The mast will be theoretically stiffer, the sail will have a tighter leach and could feel slightly different. The difference may or may not be noticeable. Try it and see if you can live with it.

I rigged my m5 7,0 on a 100% Naish mast ,a while back ,luff was tight ,rotation was good ,since brought a 430 90 Severne
Its softer to use with the 430 ,but the 460 was ok till I brought the 430 .note the Naish was pretty much RDM size or very tapered from the bottom battens ,it was ok but compared to the 430 it felt stiffer ,it was bloody hard to get your fingers in to put the boom on .
the mast was softer enough to get enough down haul on .I was surprised how well it rigged .
I bit the bullet and brought the 430 ,no regrets .the 430 SV rigs my Ezzy's perfect when I want to free ride .and rig 2 sails .

Vario top ? If not you'll have a bit of downhaul leftover but that's ok.

Sail will be heavier and stiffer. Not a huge deal when conditions are smoother, a bit less comfortable when gusty.

Mark _australia said..
I've gone the other way using a 430 in a 7m Gator that is 462 luff and it's bloody tops. So not concerned about curve but might be about cams. You're moving the whole mast by 30cm so the dia will be different where cams sit. I doubt it will be bad as if anything they'd be looser not tighter (?) but I would rig it and try before buying

Hi Mark,
What sort of conditions are you using your 7m gator in? What size board are you pairing it with?
I've seen one for sale but I just can't justify it..... but I want it cause I'm a hoarder.

Imax1 said..

Gestalt said..

Imax1 said..
I have a NP V8 , 8.7 , luff 524.
Says use either 490 or 520 mast. Have both in SPX 95% masts of same year.
Soooo much better with 490. Even in light wind and I'm heavy. You would presume the stiffer mast be better for heavy me. The 520 feels heavy and dead , no matter how I adjust it. Even with more downhaul twist. ???

Just as a heads up. The 490 is the ideal mast in the spec. The 520 is the alternative.

neil pryde vary the bend curve depending on sail size with sails getting progressively more stiff top as the sizes increase. This is a design philosophy other sail designers I know subscribe to for the larger race sail sizes as a stiffer top works better. In Neil prydes case the 490 is flex top and the 520 is cc which would explain your findings. If using the v8 on a race board you'd most likely prefer the 520.

Yep , totally agree. I only use shorter planing boards. ( my lightwind board is 84 wide and 2.9 long , not that short ).Fun fact , I have a 9.4 V8 and that feels lighter and more alive with the 520 than the 8.7 with the same mast.
Having said all that , I believe I plane just as early with my 8.7 as I do with my 9.4 ??? I feel the 9.4 makes more power , but pushes down harder on the board being counter productive. Probably great on a RB.
Anyone want to buy a as new NP V8 9.4 ?

Makes sense.. the 520 is the specified mast for the 9.4, the extra downforce enables you to use the sail in higher winds as well fwiw. Stops the board from taking off. Prob great on a formula board. No 9.4 for me I ditched everything above 6.2, then caved and got a 7.2 for an old slalom board but as soon as I'm planing I'm planing on the 6.2 and smaller board anyways.

Mark _australia said..

Henners said..

Mark _australia said..
I've gone the other way using a 430 in a 7m Gator that is 462 luff and it's bloody tops. So not concerned about curve but might be about cams. You're moving the whole mast by 30cm so the dia will be different where cams sit. I doubt it will be bad as if anything they'd be looser not tighter (?) but I would rig it and try before buying

Hi Mark,
What sort of conditions are you using your 7m gator in? What size board are you pairing it with?
I've seen one for sale but I just can't justify it..... but I want it cause I'm a hoarder.

Sorry I missed that
kinda 16-20kn on my 120L fsw

No problem. I think you are rather busy all the time, so I really appreciate the answer.
I bought it...
Just trying to hold onto the windsurfing feeling before I have to go back to SUP and surfing.

I did find the rigging a little strange. Using 430 gorilla and an Aeron 46cm (set to 36cm) boom 200cm. severne spec: Mast 460, ext 5, boom 195cm. It rubs on the mast sleeve caused by the bottom batten. It has a hole forming (from the previous owner), already through the outer webbing.
I tried 2cm more downhaul --->> huge amount of loose leech and batten not touching mast
I tried more outhaul ---> a very flat sail, but battern not touching
I tried taking the battern tension off and then back on just to remove creasing, no change

The previous owner is also selling their 460 mast (same auction site), so I presume they were using it with the recommended mast, so that rules out my short mast and longer extension being the problem.

I do remember years ago that I was using a 7.5m gator at a hire shop, and it had a repair at that same spot, and the bottom batten did scrape against the mast. It is just something to deal with when it comes to the larger-sized freeride sails?
Does your one have the same problem?
2021 gator 7.0

Mark _australia said..
No but mine hadn't had a lot of use
plus I'm on blue line RDM .. Gorilla is slightly different according to another thread (?)

sorry no insight mine is about a 19-20 model and sets lovely. You know we're all gonna ask for pics lol

Yeah, I know... Kind of embarrassed as I should have got the hang of rigging by now
Also, the mast for sale is blue, so most probably that is what was being used in the gator previously



Hand picture I am trying to show how far the battern and mast overlap.


With 2cm extra downhaul, no more batten rubbing, but leach goes over to where the arrow is.

Mark _australia said..
I'm a bit lost. It's a RAF sail so the batten should be near the front of the mast, then next one up sorta halfway across the mast, then at the back of the mast, then the top three are behind it. So it looks fine.. As long as you don't have to kick the bottom batten after every gybe to get it to rotate, it will be ok More downhaul pic does maybe look too much with the top looseness coming in that far

To me, the sail looks like it has not been used much. But already has this hole from the batten rubbing against the mast.
Has not been to the water yet, but from checking on land, it won't have a problem rotating.
I have two 2017 Gators, no rubbing at all, but they are smaller at 4.7 and 4.2.
I think I'll get it out today and give it a cm more downhaul and a little bit more outhaul.

Henners said..

Mark _australia said..
I'm a bit lost. It's a RAF sail so the batten should be near the front of the mast, then next one up sorta halfway across the mast, then at the back of the mast, then the top three are behind it. So it looks fine.. As long as you don't have to kick the bottom batten after every gybe to get it to rotate, it will be ok More downhaul pic does maybe look too much with the top looseness coming in that far

To me, the sail looks like it has not been used much. But already has this hole from the batten rubbing against the mast.
Has not been to the water yet, but from checking on land, it won't have a problem rotating.
I have two 2017 Gators, no rubbing at all, but they are smaller at 4.7 and 4.2.
I think I'll get it out today and give it a cm more downhaul and a little bit more outhaul.

I agree with mark tbh.. when I saw your rigging photo I thought it looked very good.. not sure what the issue is.. just go sailing.
small hole is not going to change anything. All sizes rig a little different.

Gestalt said..

Henners said..

Mark _australia said..
I'm a bit lost. It's a RAF sail so the batten should be near the front of the mast, then next one up sorta halfway across the mast, then at the back of the mast, then the top three are behind it. So it looks fine.. As long as you don't have to kick the bottom batten after every gybe to get it to rotate, it will be ok More downhaul pic does maybe look too much with the top looseness coming in that far

To me, the sail looks like it has not been used much. But already has this hole from the batten rubbing against the mast.
Has not been to the water yet, but from checking on land, it won't have a problem rotating.
I have two 2017 Gators, no rubbing at all, but they are smaller at 4.7 and 4.2.
I think I'll get it out today and give it a cm more downhaul and a little bit more outhaul.

I agree with mark tbh.. when I saw your rigging photo I thought it looked very good.. not sure what the issue is.. just go sailing.
small hole is not going to change anything. All sizes rig a little different.

Cheers and yeah I should just get on with it and accept that sails are a "consumable of windsurfing" (just finished tax time).