Recently bought a second hand NP X6 400 Wave mast - approx 2009 I think. This is the first NP mast I've had in a long time.

With other masts I've owned and used, the connection between top and bottom is a snug fit and there is no play. This mast however, has quite a bit more play than I'm comfortable with. It's not a lot but it is noticable.

Is this normal for NP masts? I thought that any sort of play in the joint area would weaken it significantly. Or perhaps there is a plastic sleeve that is missing from this mast??? I'm afraid to use it until I'm sure its ok.

Anyone have a similar NP mast with a loose top / bottom connection?

check the engraved serial numbers on top and bottom sections are the same as they are fitted at factory

May just be really worn. If so brush some epoxy resin on the male section then sand around so it is a round as possible (not lumpy) - you probably only need 0.5mm

Not a pryde mast but my powerex skinny has always been a loose fit. Done 1000's of Km and still going.

I have a range of NP X6 and X3 masts from 400 - 490, all of them are snug, very snug, a couple of them, there certainly is no movement I would describe as 'play'.

I have no advice for you, just letting you know.

Have several X6 masts, joins are all a very good fit

Got two X-Combats and they fit very, very snug

Mark's fix would be worth a go

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Mark _australia said...

check the engraved serial numbers on top and bottom sections are the same as they are fitted at factory

May just be really worn. If so brush some epoxy resin on the male section then sand around so it is a round as possible (not lumpy) - you probably only need 0.5mm

I do this on a regular basis including where the cams wear and it seems to prolong the life of the mast. If you're getting black markings on the sail luff at cam locations and the mast joints has a black sludge then the carbon layers are wearing.

Had a 2011 X3 430 as my first mast and it fitted very snug, i actually had to sand the join a little to make it go together all the way. I upgraded to a new X6 430 (also 2011) and noticed at the shop that the join was much looser. I checked 2 other new X6 masts because it concerned me and they were all the same and obviously the tops and bottoms were paired correctly according to the numbers. If i hold the mast around the join and shake the mast i can feel a slight knocking. I haven't had any problems with the mast but i do get a little bit of black on my towel when i wipe the mast around the join after i seperate it before i put it away. Maybe it's just an X6 thing. I also tape my join so no sand gets in it and so it doesn't come apart when i'm pulling it out of the sail due to the clearance.

Thanks for all your responses.

Mark, thought I'd take your advice and fill the male section with resin.

I lay the mast section flat and put a few coats of epoxy resin as evenly as possible. To stop the resin slumping and causing it to set lop-sided, I kept rotating the mast for about 45 minutes until it had cured enough. Not a terribly exciting job but it seems to have worked well with a fairly consistent layer of resin. I'll just need to give it a light sand to finish it of.

Thanks again.

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lao shi said...

Not a pryde mast but my powerex skinny has always been a loose fit. Done 1000's of Km and still going.

yeah all my powerex skinnys are sloppy jaloppy from new, and their the best masts I've used + you know their gonna come apart after a sesh