It worked beautifully before I screwed up and pinched it against my dolphin striker. It is not stayed fore-aft, so you have to keep control of this axis yourself. The pole that came with my kit was (I think) a carbon windsurfer mast, and it collapsed at the point of contact. Totally my fault - I am an idiot. The pole is a great system, but my recommendation would probably be to start with a waterbag and see if that worked for you before considering the pole.

Geoff