Reading this extensive article on carbon booms,it does seem that the new model platinum boom may well be the best.

Interesting he finds many of his previous booms to have mast slippage problems.

I agree with his opinion on square back ends--- they feel heavy and bulky to me.



www.peterman.dk/windsurf-North-Platinum-boom-1000.html

I've never had aproblem of mast slippage with my Maui boom.

This guy goes to an awful lot of trouble to get the full package, some good ideas and 10 points for persevering

It has amazed me for years & years why companies with huge budgets cannot get it all together.

I have seen the North Platinum first hand and bits of the head break, tiny bits of string break & the grip does peel off, no different to the other big brands.

The North back end is unusual and seems to work but whistles badly without tape covering the holes.

Severne have probably made the biggest effort to get all the little bits sorted & good bits on one boom, they just needed to get some good glue and decent adjustment clips. This may have been addressed now.

How hard is it to copy all the good bits from all the brands and put them on one boom especially when they come out of the same factory in some cases.

For what we pay for these booms the end result is pretty sub-standard, they all still have faults

Severne booms are the bomb, super strong, reduced diameter grip, well made, best wind surfing bit of kit I've got, great value.
Second only to 2nd hand black box 107L, and chinook mast base. All great bits of kit !

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John340 said..
I've never had aproblem of mast slippage with my Maui boom.

I've never had my Maui booms head slip either. I have it fitted on a no name carbon boom which has lasted 10 years now, 180-240cm running on a 8m sail. The grip is intact and it works perfectly well. The only things that need regular changing are the boom extension clips. Maybe I'm not sailing enough :(

So far the best carbon boom I've had is Severne enigma wave, super light, head fits perfectly on RDM mast, small diameter grip. Can't comment on the durability, haven't used long enough

+1 for the Severne boom
Swapped my mauisails booms in for them, too heavy, especially in the tail. The MS boom heads didn't slip for me as well but you could see how fast they are aging, just like the Peter says. Still using one Arron boom with a MS boom head, just transfers the entire boom from average to good.
~Shinobi

To me this guy is strongly biased, probably from this boom being his latest expensive buy and therefore he being very much "in love" with it.

First, he didn't notice that the North boom is NOT entirely monocoque (the tail is built of separate parts: tubes + a "bridge": monocoque front, assembled tail). Probably this will cause no problems, nevertheless it's a "cheaper" construction re. true monocoque.
Second, he broke plenty of MauiSails front ends and must be very upset with the brand, but he should be upset with himself instead as you just have to be careful not to overdo with those and you get both a non-slipping and non-breaking front end. With the added bonus that the MauiSails front end will never crush your mast: it will actually break before that (and I think it's better to break a front end than to crush a mast).
Third, you can fit a piece of rubber in just ANY front end so to avoid slipping 101%, if you like! No need to purchase an overly expensive North boom.
Fourth, the curve of the North boom definitely is "new school", meaning you will have your front hand pretty off of the mast also in tough conditions when you want it close to it instead for better control (the pics of the North and MauiSails booms together is quite explicative, but at times one just doesn't want to recognize reality).
Fifth, as for the grip issue, it's simply a matter of trade-off: either the grip is soft, or it is sturdy. And if you don't like that of your boom, you can easily have it re-gripped once it's done.
Sixth, the front end shims will simply avoid excessive wear of the more costly front end and/or carbon tubing. Much better to have those.
Seventh, front tube outer diameter is directly related to boom stiffness and sturdiness: the bigger, the better. It's the front ends that should cater for tubes diameter, not vice versa.

C'mon it's so obvious the MauiSails boom is still and will ever be no. 1! (kidding myself ... I sell those here in Italy). Have to notice, however, that the pics in the article are of a very old model (newer ones have better grip, a bump in the front that avoids front end moving sideways, much better clips and clips seatings, are measurably lighter and seemingly stiffer and have a longer lasting grip). A bit unfair to compare the latest and greatest from North against an aged competitor.

As for the MauiSails slalom boom being "tail heavy": to me it's just a matter of making an habit, actually the bigger inertia drives it faster when you catch the boom on the new tack after a jibe, actually "helping" one to sheet in. And, we are talking about a big sturdy feeling boom that after all weights a scarce 3.3 Kgs (measured) versus a tiny looking, soda-can-feeling one weighting 2.9 instead! If one doesn't like that (the Slalom 190-240) he can still choose the Slalom 170-230 boom, with narrower tubes (30 mm instead of 32.5) and a "classic" (not oversized) tail. This is on par in weight and tube diameter with the (actually slightly longer: 190-250) North, and still has almost no hole inside its 40 mm front tubing.

I forgot to say: yes, I am strongly biased. By almost ten years of using the MauiSails booms with no problems.

There are a couple of second hand Maui sails booms in 2nd wind for sale--650

When I've tried the Maui sails boom the front end does feel particularly secure.

I use a old fiberspar carbon boom that is freaky light.

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geoITA said..
To me this guy is strongly biased, probably from this boom being his latest expensive buy and therefore he being very much "in love" with it.

First, he didn't notice that the North boom is NOT entirely monocoque (the tail is built of separate parts: tubes + a "bridge": monocoque front, assembled tail). Probably this will cause no problems, nevertheless it's a "cheaper" construction re. true monocoque.
Second, he broke plenty of MauiSails front ends and must be very upset with the brand, but he should be upset with himself instead as you just have to be careful not to overdo with those and you get both a non-slipping and non-breaking front end. With the added bonus that the MauiSails front end will never crush your mast: it will actually break before that (and I think it's better to break a front end than to crush a mast).
Third, you can fit a piece of rubber in just ANY front end so to avoid slipping 101%, if you like! No need to purchase an overly expensive North boom.
Fourth, the curve of the North boom definitely is "new school", meaning you will have your front hand pretty off of the mast also in tough conditions when you want it close to it instead for better control (the pics of the North and MauiSails booms together is quite explicative, but at times one just doesn't want to recognize reality).
Fifth, as for the grip issue, it's simply a matter of trade-off: either the grip is soft, or it is sturdy. And if you don't like that of your boom, you can easily have it re-gripped once it's done.
Sixth, the front end shims will simply avoid excessive wear of the more costly front end and/or carbon tubing. Much better to have those.
Seventh, front tube outer diameter is directly related to boom stiffness and sturdiness: the bigger, the better. It's the front ends that should cater for tubes diameter, not vice versa.

C'mon it's so obvious the MauiSails boom is still and will ever be no. 1! (kidding myself ... I sell those here in Italy). Have to notice, however, that the pics in the article are of a very old model (newer ones have better grip, a bump in the front that avoids front end moving sideways, much better clips and clips seatings, are measurably lighter and seemingly stiffer and have a longer lasting grip). A bit unfair to compare the latest and greatest from North against an aged competitor.

As for the MauiSails slalom boom being "tail heavy": to me it's just a matter of making an habit, actually the bigger inertia drives it faster when you catch the boom on the new tack after a jibe, actually "helping" one to sheet in. And, we are talking about a big sturdy feeling boom that after all weights a scarce 3.3 Kgs (measured) versus a tiny looking, soda-can-feeling one weighting 2.9 instead! If one doesn't like that (the Slalom 190-240) he can still choose the Slalom 170-230 boom, with narrower tubes (30 mm instead of 32.5) and a "classic" (not oversized) tail. This is on par in weight and tube diameter with the (actually slightly longer: 190-250) North, and still has almost no hole inside its 40 mm front tubing.

I forgot to say: yes, I am strongly biased. By almost ten years of using the MauiSails booms with no problems.

Ditto to the above.

I have the slalom 190 - 240. Its my single boom solution for my 8.5 to 5.7 sails. I bought it second hand in Febuary. It's a bit heavier than the 2 booms it replaced (2 naish alloys). I've got used to the weight and appreciate how solid the boom feels. I've had no problems with the head and attachment to the mast. I've purchased new grips from Maui sails and will use to replace when the existing one wears out.

Anyone tried the Aeron carbon slalom boom ?

Had one a few years back (red black and white grip)

Very stiff
Heavy
Boom head gripped the the mast like an arthritic grand mother missing three fingers

Hi GeoITA,

My words (referred to by petermac33) are simply my personal experiences with booms during the years, involving a lot of other booms than the ones from Maui Sails. I'm really sorry if you feel that "your boom brand" is treated in an unfair way.

No need to go into a lot of details as to the booms from Maui sails, I stick to my words. But especially concerning the MS boom heads, just allow me to say, that it isn't the first time the easily cracking MS boom heads have been brought into daylight - for instance in the (now very silent) Maui Sails forum. And every time the issue has come up, the Maui Sails people (and you, as I remember?) have blamed the users for tightening the head too much.

So just for clarification: When I've taken a new MS boom head into use, I've of course always started to clamp the boom very gently to the mast. When it then slides down, of course it has been clamped a bit more securely to the mast. When it still kept sliding down it has been tightened further ... and so on. And after a pretty short period of time the head has given up and cracked. I've really tried, but I never found the sweet spot where the MS boom head didn't slide down AND it didn't crack. For me, I don't think this sweet spot exists. And believe me, I've tried rubber shims, I've roughened the masts etc.

Obviously, you and others have got more positive impressions from using the (otherwise very strong) Maui Sails carbon booms. I think that's what the "Gear Reviews" section is about, to tell our honest opinions. And better do that without questioning the motives of the contributors.

Lastly, this video implicitly tells that I'm not the only one who has experienced cracking MS boom heads (www.mauisails.com/2016/tr2016, from approx. 6:15 to 7:25). And by the way, if I've ever tightened a MS boom head as much as Phil McGain does on the video, it was destined to crack!

Best Regards,
Peter

anyway,..... to answer the question : best booms are AL360

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Nerdburger said..
Severne booms are the bomb, super strong, reduced diameter grip, well made, best wind surfing bit of kit I've got, great value.
Second only to 2nd hand black box 107L, and chinook mast base. All great bits of kit !

Serverne enigma is the best I've used compared with carbon booms by NP, chinook and north.i haven't used any others

Does nobody remember the North grip falling off after 2 sessions? I'd like to see mr petermandk and North refute that and warranty the grip for say 3yrs first.

the only carbon boom i have ever had is an HPL 220-280
the masthead section was re-enforced with carbon upon Bruce Peterson's (of SailWorks) suggestion
the final result is solid and served me well with sails in the 8.5 to 10 m² range



if you wanna get fancy, why not make your own ??

www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-a-carbon-windsurf-boom/

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slalomfreak said..
Anyone tried the Aeron carbon slalom boom ?

Aeron carbon booms have really improved over the years since production changed to pre-preg. They might have been regarded as heavy in the past but now they are competitive with other brands and have the thinest diameter boom in the Slim carbon wave at 24.5mm. The Carbon Slalom/Race series is popular with its wide tail and tapered boom arms, whilst the super stiff V-Grip is made in alloy and carbon. All the models come with the same articulating head complete with removable insert to suit SDM or RDM masts. Windsurf Systems in Victoria are the wholesale and retail distributors.

The red Aeron booms where very solid but indeed a bit in the heavy side, after taking the water taxi thanks to a black Aeron boom disintegrating in the middle of both arms, I'll be happily use the red one again.
The biggest down side with the Aeron booms however is the boom head. Far away from being suitable for the larger sizes but acceptable for the wave booms.
For me (being heavily biased) the best boom on the marked are the Enigma booms. Super solid yet light with a head that works brilliantly.

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shinobi said..
The red Aeron booms where very solid but indeed a bit in the heavy side, after taking the water taxi thanks to a black Aeron boom disintegrating in the middle of both arms, I'll be happily use the red one again.
The biggest down side with the Aeron booms however is the boom head. Far away from being suitable for the larger sizes but acceptable for the wave booms.
For me (being heavily biased) the best boom on the marked are the Enigma booms. Super solid yet light with a head that works brilliantly.

Aeron changed the head across the range a couple of years ago. How old are the booms you're referring to ?

I would argue the best carbon boom is the one you can still get parts for.
NeilPryde released the previous incarnation of the x9 boom in 2004 (mustard yellow grip). You can still get parts 11 years later. That's what counts, being able to repair/replace the non carbon bits that fail.
I've only ever owned 2 x9's. Updated 2 saesons ago when the new ones were relased. My old one is still going fine (as the new owner is only too happy to point out to me). I had it for 9 seasons.
Yes, the all can fail. Manufacturing is not perfect. NP have recognised this and new booms and masts come with a 2 year warranty for extra peace of mind.

The idea of carbon boom is being stiffer but what about the NP X6 with the carbon tail half but alloy front half. Is this just a poor mans carbon boom ?
Where does the flex originate from? Im looking for a larger boom and an X6 is less than half the price. Is there an reason not to go for the X6? Is it better than an alloy and how close to full carbon is it? Looking at 180-230 length.

Just make your own wide tail end to suit your needs. This one is balsa wrapped in carbon. Three years on it's still going strong.

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BSN101 said..
The idea of carbon boom is being stiffer but what about the NP X6 with the carbon tail half but alloy front half. Is this just a poor mans carbon boom ?
Where does the flex originate from? Im looking for a larger boom and an X6 is less than half the price. Is there an reason not to go for the X6? Is it better than an alloy and how close to full carbon is it? Looking at 180-230 length.

IMHO the X6 has an alloy front end and given that most alloy booms fail where the alloy tubing enters the boom head then the longevity must be questionable. I bought carbon booms as I was sick of breaking my alloy booms at this exact point. So full carbon for me. I have a Pryde X9 and Severe Enigma and both serve me well.

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westozwind said..
NP have recognised this and new booms and masts come with a 2 year warranty for extra peace of mind.

When the boom goes boom miles from shore one should try to remember the 'extra peace of mind'...
NP the well-known brand for its durability .

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Rob11 said..

westozwind said..
NP have recognised this and new booms and masts come with a 2 year warranty for extra peace of mind.

When the boom goes boom miles from shore one should try to remember the 'extra peace of mind'...
NP the well-known brand for its durability .

Well, at least some of their stuff holds up reasonably well. Their X9 boom seems to be one (and yes, I have one). Good friend of mine works in a WS retail shop and I always ask for gear with the lowest possible claim rate. Even if it is far from the boom that they have sold most of, during all the years they've sold it only one X9 boom has been broken. That was in a 40+ knot speedsaling crash. It also claimed the entire rig. And the board. I am also very pleased with their UXT RDM extension (alu, have two after years with Streamlined), which to me seems like a well engineered and solid piece of kit. But, maybe I've been lucky.

Hi
Had a second hand X6 boom lasted about 8 months then the front cracked while I was sailing not good. Apparently a common problem. At least it held together long enough to get back to shore.

i believe THAT is why Bruce Peterson suggested a re-enforcement at the head of my HPL boom !!

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Bugs74 said...
Hi
Had a second hand X6 boom lasted about 8 months then the front cracked while I was sailing not good. Apparently a common problem. At least it held together long enough to get back to shore.

Is this fixable or purely throw away. Did the rear get damaged. Does NP warranty this defect/breakage

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BSN101 said..

Bugs74 said...
Hi
Had a second hand X6 boom lasted about 8 months then the front cracked while I was sailing not good. Apparently a common problem. At least it held together long enough to get back to shore.

Is this fixable or purely throw away. Did the rear get damaged. Does NP warranty this defect/breakage

The only way is to fix this is a new boom, Severne Enigma is the choice for me

Hi
No it is not repairable at least not easily and I wouldn't trust that it wouldn't let me down again. I had to purchase another boom and ended up getting another aluminium boom as that is what I could afford at the time.
As far as warranty goes it was second hand when I bought it and I don't know what the age of the boom was but it was in good condition if it was new and this happened reasonably early in it's life I guess it would be worth the ask but as this wasn't and it could be related to corrosion internally even though there doesn't seem to be much evidence of that when i have a look at it.
I only started sailing in January this year and I have had some big catapults so maybe that had something to do with it.
If budget was no object I think that carbon booms are definitely the way to go based on the no corrosion factor but unfortunately mine doesn't stretch that far yet. Maybe when I have all the other wishlist boxes ticked. i.e. better range of sails, fins oh and of course boards for all occasions.