I'm selling my Chinook carbon RDG because it's floppier than a wet noodle. But I love the tiny grip size. I also have the Goya super skinny 150-200 and that boom is significantly stiffer than the chinook RDG, but it's also a slightly larger diameter grip size. Is the Duotone Mega Slim any stiffer than the Chinook.

Skinny = bendy

Not a fan. The moderate increase in comfort is not worth the massive bendy noodle effect for me.

Little guy with diminishing skills. 73 kg., 73 years old.
Love bendy alu booms. All last more than a handful of years. Think 15 year old standard alu Chinook half extended is too stiff.
Found my 30 year old, used close to 200 days, old Euro boom in Puerto Rico, used it 12 days there, and was thinking of bringing it back to San Francisco with me. American said..."no".
I sailed it all in small surf and onshore wind with 5.5. Wind 10-20.

Oh....always had carbon booms since 1993.
For racing and speed, they were good.
For waves, they place more stress on masts, and I preferred sdm for float.
Past 20 years no comps, only rec sailing. I like using the smallest sail for anyone my weight, so don't need stiff booms.
For windsurfing in typical 14-21 knot breeze, 5-6 is my choice.
I can hold my slalom sails in 7.8 sizing easily at that windspeed. A 7.0 is my choice.
I typically sail with guys who use 1-2 meters bigger sails and full on slalom boards. Most can jibe 95%.
I am always top 90% for speed and planing thru jibes out of 30 rec shortboarders.

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Mark _australia said..
Skinny = bendy

Not a fan. The moderate increase in comfort is not worth the massive bendy noodle effect for me.

Try a highend one like the Duotone or Pryde, pricey but super stiff. The Chinook RDG is notorious for not being rigid enough, I have the Duotone mega slim and it's just night and day. Now I'm not a fan of the shape of the curve (I prefer the rounder designs like the NP) but that's another thing

They still bend more, regardless of how premium they are....... its a fact of life that for same weight a wider tube bends less.

As to the strength - I dunno if skinner is stronger but I know the only carbon booms I've broken have been the skinnies, I'm back up to 28 or 29mm again with no issues - Simmer Blackline (5y/o ish) and similar age North Platinum.

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Mark _australia said..
Skinny = bendy

Not a fan. The moderate increase in comfort is not worth the massive bendy noodle effect for me.

Unfortunately not everyone is the same and some people can't sail more than 10 mins with standard diameter booms.

Which would you choose:
Standard diameter boom = 10 mins on water, then rest time on beach due to forearm pump
RDM boom = 3 hours on water

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philn said..
Is the Duotone Mega Slim any stiffer than the Chinook.

Suggest you also consider booms with a v-grip.

I tested a few booms and a v-grip with an extra 1mm at say 25mm ... result is that a 25mm v-grip is more comfortable than a 24mm normal diameter.

AL360 is the way to go.

Might need to look at your technique Jake

Those "v" booms are easier to hold sans harness.
But, for some peeps like me, they really point load and cause early callous to blister to ripped hands.
I got rid of my last Fleetwood carbon oval grip 10 years ago.
Prefer round and slightly flexy at old age.

I've had,, severne, chinook rdg carbon booms.
My 2 cents as a larger wave sailor, 90/95 kg, using big sails 5.5/5.8 in light and gusty conditions and powerful waves.
Ive found them stiff, great quality, the chinook has an overly complicated grip all the lettering, didn't last, re gripped after 2 season, still going strong. The rear end could be wider for bagging out sails a bit for float and ride.
The carbon is stiff, light, and great quality, made in USA by chinook. Not a China by third party and re branded.The severne grip is excellent from new. The clamp head needed re shimming, I think they all do, sand between carbon and plastic.
Ive seen the duotone top end one and it looks awesome, it's light, slim and expensive.
Goya rdg also excellent, I believe they are a generic boom, banded for Goya but could be wrong.
Another to consider if you don't want super slim, is streamline carbon. Made in house, alloy clamp. Super strong and stiff. No loop and go on boom end though.

I decided to get the Duotone Mega Slim 150-200. The workmanship and quality are streaks ahead of the carbon Chinook RDG, and it is significantly stiffer. Almost as stiff as the Goya Super Skinny 150-200, but with a noticeably skinnier grip. So far I've used it with my 5.5 (26 cm extension) and I didn't notice any flex while sailing. Using the same amount of extension on the carbon Chinook RDG and every gust or pump the boom would flex like crazy. I really like the Duotone boom, but the Goya Super Skinny is also a superb boom, and considering that it is US$180 cheaper than the Duotone, it wins the value for money choice.

Head flex can increase the soft feel.
Apparently Maui sails head is "better".
No complaint about severne metal alu, heavy but stiff and lasts.
Are you sure flex comes from tubes?
It can be measured by using different levels of extension stepping on one arm and pulling on the other.

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Manuel7 said..
Are you sure flex comes from tubes?

Does it matter where it comes from if some booms are flexy and others are not? Just don't buy the flexy booms.

NP have a new skinny boom.

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philn said..

Manuel7 said..
Are you sure flex comes from tubes?

Does it matter where it comes from if some booms are flexy and others are not? Just don't buy the flexy booms.

Parts can be swapped.. Some heads soften (or break) faster while the rest is still tight.

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philn said..

Manuel7 said..
Are you sure flex comes from tubes?

Does it matter where it comes from if some booms are flexy and others are not? Just don't buy the flexy booms.

It does matter

For the same weight, a wider tube is stiffer. Engineering fact.

So the flip side of your statement is why bother with a nice stiff back end and head, and good tolerances, if the trendy 24mm tube bends lots...?

Marketing?
And ONE Head for all booms?

duotone slim flexes a lot and front part and clips start to get loose and floppy in just in few months normal diameter is stiffer but the same for clips and front part sold it in just 4 months the same for Goya Severne better quality but not that stiff
Many of modern carbon booms are made in the same factory Got the new NP piece of art reduced diameter still very very stiff 4 months now not floppy It S unbelievable boom best ever made like it much more than any normal diameter But I am not sure if the kafros custom made booms 25 mm is even better You cant believe this one piece direct feeling unless you ride it snot even 0.00001 % floppy and just by choosing the regular stiffness the stiffer are for 100+ Kg I can send videos showing the stiffness of each boom

Floppy saves sdm masts, not important with rdms.

For me the duotone was ok the grip lasted longer then any other boom I've owned.

Got catapulted and the head gave.
The clips cracked early on butt never failed.

My recommendation is if you own one of these booms order spare parts now and have them in the van.
I felt I got my money's worth out of it.

Got back on an old streamline boom even when the duotone was new it's was not even close to being as stiff as a streamlined.

+1 for v grip . I simply v grip round thick booms before even using them . Simply stick a 12mm wide , 6mm thick strip of MD eva where your hands go . Don't need heaps, just a foot either side of harness line area. Hit it smooth with a sanding block into a nice rounded lump . With good contact cement doesn't come off .Spongy and kinda soft , is a pleasure to use and makes a huge difference . Finger tips sit under the lump and the hand won't spin off . Only use a fraction of effort to hang on .

Innovation! Good stuff!

I'm eyeing the new Neil Pryde carbon slim, I like the curve a lot more than the Duotone, which I find retarded

I brought a Chinook 150-200 RDG a few years ago. And yeah, you're right. I did a test just then. My old 2/11 140-180 carbon boom has much less flex. Is the RDG better than an aluminium boom in the same size ?. I don't remember now. It's been 10 years since I owned an AL boom. If it's similar, then that's pretty bad. The skinny grip of the RDG makes my hands go numb. I prefer the bigger diameter grip.

When you all talk about vgrip above, is this the Aeron vgrip booms ?. What are people's thoughts on the latest Aeron carbon wave booms ?. They used to be a very good brand IMO. It's been a long time since I owned one.

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Al1 said..
I'm eyeing the new Neil Pryde carbon slim, I like the curve a lot more than the Duotone, which I find retarded

IMHO the NP have the best quality feel ... but good luck with pricing and availability.

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jn1 said..
The skinny grip of the RDG makes my hands go numb. I prefer the bigger diameter grip.

When you all talk about vgrip above, is this the Aeron vgrip booms ?. What are people's thoughts on the latest Aeron carbon wave booms ?. They used to be a very good brand IMO. It's been a long time since I owned one.

Wow .. I wish I had this problem! The thinner the better for me. Forearm pump with normal diameter booms for me :(

Why would you consider a vgrip based on your preference for bigger diameter grips? The vgrip effectively gives you a smaller diameter feel as the V hooks into your fingers, just like a skinny boom.

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JakeNN said..

jn1 said..
The skinny grip of the RDG makes my hands go numb. I prefer the bigger diameter grip.

When you all talk about vgrip above, is this the Aeron vgrip booms ?. What are people's thoughts on the latest Aeron carbon wave booms ?. They used to be a very good brand IMO. It's been a long time since I owned one.

Wow .. I wish I had this problem! The thinner the better for me. Forearm pump with normal diameter booms for me :(

Why would you consider a vgrip based on your preference for bigger diameter grips? The vgrip effectively gives you a smaller diameter feel as the V hooks into your fingers, just like a skinny boom.

I guess my question is: what does the cross section of a vgrip look like ?.

Ps/ numb hands normally occur after 2hr sailing. It's not a big deal for me.

I have two simmer carbon booms, 2014-2018(?) One has 29-30mm diameter including grip, the other more like 30-31mm. 29mm is perfect, 30+ feels a bit thick.

Was surprised when measured that there wasn't even more difference because on the water, makes a bit difference.

I remember sanding it down some, depending on grip, can make a big difference.

yes, i do realise this is ultimately a matter of personal preference, but i'm not a huge fan of the super-skinny grip booms (~25mm). i'm quite happy (with smallish hands) with 27-28mm grips.

that said, i've had a chance to test four super slim booms (by Chinook, Duotone, Goya, and Severne). my impression is that the Severne Enigma (140 or 150, pick your choice) is the stiffest of the lot.

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WindFlyer said..
yes, i do realise this is ultimately a matter of personal preference, but i'm not a huge fan of the super-skinny grip booms (~25mm). i'm quite happy (with smallish hands) with 27-28mm grips.

that said, i've had a chance to test four super slim booms (by Chinook, Duotone, Goya, and Severne). my impression is that the Severne Enigma (140 or 150, pick your choice) is the stiffest of the lot.

Being ignorant, I was skeptical about carbon booms that small but I recently got the Enigma 140 and it feels so much smaller, more comfortable, stiffer, and sturdy than my normal freeride aluminum booms (160-210ish). The large IQFoil boom is stiff as hell but also huge in diameter in comparison.