I heard that Gaastra is going constant curve from 2017, after being very hard top forever. People say that Severne changed their mast curves a few years ago (which they deny).

Sail companies understandably enough insist that their sails work best with their masts.

I am thinking of getting 100% 370 and 400 RDM masts. Would getting a high quality CC mast like a MaverX insulate me from all this mast curve crap? Would such masts work well with everything? I don't want to be locked into the same brand sails (currently NP and Severne sails).

Have a look at slake masts. Aussie made by cst. They will make to match whatever curve and actually measure the masts after they are made. Personally I go with the sail manufacturers masts so I have rrd and severne. Both of which seem fine.

I forgot to say that going cc won't insulate you from all the mast curve carry on and it certainly won't work with everything. The mast bend has to match the luff curve and really affects the sail twist, shape and how it "auto controls". You can visibly see in photos the different curve between severne a harder top and nps softer top if you look at a phot of two formula boards going up wind. No way one mast would go with both of those sails. Steve Allen is sponsored by slake mAsts. I don't know if he uses them or not. But at his level I expect that he might be getting custom masts made to suit exactly what he wants. It's all a compromise. But at best all you can hope to do is mix and match sails and masts designed for the same curve. If you are racing then you might also be selecting masts or getting custom ones. Or getting luff curves altered on the sail.

Thanks for the tip. I guess I should have been more clear: I don't want a third-party clone (which may be cheaper or better or both than the original) of a brand curve, I want a universal mast. IOW, I want to have my cake and eat it too. I've been told in the past that CC masts should work with all sails, and smaller sails are less particular about masts.

I guess what you're saying is that it's impossible. Yet the MaverX site says that the curve is overrated, a CC mast should fit everything and it's the fibre quality that matters the most. Probably too good to be true.

The next best thing then may be to buy CC masts and only CC (or as CC as possible) sails: North, Ezzy, many others are fairly CC according to the Unifiber site.

Yep, i reckon you are onto it. Buy cc mast and cc sails and all should be fine for free ride and wave sailing. But if you after picking up 10m in a 4 minute slalom race, you will need yo be a bit more sophisticated.

No, CC works with more sails. Not all sails.

Check out Ezzy masts, they claim their masts will work on every sail manufacturer on the market today with a constant curve sail design, plus their masts are interchangeable, which means less masts to buy. You can mix and match different size Ezzy masts to fit your quiver. I own an Ezzy and love it. There masts are very durable and are constant curve as well. I have a Severne sail and the Ezzy mast works perfect. The severne sail requires little down haul, and my Goya sail requires a load of down haul. The Ezzy mast works perfect for both sails which you can see have 2 completely different down haul settings. Plus their masts are very light! I highly recommend Ezzy for masts.

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Magic Ride said..
Check out Ezzy masts, they claim their masts will work on every sail manufacturer on the market today with a constant curve sail design, plus their masts are interchangeable, which means less masts to buy. You can mix and match different size Ezzy masts to fit your quiver. I own an Ezzy and love it. There masts are very durable and are constant curve as well. I have a Severne sail and the Ezzy mast works perfect. The severne sail requires little down haul, and my Goya sail requires a load of down haul. The Ezzy mast works perfect for both sails which you can see have 2 completely different down haul settings. Plus their masts are very light! I highly recommend Ezzy for masts.

I'll second that for Ezzy masts. I have rdm 370,400,430, 12 years old now and unbreakable. Have seen mine bent over double, tip stuck in the reef, next wave hits. Great masts.

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Magic Ride said..
Check out Ezzy masts, they claim their masts will work on every sail manufacturer on the market today with a constant curve sail design, plus their masts are interchangeable, which means less masts to buy. You can mix and match different size Ezzy masts to fit your quiver. I own an Ezzy and love it. There masts are very durable and are constant curve as well. I have a Severne sail and the Ezzy mast works perfect. The severne sail requires little down haul, and my Goya sail requires a load of down haul. The Ezzy mast works perfect for both sails which you can see have 2 completely different down haul settings. Plus their masts are very light! I highly recommend Ezzy for masts.

I second that (ezzy).A north cc RDM is also a good choice .both are very tuff mast .Unifiber are cheaper but the wall off the mast i found was thinner .
you will loose top end on severne cam sails using these CC mast ,it still works ,and rigs nice .the sail just feels soft ,as to using the Severne or naish hard top mast and twists a little to early loosing that little bit of extra punch in the sail ,if it doesn't worry you ,go for it ,
Maybe get Ezzy sails that work on all masts .

Going to Ezzy was the best move I ever made in windsurfing.

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Shifu said..
Going to Ezzy was the best move I ever made in windsurfing.

OK, here's what I heard about Ezzy sails:
* Feel different to all other sails. Some like it, some don't.
* Bombproof
* A lot fiddlier to rig and don't tolerate sloppy rigging.
* Heavy. Need to rig .5 m or a size bigger than other brands in the same conditions.

Any comments?

Ezzy sails have a decent shape and a solid feeling to them. I think Ezzy is all about how the sail feels in the hands. The last one I owned was 2008 Ezzy Wave 6.5. I remember the sail being on the heavy side, but built with tons of Kevlar wooven into the monofilm. Maybe the newer sails are using more skrim to lighten them. I am surprised that Ezzy hasn't changed their leech, especially on their wave sails. The leech has always been straight with no curves. I seem to be more of a fan of Ezzy masts than I do their sails. I think Goya sails are my preferred sail of choice. Great power, shapes and durability. I love all the skrim that Goya uses.

I know 2007-8 does seem that far gone...but there has been huge weight reductions in their sails in 2009 ,,they where the first to go 3 battens in their wave sail .everone else followed.
but the new cheetah is light .Yes they do like their down haul ,but have a huge power range with their out haul .
and you can put any mast in it .i use north ,naish ,tushingham ,neil pryde and ezzy mast.SDM &RDM.
The stability is fantastic .you need less sails .you can down haul the sheet out of them and keep sailing.
anything from 2009 has the new light feel ) .get a second hand one and try it ,and put your mast that you have in it ,it will work. Make sure you down haul it to the dots.or they do feel heavy.

Hi Tardy,

Good to hear that the Ezzy sails have lightened up. When my Goya wears out, then I may take a look at Ezzy.

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MrCranky said..

Shifu said..
Going to Ezzy was the best move I ever made in windsurfing.

OK, here's what I heard about Ezzy sails:
* Feel different to all other sails. Some like it, some don't.
* Bombproof
* A lot fiddlier to rig and don't tolerate sloppy rigging.
* Heavy. Need to rig .5 m or a size bigger than other brands in the same conditions.

Any comments?

It's all I've owned for the last maybe 20 years, tried other but never invested in them, no reason to, IMO.
*I obviously do.

*Yep, pretty much so, and I need that.

*No more than any other sail, they come with meticulous rigging instructions, but if you have a good eye for rigging anyway, you don't really need them, but it's great for people just coming up in the sport. Oh and any good brand sail will work like sh!t with sloppy rigging.

*Weight, totally depends on which model, the more wave oriented, the more weight, typical with most good brands.
Size, The Taka supposedly gives about .3 to .5 m more in power than their other wave models, so you buy those a bit smaller. The other wave models in my
experience have about the same power as others I tried, other than Goya, those seem to have a bit less power, but so what.
I currently prefer the Ezzy Elites (for the reasons above and below) and their masts, but I think the Nolimits 91% are just as good, all cc, never broke one.

Weight, power, and durability are only 3 thing you mentioned, but there is a lot more to that when choosing a sail that is just as important if not more.
How it rotates, how it powers up, how it de-powers, does it feel heavy or light, how does it get you through the holes, does the power stay in one place or move around the sail pocket. All those things matter a lot, and need to be considered, far more than how one brand stacks up to another brand, of the same size, for power. That can always be adjusted by the sail size you choose, so my 4.7 is more powerful than your 4.7 actually means nothing.

And then there's color......................((( )))

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Mastbender said...
I currently prefer the Ezzy Elites (for the reasons above and below) and their masts, but I think the Nolimits 91% are just as good, all cc, never broke one.

That makes sense since NoLimitz makes Ezzy masts.

If you have two sails both the same size and type (but different brands) and lay them on top of each other and the luff curve is the same, does this mean they would be compatible with the same mast. You could compare different brands at your local and see for yourself. Not sure just throwing out ideas here.

Freedom's just another name for 'you need more downhaul'.

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MrCranky said..

Shifu said..
Going to Ezzy was the best move I ever made in windsurfing.

OK, here's what I heard about Ezzy sails:
* Feel different to all other sails. Some like it, some don't.
* Bombproof
* A lot fiddlier to rig and don't tolerate sloppy rigging.
* Heavy. Need to rig .5 m or a size bigger than other brands in the same conditions.

Any comments?

* Feel different to all other sails. Some like it, some don't.
Light in hands and a clear centre of effort - easy to sail. Enormous draft stability - sails absorb gusts without back handing

* Bombproof
Exceptionally well made and incredibly durable. No monofilm means the sails just last. Quality control is excellent. My 6.5 Cheetah has easilly done 5000 kms and still sets beautifully and is a sheer pleasure to use.

* Heavy. Need to rig .5 m or a size bigger than other brands in the same conditions.
This is completely false. The sails are light in the hands, like a feather. Incredibly easy to put the rig where you want. Rig a size SMALLER than other brands because of the power available. Personally I like to rig big because the sails are so controllable and so centred. They can absorb tremendous amounts of wind, deliver good speeds and stay composed an in control.

There would be no better sail for rough water and challenging conditions. Take heaps of punishment and keep on driving steadily in large breaking seas and wild chop.

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philn said..

Mastbender said...
I currently prefer the Ezzy Elites (for the reasons above and below) and their masts, but I think the Nolimits 91% are just as good, all cc, never broke one.

That makes sense since NoLimitz makes Ezzy masts.

Yes, but usually a bit cheaper, that Ezzy sticker costs money.

OK maybe I should make it easier for myself and get Severne. Everybody is getting them. Everybody can't be wrong, right? (I hate the toxic red color though.)

Go EZZY, choice of 3 colours .

Agreed, go with Ezzy!!!