I'm looking at buying a new mast..and wondering if I should go skinny..or not.

I've never used a skinny before..I've always gone for the wider girth (is that the word?) in the past....anyway..

What do you guys think...Standard or skinny?

DJ

For what discipline and sail?

I think DJ wants it for SUPing

sometimes I pull out the Electric Rock and use it with a fat mast

You'd need to tape the joint up well if you're going to pole your SUP around the bay


OK all joking aside, go skinny. You won't regret it.

Go the skinny - did it recently and wished I'd done it years ago - 5.4 and 6.4 on a powerex skinny!

Feels really different, but the modern sails just work better - personal opinion.

need a 400 skinny now for the small gear

Thanks for the feedback guys....Hey Greenroom..No..it's not for stand up paddling..or even stand up poling....and Mark..It's for wave sail use on wave boards.

It's actually info for a friend who broke his a few weeks ago in that big 50-60 knoter that we had down here..I told him to ask here about skinny's but was a bit shy..

I broke my North carbon last year..Out in the middle of the bay on a 30 knot northerly..Jeez that was a long swim in..Anyway..I bought a cheap fiberglass mast to replace it cos money was tight and I wanted to get back out there asap..Wot a big mistake that was.

I used to love sailing overpowered..Not any more..My sails don't set on the beach..and are worse on the water..In gusts they wants to turn inside out and are so heavy on the back hand....Cheap masts suck.

So...When my friend said he might buy a cheapie..I said "DON'T DO IT..and what about buying a skinny mast"..For years I've been told they are the way to go..but never got around to trying one myself.

Actually I might buy myself also now I think about it..Are there different brands of skinny's?..Which are the best?..and I guess it will mean buying a new mast base also?

DJ

You need a new extension, and regarding what brand is the best the answer is "It depends"!

If you have gaastra sails then buy a gaastra mast (stiff top).

If you have anything else then buy an Ezzy mast (constant curve)... you can buy tops and bottoms separately so if you break one half you're not up for the cost of a whole new mast. You can also "mix and match" tops with bottoms. For instance I'm considering getting a new sail, and the luff length is too long for my 430, but if I buy a 460 top then that will slot into the 430 bottom and so I only have to buy half a new mast. The funny thing is that apparently this sort of combination works well!

Skinnies are very expensive compared to fatties, but as far as I can tell they last a lot longer, and seem to feel better when you throw them around. The sail feels lighter, anyway. I don't know if this is because your standard fatty is 30% carbon and your standard skinny is 90%. There's also a school of thought that says that the reason skinnies last longer is because of the rubber spacer you put between the boom and the mast.

Regardless, you don't hear of many people trying a skinny and then saying that they want to go back to normal diameter

I agree.... used to break one a year ish.... now had RDM masts for 4 years and can't bust them

Yeah for anything other than Gaastra, North, NP sails then Ezzy and Powerex RDM's should work. May as well be safe: set your sails in the shop first.

If you are just sailing on the bay a high carbon SDM will be noticeably lighter and easier to throw around and more responsive ie lighter in the top so it will have better "reflex response". It will just be nicer to use.

Skinnies aren't too bad. They are not too heavy in the top where it counts but they are lots heavier in the bottom. Skinnies are stronger because they will bend a lot further before breaking and their thicker wall will take a knock. They are easier to grasp too.

Skinnies are popular with the speedies and wave heads. Both like them because they can take a big wipe out and the speedies because of a perception that the narrower entry the rig presents to the wind makes them faster - (unproven). They are not popular with racers but some sail makers are promoting them notably Severne, Loft and Naish.
Interestingly, high carbon SDMs are more popular for freestyle according to Phil McGain some years ago.

I personally like skinnies for 430 and shorter and SDM for 460 and up. My 100% c 430 that I broke last year was the nicest mast I've ever used. I replaced it with a skinny which by comparison I can only describe as adequate.

What about sails with camber inducers in them? Do skinnies work with Neil Pryde racing sails?

I guess my NP SDM racing mast will break one day and then I need to buy a replacement.

Select to expand quote

nebbian said...

You need a new extension, and regarding what brand is the best the answer is "It depends"!

If you have gaastra sails then buy a gaastra mast (stiff top).

If you have anything else then buy an Ezzy mast (constant curve)...

Select to expand quote

Mark_australia said...

I agree.... used to break one a year ish.... now had RDM masts for 4 years and can't bust them

Yeah for anything other than Gaastra, North, NP sails then Ezzy and Powerex RDM's should work. May as well be safe: set your sails in the shop first.

Although the link below agrees with you guys, it says that Gaastra has recently changed to constant curve.

www.peterman.dk/windsurf-mast-article-gb01.htm

Select to expand quote

***) The new sail designer for Gaastra (Dan Kasseler) came from Naish Sails, where he designed sails around some (probably) traditional Constant Curve masts. At Gaastra he inherited the top stiff masts from Barry Spanier and Phil McGain, and he has built the first Gaastra race sails (the Vapors) around these masts. From the start Kasseler said that he'll continue to design sails around those original Gaastra (former "Ignition") masts - but from 2007 Gaastra without any announcement changed their race masts to Constant Curve and presumably changed their sails accordingly.

I think that any sail brand that limits mast selection to their own masts are contributing to their own long-term demise.

Excellent detective work nobody!

About time they agreed on a standard. Well, some of them at least.


Regarding cams, most race sails are designed for normal diameter masts. However this is starting to change, the new Loft Blades set on skinnies.

Select to expand quote

nebbian said...



If you have anything else then buy an Ezzy mast (constant curve)... you can buy tops and bottoms separately so if you break one half you're not up for the cost of a whole new mast. You can also "mix and match" tops with bottoms. For instance I'm considering getting a new sail, and the luff length is too long for my 430, but if I buy a 460 top then that will slot into the 430 bottom and so I only have to buy half a new mast. The funny thing is that apparently this sort of combination works well!

This sounds interesting. I'm wasn't really in the market to buy RDM masts, but say I sail all the time on a 400 and a 430, but could do with a 370, could I say buy an Ezzy 400 RDM, and then just buy 2 different top sections to cover me for 370 and 430.? Does this mix & matching affect IMCS?

Select to expand quote

easty said...


This sounds interesting. I'm wasn't really in the market to buy RDM masts, but say I sail all the time on a 400 and a 430, but could do with a 370, could I say buy an Ezzy 400 RDM, and then just buy 2 different top sections to cover me for 370 and 430.? Does this mix & matching affect IMCS?

I can't see how it wouldn't affect IMCS. What's more it has to affect the bend curve as well, but as I've never tried it I can't say whether or not it works.

http://www.ezzy.com/masts/mixmatch.cfm

Even changing the length of extension you use will affect the effective IMCS and bend curve of the mast!

I think the only way to really tell is to stick it up your sail and see if it works.