Hi there,
I'm an avid H16 sailor in Brazil, this is my first question in this forum. Please excuse me my english.
Here in Brazil we do not comptip masts, Hobie Cat Brazil supplies only the all aluminium masts. So, my questions are a) What is the performance difference between an all aluminiun and a comptip mast ? B) Was there any design change made in the sails in USA when the comptip mast was introduced (to accomplish with the new bending characteristic of this mast)? . If yes, is there a problem to use the Hobie Cat USA sails (this are the ones we use) with an all aluminium mast ?
Thanks
TH
Hi,
the comptip mast is IIRC a US thing... The German Hobies I sailed did not have them. I think the comptip masts do not do anything for performance. IIRC they make the mast heavier in a area where you do not want weight. I think the comptips came in style after a couple of people hit overhead wires and caused themselves injuries or ... I think there are pics of a char coaled Hobie 16 somewhere on the web. The comptip actually might have performance disadvantages, especially if the comptip has aged.
In terms of main sail... the main will fit both types of mast. The comp tip does not make the mast longer. IIRC the main halyard is different.