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Powerex vs Fiberspar
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fstouls



Joined: 16 Feb 2009
Posts: 7
Location: NYC

PostPosted: Mon Feb 16, 2009 4:44 pm    Post subject: Powerex vs Fiberspar Reply with quote

Hi,

I just relocated from Europe to the states and I am currenlty looking ofr a new quiver.

Fiberspar used to be sold in France but no longer and powerex are not sold at all.

I just bought some NP hellcat and was wondering which mast I should put on if I don't go for the X6 NP.
I found that powerex and Fiberspar masts for the same price than a X6 would rather be the QT 7000 or the Speed 100...

What about the Carbon Booms? HPL or Fiberspar or Streamlined ?

Tell me your experiences,

Thanks

F.
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swchandler



Joined: 08 Nov 1993
Posts: 10588

PostPosted: Mon Feb 16, 2009 5:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

F,

First, welcome to the US.

In looking at your situation, it's important to keep in mind that Neil Pryde sails tend to be designed around their bend curve. That kind of supports going with the X6, but if you're more inclined to go the Fiberspar route, I wouldn't buy one unless you can, as a minimum, rig it up on the mast first. A real plus would be able to comparatively rig the sail up on the X6 at the same time. Ideally, if it's possible, it would be wise to demo the mast through some use on the water.

Also, you might want to give the folks at Big Winds a call, as they sell both Neil Pryde products and Fiberspar masts too. On the scheme of things, they may be able offer an experienced and credible view on the issue.

Regarding carbon boom, you should take a serious look at the Maui Sails carbon booms too. Arguably the best front end in the business, to include full monocoque construction. A very very nice product, and really worthy of close consideration.
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martyrosse



Joined: 10 Apr 2000
Posts: 118

PostPosted: Mon Feb 16, 2009 6:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Many years agao I used Fiberspar masts and booms, but their booms and masts broke too much/too easily. However, I weigh 215 lbs. Anyway, I switched to Powerex and Ezzy masts, and Gulftech booms. I haven't broken any booms and only broke one Powerex mast. The Powerex mast had been used many, many days, so I would expect it to break at that time.
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U2U2U2



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

PostPosted: Mon Feb 16, 2009 8:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I like both Fiberspar & Powerex, but would lean towards PX in this case
the bend curve I think closer to what you need for the NP.

http://www.peterman.dk/masts-all-imcs01.htm

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89Spring



Joined: 24 Jul 2003
Posts: 241

PostPosted: Mon Feb 16, 2009 10:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

couple years ago I bought a NP rig to go with my NP 5.8 Search worked great for a very short time then broke way outside at San Carlos. That rig did not get pounded in the surf and broke after gybing. Gybed heard a snap looked up everything was alright then gave one pump and the thing toppled over. The combo worked great until it broke. I run PowerEx RDM with Simmer sails and have been very happy. They have both taken a pounding. I cant give a comparison to other spars as the Powerex are the only RDM rig I've used. Booms, I like the HPL carbon but damn they are getting expensive. I think they are running around eight hundred benjamins for a new one.
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FredFX



Joined: 20 Aug 2008
Posts: 220
Location: South Bay Area, CA, USA

PostPosted: Mon Feb 16, 2009 11:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

89Spring wrote:
I think they are running around eight hundred benjamins for a new one.


You do realize you just said that carbon booms are $80,000?
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schweitzer



Joined: 18 Jul 2000
Posts: 45

PostPosted: Tue Feb 17, 2009 11:18 am    Post subject: Masts for you! Reply with quote

Be careful lto consider what performance you desire in your sail.
I have used both. You may find some older one piece fibarspar around.
check the number. a "30" is very stiff, hard to down haul, but will give a very quick snappy reponse, great recovery and fine performance, but at a cost. the mast can break, and there are no plug because of being one piece. the mast fills with water and can sink.the sail will feel twitchy and nervious. Pwerex's need to be checked to be sure you have the mast together in the center or the ferel area will fail. and that one would be your fault! in general avoid high carbon masts if you want to have your gear tommorrow.
that said. some carbon is a good thing. I have been comfortable
with up to 70%. the prefered powerex for me is the z-wave ( black)
the freeride version (green) is quite usefull as it rigs the sail so it is more forgiving, but less powefull. usefull to get by with a bigger sail in higher wind,and cheeper. The most seen broken mast seems to be the ones with the yellow color. welcome to the area and get some time on the water.
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DanWeiss



Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Posts: 2296
Location: Connecticut, USA

PostPosted: Tue Feb 17, 2009 1:32 pm    Post subject: Re: Powerex vs Fiberspar Reply with quote

fstouls wrote:
Hi,

I just relocated from Europe to the states and I am currenlty looking ofr a new quiver.

Fiberspar used to be sold in France but no longer and powerex are not sold at all.

I just bought some NP hellcat and was wondering which mast I should put on if I don't go for the X6 NP.
I found that powerex and Fiberspar masts for the same price than a X6 would rather be the QT 7000 or the Speed 100...

What about the Carbon Booms? HPL or Fiberspar or Streamlined ?

Tell me your experiences,

Thanks

F.


In general, NP sails require a more flex-top bend curve than most Fiberspar masts produced in the last five years. That's not to say a Fiberspar won't work in the sail -you certainly can go windsurfing with it, and it might be very satisfactory if you are a heavier sailor. That said, there is no doubt that most people will achieve the best match by using the specifically recommended mast. What is not always apparent is that the NP website seems to suggest that either the X6 or X6 RDM are both ideal. This simply cannot be the case because a sail achieves its optimum performance range on one mast or the other. By reducing mast diameter you effectively reduce luff curve and, therefore, the sail requires more outhaul tension and sometimes more downhaul tension to create the stability you expect.

As I understand, the less luff curve designed into the sail (ie, designed for a mast that flexes less at a particular compression) the less sensitive a sail can be to the smaller changes in a mast's specs and tuning choices. This could apply to sails requiring serious flex-top masts. At least in theory.

I've used Fiberspar almost exclusively since 1992 and have had very good luck with most Fiberspar products. I would no longer put their booms at the top of the heap, but they remain very nice and fully functional for most people. The one thing that I like about Fiberspar is that, historically at least, Fiberspar's masts are the most consistent in bend curve and stiffness from mast to mast. Now that Fiberspar's masts are produced in Finland by Exel rather than in the USA, I wonder whether this distinction remains. I've not found any problems when sorting through new Fiberspars, however, and my masts have always been virtually bullet proof. I can count the number of Fiberspars I've broken over the last 20 years on one hand, and I've owned lots and even pogo-sticked a 100% carbon race mast in shore break without busting it (much to my surprise, I admit!)

As others probably have suggested, you should definitely rig and sail your Hellcats with a non-NP mast before you buy the non-NP mast. Or at least get some sort of satisfaction deal from your local shop.

Finally, try the NeilPryde Maui forum. You need to register to use it (I registered about 10 years ago and have never had any problems) and once on you can ask Kevin Ozee what he thinks. Kevin is a great guy and will give you true and accurate information. Again, it's likely that the NP mast choices are the easiest way to get great performance right out of the bag.
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paulf.



Joined: 21 Mar 1996
Posts: 435

PostPosted: Tue Feb 17, 2009 2:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

i have used several high carbon Fiberspar masts in several NP sails, both cammmed and non-cammmed like the hellcat, to good effect. The FS constant curve seems to match the NP constant curve pretty well, and the IMCS numbers are the same at each size. The worst match i ever had for NP freeride sail was a 100% carbon SDM Powerex race mast, curve was all flex top. Best match is always the NP X-recommended masts, and if you buy any other brand you will still have to switch out the mast caps to fit the fatter NP head plug.
Paul
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jingebritsen



Joined: 21 Aug 2002
Posts: 3371

PostPosted: Wed Feb 18, 2009 7:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ask your dealer whose mast is on the rack behind the sail brands. PX and Trianna mast brands are very universal in applications. FS still matches well with lots of sails, just not all. They tend to bend more down lower than most everyone else besides the older RDM's from E. PX has been doing many of the NP masts of late.
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