I've just got hold of a NP Zone 4.5 and now need a 400 mast for it. Any advice?

I've seen the Amex Katana 65% RDM which looks good value at £170, but NP sails generally need a flex top mast. Has anyone got experience of the Amex mast on NP sails? The 2 Amex masts in the baords test were more standard flex, rather than flex or stiff top.

Or should I save up a touch more and go for the best NP mast I can afford or a Tushingham RD mast, which according to the Boards test lately is more flex top, or any other?

Ta
bob

Hi Bob,
(did reply to this before but seems to have gone) I use Zones from 3.3m to 5.6m and rig them all on RDM's and they work just fine. I use a combination of Powerex and Ezzy masts (new and 2nd hand) but a lot of the sailors at Rhossy use Amex and no one has a bad word against them.
The Zone is a wave sail so when you are using it in the waves the conditions will be constantly changing and you will have to be constantly sheeting and triming the sail and adjusting your stance so ideal mast top flex is not really top priority unlike racing/slalom where you are locked down and expect the top of the sail/mast to react to rapid changes. If you want a really reactive head with a relatively stiff mast just give it some more downhaul - in really gusty conditions I will rig with so much downhaul that the top of the sail flaps about like an empty crisp bag on the beach but it works a treat out on the water.
Only downside to using RDM's on sails which have been designed to rig on standard masts is you might have to experiment with the rigging recomendations (I have to rig the 5.6m with an extra 3cm outhaul as standard) but once you have that sorted you will never go back to standard masts in the waves at least not if you have ever had to swim your kit 800m back to the beach with a broken mast in head high or more surf.

Bob

Full rebiew & testing of a tonne of masts of all shapes & sizes is in this months boards mag (the one with Nobby Rash on the front).