On my Nacra (5.7) we took the pin out after raising the mast. Is it the same for the Taipans? I have a new to me Taipan 4.9.

Leave it in if it does not interfere with mast rotation. On my Nacra I forgot to put it back in before lowering the mast and, well, you know. Also, I suppose it's possible but unlikely, if your boat turned turtle and the rig was loose it could come off the ball?

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Bill Townsend
G-Cat 5.0
Sarasota
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Well, if you leave the pin in and you lose the rig for any reason, I think you can say good bye to your mast base and possibly a chunk of your front cross bar. I always pull the pin on my F16.

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dk

Blade F-16
Hobie 14
Corsair F-242
Mirage 25 (Sold)
Hobie Tiger (Sold)
Hobie Tiger (Sold)
TomCat 6.2 (Sold)
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I second the opinion that it needs to be removed prior to sailing. I've seen mast bases severely damaged by leaving the pin in.

On my boats, I always used the same pin for the mast and gooseneck/boom. Step the mast, remove the pin, and use it to attach the boom. Reverse for lowering the mast...

On the Nacra mast base anyway, I stopped using the pin after breaking two mast bases and bending several pins. A keeper line does a similar job with less risk...