I bought my boat new in 1985 and was offered a free retrofit of the comptip within a few months. I decided against it and have not regretted that decision. I don't race so that is not an issue. I once helped step a comptip mast on a 18 and thought it to be considerably heavier than my mast. One interesting point was that Hobie stated in the letter about the retrofit that the comptip reduced the size of the "cone of protection" from lightning. It protects against hitting power lines as you might find in a launch area. I read where the only thing more dangerous than being out on the water in a thunderstorm in a boat with a mast is to be out in a boat without a mast. I wonder if anyone has had experience with lightning with either mast?

Howard