Am looking around for a super strong mast base.... Euro pin....
Anyone have any recommendations on super strong products? Experiences?
Cheers,
Kurt
The Severne ones look pretty nice,
or Chinook do one that looks like the pin is once piece CNC machined, looks strong but it's not cheap.
but then as an old mechanic once told me... you can have cheap, you can have fast, you can have reliable... but you can only pick two of those options.
Have two chinook pin bases. Replace the tendons each year ( last change one was starting to split around the bolt which you could only see when disassembled). I do use them quite a lot
Chinook power xt. The only one to get.
The uni is machined from a piece of cast stainless steel. Not threaded on like most others, way less chance of breaking. Ive had the same one for 3 years, changed the rubber once, due for another now. Just keep the safety rope in good condition.
I have the 2 bolt base which is super strong but reduces mast position range, or you can get it with the normal style single bolt base.
Beauty of the 2 bolt is, you put a base in each board and just whip out the uni when your done.
They make a good solid extension too. Although I was swinging towards a severne wave grenade when I was extension shopping last time. Either that or a streamlined extension. 
Streamlined. AAA+. They also have a super strong quick release deckplate and their extensions are bulletproof.
My guess is that you will tear the mast track out of the board before anything else fails.
My Chinook has lasted ages really strong my New NP base seems pretty strong but only had it 6 months. Severne's look good will try one of them next if either of my current ones fails.
Tendons on the other hand been through a good 3 or 4 in the last 2 years must be all the crashing.
My Chinook Euro pin mast base is one of the few pieces of gear I own that doesn't have Neil written on it.
IMO $100+ is worth the piece of mind
Streamlined +1
You don't need to replace the whole base each year just the tendon, but some times its easier to buy a new one rather then trying to pull the old one apart. The streamlined is easy to get appart and it takes the chinook tendon which are easy to come buy and cheaper then the original relacement.
Having had one NP mast base pin shear off with no warning I would only go with a one piece cast mast base such as the Chinook. One less thing that can go wrong.
Bit late for me I just had my old one die and the local shop only had Mystics 
so I bought one of them today.. mind you Ive never broken a uni joint or base in all my years sailing and I'm only a light weight..
It only broke today because dumbo put it in with half the sleeve under the mast like it was supposed to be and the other outside.. broke one pin off and jammed in . Took 3 of us & tying it to a tree to separate it. Won't do that again..
Have a prolimit been in heavy use for 4 years, still going well ( famous last words )
chinook base with severne extension- its all good you cant go better than the chinook base.
+1 for the chinook machined stainless, had mine for 5 years and only on my 2 tendon, only changed it for piece of mind not breakage.
But you will have to buy the factory tendon as the holes are oversized for the oversized tendon bolts which are also a big plus..
Streamlined +1
Also have Aeron HD long extension but hardly used.
Using Aeron euro-pin base with tendon for around two years and no signs of any wear.
Not sure whether others have the same problem, maybe it's just me, but I've noticed that the Streamlined extension appears to work best when the pulleys on the sail are in-line with mast extension pulleys (as they are when rigging my KA sails). Have tried many times to use Streamlined extension with a Severne Blade (pulleys opposed) and difficult to thread downhaul without crossing rope, or having rope jump off sail pulley due to unusual rope angle. Use the Aeron extension with the Blade (pulleys in-line) and downhaul rope sets up just right (whilst Aeron extension with KA's appears incompatible!).
Using the diagram below, have tried many times to switch extensions but just can't get ropes to thread properly:
I prefer chinook us cup single bolt setup with tendon, never had a problem. I have noticed on a few mates bases that the euro pin tends to where out the hole in the ext.
Most bases will do the job, and tendons will break eventually...as long as it has the rope or band safety straps for if (when) the tendon breaks, it should be ok.
I generally check the tendon as I'm rigging and was on my 2nd NP base in 5 years until a couple of weeks ago - sailing in choppy overpowered conditions, when the tendon snapped (splash - thought my mast had snapped!). Luckily I was able to sail (planing) back in to shore from about 1km out thanks to those 2 little safety ropes holding it together. Grabbed my spare mast base out of the ute & finished my sail.
I bent my Streamlined extension. Don't know how, don't know when, I just tried to use it on a small extension the other day and it wouldn't fit into the mast. Couldn't work out why until I saw it looked like a banana. It is hard to see on a photo.
I still like the Streamlined for the same reasons as everyone else above, plus they come in 46cm length. The most I use is 34cm extension, but I like the idea of having the extra length in the mast. I do find the same thing with the pulley alignment and Severne sails as Gazman, though it is quite managable, but not as good.
So, I bought a new one. The new ones have a matt anodising, which I think looks better, not sure if it is more sand resistant though.
Also the new one has only a single rivet on one side holding the cup base onto the tube. The old one had a pin that went all the way through so held on both sides which would have to be stronger, although maybe perhaps not necessary ?
Would be different with a euro-pin I guess.
Interesting, I have an SDM 34 Streamlined extension Euro and a new 4x RDM Euro. Clearly I have the right mast for each sail (Ezzy) so I do not have to use a lot of extension.
How much did you extend your mast in order to bent like a banana your extension??
i thought "super strong euro pin" was an oxymoron?
i've never tried one, but if it's a europin u gotta have, as aus301 said the one-piece chinook one always looks like the goods
I use a Chinook twin bolt deck plate with a cup connection. I would not trust a pin. I trust the cup as I can see it. I love the twin bolt deck plate. First bought one in 1998 and they are still bring sold today.
this is the chinook one. apparently it's also avaiable with a boge/chinook styled tendon if you want to avoid the slalom styled tendon in this picture
i'm with Moby.
i got cranky with europin/cyclinder tendon stuff after regularly busting them at one stage. someone recommended the stuff below and that's been the trick for the last 5 years or so
certain men-in-shops are going to have a dig at me for this
and i know everyone sails differently, but for simplicity and reliability, this combo still seems to be the way to go. i get about 2.5 years (max) out of the boge tendon arrangement. The cup-to-extension connection gets sloppy too by that time, but still perefectly usable as a spare. the nice thing is you can see exactly what's wearing.
the good thing with the euro arrangement is it's cheaper and common. the local shop stocks the euro stuff in quanitities, but has to order the stuff pictured above and it's more pricey
Noticed with the new mystic extension and base its much easier to rig as my older one the sail pulleys were at a different angle to the extension ones so the downhaul line often twisted over itself and jammed. Also i can get the pulley SO close to the deck 
now compared to the older one ( 90's version).
Aeron extensions and bases is great!!
Never had a problem over the last 2-3 years.
Using the Euro Pin bases and haven't broken any.
SDM I use the alu HD for Euro Pin - that is super strong and for waves I use the RDM carbon.http://aeronsport.com/Web/aeron11.html
Just simple, strong and hassle free,,,
Yes I'm also sponsored by Aeron :)
One problem i did find using Aeron stuff is that the mast extension and the boom rig up different ways, which can get annoying but there not to bad otherwise..
and i know everyone sails differently, but for simplicity and reliability, this combo still seems to be the way to go. i get about 2.5 years (max) out of the boge tendon arrangement. The cup-to-extension connection gets sloppy too by that time, but still perefectly usable as a spare. the nice thing is you can see exactly what's wearing. 
