Hi Henri,

Windsurf masts are not stiff enough for anything but canoes. Much, much too flexible for the Goat Island Skiff.

The advantage of carbon masts is that they reduce the centre of gravity of the rig. Which means the boat has to heel more before the rig starts making the boat heel more.

I would suggest replacing the wooden yard with a carefully chosen part of the windsurfer mast as in this article.

There are some lighter homemade boom designs on the file section of the Goat Island Skiff Facebook Group.

If looking at carbon masts – yes they are terrifically expensive. Diameter has to be pretty close to the ones listed in the mast table in on this page that includes records and weights and stiffnesses of different spars. Diameter is the most important determinant of stiffness.

Best wishes
Michael