I just bought a new RRD 7 m X-tra freeride sail . Very hard to push in the last foot of the mast into the luff sleeve. Eventually it worked by pulling down very strongly with the downhaul winch, May be it is the sail that is designed with an excess luff curve. and pulling too hard may tear the fabric in the long run. .
The mast is an SDM 460 cm cc Gun Sail , 75 % carbon. Never had any problem with this mast before on other sails .
I also have to pull the outhaul considerably otherwise the battens protrude behind the luff and the sail will not rotate..
Maybe the the luff fabric will stretch and loosen by using it in the water.
Should I worry? I am still in time to return it.( I hope)
Any comments or suggestions?
Thanks
Francone
Never ever , force a mast up the sleeve . It will end in tears with a broken sail pocket .
You kind of scrunch the sail to get it up there . Its a technique .
There are heaps of vids on youtube on how to do this .
yes trying to get it up there with downhaul is an exercise in futility, collapse the sail at the boom cutout, you can do this with a gentle fold if you're careful, so you don't crease the monofilm. Then work your way up the sail threading the mast in as you go.
Select to expand quoteImax1 said..
Never ever , force a mast up the sleeve . It will end in tears with a broken sail pocket .
You kind of scrunch the sail to get it up there . Its a technique .
There are heaps of vids on youtube on how to do this .
Its an oldie but a goodie
It depends on the brand. I can only talk with a select few brand models, and all my masts are RDM:
Severne wave sails, all sails greater than 2012: No problem. Just shove mast down in the pocket. You won't break the pocket. Really quick and the sail material has minimal creasing.
5.5 Ezzy Cheetah, the same.
Naish wave sails (2020 and below): Shove it in, until you get to about 20cm from the top (there is a little V in the material where the mast tip gets caught), shimmy down the mast and help it through. Then shimmy back and resume downhaul.
Sailworks Hucker, Revo: Do as the video says.
In the video the host puts the sail in the ground when the sail is creased up. Don't do that. Always have the sail/mast suspended when the sail cloth is creased. If you need to walk away to do something, suspend the mast with a boom so that the creases aren't touching the ground.
Many/most new freeride sails are intended for use the RDMs and the luff sleeve will not be generous. Sticking an RDM up there will be easier but as others have said, shoving it from the bottom whatever mast you use is begging for problems with the luff sleeve and why so many used sails have torn stitching in the luff about 30cm from the top.
Select to expand quotejn1 said..Imax1 said..
Never ever , force a mast up the sleeve . It will end in tears with a broken sail pocket .
You kind of scrunch the sail to get it up there . Its a technique .
There are heaps of vids on youtube on how to do this .
Its an oldie but a goodie
It depends on the brand. I can only talk with a select few brand models, and all my masts are RDM:
Severne wave sails, all sails greater than 2012: No problem. Just shove mast down in the pocket. You won't break the pocket. Really quick and the sail material has minimal creasing.
5.5 Ezzy Cheetah, the same.
Naish wave sails (2020 and below): Shove it in, until you get to about 20cm from the top (there is a little V in the material where the mast tip gets caught), shimmy down the mast and help it through. Then shimmy back and resume downhaul.
Sailworks Hucker, Revo: Do as the video says.
In the video the host puts the sail in the ground when the sail is creased up. Don't do that. Always have the sail/mast suspended when the sail cloth is creased. If you need to walk away to do something, suspend the mast with a boom so that the creases aren't touching the ground.
Agreed.
i cringe watching people crease up monofilm at the beach, trying to save the last third of the mast pocket (top) from abrasion, and doing it anyway, because the luff curve of sail means it will always happen. I have pushed the mast straight in on some of my sails for years, and never had a luff pocket blow out. The very few i've seen it happen to(other people), the sail was well past its use by date.
best thing you can do is apply a little bit of downhaul and then give the top part of the sail a few taps to get the mast tip past the patch it always catches on at the very end. As Paducah said, a lot of free ride sails these days are designed to have an rdm in the luff pocket. If you're trying to get an sdm in, it will prove a little harder to do.
and if you do use the crease method, be sure to check the mast has stayed together. Seen a few masts blow up because they've partially parted when they've been pulled off the bottom half of the mast trying to shimmy them into the top half of the sail. (Actually, check regardless of what method you use).
I think your mast curve might not be as compatible as it should be. I had a similar issue with a 7.3 sail. Had a mast that was constant curve to suit, and apparently "75-80% compatible" - should be ok right? Inserting mast was ok but maybe more difficult than it should be, and batten ends never seemed to sit in the right positions. Eventually I bought the same brand mast as the sail (CC 460 SDM 70% Carbon) and it just seemed to slide in so much easier, and batten ends and tension just seemed to line up so much better. The last 30cm of mast push still requires guidance at that end (due to the seams in that area) but the rigging definitely feels easier and sits better than before with the different brand mast that should have been "compatible". The difference may seem minor - but it is noticeable.
Would I notice the difference between masts powered up and going full blast over water? ...probably not 
and to be honest - I never bothered to compare since the rigging is better.
I always use a 1" wide piece of cheap duck tape to seal the joint, keeps sand out and prevents mast from separating during rigging. You can also loop a piece ~8" of clear heavy duty packing tape over the tip of the mast, that will make it slide in the last bit a lot easier and reduce wear on the luff sleeve, want heavier duty clear tape so it stays on when you remove the mast, instead of staying up at the top of the luff sleeve. Also, check the plastic mast top cap to see if it has a rough edge or squared off edge, can sand a radius on it so it does not grab the luff sleeve so much.
Thanks you all
I solved the problem: I didn't notice at first that the mast tip had lost its rubber cap and the rough bare edge of the carbon mast tip was catching on something inside the luff or having friction with the fabric. I put a smooth cap on the top and the mast slid in by slightly twisting and pushing by hand.
Francone
You can lubricate the top of your mast too with McLube Sailcote (or substitute. It's too expensive for mere mortals). Spray the top metre or so of the mast a few times before rigging and the inside of the sleeve gets coated. It's slicker'n you know what.
Selley's Ezy Glide might do the job. Spray your wet suit zipper too.
Instead of tape on the joint mast, you can use rubber!! Check this
