I have always been in favor of masthead floats like the Hobie bob, especially for recreational sailors who are usually out there by themselves without other boats around and for people who take non-sailors and children for rides. However, every safety feature always seems to have a negative side, as well. In the case of the Hobie Wave, for example, which comes standard with a masthead float, the "Bob" does a great job of preventing the boat from turtling. However, it does such a good job that it creates another problem. When the boat capsizes, it is lying on its nice smooth side and the end of the mast is lying on that nice smooth side of the bob. The wind is pushing on the under side of the trampoline, and the boat goes skating across the water like an iceboat until you go and stand on the hull forward of the main beam and depress the bow so the boat will start pointing into the wind. So when I am orienting people to sail our Hobie Waves, I always stress that the number one most important thing to do if the boat capsizes is to hold onto the boat, because it can go "sailing" away on its side very quickly, and you won't be able to catch it. Maybe what Carl suggests as far as the flotation "strip" on the upper part of the mast would make for slower downwind drift.

Has anybody tried the mast flotation strips?