Luff Size and mast size

Question
Hi
I have a new Gaastra 6.0 sail . The luff size is 450 and i have also a mast 460 . Since now i have the mast extended from the top of the sail about 3 cm , Can i cut off the must to 452 cm in order do not need to extended it from the top.
The gaastra recommends for this sail 430 mast and extention 20cm

Thanks

Answer
Hey Costas,

Cutting a mast is always my very last recommendation. You need to check a few things to determine if this is your last resort. First, is the mast the right stiffness for the sail. If it is one number higher or lower, it should still work for the sail. Second, you mention that there is a little of the mast sticking out the top. Does this mean it has an adjustable head cap? If so, then you can adjust the sail up or down the mast as needed to get proper shape. So, try this. Rig the sail so that the top is adjusted enough to rig the sail with your mast base set on the lowest setting. With a 460 mast and a 450 luff, you may need to have about 12-18cm of mast out the top of the sail. Adjust the sail according to specs and be sure to read the rigging tips either in your owners manual or online at gaastra.com. Sail the rig and see how it performs. You may need to make small adjustments to get things dialed in. If after a sailing a day or two, it is feeling good and performing well, you should be fine with the mast the way it is.

Remember that rigging specs are recommendations that the sail designer has built into the sail to get maximum performance from the sail. Ideally, this is what we all want but sometimes it's not quite practical for us. To max performance we would have to buy the mast their mast that they recommend and sometimes our budget just doesn't allow that. So, there are small variables that still allow the sail to perform within the design characteristics. When a sail says it wants a certain length mast with x amount of base extension, this means that the design wants certain parts of the bend of the mast in a specific location. If a 430 and a 460 mast have the same stiffness rating, the bend characteristics are very similar in location on the mast. They can quite often be used on the same sail with either a short or long extension. The performance of the sail will usually change so little that most of us recreational sailors will not know the difference.

Hope this helps.
Keep on sailing,
Windlover