Hi guys,
Sorry to post another mast compatibility question, I see there's been a few. I ended up a bit confused though so please help me out.

I checked out the unifiber info page and their tables showing mast characteristics of all the brands. It says Neil Pryde masts are flex top and I've read many SeaBreezers saying the same... I have a Neil Pryde matrix2000 460 ICMS 25 mast but it says constant curve on it (see pic below). I've come to the conclusion that my mast must be older than those tables go back? Were older NP masts constant curve?

I want to buy a more modern sail with better gust control than my super old sails, so I need to know which brands will work on my mast.

Do you think I should be OK with the constant curve manufacturers given what's written on the mast? Or do I stick with NP = flex top.

Any info / guidance is appreciated, I'm getting excited for this season!!

Sorry the pic is upside down. I have no idea why....

NP masts have a what they call progressive flex system . They have for a long time .
What that means is , the smaller sizes are flex top , the medium are more constant and the larger more stiffer top .
The 460 sits close to constant curve .
I used to use 460 and up NP masts on North Sails , ( which are constant curve) , and they worked fine .
I think your mast will be in the constant curve range.

Ah ok, thanks for the info! I appreciate your time!

That opens up my options a bit which is good as there doesn't seem to be many NP sails for sale

Yes you should be able to find a lot of sails that will work on that mast. If you're at the beginning of your windsurfing gear journey constant curve is the right place to be. Make sure that everything you buy is constant curve and you can relax that it will all work together. Many people find and buy bargain sails or masts that don't work with their other stuff and have a bad time as a result.

Also remember that the other masts in the NP real have different curve characteristics so they are not an automatic choice.

according to the neil pryde website it should be a constant curve flex top mast.

The mistake people make with masts is that almost all masts are constant curve however when you make a mast you can determine how much flex it will have in different sections. Thus a NP mast can be called constant curve but they have made it with additional flex in the top to suit the sail design of NP sails. Just like a hard top mast can be constant curve but just have less flex in the top. Constant curve is a very over use term on many masts and it is correct but just because a mast is constant curve it is not necessarily going to be the same as another mast which is constant curve and may or may not rig the sail the same way. To be safe always rig a sail with the same brand and year mast however that is expensive to do so the next best thing to do is ignore the term constant curve and find out they type of flex in the mast top that the sail is designed to be rigged with.

NP are constant curve with a little flex top ...but that looks like a very old mast. I've used NP X-combats on Goya and Simmer (both constant curve) with no issues. They just need a little less down haul due to the flex tip but they work.

cheers J

It is the 1999 Freeride mast constant curve with light tip technology. It might be different from the earlier versions Fiberspar/NP and the CK NP which preceded it and the later ones now. Who knows how it will do, it might be fine, it might not suggest best course is to try it and see.

The best thing to do is to buy new matching masts and sails. (Go rdm and cam less). Three masts and five sails should cover you
Glad to be of help!

Worth a read:

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

As above said,
www.peterman.dk/masts-all-imcs01.htm

the mast question is a fuzzy grey area, with some personal preference involved .
David Ezzy would say, any mast will work, it depends on how much performance you are will to give up, and how much the sail has.
NP except the long ones are flex top in most books/ opinion.
the Unifiber charts are updated near every year, looking at the wrong year for the equipment, COULD give wrong results. Ie Naish, Gaastra.
of more the chart that reflects goes to about 20, the lower numbers are for stiff top, 8-10, so the real range of numbers is about 10-18, so even a small amount of difference is some significant. Unifiber uses a dot system , that's less than mathematical, to their praise, they do organize , and most cases quite well.

I have a 430 'Light tip' NP SDM mast in my possession of that same vintage that is labeled "Constant Curve". It works perfectly on my 7m KA Koncept sail which specify 13.5% curve (Slightly towards the flext top end of the 'Constant Curve' Range). This is one of the few masts in my posession that I have not actually IMCS tested. I will do it next time I am testing, but it works so well for me that I have never bothered to test it.

OTOH, I have rigged and tested some later model NP masts on these sails, and some were not all all what I was looking for, being quite a bit more 'flex top'. But some others worked well on certain sails. Mostly, it's a case rig it and see, but in general, most sails work very well on masts labeled Constant Curve if they are designed for masts in the CC range. Ha, ha! Who would have thought...