Has anybody used those fixed 30cm extenders/extendos (not extensions!!) with skinny masts? I'm going to get another skinny soon and I'm stoked at the idea of only needing 2 masts (400 & 460) for all my sails from 4m to 8.5....That's IF extenders work ok with skinnys.
Any wise words?
I know yoyo has been experimenting with tip extensions with some success. Maybe PM him.
Anyone seen one of these or have any more info?
Reckon they would fit any RDM? Or just North ones?
Interested in getting one to fit my Loft 460, then could run a bit rig off it
Any ideas about price etc?
One of my mates made one, just hacksawed 20 cm off the top of an old mast. Then he stuck a broom handle inside it to act as a ferrule, and painted it black (looks a bit less dodgy then).
He reckons it's the ducks nuts 
There's a bloke in Bris who makes them, Tim Hughes. He takes a piece of aluminium tube and presses a mandrel into one end to expand it to fit snugly over the mast tip. Its nice and light. He could probably make you one if you ask him nicely. Pm me for his details. I think I've still got his card somewhere.
The thing to consider is that the mast will be a little softer than the mast the sail was designed for. This is unlikely to be an improvement but certainly ok for non competitive free ride, and cheap and convenient too.
That was some fine sarcasm from you Willy!
Nice humour. Particularly liked the thong for footstraps.
(make sure you use "double pluggers" so they don't pull out of the board!)
But seriously, I made a 38cm extendo out of the bottom half of a broken Fibrespar 460.
It allowed me to run a 7.5 streetracer on my 460 instead of having to buy a 490.
It worked great. When people say "yeah but surely the mast was too soft." well that wasn't the case, cos I only needed too use the 7.5 when the wind was really light, (so the softer mast wasn't being over distorted by the wind,-in fact it probably helped early planing) and as soon as the wind got any stronger, I'd switch to a 6.5 anyway.
Got the broken 460 from a shop for free, used the bottom section as the base, and created the ferule from a section higher up. (use calipers to work out the required diameter, cut the ferule accordingly, slide it up from inside the bottom, and epoxy or polyester resin it in)
Bob's ya Uncle....never had any probs.
(Wouldn't trust the broom stick technology either) 
Actually the tip extenders are effective because they are lightly loaded - no big bending moment just a strong compression. And because the the top panel of the sail is just a big loose floppy vent it doesn't load up and there is bugger all membrane stress to deal with. I'd be surprised if a broom stick wasn't adequate to support 20 cm, just a bit heavier than necessary.
Don't know about their performance in the waves though. A good washing might bend it.
