I know. Mixing NP and KA is like mixing milk and orange juice for some.
I've got a KA Koyote 5.9 & 7.2 for flatwater,
and am looking at getting some Pryde Alphas for the bumpy stuff, a 6.2 and 5.4.
The 5.9 Koyote and both Prydes rig on a 430.
I'm tossing up between a Pryde Combat and a Powerex for the mast.
So it's a constant curve vs progressive curve vs price issue, and I haven't priced them yet.
Obviously the Combat will go well with the Prydes.
KA seems to prefer a constant curve yet I can't help but notice a Pryde mast sticking through the photos for the Koyotes on the KA site:
/images/misc/forum-image-missing.gif
If the powerex any suggestions on carbon content, or are we just talking the most I can afford?
I think a Tushy goes with pretty much anything according to an article a while back which was posted here somewhere
I have just switched to a powerex 08 430 85% skinny on which I am running an 07 koncept and 05 NP combats.
The koncept 5.8 (which I was running on an 05 X3 until it broke) rigs similarly but needs less downhaul and does not twist off so much but feels softer and so far I have not made it go quite as fast.
The Combat 5.8 (only one I have used so far) needed another 2+cms downhaul and 3cms outhaul to set right and the 2nd batten is too tight even at minimum setting.
So I would suggest the pryde (I have been told that the new ones are now being manufactured by powerex?) but be prepared to tweak the settings on the KA.
If you can take the KA to the shop and rig it on the mast.
Hope this helps.
EP, I have researched as much as I can on the bend curves. I have found the specs from German Surf Mag for an NP X Combat 400. It has the IMCS bend curve at 14.8%. It makes sense that the skinny is a bit less flex top than the the STD Diam pryde masts. If you assume ???that the 430 has the same % bend curve it will be fine on the Koyote. The Koyote is optimised for around 14% but as it only has moderate levels of luff curve so is a bit less mast sensative.
I do know people running Koyote's on X6 Prydes and are very happy but I have no first hand experience of doing it.
I agree with Loa Shi and think that a Powerex skinny on the Pryde sails will be less than ideal.
I hope I have helped, Seeya Martin
Thanks heaps guys. 
Sounds like the Combat then as will fit 2/3 sails perfectly, and sounds like the Koyote quite well too.
I think haircut uses powerex skinny with his NP alpha's and is more then happy with them... I think he's used them with 08 and 09 alphas
Haircut does use powerex.
I guess I was really checking that the KA would rig OK on the Pryde mast. 2 sails will be Prydes, 1 a KA, thus the preference is toward getting majority of sails to sit right.
you might also give the new NP X6 skinny some consideration. I was at first a bit skeptical but I have a 430 X6 skinny now and love it...
ep - wim n co. just bought x6 skinnies and visually appear to rig adentically to the powerex skinny on the alphas. you probably safe going for either
another word on the NP X6 skinnies... apparently after Neil Pryde had some problems with manufacturing in the past they have brought manufacturing back in-house for the '09 masts (which includes the X6 skinnies). also, heard that each NP mast prototype now has to go through a minimum hours of testing before it will go into production.
Personally I have not had any problem with any X6 (skinny or SDM).
Yeah, looks like the bend characteristics of NP masts have been all over the place for some time if the specs at the following link are any indication:
www.peterman.dk/masts-all-imcs01.htm
Bend curve of X-Combat does appear pretty much the same as the 'average' Powerex mast (though some Powerex masts appear to vary a bit in their bend curve as well) and the X-Combat appeared to perform better in NP Alphas than the X9 SDM when tested by Boards mag in May 07 (mast test comparison article). Also appears to me that X-Combat has nearly the same bend characteristics as KA RDM 100, though the KA mast is a bit cheaper if purchased online (via KA website).
I have considered a new X6 skinny for my quiver and even though their pricing is very good (quoted at cheaper price then X6 SDM's?), I will probably wait until I see some test results first (never liked buying the first 'model' in a production run!).
Re problems with NP masts, I currently use a NP 430 X6 mast which I purchased new in Sept 07. Early this year, a friend noticed quite a few hairline cracks in the bottom section below the ferrule when I was derigging and I freaked out thinking the mast was cactus. Contacted NP about the problem and Peter Bijl assured me that whilst it probably didn't look good cosmetically, the mast would be perfectly ok (actual structure of the mast is underneath the buildup of material where the cracks appear, according to Peter).
