Help me pick the right mast for my sails

[swchandler]

"The masts are pretty old."


Actually, old masts are what you want, even if it starts today.

Recently I bought a 7.0 Sailworks Retro, but I held back on buying a new Sailworks Joystick SDM. I could pony up and spend the money, but I thought that I would be patient and use what I've got, a 1995 Windwing 460 SDM mast made by Dynafiber. The 12% 64/76 bend curve of the Dynafiber mast is the spot on, even though its only a 40% carbon wave mast. Needless to say, it's on the heavy side, but durable. Last week, I rigged it up with the Retro, and I have to say that set up perfectly. While the added weight isn't optimum by any means, I'm able to drag this old mast to today without too much of a downside.

Really, the point I'd like to make is picking a bend curve, SDM or RDM, that will work with the brands you want long into the future. Based on your older mast quiver, you were working with a more classic 12% bend curve, or something very close. Your decision to move to more hardtop designed Naish and Maui Sails designs kind of changed your focus.

How you balance out what you've got will prove to be a bit of a dilemma, since some kind of compromise is potentially the cards for a part of your quiver.

Does it really have to be this way? Unless you have money to burn, the mast design that you ultimately select will be the core to creating a long term sail quiver that potentially will live beyond just one quiver of sails.

[NOVAAN]

New Retro $750.... old 40% carbon mast $100..
Now you have a kit that will not work as well as the proper mast.
There is no way to tell the condition of an old mast. Most mast failures are just above the extension and in the boom area. Call me unlucky, but every time Its happened to me, the mast splintered and tore in to my sail. let say your unlucky like me and your half a mile out and no rescue around. On dry land its difficult to remove the broken mast. Its darn near impossible in the water, wind and chop. If you are able to save your sail and get it to shore, your looking at badly wrinkled, creased and ripped sail. These days its just not that easy to find sail repair most places. Old masts are old. No way to tell if its going to last a day or a few years. I don't think its worth the risk to save the money... I now carry a knife and wear a helmet...Just sayin...