Mast/sail compatibility

Question
QUESTION: Hi!
I am an intermediate  average windsurfer not particularly obsessed with the technicalities of speed and high level professional performance ( " as long as the board moves" would be my motto!). From this perspective, I wonder how much should I worry about the mast/sail compatibility. Can ANY carbon mast reasonably ( albeit not optimally) fit ANY  sail, as long as it has  the proper length?

I'll be more specific: I have to buy a new carbon mast for my 7.5 Ezzy freeride sail and a 6.5 Gaastra Pilot to replace my oldish Viper 75% mast  which has just snapped on the water ( the result, I think  of my trying  to disassemble it with vise and pliers as it had gotten stuck real bad.
I can't afford a new 75%, so I am thinking of a lower carbon mix. I am being offered a good deal on a Gun carbon mast (460 cm , 35%, 25 ICMS ). Do you know if Gun masts are good quality and if they work satisfactorily with the above mentioned sails? Again, I am not looking for optimal " professional" performance, but I wouldn't want any serious incompatibility issues either, particularly as concerns the fit of the mast into the curve of the sail luff  and a sufficient flexibility (to allow the batten to come forward when downhauling and thus facilitate the rotation )
As far as I am concerned, my 75% Viper mast  was good. If I can get the same performance from the Gun mast or any other mast, I'd  be more than happy.
What difference in handling and performance ( if any) should I expect from a 35% carbon mast as compared to a higher grade, like my previous 75% ?

Thank you for your comments

Franco

Any comments on this?

Thanks

Franco

ANSWER: Hey Franco,

The key to determining if a mast is compatible is more about the stiffness (MCS) that is recommended for the sail. The Ezzy sail has asked for a 25 MCS for quite a few years. The newer Pilot asks for a 21 MCS, but not knowing what year your Pilot is, a 25 might work. Look on the bottom of the sails to see what is recommended. If you can still read what the MCS was for your old mast, and it was rigging fine on both sails, look for a mast with that stiffness.

I don't really know what kind of quality Gun masts are. To be competitive in today's market, any manufacturer has to create good quality and performance. Based on what they say on their web site, they seem like decent masts.

As for performance differences between a 35% & a 75% carbon mast, most of us common sailors won't know much difference. Those small factors would only be noticeable to very expert sailors that have access to lots of different gear. Those folks are either pros or testers for the manufacturers.

Sorry to hear about your mast breaking. It is definitely not good to be using vises and pliers on masts. The key to preventing masts from getting stuck is keeping the connection area as clean as possible. ALWAYS rinse your mast connection with fresh water after sailing. This can be done at home. It is also a good idea to carry a jug of water to rinse the connection prior to rigging if your rigging area is sandy. Rinsing in salt water is okay but should be used as a last resort. The salt can dry in the connection and cause sticking. Also, if you hear a scraping sound while putting the mast together, it is a good sign of sand or salt in the connection. Remove immediately and rinse thoroughly. If your mast ever gets stuck again, Google 'stuck windsurfing mast' for some good, SAFE methods of getting it unstuck.

Hope this helps.
Keep on sailing,
Windlover

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you.

My Viper had an ICMS of 25 and, as far as I can tell, I could use both the 6.5 Gaastra Pilot and the 7.5  Ezzy with it without any major problem, EXCEPT that by downhauling by hand as I have being doing all along before buying the winch, I was unable to pull down  enough to adequately   extricate the batten from behind the mast for a free rotation of the sail. Those batten seemed to be awfully long to pull them forward without a winch. The outhaul didn't help much either, besides the fact that I'd depower the sail.Sometimes I even thought of cutting them a bit and  re-sew the end of the  pocket for the shorter length,but I abstained because I didn't want to mess up even worse.

The point is that without a winch, especially in light winds, I often had to push on the sail to have it rotate to the other side when I tacked or gybed. The problem disappeared only when I bought the winch, but then the  downside is that it seems to require an awful lot of winching before extricating the batten enough for an adequate rotation. I am even thinking that one of the reasons why the mast broke is that I may have inadvertently given too much downhaul. Is  it perhaps normal that a sail should rotate sluggishly in light winds? If so, I'll go easy on winching. Afterall, for a sailor like me who sails in light winds most of the time, what is the optimal downhaul for a strong wind sailor may not be necessary  and it could even help me not to waste any precious wind...I'd love to hear your comments on this, too

Thanks again

Franco

Answer
Hey Franco,

It is rare that you can downhaul a sail so much that it would cause breakage. It is usually caused from some type of minor damage to the mast that creates stress cracks and then stress on the mast causes those tiny stress cracks to grow into a failed mast. I'm only theorizing here so don't get worried about too much downhaul. Just be careful with your mast during handling.

When rigging for light winds, you may not get the smooth rotation on the sail as there may not be enough wind to push the sail to the other side of the mast. Very common for light wind sailing. Instead of pushing it by hand, tip the sail away from you and then sheet in and pull towards you really quick, (similar to pumping the sail), and this should pop the sail around.

I found a really good article that talks about all the different ways to rig a sail for all conditions. You may glean a few good tips.

http://www.windsurfevolution.co.uk/media/documents/Top%20Tips-5b.pdf

Hope this helps.
Keep on sailing,
Windlover