Reply To: Lightweights
There are various options for finding a suitable rig. first of all you need to decide wether you want an aluminium or carbon fibre mast. Second hand Aluminium masts are fairly cheap as most people are changing over to Carbon (nobody buys new alloy masts any more), but if you are only intending to race at club level on fairly flat water then there isn’t much (if any) advantage in having a Carbon mast. For a softer Alloy mast then look for a fairly Low bottom joint on the mast, preferably about 2500-2650mm measured from the top of the Gooseneck. also try and get as few joints as possible (2-3), as the joint has a collar inside the mast to hold it together,making the area around the join stiffer. It is also a common misconception that the colour of the top of the mast is an indication of how stiff the mast is, this is not nessecarily true as the important factor is the thickness of the tube at the top, the thinner the tube the more flex there is in the mast in the top section but as a rule of thumb look for a Blue or Black top. A New Carbon mast is an easier option to buy because it can be built to suit your individual needs by any good manufacture, but this can come at a high cost (£700-£1300). As for sails, then once you have a mast, then you could talk to most of the popular sailmakers and the should be able to cut a sail to suit the mast. Either North, Pinnel & Bax or Banks Sails are probably the favourites at the moment. I know this sounds complicated but I would reccommend you speak to an OK sailor if you have any doubts (most committee members can be contacted via the contacts section on this site, or if you email me your phone number from a private message on this forum then I could advise you further).
Neil Goodhead
