If you think of a mast as a leg, and the luff and the pants, then sticking a skinny leg in pants that are designed for fat people gives a very different result to when a fat leg is forced into pants designed for skinny people... Everybody is much happier when other peoples pants fit, even if the owner is oblivious..

The sail should be optimised for one or the other, and it's a compromise if you use the least preferred recommended option.. That would assume the the EZZY has been optimised for anything other than outlasting our species..

Re 'spring back', if two masts are identical stiffness they will spring back at the same speed, unless there is a difference in weight.. But who cares, it's an EZZY, amirite? (compulsory dig at EZZY for consistency)

I would be budgeting for a compatible mast, but take into consideration, will the mast you purchase for the Ezzy be compatible with another brand sail, in the off chance you want to leave 1992 and buy something modern..

Beware of mast compatibility entrapment..

Mark _australia said...

barn said...

If you think of a mast as a leg, and the luff and the pants, then sticking a skinny leg in pants that are designed for fat people gives a very different result to when a fat leg is forced into pants designed for skinny people... Everybody is much happier when other peoples pants fit, even if the owner is oblivious..

The sail should be optimised for one or the other, and it's a compromise if you use the least preferred recommended option.. That would assume the the EZZY has been optimised for anything other than outlasting our species..

Re 'spring back', if two masts are identical stiffness they will spring back at the same speed, unless there is a difference in weight.. But who cares, it's an EZZY, amirite? (compulsory dig at EZZY for consistency)

I would be budgeting for a compatible mast, but take into consideration, will the mast you purchase for the Ezzy be compatible with another brand sail, in the off chance you want to leave 1992 and buy something modern..

Beware of compatibility entrapment..

The Ezzy RDM is about the most useable mast on other sails, being right in the middle for bend curve. Also it is same as No Limitz / Powerex and many other RDM's that came along in the early 2000's as they all just rebranded what was already made by that italian factory whose name eludes me.
Seing as though they were bl00dy hard to break the manufacturers kept doing what they were doing up to today.
If you ignore the major examples of creative bend curves that are useless for other sails -like Pryde, and ignore the companies making cheapo RDM's (who the fk are Billows and where did they suddenly come from? ) then the vast majority of RDM's are derived from and very damn close to an Ezzy RDM.

Mark Billows is just the factory brand (eg Cobra) they make mast and re brand them for other companies but also sell there own brand. They are made in Taiwan and can be ordered with any mast curve you want.

Yeah, I'm in constant curve land. Ezzy, Aeroteh, KA etc.

I've got a powerex 85% skinny and a pryde 90% skinny.

No noticeable difference between the two when used on a modern pryde wave or freestyle sail, so i guess in theory one should be able to buy an ezzy (as mark said - was once a powerex clone) and expect it to also work on a pryde sail if need be

maybe the gps-ers might benefit from a .0000934 knot-per-hour increase in speed by using the dedicated mast for the sail.

otherwise, i personally wouldn't get too anal about it

i think u might need to try this for yourself to really know what suits you.

what you find good, others find bad and visa versa. heavy blokes vs light blokes using stiffer or more flexy and varying curves etc apparently all makes a difference. Some like to feel overpowered and others like to feel in control. it's all subjective and just a case of personal choice, and it's not really a question that can have a black / white answer

Haircut said...

I've got a powerex 85% skinny and a pryde 90% skinny.

No noticeable difference between the two when used on a modern pryde wave or freestyle sail, so i guess in theory one should be able to buy an ezzy (as mark said - was once a powerex clone) and expect it to also work on a pryde sail if need be

maybe the gps-ers might benefit from a .0000934 knot-per-hour increase in speed by using the dedicated mast for the sail.

otherwise, i personally wouldn't get too anal about it

This is for a 6.5 to 7.5 Ezzy freeride(?).. I'd agree rigging a 5m wave sail on the wrong mast is less of a problem than rigging an 11m race sail...

But I've seen Pryde wave sails rigged on the right, and wrong mast, and I think, and others would agree, that Pryde sails need their mast.. Whats the point in spending big on Pryde and ramming any old junk up there?..


But yeah if you can't feel the difference there must not be any, haha, stick with the dropshape, She'll be right...

Haircut said...


ikw - there must be someone who can lent u a mast or two to try up your way?

No need have masts-a-plenty.

It's all part of a bigger problem. My 6.5 needs replacing, I'm moving to NZ where they don't distribute the sails I like and where conditions are more slalom-y than B&J and where gear prices are stoopid because of the useless Kiwi Kina. Buy now and take them over? Wait and see what the conditions are like and then choose? Pay through the nose? Aye ca-rumba!

Cruiser1755 said...

I have a Ezzy 430 you can try anytime not sure if it is long enough though.
See you at Q's Kerry

See you tomorrow Kerry?

(don't worry about a mast - I have an ezzy 430!)

www.unifiber.net/masts-selector