The rule says "... a fully fitted mast, excluding standing rigging ... " This includes all fittings such as halyards and trapeze lines (in normal position) in the measured tip weight rule. ONLY the fore and side stays are excluded from this measurement.

This applies in all cases, c.q. also when the halyards are not internal.

The fully rigged Alu mast are now at about 8.00 kg tipweights if I remember correctly. 6 kg tipweights thus allows the carbon masts to be 4 kg lighter in the mast tube section assuming the same "fitting out" of the mast.

This should be pretty close to what can be had with carbon masts, where the extreme cases fall outside of what the rule allows. This was the intention of the rule several years back. Limiting the gap between alu and carbon as well as preventing "fully optimized" masts that break after a capsize as is encountered now and then in the A-cat class. By limiting the weight savings that can be had and making it far more attractive to have more material in the mast then lead at the top we sought the reduce the pressure on the mast builders to find the absolute edge.

To PTP, I seem to remember that that carbon 18HT mast weights about 15 kg's, compared to under 10 kg for A-cat masts. So that carbon 18HT mast is not the lightest that can be had with carbon but it is definately dependable. The same situation was sought for the F16 class hence the tip weight rule.

Wouter