The mast base is the piece of equipment that differentiates a sailboard from other sailing craft.  The purpose of the mast base is to attach the rig to the board, while allowing it to rotate and tip freely in any direction, even flat to the water.  Usually the term is used to describe everything between  the board, and the mast.  It is made up of the mast base extension, the universal joint, and the mast step (or foot).  Sometimes people refer to the mast base extension as the mast base.  

Choose style:  First thing to do is determine what type of mast track that you have in your board.  Most modern boards have a standard track: basically a slot in the board into which a metal slider plate goes.  This is the only type of system that Windance sells.  

Please note that other tracks may have some other type of attachment system.  To outfit these boards, some adapting may be necessary.  Most can be retrofitted to a standard mast base cup.  If you need to adapt your system, be sure to keep the pin or fitting that goes into your board. 

Mast extensions are sold in two parts: the mast foot, and the mast base extension.  You can mix and match to fit your needs. 

 

Mast foot	Mast base extension

Selecting Extension: Next thing to figure out is the length necessary for your mast / sail combination.  There are basically three lengths of mast base extension available: The stubby, the medium extension, and the long extension.  Below is a table with some descriptions below:

 

The stubby: This base extension is light, simple, and inexpensive.  The disadvantage of it is that it doesn't adjust much, if at all.  It is a popular base for gorge sailors, as most small sails don't need any adjustment.	The medium base extension: The medium base is our most popular size.  It has about 8" of adjustment.	The tall base extension: This base is designed primarily for large sails. It is not recommended to use this extension with the base inserted more than 12" into the mast.

Choose mast base material: Most mast base extensions are made of aluminum tubing.  This material has proven to be a great choice for most people.  Like with many windsurfing parts, carbon fiber has worked its way into mast bases.  Of all the windsurfing components, carbon fiber use in mast bases is of the least benefit, except in longer mast bases, where extra strength and stiffness is preferred.  For most medium and stubby extensions, aluminum is adequate.  

Benefits of aluminum mast extensions: inexpensive, easy to adjust, adequate for most people (including most high performance sailors).

Benefits of carbon mast base extensions: Stiff (more important on long extensions), light (the weight savings is minimal because of the location of weight, and minimal difference in weight), strong.    

Choose style: Different brands of extensions have different cleats and collars.  Choose the one that best suits you.  Windance sells Chinook (black) and Windsurfing Hawaii (gold) brands.  Both are great bases, and are compatible with each other 's mast base cups. 

Choose length: Go for the middle range unless you need to extend your mast a lot to fit your sail, then go for the long extension.  You may want to choose the stubby base, if you use only small sails which need no adjustment, or you have the perfect length masts for all your sails.

Select Universal joint type: The most popular Universal joint is the rubber hourglass one, next is the tendon joint, and then the mechanical joint.

The rubber hourglass joint (aka: Boge joint) is the most popular universal joint.  It has 8mm threaded inserts on each end.	The tendon joint is stiffer than the Boge, which transfers the power of the sail to the board more directly.  These universal joints are more expensive than the Boge Joint.	The mechanical joint has very little "slop", which makes it popular with some racers.  This makes the connection to the board more direct, and powerful.  Also, this joint allows the sail to lie flat to the water without causing light boards to flip over while waterstarting.  The disadvantage of this base is that there can be an angle where the base doesn't bend smoothly.  It is our least popular joint.

Select the mast step type: The mast step includes is the plate which bolts onto the board.  There are several options:

Chinook Quick Release plate: this plate has become the standard in the industry.  This system uses two bolts which attach securely to the mast track.  The Quick Release system allows you to easily separate the boge part of the base from the plate, which facilitates storage, and swapping of boards. Click here to see our choices of two bolt quick release bases.	The Streamlined Quick release plate is lower profile than the Chinook, making it the preferred choice for many racers.  It also allows you to quickly and easily separate board from rig below the universal joint. Click here to see our choices of two bolt quick release bases.	The standard one bolt star plate is a simple and inexpensive plate.  An 8mm bolt protrudes from the bottom of the plate.  This bolt goes into the mast track and simply tightens onto the metal slider plate in the mast track. Click here to see our choices.

Other options: 
The Chinook Hydroshock: This component is a shock absorber for the mast.  A rig weighs about 20 lbs, and when this comes down from a jump, it is like a sledge hammer on your board.  Not only does this put a lot of stress on your board, but it also can slow your board down with the vibrations against the water. Click here to order a hydroshock mast foot.

You can mix and match most of the options on this page.  Just choose your preferences, and we should be able to set you up.  Click here to go to our mast bases page in the store.

Frequently asked questions:

If you have any questions, click here.

To view frequently asked questions, click here.

Windance 108 Hwy. 35, Hood River, OR 97031
Phone: 1-800-574-4020 (or 541-386-2131)
Email: windance@windance.com
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