Been given old but never used Neil Pryde 400 MATRIX X3 IMCS 19 mast. Does anybody know if it will suit normal modern sails, or does it require specific makes?
Yup, as long as you're not a hardcore racer or speed sailor, this mast will work on the right size sail no problem.
Thanks mate. Supported it at ends and hung weight off middle to measure deflection and it appeared the same as year old C45 mast, so hoped it would be right.
So you're using NP sails?
If not you could have batten rotation problems. Not necessarily so but likely.
Ah! Well it was free, so I'll suck it and see. I have a Gastra Manic (old one) and I gather they are a no-no on Pryde masts, but opinion seems divided on other makes. I can but try.
Mrgob, that Manic will work fine on that mast.
I've never matched masts with sails in my 18 years of experience, and the only reason I ever would is if I was racing or speed sailing.
The Manic will work just as well on that Pryde mast as it will on a Gaastra mast.
A lot of this is marketing BS to get you to buy more product from one manufacturer.
I've got 3 Ezzy skinnies, one Gaastra mast and a North Mast and I rig on them:
3 x Gaastra Manic, 1 x Gaastra Poison, 2 x Naish Force and an Ezzy Wave
They all work fine.
Get out there and start enjoying it!
What sort of bend characteristics have Neil Pryde c 2001 masts got? I have mostly Sailworks sails that require constant curve and Im wondering if Id get them to work with a possible NP mast.( Havent got the mast yet).
The old Gastra Manic didn't even feel right (according to a hot shot who gave my rig a try) on a Tushingham C45 mast. I doubt I'll even bother trying to rig it on the Pryde mast.
The curious point is that when I supported both masts at their ends and hung a heavy block of concrete over the middle of each in turn, the measured deflections at the same points along each mast were identical. The tips in particular deflected in exactly the same curve.
It either proves that the Tushingham C 45 400 19 IMCS mast and Pryde Matrix X3 19 IMCS mast are identical, or I've measured them in the wrong way. (Hanging heavy weight over the middle.)
( The cynics might even argue that they're all the same anyway, and just have different labels stuck on! ) (I hope not!)
If you got use to new easy handling sails and then went back to what we sailed on 20 years ago you'd wonder why we bothered back then. But as gear gets better you can get away with differences in set-up and still have plenty of fun. You will find sails from NP best, other brands using constant curve also will be fine, I would try and avoid the hard top sails like gaastra and maui sails on the NP. I use to run a matrix430 on NP, aerotech and loft sails with no problem.
Well you should be able to pull enough of the draft out by over downhauling (very loose top) and lots of outhaul. What you lose is range of adjustment. When you get the sail flat enough for the battens to rotate you dont have much adjustment left and the top is too loose. You end up losing a lot of the sails range.
The centre of lift is also pulled lower in the sail. To a certain extent this can be a good thing for a lightweight short sailor. Is that you Sue?
You'll get the most out of your sail with a mast that is the correct curve or very close.
You can make do with some add hoc poor fit but you lose quite a bit.
Well, as it happens sail pilot, my current 4.7 IS a Loft Lip, so that should be just fine.Next down is a Pryde Combat but I have the correct Pryde 370 mast for that. All in all, the new mast is a most welcome gift. (Usual eccentric millionaire mansion clearout!!!)
I think the Manic was about 03. I bought two of them (the other was a 6.0) but neither seemed to perform very well on the masts I was using. I replaced them both with Loft sails which felt much better (on my masts-Tush C 45's) and just kept the smaller one for surf and rinses. It's well knackered now so I've finished with it really.
Obviously, any sail can work on any mast, to an extent, but there is no doubt that a matching rig feels better.The loft will work on the Pryde mast since it has the same characteristics as the Tush which I currently use. Hope this helps.
