Hope everyone is healthy and in good spirit.
Sounds absurd to think of Windsurfing when you consider the seriousness of what's happening in the world. But at the same time, thinking of the season ahead (or already underway) is a way to keep a sense of normalcy I guess.

So, I just wanted to share a product that I just bought and that I'm eager to try while windfoiling: The SURFBENT nose protector. The product went already through its second generation. It now allows a 1 or 2-bolts mast base and also large mast base like Chinook to fit (It wasn't the case with v1.0).

The product consist of 3 parts: The dog bowl-like protector itself, an indexing key to lock the orientation in the mast track (along with a spare) and a silicon deck protection pad. My first impression: The product is impressive in its build quality and attention to details. It doesn't say where it is manufactured but I suspect it is made in Germany looking at how tight the injection molded parts and fit&finish of the product looks. Really impressive. Product geometries and surface textures on the product are flawless, material set is very good and structural integrity of the parts seemed very well engineered and though out. The silicone pad is also very thoughtful and thick enough to cushion and distribute the downward pressure of the product on the board deck.

So, all looks very good. Can't wait to see if it really does what it says: protects the board nose and sides. I will let you know my impression once I can score a few crashes this season!

WARNING: I DO NOT RECOMMEND SURFBENT FOR WINDFOILING!

With Surfbent, I found a way to break other parts of my equipment other than the Borad's nose! First time out with the device for a foiling session yesterday and after a standard catapult, my mast and board were separated: The UJ and mast extension where broken.
I think Surfbent is absolutely not compatible with windfoiling because the water creates too much opposition to the vertical lift of the foil and doesn’t allow the back of the board to lift up as the rig is cantilevered against the Surfbent (Look at their website video to understand how the device function). The back of the board lifting up out of the water IS THE primary condition for this device to work as intended. I don't think the Surfbent website mentions that it's not meant to be used with a foil. However, it tells you to not use it on a concave board deck which makes sense because you want the device to sit flat on the deck obviously - but that has nothing to do with the issue here.
I would assume there are no issues with the use on fin boards as the only force the board has to overcome is the weak force created by the surface tension of the water on the board’s hull.

I did the test for you and the day cost me:

• Surfbent 2.0 direct from Germany: $87
• Duotone Power-xt 2.0: $150
• Chinook Mechanical Mast Base $90

Now you know!

dayum dude that sucks! hopefully your swim in wasn't too bad.

Major bummer! I believe the US cup UJ will withstand better. Btw I replaced a broken Chinook UJ with a Streamlined one and the difference in quality is just huge!

Wow, that's unfortunate. I had always read about this problem with the previous product that existed that had a roller up front, now I see it actually happens. I see that the company recommends a tendon joint, but I don't see how that could have prevented this in a catapult. The foil makes a big difference, keeping the tail stuck down.

The swim was ok. I wasn’t too far. I thought about de-rigging in the water but lifting the sail up a bit against the wind and that was enough to keep me moving towards the beach rather than drifting towards the rocks on the jetty.

I used a mechanical base because it’s a lot easier to attach or detach the rig to the board with a foil while chest-high in the water. But I’m done with the mech base: I never really liked how it felt and behaved anyway, and it doesn’t have a safety leach. Not sure a tendon base would have resisted the sudden excess load, but I’m not going to give the Surfbent another try on the foil kit again: the mast track is still intact and I like to keep it that way!

BTW, tendon base, which is best: Duotone, Streamline, Chinook? Other?

Greg from Sheb. wrote:
Like I stated above , Streamlined has a big advantage in quality versus Chinook-you get what you pay for. As for Duotone, you are the specialist

Are you using single or double bolt?

I was just looking at Chinook web site and there is a new variation of the U-joint that looks interesting, called "Pro Flex," it combines a standard tendon with a mechanical hinge on top, looks like hinge rotates and swivels. Hinges to 90 degrees easily for attachment on the water, they also claim less fatigue of the tendon due to the hinge. I've always been happy with rubber joint-- bends more than tendon, shock absorption, never worn one out.

Awesome find David. Thank you!
Looks like they just came up with this: Their website pic was posted 2 days ago!
Here is what this UJ looks like, and some of the claims/purpose statement.
Same shock absorption as standard Tendon bases for less stress on board, & sailor.
Uses standard Chinook Tendon for easy serviceability.
Free moving Mechanical hinge provides ease of attachment for larger or wider Foil boards, Formula, & Long boards etc.
2 bolt:
chinooksailing.com/products/2-bolt-pro-f...ast-base-euro-pin-ex
1 Bolt:
chinooksailing.com/collections/mast-base...ast-base-euro-pin-ex