What's your experience with Carbon wave booms? What worked? What didn't? What's your favourite boom and how much did you pay?

Booms I have used.

- X9: Pros -fairly stiff
Cons: Heavy, don't like the shape, expensive.

- Streamlined: Pros - Has to be the stiffest carbon boom on the market, light, decent price
Cons - Grip is too thick, mast clamp system is retarded.

- Severne Enigma: Pros - Super thin grip, light, stiff given the Dia
Cons - Good luck getting your hands on one

- Severne Red Line: Pros - Thin grip, fairly light, fairly stiff, well priced.
Cons - Front end creaks like a mofo.

I have the redline, I wanted an Enigma after sailing one as i'm a fan of the super thing grip but gave up trying to get one, Payed $700 for the Redline.

I treat my booms fairly harshly it seems, i've broken 4 Pryde alu and hybrid booms previously, so far the Redline has withstood the punishment. I've only had it for a few months so long term longevity is yet to be classified

Hi,

don t know you get AL 360 carbon booms in down under
have
one in 150-210 best boom i ever had....

www.al360.it/windsurf/

aloha herry

Streamlined is light strong and well designed - replace the webbing straps every season and I reckon it would last forever

Once set up the front end is the easiest thing in the world

Also have an X9 which wont die - regripped, new front end and it still feels like it did when new

I do like the Enigma - once you get used to the thin grip you will be spoiled for anything else though

You probably will not find a streamlined for sale...

I've used Chinook for years, and been very happy with both the little (135-190?) and the big one (150-210?). They've both coped a pounding, but still work very well.

I've also used Fibrespar, but don't rate them as much. The adjustment is fiddly (although very rigid when everything is in good shape), and I broke one of the arms on a very standard cutback off a fairly average Avalon wave a couple of seasons ago.

Select to expand quote

CJW said...

I have the redline, I wanted an Enigma after sailing one as i'm a fan of the super thing grip but gave up trying to get one, Payed $700 for the Redline.

Yeah same, I must say I haven't heard the redline creak, but maybe it will in time??

Got to use a proto enigma for a bit late last year... hmmm very nice. Shame the production of these booms can't match demand.

Maui sails carbon boom, great value and super strong and durable, only proplem the grips last about 3 months, but is easy to regrip. The head is large and has square edges that could damage rails, but dosen't flex at all. I have 2 both 140 to 200 great size for 4.7 to 6.3 m. perfect coverage for my east coast quiver. Havn't tried engima, to sample the hype. If you can get a streamlined carbon, i think they are the best, but were too dear and now hard to impossible to get in aus, (last year).

Hello,
I am using maui sails wave carbon boom (140-200) for a more than a year now, there is nothing wrong about it, grip is still all good, good things are the small diameter tube and the weight, it feel so light it does make a difference when you ride.The grip feels quiet dense and strong it never slipped of my hands, i haven't found a flaw to it yet, noticeable as well is the stiffness, it doesn't move at all, doesn't feel wobly. Good boom.

The new carbon Chinook has a nice shape and is really light!

I sail with Tecnolimits contact booms with the flexyhead.
If you sail clean conditions there is no need to get that construction, but if you sail in messy choppy waves its a bless.
In the beginning I was a bit afraid that the connection to the mast would be less direct/stiff, but it clamps like any other good boom, it just ads some comfort.

My former booms are the Tecnolimits XTR, after 6 years of hard use I replaced once the back-end after 4 years (=+/-500sessions).
the backend was still going strong but had chips and jaws out of it because i,m to lazy to clean my stuff and there is sand everywhere here and it didnt feel right to keep sailing with that.
When I sold it to a friend it was still as stiff as a the brand new one he bought too.

I got some pics of the Contact compared to the XTR, both have a small diameter



the curve: left contact, right XTR


XTR boomhead:


Contact boomhead, lots of leverage:






you can tune how flexy you want the head of the Contact: I prever medium.
When you make it really tight it feels like just any other normall boom.




The contact needs a bit thicker AND longer shim.


I also tried the North HD-boom with the I-front but being used the Contact it felt rather stiff and didnt had much of flex.
For me sailing in confused and choppy waters all the time its the best invention for booms since they found those newer curves 8?years ago.
I doubt if I can ever go back to a normall boom.
The only downtrade: they are expensive and you really need to check before every session the rope of the head as there is a lot of force on it! (I replaced mine with a thicker as average version of Formuline

If you are into waves or freestyle where you need precise control over your rig, flexible boom front ends are the stupidest things ever invented. I'd even argue they are stupid for all forms of windsurfing; imo the shock through your arms even in choppy conditions is minimal. I had one of those north booms with the flexi front ends for a while, it was stupid. I just tightened it up so it didn't flex...although it still did...then the front end exploded one day landing a forward

I also think the other thing that is important with booms is a super minimal, clean front end, the Severne front end fits this bill (aeron, naish also very similar), so does the NP. Nothing that you can catch your hands on when flicking the sail around, once again particularly important if you are into freestyle.

I was thinking that too for years, and then I tried this one.
Then again, the shock on your arms are managable, but when youi make a high jump hooked in, it also gets through your spine. With a bad back its less tiring using this one.
the flex isnt workinf in a anoying kind of way or like a too loose head, it just takes out a bit of the big bumps and the connection is very stiff and firm. It just flexes up and down when you hit something seriously.
I can still bottomturn fully committed leaning on my boom without getting the boom flexxed, but it does (a bit) after landing a big jump just taking out the harsh.
The same with big chop.
If you don,t sail condsitionms like that, there is non need to use a boom like this.