Battens and mast

Question
Hi!

I started windsurfing last year and bought my own gear a couple of months ago. I have got North sails Natural 5.8 and a Naish Sprint 6.6 with a Amex Drive 430 mast (60% carbon)
I tried to follow the trimming instructions from the sailmakers however it seems I cannot get proper setting for both of my current sails. The problem is that when I apply downhaul the leach gets very loose (up to the max downhaul marker) however the battens do not clear the mast very easily which makes the rotation of the sail hard. I try to correct this by applying I think too much outhaul which destroys the sail's performance and makes it very hard to handle.
The problem is very pronounced on the North Sails Natural where the sail battens stay on the same side despite the sail rotation and change of shape (when tacking).
Could this be a problem of my mast or am I doing somethingelse wrong?

Thanks for the answer.

Andrej

Answer
Hey Andrej,

I'm guessing the main problem is your mast. The North sail wants a 430 with a stiffness range of 19-21. Your mast is a 21 which is the stiffest mast recommended for the North. For the North, you may need to downhaul more than the recommended setting to get the battens to pull away from the mast.

I can't find the stiffness recommendation for the Naish sail but it does ask for a 460 length. This usually doesn't affect rigging too much as you can make up the difference with a longer mast base. But, sometimes it will affect the rigging as the bend characteristic is a bit different in a shorter mast than a longer mast. Also, if the mast you have is too stiff for the Naish or on the high end of the stiffness recommendation, then you may need to downhaul more to get the battens to pull away. Look on the mast or the mast bag for an IMCS rating for the sail. If there is nothing there, try emailing Naish via their website to find out what stiffness mast they recommend. You might also ask them if your mast length and stiffness should work on your sail. Sail makers design a sail and mast for optimum performance. Usually, you can get a mast that is close to the recommended length and stiffness and still get the sail to work well. The difference is that the rigging settings may be a bit different to get the sail rigged properly.

Hope this helps.
Keep on sailing,
Windlover