Laser Mast Weights

A

Al B

New Member
I understand that the top laser sailors will check mast weights as the thickness and ease of bend in the mast varies. Is this correct? If so, I assume the heavier sailors will want a stiffer mast and vice-versa. Does anyone have advice on what the range of weights are and how light or heavy is preferred?
 
it's a laser, just make sure your sections are straight and you good to go
 
I know that the Camets used to deflection test their uppers to find the ones that had, for them, good constant bend characteristics. They had a pile of uppers in their garage back in the day, all marked up with the deflection numbers on them.
 
well there are a few stiffness differences that i have found the Euro or English Spars are alot stiffer than americans which is good in light to medium wind but the american spars from Vanguard are more flexible which is a good choice in heavy air as long as they dont break. The more flexible the more your sail will be depowered in Heavy air making it easier to hike it flat but i have learned that if you are fit enough or fat enough to hike it flat with a stiffer spar you go faster.
 
Don't get worked up about it. No one's ever proven difinitively (and people have tried) that one make of spar is better than another.
 
im not saying one make is better than the other and i have tested each spar under different conditions and the american top bends significantly more than the euro... all im saying is that these two spars shood be used under different conditions
 
by rules, they are

but some people beleive differently

as is the case with sails, and hulls
 
The stiffness of the spar will be based on the cross section. The tubing is drawn through a mold, and over time the mold wears down making the gap where the metal is drawn through larger. In turn, the resulting section is thicker, and the top section is stiffer. The metal and finish should be specified the same, but there is an allowed tolerance on the wall thickness. The way that the metal is handled after drawing and stored can make a small difference, too.

I remember Boathouse discussing this same thing years ago on the email list.
 
If you test a bunch of Top sections that came from the fabricant in the same month(s) they will likely be similar in weight... but you will be surprissed if you start testing masts from different people and even more if you do it with the Europeans...

Recently Vanguard Top sections are weighting .. 2.600 - 2.700 Kg ... you can find Top sections in the 3.0 - 3.3 range and soft ones in the 2.1-2.4 range...

Many people tested these... and yes , you will find difference...
 
I just went and weighed the two top sections I travel with, and they both weight exactly 6 pounds each.
 
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