Hi guys,
There must be some heavy weight crew out there “105kg+” that can help me on this subject,
Im after a very strong boom that will takes heaps of punishment,I've been through 4 alui booms in 13mths an replaced arms etc, due to budget “family man” I've been unable to fork out the $$ for carbon, I've had enough and asked Santa for a new carbon boom :)
But which one??? is $600 as good as $1000+ one, isn't carbon-carbon!!!!
Is Monocoque stronger then the bolt on arms, I had a Chinook that covered all my sails 152-214 but found most carbon models are 150-200,
so ill be 10cm short for my quiver,, Can't afford 2.....but if a $600 is as good as a $1000 boom
then maybe Santa might bring me two

Thanks

Hey BigKym, I'm the same weight as you and for past 3 years have been using Autima monocoque carbon booms, over this time they have survived some "big" crashes at speed and are still going strong to this day.
I do also own an X9 carbon boom(for larger sails) which is alot stiffer but for the size your after there wouldn't be any noticeable difference in stiffness.

BIGKYM,

If you don't want to spend the money on carbon,check out the Severne Alu Race
ali booms.I am 93 kg and have 2 of these booms and have to say I am impressed.
The larger sizes have a larger diameter tail to increase the stiffness,they are heavier than standard ali booms, however they are stiff.

What is your biggest sail?

For under about 7.5 a quality ali will do it at half the price and last just as long or longer than carbon. Tecnolimitz ergal alloy, or Hydrodynamix

And 4 booms in a little over a year is pretty good going! Be interested to know what brands they were?

I believe the Severne Alu race is a rebranded Aeron (correct me if I'm mistaken). Definately don't go for the reduced diameter in aluminium if you're a heavy weight - broke one at the head (where the double tube transitions to single tube) way out to sea after about 5 sails without any undue stress (no crashes or catapulting). Decided there and then to invest in a Maui Carbon boom which from memory is about 190 to 240 long. It's super heavy but I have full confidence in it.

Also as Choco mentioned, I too have an Autima carbon (162 to 223cm) whichj is around eight years old now and has had the head replaced 3 times now. It is bullet proof and I think they also are rebranded as Surf Sail carbons. It's just a shame the carbon booms don't come in the big rounded heads like the Aeron monocoque aluminium one I had as it was (for the little time I got to use it) beautiful to gybe.

105kg you lightweight!!! At 0.120 tonne I share your pain with booms but it is with great delight that I can plug an ally boom that lasted 2 1/2 years including the nuclear winter of 09 and the similarly outragous summer of 09/10 in WA.
Chinook alloy slalom boom 152-214 at $260 is a steal. In 18 years of sailing I have never owned a boom that I have abused as much. Excellent clamp design and super long extension arms that will accommodate a 7.5 with plenty left to give a good stiff boom.
After 2 1/2 years it broke last week on the side that I do most jumping on. My friend the metallurgist reckons it was a fatigue failure, but interestingly where it broke, about an inch back from the clamp, was re-inforced and the boom didn't come apart and I was able to sail home on it.
I went straight to the shop and bought another one and was smiling when handing over the cash!!!

unifiber make a carbon boom that is 150-210.

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longwinded said...
Chinook alloy slalom boom 152-214 at $260 is a steal.

I would second that the Chinook alloy slalom booms are rock solid. They are not as stiff as a carbon boom though. That was the deciding factor for me to switch over to carbon... currently using X9 NP.

However, I noticed that quite a number of brands have started to introduced really strange size booms... eg. X9 used to come in 145 - 200 now they only do 140 - 190 and 160 - 220. The later size might work for you though.

For me I used to be able to get away with a single boom for 4.2 right through to 6.2 . On these new booms if I was to rig a 6.2 it would leave the boom completely extended. As my weight is 100+ Kg I wouldn't be surprised if the boom wouldn't last an entire season. I don't know what the warranty situation is on fully extended booms breaking... anyone?

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sausage said...
Definately don't go for the reduced diameter in aluminium if you're a heavy weight - broke one at the head

A number of carbon booms from different manufacturers shape their boom arm in such a way that is usually is only reduced diameter around the area where you grip. It then get's thicker around the boom head.

all booms are crap and are designed for poncy freestyle leprechauns

i think bigkym broke a chinook alloy going by these pics,
www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Windsurfing/South-Australia/Best-shots-from-Day-Street/

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stringer said...

all booms are crap and are designed for poncy freestyle leprechauns

Add many sails and limited / pro edition boards with tissue paper skins.....

I have the SurfSail branded carbon from 2002 or probably earlier and still going strong ($150 bucks second hand from SurfSail back in 2002). I have broken numerous ribs on it. I have weighed up to 95kgs (currently 89.5 ).

Have broken 4 booms over the past couple of years (combination of sudden stops on the sandbank and being a big bugger) the last one being a Chinook carbon which lasted for about 10 years.
Replaced it with a new North heavy duty boom 2.00m-2.50m which comes with a 2 year unconditional guarantee,which is why i bought it.
Used it for the first time at the weekend,felt nice and rigid,quite light too and the grip area is standard sized.
First impressions are very good.

I've got Severne Alu Race booms and they are pretty solid. I've broken quite few booms in the past, but not these and you can have a whole set for the price of one carbon boom!!

Going by the pics you should unharness more especially when jumping and wavesailing?

Bigkym,
Don't know if second hand is your thing but just found a chinook carbon 4sale in the Buy and Sell
www.seabreeze.com.au/Classifieds/Windsurfing/Accessories/~bttgb/2009-Chinook-Carbon-Slalom.aspx?search=kUAz4ywlWw9x4uvKNrfOmw%3d%3d

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ploppy said...

Have broken 4 booms over the past couple of years (combination of sudden stops on the sandbank and being a big bugger) the last one being a Chinook carbon which lasted for about 10 years.
Replaced it with a new North heavy duty boom 2.00m-2.50m which comes with a 2 year unconditional guarantee,which is why i bought it.
Used it for the first time at the weekend,felt nice and rigid,quite light too and the grip area is standard sized.
First impressions are very good.

my north boom should arrive any day now. am hoping its as good as i think it will be! didnt know they had 2 yr warranty!

I have the New NP X3 (160-210cm) which seems to be quite stiff (I'm around 90kg) and it has a 2 yr warranty.

I have also used a carbon Surfsail boom with good result for many years now, it was around $650 for a 180-240cm. However I found the head on the Surfsail boom to be a a little wobbly so it's was replaced with a Maui Sails Head.

At 100kgs and change I've been on an Aeron mono for a while, and it has lasted a lot longer than any other ali boom I've had.

For the 60cm extension range that you are looking at for your quiver, perhaps 2 of the high quality ali booms (technolimitz/chinook) used with much less extension would be the go.

You'd still come out with change compared to a carbon boom, and you wouldn't have to move your harness lines around quite so much. It must take you half a sesh to get them set up right every time you switch from your biggest to smallest sail.

Thanks guys

Choco, Autima carbon sounds good an nice price, got a quick response from dealer but 350 freight,
they can ship 3 booms for the same price freight, good deal but i don't need 3 .

And a local dealer has sold out of another carbon boom mentioned on here.

Yer the pics was from a jump landing nose first in 30knt but i was still holding onto the boom
an still managed to bust everything “the boom was split between the harness line”, But the boom was already deformed,
Even when blasting through chop they still end up bent an stretched,i can feel them bending etc.
Think what the problem is i like to have my harness lines very close together, i have tried to widen them to about a fist or more apart but it feels horrible,
That's the part im having trouble with, is the area around the hands an harness lines...I think carbon will fix my problem, just which one!!!

The Chinook alloy slalom is the strongest i have had an great size, but at 130 bucks an arm its getting to be one expensive boom.Highly recommended for lighter sailors, Recently thought id try new X3 and im to scared to even hook into this thing, but its all I've got at the moment,the head is piss weak an makes the most horrible cracking noises when sailing over chop i wont dare jump on this boom,
think X9 comes with same head!!!

If i get a Carbon 160-210, will that still fit a sail with a 160 spec an still be able to let some outhaul off, means i have to untie outhaul to make adjustments,i like my sails bagged out.

I have tried several times for warranty on booms, all i get is your to heavy for alloy,i will be pissed if i brake a carbon....

“been through 6 sets of harness lines”, but that's another story

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Mark _australia said...

What is your biggest sail?

For under about 7.5 a quality ali will do it at half the price and last just as long or longer than carbon. Tecnolimitz ergal alloy, or Hydrodynamix

And 4 booms in a little over a year is pretty good going! Be interested to know what brands they were?

I refuse to use an alloy for anything over 4.2!! to much flex.. Anything short of alchemy won't fix Aluminum booms, they are all limited by being made out of a Aluminum... (except those new NP X3, oooo they look good)

Big Kym there is currently a 100% fibrespar boom on buy and sell and it's in Adelaide........
can't you just flog a boom of the old man.

every single one of my fiberspar carbon booms broke, some only 3 months old.

either between the harness lines sheared clean in two or cracked at the head.

went thru 3 of them until i switched to KA carbon booms and have not had a problem since. 6-7 years later.

Ive had a couple aerons snapped one but very good value money so you can get a new one every 3 months . Then i thought i would upgrade 2 a -orth carbon boom snaped the back end 3rd session was gutterd got a aeron back end 2 fit then snapped a clamp head 3 sessions in arow then i think they put the grip on with clag glue it was falling of like tissue paper i reakon i used it about 20times then i got a severne enigma loaded it up heaps and the back end still hanging in that things rock solid but there still grip problems the things so skinny its hagging on two a permanent texter.