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Skinny 490s - Bang for the buck?
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beaglebuddy



Joined: 10 Feb 2012
Posts: 1120

PostPosted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 3:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Douglas wants a mast that's durable after breaking a few SDM's and that seems to be his primary consideration.
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U2U2U2



Joined: 06 Jul 2001
Posts: 5467
Location: Shipsterns Bluff, Tasmania. Colorado

PostPosted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 3:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

based on his requirements the 490 Ezzy should offer enough performance to both his sails and will certainly be strong enough


not much use how strong the mast is if its not going to work to the sails performance level

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coachg



Joined: 10 Sep 2000
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 4:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

U2U2U2 wrote:

not much use how strong the mast is if its not going to work to the sails performance level


Exactly. Otherwise I would offer up some of our old volleyball poles. Those would survive an impact with a semi-truck.

Coachg
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jingebritsen



Joined: 21 Aug 2002
Posts: 3371

PostPosted: Thu Feb 06, 2014 6:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

james qualified his choices with me on the phone. he had gotten some pretty ragged specimens for very few $$$. big part of it. i've had some SDM's for well over a decade. the recent epic SDM's have been put thru a few charter events and have survived the brutal callousness of those that charter stuff. dunno why, but rental stuff gets totally trashed by the obliviousness of those that rent. i always treat stuff as though it was mine.

heard stories of folks leaving gear in the shore pound, leaving it in the tidal zone for extended periods. watched them launch and land their rental gear in ways that make me fear for their life and limb and those around them.

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U2U2U2



Joined: 06 Jul 2001
Posts: 5467
Location: Shipsterns Bluff, Tasmania. Colorado

PostPosted: Thu Feb 06, 2014 9:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

U2U2U2 wrote:
My experience with RDM 490s has been less than good, but the sails had cams and I wont do cams again.. saw the cam less Cheetah.

You broke 2 SDM masts, but how old/worthy were they ?

Can only speak on the Ezzy, it will work great with RDM/SDM , David would tell you that its the mast bend curve that is important, not RDM/SDM.

Of course the Cheetah sail is designed around a Ezzy curve, so no issues there. The FAST by NoLimitz may work, email Ryan at NL.

I would not suggest the HotRod mentioned, it is softer on the top, would work, but if your getting a mast, why not get the right curve.

my very best suggestion is

David@Ezzy.com

he will write back quickly and very honest IMO of compatibility


I had questions on the quality/soundness of the 2 broken SDMs way back.

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d0uglass



Joined: 28 May 2004
Posts: 1286
Location: Bonita Springs, Florida

PostPosted: Thu Feb 06, 2014 1:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My old masts broke from a combination of being old and bad, and being used with a lousy old chinook formula boom head that was always too tight or too loose. I have a better boom now, but I'd still prefer as durable a mast as possible.

I decided to go with the 2012 Gulftech 490 "needle" rdm that was advertised here on iWindsurf. It seems to have nearly identical bend specs to the Ezzys. Should be here in a week or so.

**

I can definitely believe the comment about the nolimitz rdms being quite a bit stiffer than the typical rdm. My 430 nolimitz sumo rdm feels stiffer than the 460 fiberspar rdm that I had earlier! The 430 sumo is perfect in my 6.8 sail, but sometimes feels a little too stiff in my 5.5 sail.

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jingebritsen



Joined: 21 Aug 2002
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 08, 2014 8:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

i've heard that nolimitz have the bend of stiff up top and not so down low. this is not compatible with lots of sails on the market that require the opposite.
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U2U2U2



Joined: 06 Jul 2001
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Location: Shipsterns Bluff, Tasmania. Colorado

PostPosted: Sat Feb 08, 2014 10:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

jingebritsen wrote:
i've heard that nolimitz have the bend of stiff up top and not so down low. this is not compatible with lots of sails on the market that require the opposite.


NoLimitz disclose the mast bend curve on all their masts.

http://www.nolimitz.com/windsurfing-masts.php

NoLimitz make masts for Ezzy and Goya as well, the curves for Ezzy and Goya are different and to the spec they request. I know of several other Sail companies that have inquired to have masts produced.

For a mast company, that doesnt produce sails as well, it only makes business sense to offer a mast that IS comparable with most sails.

There are some combos of the Original and Sumo that work with even extreme curves like Gaastra

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flpnhndl



Joined: 28 Aug 2005
Posts: 87

PostPosted: Sat Feb 08, 2014 10:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Douglas, I have busted three 490 SDM's with my 9.0's. Fiberspar, Epic and off brand Fast Forward. All 75%. Now I have a 100% Powerex. Figured if the 75% are breaking, might as well see if I can break a 100% too. So far Powerex is, I think, about 1 yr old. None of the masts were abused, rigged wrong or old and worn out. All were purchased new.
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swchandler



Joined: 08 Nov 1993
Posts: 10588

PostPosted: Sat Feb 08, 2014 2:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You know, johnI is right about some of the performance advantages of SDMs versus RDMs, particularly with respect to cambered race and formula sails. However, the thicker wall of RDMs make them notably more durable, even in the absence of surf.

As I pointed out earlier, I have had pretty good luck with a 490 RDM, so I'm convinced they have a place in the market. In fact, I'm surprised that more brands haven't been taking advantage of longer RDMs. 490 RDMs are actually fairly rare in the marketplace. I could be wrong, but I think that only Gulftech and NoLimitz manufacture 490 RDMs.

Despite the performance advantages that lower SDMs offer at the high and low wind extremes, I have little doubt that 490 RDMs would perform brilliantly in the recreational marketplace for intermediate to advanced intermediates in more realistic conditions. One wonders if a sail company like Sailworks will begin recommending 490 RDMs for their Retro line, given their business relationship with NoLimitz.
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