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R.I.P. 490 cm mast / Self-Rescue / Ezzy 9.5 on 520?
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d0uglass



Joined: 28 May 2004
Posts: 1286
Location: Bonita Springs, Florida

PostPosted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 8:06 pm    Post subject: R.I.P. 490 cm mast / Self-Rescue / Ezzy 9.5 on 520? Reply with quote

I was chasing the Florida seabreeze today with my formula board and 9.5 ezzy cheetah. Mostly I was shlogging, but whenever a 10 knot "gust" rolled through I'd pump to plane for a bit.

I was sailing along in a particularly good gust, maybe 11 knots, when "POW!" - I was in the water. The bottom half of my 490 cm 75% carbon Gaastra mast had snapped about a foot above the boom.

I de-rigged on the water, lashed the rigging in a bundle down the centerline of the board, and started SUP'ing back to shore using 2/3 of the mast as a paddle. Fortunately I was only about a mile offshore and the launch was almost directly downwind. It took me about 30 min to get back. Nothing besides the mast broke or sank, thank goodness.

Anyway, I'm not real surprised that the mast broke. About two years ago when I first got it I heard a little "click" when clamping the boom on tightish. (Btw- with the chinook carbon formula boom head there is a very narrow margin of error between tight enough to not slide down the mast and loose enough to not crush the mast. Beware) The damage spot must have been minor at first, but I think it probably grew a little bit every time I sailed. I didn't use the 490 much for the two years I lived in MA, but it was the mast I most often after I moved back to Florida.

If anyone wants the top of the mast, let me know. Also, I'm in the market for a used 490.

-James

PS- Has anybody rigged a 9.5 cheetah with a 520 mast? The luff is 517-520 and the head cap is extendable.

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adywind



Joined: 08 Jan 2012
Posts: 665

PostPosted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 9:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Get a 490 RDM- Nolimitz FAST and Gulftech are excellent why not Ezzy too- you won't regret it. But if you insists I have a 2010 Powerex Spped 100 US made in B+ condition that I'm willing to part with for 400$ .
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norcom



Joined: 16 Jun 2008
Posts: 137

PostPosted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 9:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Good deal on a 'new' blemish Ezzy 490 for $325 + shipping
http://www.windance.com/490-cm-Ezzy-Hookipa-RDM-UGUM0081/
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U2U2U2



Joined: 06 Jul 2001
Posts: 5467
Location: Shipsterns Bluff, Tasmania. Colorado

PostPosted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 9:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

the above is a great price for Ezzy

no brainier to me get a Ezzy

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d0uglass



Joined: 28 May 2004
Posts: 1286
Location: Bonita Springs, Florida

PostPosted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 10:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

$300 seems like a good deal for a new skinny mast, but it's hard for me to imagine a skinny really working well in a 9.5. I'll look into it.
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joethewindsufa



Joined: 10 Oct 2010
Posts: 1190
Location: Montréal

PostPosted: Sat Jun 29, 2013 5:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

i am surprised about using a Gaastra mast in an Ezzy sail.
a more hard top mast in a constant curve sail

some talk about RDM in Ezzy sails on their website and they suggest asking directly to david@ezzy.com

as far as 520 versus 490 ...
i am a heavyweight and prefer the longest mast possible in a sail
Bruce Peterson suggests the same for his Retros
you as a middle-weight might prefer the standard 490
butt what do i know?? Smile
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jamieinnyc



Joined: 26 Apr 2010
Posts: 108

PostPosted: Sat Jun 29, 2013 8:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Had the same mast, similar break. My whole experience with that mast was not good. Anyway, with a break above the boom and some volume under you, curious you didn't try to sail it in? Were you worried about damaging the sail? I broke a 550 in a 12m sail years ago, and had no problem reaching (very slowly) back to shore.

For my own part, I got a second Fiberspar to replace the Gaastra. Only 30%, but I sail off a beach with sometimes-heavy shore break - just amazing what abuse the Fiberspar will take. And it sails great too - much better than the Gaastra. I think they are no longer made, but there are still some new ones floating around.
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norcom



Joined: 16 Jun 2008
Posts: 137

PostPosted: Sat Jun 29, 2013 8:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I use the Ezzy 490 with my Ezzy 8.5 Freeride V and 9.5 Lion sails. I started with an SDM NeilPryde 490 on the 8.5 and it felt/rigged like crap. No way am I going back to SDM.
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U2U2U2



Joined: 06 Jul 2001
Posts: 5467
Location: Shipsterns Bluff, Tasmania. Colorado

PostPosted: Sat Jun 29, 2013 9:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

d0uglass wrote:
$300 seems like a good deal for a new skinny mast, but it's hard for me to imagine a skinny really working well in a 9.5. I'll look into it.


for me, on a 7.5 Ezzy Cheetah I have the option of a RDM Ezzy or a PX SDM 100%, it amounts to how powered up I 'think' it will be, if its filled in I would use the SDM, otherwise I use the EZZY skinny. Since I have the option it is a very person thing, the skinny feels better in lighter winds, opposite for the PX SDM. I would be very happy if I only had either one.
When I go to a 6.5 Cheetah I almost always use the skinny.

If i were to buy a new 490 for 8.5 or larger sail , I would consider a SDM.

Since Ezzy only made RDMs I don't know which brand I would try for that, and I would ask David which brand mast to consider.
His reply on RDM/SDM has been its more important to have the correct bend than a RDM/SDM

NP sails from all I see require a flex/soft top mast.

Ezzy will perform best on a constant curve.

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wsurfn1426



Joined: 20 Mar 2004
Posts: 223

PostPosted: Sat Jun 29, 2013 11:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

James:

I have followed your blog for a while, and I am sure you will make the right decision for you.

The best answer would be to try a few and decide for yourself.

The simple answer, get the Ezzy RDM. It was the mast that the sail was designed for. The only way to know what might be better is to try out other choices yourself.

What may complicate things, is if you are going to use the mast with other sail brands in different sizes.

The bend side of mast compatibility is becoming more well known, but stiffness ( different from reflex), is a factor as well.

A friend of mine's blog pointed this out with Naish RDMs in Gaastra sails.

http://windsurftexas.blogspot.com/2012/05/perfect-fit.html

I found this also to be true with my Severne S1s.

BTW, I had the exact break and experience with a 490 Fiberspar 5000 and Gaastra 8.0 GTX. I was in the middle of the lake on a holiday weekend, so it was easy for me to wave down a tow back to shore. I let the top sink to the bottom of the lake. This is a SDM problem, not a brand problem.
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