Which Mast Should I Use?

Answer: The right one.

Two weeks ago, our neighbor (a visitor from the mainland) rented a modern wave sail from a local windsurf shop. The dealer supplied him with a mast that was not specified for use with this sail. While the MCS rating of the mast was numerically the same as what is recommended by the sailmaker, was this indeed the correct mast for the job at hand?

Our friend was happily sailing around, thinking “life is good”. I was also on the water, using an identical sail with the correct mast – and for some strange reason, I was much faster than he was, on every point of sail.

The following day, it so happened that the designer of that very sail showed up at my place. Hey, Maui is a small island! He saw my neighbor’s rig and asked him if he’d like to try the sail with the proper mast. At first, he was uncertain... but upon hearing that he was in fact talking to the guy who designed the sail, decided that this might be a fun thing to try.

The designer first sent him off to do a few runs – to remind himself of how his rig felt with the rental mast. He returned to the beach, all smiles – yep it felt really nice. How could this get any better?

The designer then re-rigged the sail, this time using the proper mast.

We then went out and sailed together. What I immediately observed was that he was sailing faster – and looked more comfortable with the rig. He was not getting lifted at his heels when a gust would hit – and it also appeared as though he was popping onto the plane easier.

When we returned to the beach – he was pleased at how much better the sail felt. Apparently, the sail had more power, it was more stable, it was faster, it was more compliant and forgiving...

Now bear in mind that with the “wrong” mast, the sail looked pretty good. Most sailors would have said that “this is a properly rigged sail”.

But with the right mast, it felt so much better. Curious, eh?

The point is, if you use a mast that is different to the one used when the sail was designed, you are taking a gamble on how the rig is going to feel and work. It will be pure luck if it works as well as intended by the designer. Even if it says MCS whatever – and matches with the numbers on your sail, you are still shooting in the dark to a greater or lesser extent.

I’m a big proponent of testing, experimenting – and not being a slave to any trend. But in the case of modern masts and sails, to all of you beginners and intermediate sailors, try using your sail with the mast that is suggested by the sail maker. You may be amazed at how it feels and works. If you enjoy testing sails and masts to see if you can make the sail feel better than the designer intended, go for it. But at least take the time to discover the baseline reference point – and get an understanding for what the designer wanted the rig to feel like.

Yes, this gear is expensive – and sometimes a cheap used (incompatible) mast may seem like a good deal. But if you “reduce it to the ridiculous”, and figure how much that new mast will end up costing per session, ask yourself if having the best experience on the water is worth paying a few extra pennies for, especially if it helps make you a better sailor.

And to any windsurf shop that does not rent matching sails and masts, I say this. Get serious, will you? You are doing your customers no favors by renting the wrong masts. Stop being so cheap – and if you are going to do it, do it right!

Have an awesome day on the water :-)