Luff and mast mismatch

Select to expand quote

Homestraight said..

Hi, can I use a 448cm luff sail on a 460cm mast at get away with it? It's obviously not ideal (mast too long), but would it be a disaster/ totally incorrect? The simple rationale is $$$ and I don't want heaps of gear.

Whilst not ideal I used to do this in the 1980 s all the time when such matters didn't worry us due to lack of choice! My profile picture shows a too long mast and what we used to call "a storm sail". It never worried me and I had some great sails with that set up. Try it you may find the boom sits a bit high, but you can work around that.

Cheers Kevin

If you dont need the 460 mast for larger sails (or if you do and have a long mast base extension), it might be better to cut 15cm off the bottom of the mast rather than modify the luff of the sail. The sail will work better and it will be easier and cheaper.

I couple of things to watch out for if you do this:

1. If you need to use a long mast base extension it may not go all the way up the mast when it is shortened. Either shorten the extension or scrounge up a shorter one.

2. It is always a good idea to wrap a layer of fiberglass tape around the bottom of the mast after cutting it to strengthen it and prevent splitting.

There is little doubt the sail will work better on a shorter (softer) mast, but it might not be enough to make a significant difference.

Here is a possible alternative: If your mast is a two piece, ask/scrounge around to find a top from a shorter mast that fits. Often when masts break it is at the boom on the bottom half and people may have sound top bits laying around that fit yours. You are looking for a 430 top, or even a 400. A few vernier measurements will soon tell you if its likely to fit.