Comp tip mast vs. Non Comp tip Mast

I am combining two Hobie 16s. Both boats have a good mast. I am not sure which mast to use. The Non Comp Tip sure looks like it will be easier for me and my 13 year old son to step. Any suggestions on the best mast for me to use?

If you are not going to race, use the all AL mast. If you are going to race, you must use the comp-tip.

From what I hear, the all AL mast is better for general sailing.

Sam

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Sail Like you Have a Pair
Bluish gray 73 - 83 H16
Super Nice Yellow 84 H18

You wont get electrocuted with a comp-tip. I think thats a pretty nice perk

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~vinny

You won't get electrocuted if you don't stick a large metal pole into electric wires! Comptips are for lawyers, not sailors.

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The ox is slow but the earth is patient

I find it kind of amazing that this is still such a hot topic on the forums even though it is now almost a 25 year old issue. Comptips are a topic that isn't even discussed at regattas because everyone has accepted them and now just goes out and sails. And you'd figure if anyone was upset about having to use a comptip, it would be the hardcore, diehard racers.

If it were me, I'd check to make sure both masts are straight, water tight, and structurally sound. If they both are, I'd use the comptip mast. It's safer and it's highly unlikely that you'll notice a performance difference, especially if you're not racing (which you can't do with an all-aluminum mast anyway). Both masts will require the same effort to raise and lower.

sm

Hole the comp-tip mast away. You'll have to protect it from UV and potential damage which will be costly if you need to replace it, so learn with the solid AL one, just WATCH FOR OVERHEAD LINES!!!. If you and your son get the itch to race, you can break out the comp-tip for those occasions, and be class legal.

Comp-tips, and the rule, was a bad move (IMHO). It prevents a lot of newbies from trying their hand at racing (cost more than their boat in some cases). I think it should be recinded for pre-'87 boats, and/or novice, B fleet racers.

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Sheet In...Max Out
www.fleet297.org
sailflatlands at gmail dot com

This isn't a racing issue. I don't race. This is about having a less structurally sound vessel that requires replacing a very expensive part regularly as opposed to owning something that I will pass on to the next owner proudly. I own an 18 and am looking at spin kits. I'd never dream of putting a spin on a comptip. By the way; anyone who thinks a comptip protects them from all overhead danger is a fool

At A Fleet, area championship, and NAC levels the rule is strictly enforced, as it should be. All Hobie classes ARE after all "one design"

I personally would prefer to sail an all aluminum stick, but the rules are the rules, and thats just one of the ones that needs to be respected.

Top level sailors owe it to everyone to set the example, and respect that rule.

As a new recreational sailor, none of that is probably a concern to you, but the additional margin of safety should be a concern.



I have to agree with srm. I would sail with the comp tip mast for the time being. There is of course the safety factor of a nonconductive mast to consider, especially for a new sailor that will be sailing an unfamiliar boat in possibly unfamiliar venues where power lines may be present.

Also, being new sailors, there is the possibllity of inadvertently damaging the mast, and it is relativly cheap and easy to replace a comp tip vs trying to find a good straight all aluminum stick.

Good straight all aluminum sticks are getting to be as hard to find as hens teeth. You may someday decide that you want to sell the all aluminum stick, or if yours comp tip mast gets damaged, it might be nice to have a spare tucked away to use. If necessary, you can always cut it down and install a comp tip. But once a mast is cut, it is cut forever. Putting one back together is kinda like trying to get toothpaste back in the tube.

I do not believe there is any significant difference in weight or ease of raising and lowering the mast.

To answer the question you asked, I would recomend using the comp tip mast in the beginning. If you add a spin kit, or for some reason feel the need to put the all aluminum stick on it just to see if you CAN feel a difference, that will be something you could determine once you have learned a little more about how the boat sails.

Stephen

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If the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, maybe it is time to water your own lawn.

I have a boat thats had the same comptip since 1985. I wouldnt consider that a regular replacement. I am the second owner of the boat.

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~vinny

Hmm, a brief list of items that have broken or worn out since my 18 was purchaed new in 1985...

At least 3 sets of sails, one trampoline, a couple hot sticks, a rudder blade, shrouds, oxen blocks, two front crossbars, lower rudder castings, tiller conectors, shroud anchor bolt, all running rigging, cracked hulls...

Comptip? nope, same one's been on there since the retrofit in '88 or '89.

sm

Living in Florida and storing mast up the sun eats comptips up.

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The ox is slow but the earth is patient

Just out of curiosity - can somebody post a picture of a bad comptip mast that has been damaged or destroyed by the sun?

What does it look like?

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Yuri
Hobie 16
Laser Vago

Thanks for all the information. My wife and I had been sailing with the comp tip. The hulls of that boat were getting too tired. I bought a different boat that has excellent hulls. That is the reason that I am combining the two boats. With all the input I will be sticking with the comp tip mast and keeping the other for a spare. Now I need some Cat Wheels, so I am not so hard on the hulls. Thanks for your help.

Yes, I'd like to see that too. When I was into homebuilt (fiberglass) personal aircraft years ago we built them using epoxy resin like a comp tip and EPO rudders. We applied a black primer UV shield before applying the finish coat to protect the epoxy. I think that is why the comp tip and EPO rudders are black- they have a UV barrier. A cover can't hurt, but I see no deterioration in my '86 comp tip and rudders which were likely left outside all the time by the previous owner(s).

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Alan
'86 H16, Sail #89057