Mistral mast

Question
QUESTION: Just bought a used Mistral SST with a Rushwind sail.  We don't have a mast and
have no idea what to look for.  We have the mast base, which appears to be
aluminum.  This is going to be used on a local lake and is our first board.  What
do we need to know to get a mast that will work for this board?  Thanks.

ANSWER: Hey Gary,

On the bottom of the sail you should find some information that gives you mast stiffness and length. The length will be 'luff' and will be in cm. Should be something like 460, 480, 500, etc. The stiffness should read as MCS and will be something like 25, 27, 30.
Rushwind sails all use constant curve masts and they are the most common. The other type is flex tip and you don't want that type. You can buy new at many online shops and will run $100-500 depending on type, brand, and percent of carbon. You should look for around 30=60^ carbon for durability and lightweight.

You didn't mention if you go a boom. That is the part you hold onto while sailing. If so, check out the diameter of the boom head (the part that connects to the mast). It will probably be about 1.5-2 inches across. This means you need a standard diameter mast. If it is really small, then you need a skinny mast. It is fairly unlikely that you have a skinny mast boom.

You can find used masts on ebay and your local craigslist. There are also used masts available at windance.com in the Gorge. They carry good equipment and their ratings on used gear is excellent.

Hope this helps.
Enjoy your new board,
Windlover

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: The sail is a Rushwind 2.8.  That is all it says on the sail itself.  I don't
understand how the mast attaches to the mast base either.  How does that all
work?  Any videos or pictures you can refer me too?  Thanks for your help.

Answer
Hey Gary,

A sail that small should have an adjustable head cap. When you slide a mast through the mast sleeve, there should be a sort of cap (either plastic or woven strap material) that will have a ladder buckle and a long strap to adjust the height of the sail on the mast. You will need to get either a 400cm or 430cm mast for best perfomance of this sail.

As for attaching the mast to the base, the top of the base will have either a round (male) part that will slide into the bottom of the mast or, a round part with pins. The pin type will have to have an extension. The extension goes over the male part and the pins lock into holes in the extension. Then the mast will go over the extension which will be adjustable. Then you will have two ways to adjust the sail on the mast, the cap at the top and the extension at the bottom.

When you slide the mast into the mast sleeve (luff), adjust the top cap so the bottom of the sail is about 6-8 inches from the bottom of the mast. If you have/get and extension, adjust it  to it's lowest setting for initial rigging. Now use the rope on the extension and thread it through the grommet on the bottom of the sail. Loop it through the pulleys on the extension and through the grommet until all pulleys are used and then down through the hole with the cleat. Place your foot on the bottom of the extension and downhaul (pull) the rope to tighten the luff of the sail. When the luff is really tight, the bottom of the sail should be about 1-1.5" from the pulleys. If you need shorten the overall length, loosen the rope and tighten the top cap accordingly. If you need more length of mast, adjust the extension.

Check out this website for some pics of mast bases and extensions,

http://www.chinooksailing.com

Your base may fit their extensions and it might not. If your base doesn't have pins, get a mast and try rigging the sail using the top cap adjustment to adjust the sail length. This should get you on the water.

As for some videos, pics, and great instruction, go to windsurfingmag.com. Be sure to read all the (short) instructional tips in the beginner area. There is plenty of sailing info and such to look at on this site so bookmark it for future browsing.
For more instruction, google Peter Hart for the best instructional videos.

Hope this helps.
Good luck with your mast shopping,
Windlover