i loaned my 14 to some novices-big mistake, they turtled the boat and broke the comptip, also the mast was slightly bent. i straightened the metal part, almost, and now i need to complete the repair. i need to get a comptip and add it to a slightly warped mast or get an all metal mast, all that seems to be available, or get an all metal mast and add a comptip. this boat was a successful race boat before the accident. does the market care ifit has a comptip or not? i personally feel the all metal mast is superior and not many 14s racing. waddya think?
I think a single piece mast is far better. The most obvious thing is being waterproof. Anytime there is a hole drilled or a seam that is not filled, there is a potential for leakage.
The other obvious thing is UV resistance. The material Hobie uses in the CompTip is far less UV resistant than any type of alloy.
There has been debates for years as to the performance advantages / disadvantages. It was done in the name of safety. I personally thing it is a silly safety item.
New England Catamarans has 14 masts in stock. They bought all of the stock of a closed Hobie dealer. Rick at 508-339-5580
Hmm, I think the US is one of the few places in the world where Hobie cats have comptips... IIRC this was more of a risk/legal issue where some people hit power lines with their mast tip. I'm not sure but I think the european versions do not have comptips.
Patrick