My masts (made from green Doug Fir) weigh in at 20lbs - pretty heavy for a small boat like a PDR but not so unreasonable. You might experiment with your stick dimensions - using 1/2" thick sticks - or thinner - instead of 11/16". Also, you might make your wide sticks a little skinnier - like 2 1/2" or even smaller. Remember: Thinner sticks will result in a bendy mast. Bendy masts are great - especially for racing - but they can be scary and nerve wracking, too. When you are terrified your mast will break at any moment, an event like the Texas200 becomes very long, indeed. For instructions on how to make a great race boat that uses a bendy mast, please see Michael Storer's plans for the Oz PDR.