Windsurfing equipment: The ultimate guide to buying second-hand - Mast extensions
Mast extensions - Rdm or Sdm?
Whoever buys the used article for Topic masts If you've already read this article, you'll certainly have an idea of what's important when it comes to mast extensions - here, too, a distinction is made between RDM and SDM. RDM, you remember, stands for "Reduced Diameter Mast". This refers to the reduced mast diameter and the RDM extension is now specially designed for this type of mast.
The same applies to the SDM extension, which is designed for masts with a standard diameter.
surf tipBuy the mast first so that you know what type of extension you need.
Mast extensions are often offered in different lengths (e.g. 45 cm, 30 cm, 15 cm). Depending on your requirements, one or the other makes sense, but an extension with an adjustment range of 30 cm is most commonly used.
Aluminium or carbon?
As with the fork trees, the extensions are also available in different materials. A carbon fibre extension is very light, but also correspondingly expensive, without any noticeable advantages for non-professionals. An aluminium extension is therefore completely sufficient for 90 percent of surfers to be happy.
Mast extensions - the right system
The mast extension and mast foot plate must be compatible so that the board and rig can be connected later. Fortunately, the pin system has become widely accepted on the market - 95 per cent of mast bases have a thin metal pin that is inserted into the extension to connect the board and sail.
Nevertheless, there are alternative systems on the market (e.g. "Quick Release" or "US Cup") that only fit into corresponding extensions. So make sure that the mast base and extension are from the same system.
surf tipIf you have already bought the mast base, take it with you to check whether it fits on the extension. The other way round, when buying the mast base, make sure that it is compatible with the extension you have already bought.
Condition
Aluminium extensions usually last forever and can usually be bought used without risk. Just make sure that it is not bent and that the cup at the bottom, where the mast base goes in, does not wobble. With the pin system, the weak point is often the button used to release the mast base from the extension. Its return spring may be rusty or no longer have any tension. So make sure that this button moves smoothly and returns to its position automatically when you let go of it.
Marketplace
You'll find the right mast extensions here:
