Hi All

what type of mast and boom would you recommend for a np 6.9 firefly on a JP Xcite 146?

specs on sail say 460/430 and 197 cm boom.. Happy to buy used and something that will work with a smaller rig

also what other size sail to get for port Phillip & inverloch 4.8/5.4/5.7m ? Weight is 105 kgs

is it better to keep quiver all same brand/manufacturer?

Thanks in advance

Puppet

Not sure where you are in Melbourne but I think I saw a 2nd hand 430 x6 in shq today. Maybe give them a call.

They also had a mint 180 enigma boom but that found its way into the back of my car.

Hi puppet ..yeah keep the same brand ..for the same mast flex...go for the NP 430 .mast to start ..boom 160-210 should cover all your sails .
5.0 ,6.0 7.0 ...or close ...if you only want 3 sails ..
if you go below ..say 5.5 you will have to get a 400 mast unless it has a top strap .

i have 4.2'. 5.0'. 5.8, 6.3, 7.0
just to give some idea..
you probably won't need a 4.2
as 146 litre board would get blown out of the water at 30 knots.

go a new boom ..if you can .as they take all your weight ..and you do keep them a long time .
tardy

It will be a lot of extension of the 430 - from memory my Firefly 6.5 maxed my 'normal' extension on a 430 - so that will help answer your question (ie how long do you have...?)
Thus a 460 is probably best, but then you won't get any smaller on that mast (need to decide what you want to achieve in the grand scheme of things as you said you like to use it for smaller sails also?)
Firefly works on SDM but it is a bit tight. You really want an RDM and definitely a NP mast.

I use a 430 mast for my 5.7 Firefly. The same mast is good for my 6.7 Fusion and 7.2 H2. For the two bigger sails I use a longer extension. Two masts are always better than two extensions but it will depend on budget and how much gear you want to transport in your car or van. The Excite Ride can take some quite big sails so you may want to consider the bigger 460 for future adventures when you may want to hoist an 8.5 or larger for those light wind days.

NP Fusion - 430 mast from 4.5 to 6.5.
NP Ryde - 430 mast for 7.0 and 7.5. Although the latter requires a 46 cm extension and NP does not have such a long RDM extension, but they do have a long SDM extension. (I guess NP doesn't think very long RDM extensions are a good idea).

So you could cover 4.5 to 7-7.5 with a single mast.

EDIT:
I don't think flat sails like the firefly are a good idea for the bay, especially for heavier guys. Draftier sails like Fusions, Rydes would be perfect for you.

The 430 is definitely the one you want. They work a lot better than a 460.

I just tried the new FLX70 430 RDM today. Such an improvement over the X6. The rig was lighter and easier. I didn't expect to feel any difference, but was pleasantly surprised.

I bought the 430 SDM and 400 RDM as well to cover all my rigs.

McCranky is spot on in his advise. I have used a 48 extension on a Ryde 7.5 and X6 430 SDM. Also in the past with Fusion 7.4, 7.2 and 6.7. The 6.7 was better with RDM. 430.

Avoid a 460 if you can.

Hope that helps.

Many thanks to all for your help and advice

I will go for the 430 rdm with 48cm extension as sounds like a perfect fit and then get a 5.5 -6.0m second np sail

Would it be fair to say close to $1000 for mast /boom/ext / harness lines in good used condition?

cheers puppet