I have collection already ranging from 3.7 , 4.0 ,4.3 4.6 and now realized that I need to extend this collection up to cover lighter winds too :(
If that is physical impossibility , engineering difficulty or manufacturer greed that there are so many types.
What about universal length starting with minimum and that progressively extended from that bottom or top by different extension pieces?
Or at least common base with longer or shorter top end?
Anyway why that mast is round if modern computer simulation could prove that is not optimal cross section to carry forces and nobody besides anglers use such shape on bigger boats.
Extensions change the mast curve so you can't have a 4.6 and 6.0 on the same mast with tons of extension.
That is why most sails have a sweet spot in the range also.... liek my wavesails, i get 4.2, 4.7, 5.2 on the same mast and the 4.7 feels best by far as the other two are at the extremes for a 400cm mast.
Sounds like you have a 400?
A 430 will allow you to use 5.2 (just) up to about 6.5 so perhaps that should be your next buy
Some sail ranges have been designed to fit on one mast......so it is possible I think they just have to make some compromises that some do not want to have to make.
I am not engineer to consider details, but if you think about first bottom half ? What is the curve and how important is here for sail performance ? It is not very likely that bending your mast below your boom has any effect at all.
So if you have first half 200 cm and second 200 or 230 or 260 properly designed ?
The only problem is linguistic i can see that one "half" is shorter then another "half".
Problem could be easy solved by designing mast consisting of 200cm + 200cm and 30 or 60 cm inserts.
Anyway that is only matter of time that technology will come to mast and parameters will be adjustable - using carbon fiber strings - tightener-tensioners to allow mast to be stiffer or softer on demand. Ski manufactures solved that problem ages ago.
The next should be oval - or "drop shape" cross section instead if circular.
Every sail designer will agree that top of sail should work and behave differently in axis X Y and mast should be say stiffer in longitudinal and softer in lateral movements.
I used to try & do that.Now I have the correct mast my previously gutless low down and uncontrollable in stronger winds 4.2m sets correctly and is a great sail to use..I used to use a 430 with my 4.2 now I have a 400.Now I need a 370 for my 3.8 + 3.2..grr
For those of us that have been around this sport for a long time, much of what you say we have seen in the past.
There was a time when you bought one 460 mast and used it on pretty much everything except the absolute largest of sails. You used long alloy extensions, or extendable turbans in the top of the sail, and that was just the way it was. But now days the sails are much more refined, they are developed around bend curves and rely on the way a mast works to function correctly. Sure you might get away with doing what you have suggested, but you will be asking yourself why the guy with the same sail is going faster, looks more comfortable and seems to get more range out of his sail... simple the mast.
There have also been masts developed to have different bend characteristics on the different axis of the mast, however they used carbon strips on a fibreglass mast... don't see them anymore cause it was tried and of no real value. But it may come back, just like the twin fin did.
If you buy an ezzy 400, you could buy a half a 370 also. The top and bottom halfs of the different sizes fit, a 370 bottom with a 400 top gives you about 390. That way you could go from 5.3 down to about 4.2 with one and a half masts.....
I did it for a couple of years and it works fine.
the S-1 from 4.3 to 5.6 all rig pretty well on a 400... I don't think you would get much more range than this for the same sail model.
on the 5.6 its 30cm extension, which is nothing huge, and the 4.3 0cm i.e. nothing poking out the top
admittedly the 4.3 rigs better on the 370 if you have the choice.
you could always mix sail models if you really wanted to go to extremes like using Boxers for large sizes then something high aspect for small.. like tushingham haha
Al
check out the three piece north mast set up, pretty cool, and they work well, they also make proper carbon mast extensions in 400mm increment, good for your 400 mast if your use a 6.0m sail once in a while, with out having to shell out for a whole new mast, strong??? there will always be sceptics, compromise; an extra 100 grams....
checkit http://www.north-windsurf.com/en/masts/CARBON.XTENDER
^ Just to be sure I also sail on the Gold Coast and my most commonly used sail is a 7.2. Then there's a jump down to the 5.4 as second most used, then in-between. I'm 80kg.
Sometimes you'll get 30+ SErs, but there's a pretty good chance you'll be at work or a prior engagement you can't get out of.
I can cover 4.7 to 6.2 on my 430.
I need a 460 for the 7.2
One boom for all.
I like having a few different masts for sails, it means that the sail works as designed, no extra drag from the mast poking out the top. Using the huge mast or tip extension ends up wreaking the mast or breaking it at the boom. Using different bits to make up the right mast will involve a compromise in the mast curve and the sails performance. The other thing that i like is i can rig several sails at once and get more sailing done. Your masts last a lot longer too as the work load is shared around
Is it healthy for mast ( and sail ) to stay under load all the time or should be de - rigged every time after use?
I do not ( but I dream) that one day when living on waterfront I will keep on my sails on the masts hanging in my garage ready to go. Just attach boom and hop on the water without travel, rigging and the worst could happens - having wrong sail for the conditions.
At resorts they probably have sails rigged all the time , but their life span is not that long anyway. Same with windsurfing schools.