I don't know what the "new" alum. mast on the 17 is like, but I can tell you I love my alum. wing mast on my Blade. The wing section is so much nicer to use too. I know carbon is lighter, maybe stiffer, etc. but $11K for a mast? I think Ben Hall said he only spent about $2K for all the stuff to build his wing sail! (as a cost comparison, I'm not suggesting you put one on an I-20)

Can you buy the boat without the mast and then find a new carbon mast suplier or buy an alum. wing mast?

Yes, I know you won't be -one design- anymore, but if you get the class to vote to allow it, no problems, right? I mean, it's just a length of alum. mast stock so how could it possibly be "faster" than the $11K carbon mast, right? So nobody should object to using one, right? And they already did it with the F17's right?