I recently decided to buy my first new rig in over 20 years and went with Severne. I received everything today, which included an Enigma wave boom.

Unfortunately the boom head is really loose and spins quite easily. I assume this isn't normal and I should get a replacement? I didn't see any way to tighten it. Not what I was expecting from their top of the line product.

First check the bolts aren't loose. If they are take them out and apply some Locktite (I used 263 on the last boom head I replaced).

If the bolts are tight it's most likely that the carbon on the boom where the boom head sits has worn. The wear is actually minimal to cause the head feeling "loose". You have two options in that case.

Either you put a thin layer of glass on the area where the boom head sits or you use one layer of electric tape around the boom head area. Depending on the amount of wear this could be potentially too thick. I recently did that on an Enigma boom that had a Goya boom head with too much play. Worked a treat.

If you go down the re-glassing route do a search for R1DER (aka Mike) as he recently posted about re-glassing the arms to tighten the boom head.

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stehsegler said..
First check the bolts aren't loose. If they are take them out and apply some Locktite (I used 263 on the last boom head I replaced).

If the bolts are tight it's most likely that the carbon on the boom where the boom head sits has worn. The wear is actually minimal to cause the head feeling "loose". You have two options in that case.

Thanks for the advice - if it was a used boom, I'd follow your suggestions. However, this is a brand NEW boom, fresh out of the wrapping. It shouldn't be worn in any way... right?

They do have a little bit of horizontal movement , this means that if the clew position changes then theres still equal pressure on the boom head. Give the bolts a little more tension, but make sure there is still some way that that head can move up and down.
My one moves a bit but I never notice once rigged, they do have a good mast attachment but again don't over tension it with the rope.

Even when the clew isn't super tight the head doesn't move, I initially thought my boom head was too loose too but seemed fine when I used it.

Thanks for the replies. I'm not sure if the video I took came through in the original post, but the looseness is more than "a bit". Once rigged, the clew is entirely supported by the outhaul. That's not good.

There are only two bolts that I can see on the head and they're both already super tight. Photo: drive.google.com/file/d/16cyuDfRlZq89UWsi0VFt_xUqHkDFKXdE/view?usp=sharing

I've emailed the shop I ordered from to hear what they say.

Sorry. My mistake. Probably should have looked at the video properly rather than mainly looking at the post headline.

Lateral movement like you have shown in the video is normal. There is a small amount of tolerance between booms of the same model. I wouldn't worry about load on the clew.

The way the load is distributed on a boom most is going towards the head. Not seen a clew tear from boom load and I have seen booms so loose they rattled while sailing.

Back in the 90s I worked in a shop in Germany were we sold booms with a quick release head that didn't have the lateral movement. Nearly 100% of them broke because most of the load was transferred to a single point of failure on the boom head. Can't remember the name of company... only remember it was from France.

I think it's supposed d to be like that.

Looks fine to me... but perhaps a little looser than most so maybe the factory needed half a turn more on the bolts. Try that......

Not a fault IMHO

Looks fine to me but don't use red loctite it will be a bitch to pull apart or adjust later on .Use the blue one its not high strength if youre worried about the bolts loosening.

It's meant to be loose so you can rotate the head flat when travelling. Simmer does it too. Granted though Severne is looser than simmer.

you also want the head to rotate so you don't break masts

its normal,20 years ago (when you got your last one!) they were fixed but now they rotate around a continuous member carbon or Ali inside the head as opposed to an arm being riveted in to a fixed head. Bit of slop is no drama, as under tension it will not be moving.

The Severne boom head has two washers, to stop you over tightening the head, as you will eventually break the red piece if you over tighten.

Also when you clamp it, the handle applies pressure to red piece, which further tighten it. Does the clamp wiggle, or wobble when sailing? If not then it's fine. It will eventually need some maintenance, because it does wear.

Wow do I feel like an old timer now, ha! I think peterowensbabs hit the nail on the head - I'm just used to booms that attach rigidly to the mast as AFAIK that was the norm last century, and having a lot of downward load on the outhaul just seems wrong. Time for this old guy to get with the times!

Thanks all, that's a huge relief!

EDIT: actually now that I think about it, I'm even more embarrassed because the REALLY old booms that were attached via lines were even more loose along that axis and they were "fine". What's old is new again I guess.

Supposed to happen but don't take that as motivation to rotate the head excessively. I would avoid pushing the clew of the boom up or down when you take the clew on/off. I.e slide the boom all the way up and down the sail to the correct clew spot before securing the head.Treat it as a fixed rigid head and keep the bolts tight but understand it does rotate. The composite boom will wear over time making it sloppier and sloppier which you want to avoid for as long as possible!

Hi, yes the boom head is supposed to rotate but an older boom will eventually get wear, and the boom head can become a little too loose, to the point where it moves when you tack or gybe to the other aside.

The proper solution is to remove the boom head and to paint the boom arm moulding with epoxy resin, to re-establish the slightly larger original diameter. To do this, you have to remove the boom head bolts to get the fitting off, and that's not easy.

But I find a much simpler solution is to get whipping twine from a yacht chandlers, and you wrap this waxed line several times around the ends of the fitting on each side, and it weirdly disappears into the moving joint. This packing then stops any 'play' in the loose head and re-establishes a tight and dampened fit for the rotating fitting.
I did this to my boom a year ago and it's like new again.
They are very good booms.

normal.

Mine was a bit loose after a couple of years, just painted some epoxy on the tube and now it's snug again but still rotates

Slide a bit of bicycle inner tube over the boom and refit the head? I've seen a boom that slid back and forth on gybes which reckon must not be good.

It's fine, it's a pivoting head boom by design so that you don't point load and break your mast

As it is new-bit of clamp bolt tightening
Older booms - add bicycle inner tube indeed ;)
always Loctite

Totally fine. Ride it hard then inner tube when it falls off on its own.

Mine is a bit loose. Ok we've removed the bolts how do you remove the end? I don't want to manhandle it until I know if that's necessary.
I'm going to wrap a piece of mylar under it.
We ended up giving up after taking the bolts out. Rather than stuff it through ignorance I'll wait and get someone who knows what they are doing to look at it.
It's even looser now. What's the worse that can happen is it spins easily? Is it likely to fail on the water?

Two big forks and stretch it apart.

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remery said..
Two big forks and stretch it apart.

Thanks. I'll wait and get someone else to look at it , meanwhile its not likely to fail out on the water is it?

I wouldn't think so, there's supposed to be a bit of movement. I've seen some with a LOT of movement.

Ive notice the boom angle is quite different between OD6.2 and Moto 6.4.

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remery said..
I wouldn't think so, there's supposed to be a bit of movement. I've seen some with a LOT of movement.

Ive notice the boom angle is quite different between OD6.2 and Moto 6.4.

I wouldn't have thought to look at that. In what way?
I'm starting to think the 7.2m isn't going to get me going as soon as the 7.5m Turbo like they claim on the website ( or at least be similar).
We've had some rubbish days lately and I've been frustrated slogging around. I'm sure the turbo would have got me going in some of the gusts. next crap day I'll rig it. The Moto feels easier to gybe etc.
Sorry for hijacking the thread..

I don't get it .. the boom in the video looks perfect.

what are you talking about?

completely lost .. why post a video of a perfect new boom with normal movement.

it's normal. mine does it too. it's to flatten the head when travelling/packing. good mate of mine used to own a windsurfing shop selling Severne and that's what he told me as well. Plus it helps flex the load from the sail under power. initially I thought it was an issue but bolts were fine and then he told me that

It's designed for doing that! If the boom head couldn't rotate it generates high stress points in the boom head but in the mast too! Don't do anything just rig as it is. I've been riding Formula gear from 2000 and this is a great feature to avoid broke your mast!

It's designed for doing that! If the boom head couldn't rotate it generates high stress points in the boom head but in the mast too! Don't do anything just rig as it is. I've been riding Formula gear from 2000 and this is a great feature to avoid broke your mast!