Spars

Masts

There are a few things to consider when choosing a mast for the 420, but crew weight is arguable the most important one. Fore and aft, and sideways mast stiffness or flexibility are key considerations that can provide performance gains for differing crew weights.

The main principle is that a more flexible mast which can bend more easily in gusts is more suited to lighter weight 420 teams, whilst stiffer mast sections are more suited to heavier teams.

There are two main mast manufactures in the UK which produce masts for the 420. Each of these offer mast choices to suit different crew weights, unfortunately they each use different methods and units to measure stiffness which makes numerical comparison difficult.

Super Spars

Mill Road Industrial Estate, Mill Road, Fareham, Hampshire, UK. PO16 0TW

TEL 01329 232 103

https://www.superspars.com

sales@superspars.com

Super Spars offer two mast sections which are suitable for the 420:

M1 – designed for lighter crews

M7 – for heaver crew weights.

The most common Super Spar mast section in use in the UK is the M7 and is perhaps the most used mast section in Europe in the 420 class.

Seldén Mast Ltd

Lederle Lane, Gosport, Hampshire, PO13 OFZ, England

TEL: +44 (0) 1329 50 40 00

info@seldenmast.co.uk

https://www.seldenmast.com

Selden offer three mast sections which are suitable for the 420:

Kappa C067 – designed for lighter crews

Zeta C068 – for medium crew weights.

Cumulus C069 – for heavier crew weights.

In recent times the Cumulus has fallen out of favour, with most sailors using the Kappa and Zeta sections in the UK.

Booms

There is not too much choice in the world of 420 boom manufactures and whilst there are a few niche productors, 99% of 420 booms in the UK are either Super Spars or Selden. The 420 boom specification is detailed in the Class Rules, but is essentially a non-tapered section.

Newly purchased booms may not have the ‘device’ required for preventing the mainsail being pulled past the ‘outer point’ as per 420 Class Rule F.3.4.1.5.  Most sailors put a rivet in the track to meet this class rule. Worth checking you have one in your boom as this is often checked at event measurement.

Super Spars

The Super Spars 420 boom section is a B1+

Selden

Selden offer two boom sections for the 420, the Olympus and the 2628 with the Olympus being the most common in the UK

Spinnaker Poles

The maximum spinnaker pole length for a 420 pole is 1750mm and shall be made out of Aluminium, see Section F4 of the Class rules. Interesting there is no maximum or minimum diameter, however manufacturers in the UK provide 38mm and 42mm diameter poles. The most common diameter used by the UK fleet is 42mm as this has proved to be the stiffest and bends a lot less than the narrower section.

When purchasing a pole you should consider the direction the pole end fittings face. i.e. hooks up or hooks down. Poles with both directions are used throughout the 420 world and there is no right and wrong way, it’s personal preference! There are pro’s and con’s of both options.

Spar Purchase

With both Selden and Super Spars you purchase their equipment from their approved retailers. Both manufacturers list their retailers on their respective websites, however it’s wise to purchase your spars from a retailer who understands the 420 as they can ensure that some of the options available are right for the 420 e.g. that shrouds are the right length for your 420 hull type etc. as there is some variation.

Some spar retailer will just order a 420 spar from the manufacturer and it will come with the manufacturers default features and rope/wire lengths.