs is forever ongoing at Armstrong.  

The spec sheet suggests quite a spread in sizes. What’s the range?

There are eight sizes: 490, 590, 690, 790, 890, 990, 1190, 1390cm2 with spans from 632 to 1060mm. 

Are these strictly oriented at winging, or are we looking at a next level surf foil?

Definitely a foil for both. For winging – surf, freefly, freestyle – the MA Mk II is a must-have in your quiver, its range in performance covers basically everything you could do winging. For lightwind or downwind winging where you’d want max glide, the HA remains an excellent foil to have in your bag.

In the surf, the carving performance is next level and you can lay down top to bottom carves like a deep powder snowboarding fantasy. That pitch stability is confidence inspiring and the top speed range really lends the MA Mk II to tow foiling in basically any size surf. For prone surfing, it’s a great step-up foil from the S1 for intermediate riders who need more pitch stability than the HA. The MA Mk II’s pump will definitely let you connect waves, but if it’s smaller out or you’re looking to send endless laps, the HA would be the one to reach for. 

Should HA owners convert to MA, or is this a “have your cake and eat it too” sort of situation? 

Each foil has its strengths, but we’d advocate you can’t go wrong having both in your bag for different conditions. The MA Mk II really shines when you’re powered up and carving hard, need that extra pitch stability, or are chasing high speeds. The HA offers greater glide and more efficient pumping for the same area. Different flavors, neither is strictly better overall – the beauty is in having options. 

Lastly, tell us about these new stabilizers that go along with the MA Mk II.

Indeed, we have a new stabilizer – the Surf Mk II – that goes along with the MA Mk II front foil. The three sizes are 130, 170, and 200cm2. This design follows the front foil very closely in terms of shape and features. The official recommendation is to get the Surf Mk II stabilizer to go along with MA Mk II as that’s where you’ll land on the best performance overall..