NSW
441 posts
I've been convinced I need a 460, however carbon for surf and open water use, 30%? 60%? If I was to splurge on a new mast am I better off going with an RDM even if my sails are anywhere from 5-9 years old? Is the added expense worth it or would I save sticking with SDM?
NSW
76 posts
If your future lies in the surf, then RDM and as high a carbon content as you can stomach/fund is probably the go. A 460 is a large-ish mast for most wave sails though, typically in the 4.5m - 5.5m range that's wave focussed you'd be looking at 400 to 430.
If it's to match older sails, maybe look at a mid-range 460 SDM now (getting the bend characteristics right) and start putting dollars aside for the high carbon RDM masts and newer 4.5 - 5.5m sails as finances, time and appetite dictate......
WA
12872 posts
I think at long as all the fibres along the mast are carbon you're OK, they're mainly in tension. The fibres around the mast are mainly in compression, so they can be glass. The trouble is the manufacturers, don't say, where what fibres are.
I've never trusted low carbon content masts, because the length wise fibres must be a mix, too me that seems a recipe for disaster.
BTW, anybody know why RDMs are so much more expensive, they can't have that much more material in them surely????
