Anybody have experience with the mast deviator?

[Jared K.]

Aloha,

Just wanted some opinions on the mast deflector device.  I've heard about the mast box damage, but just curious because I am going to be sailing on a SUP that I don't want to completely beat the crap out of.  What about those protective pads on the mast?  Thanks a lot guys, I really appreciate everyone sharing their knowledge.  Oh, by the way, I just got my first modern windsurfing board after struggling for a year on a 90's era slalom board... I have only been out once on it, but I still am sporting a huge smile from that day.  What a huge difference. 

Aloha,
Jared

[PonoBill]

More trouble than they are worth. A good pad works OK though it can trap your foot at a bad time, of course so can a bare mast but somehow the pad is more likely to. I don't have a good answer, my foote Gecko board sports a nice dent across the nose from my booms.

[Jared K.]

Okay scratch the deviator... I think I'm going to go with the Neil Pryde boom pad with the cross piece that covers about a foot of mast under the boom.  Maybe I should start to actually be careful as well... Nah!!!

Thanks again Bill.

[wavehobbit]

I would probably pass on the deviator as well.  I do recommend a tall foam Dakine Mast Foot pad.  That way when you drop the mast or eat it, you won't put a dent in the rails from the mast extension or mast.  The SUP boards are so much thicker and wider that you get quite a bit of pressure when the mast is dropped.

[Velasco]

Starboard sells EVA foam bumpers that you can stick on the top deck just short of the nose - mast gets away from you... it just hits the foam pad.

There are other versions of this, or you can make something from EVA foam sheets.  Check out the 'beginner friendly' boards from the big windsurfing companies and they should have the foam bumpers on them.

Unfortunately, sticking something like this maybe less temporary than you'd like, but it would protect the board fairly well.

[outcast]

i swear, after you fall over the handlebars about a million times, you will learn to toss the rig back while you are airborne...

(It actually sets the sail up for a better waterstart, and it's sort of a precursor to a loop in a weird way)

I doubt that makes sense to anyone, but i swear it's true

screw the deviator

[boardlady]

ditto on the Deviator - not only does it create more problems than it solves, it also does not work on wide noses, which your sailing SUP most likely is.
Do check with NSI, www.northshoreinc.com who sell a wide selection of dual-density nose padz that really work!
Eva

[PonoBill]

I think if I spent as much time making my jibes work as I do planning where my sail is going to fall I'd be a lot better sailor, but as it is, you want your sail to fall to the back of the board anyway. If you have almost completed the jibe and you're going down you want the sail on the far side of the board with the mast side closest to the board. With a little practice you can lay it down like that every time. Better that you finished the job, but you can pop the sail up over the tail, get it flying and get your waterstart in seconds. With a little luck no one will even know you fell.

[Jeroensurf]

Buy a cheap poolnoodle, cut it through the middle and glue it on the nose of your board.
Works perfect and is as cheap as it gets without the overdone bulky foam constructions of some brands.