I have noticed that hard handles flags out better vs boom. Tried first boom then hard handles on slingshot NXT 4.5m. The boom made the end of the wing drop when wind was light, but not the handles. Am I imagining? Or is hard handles better for luffing. Weight is almost the same. Maybe the boom is 50g (kiwi) heavier. Any thoughts?

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Retina said..
I have noticed that hard handles flags out better vs boom. Tried first boom then hard handles on slingshot NXT 4.5m. The boom made the end of the wing drop when wind was light, but not the handles. Am I imagining? Or is hard handles better for luffing. Weight is almost the same. Maybe the boom is 50g (kiwi) heavier. Any thoughts?

You are imagining it...

Seriously I think it depends on the boom. My Vayu Aura booms are so light - lighter than the hard handles. I think it flags the same or better.

Interesting....

If I were to think super technical about that I would say that if the hard handles are lighter AND they don't have any weight in the middle of the strut (because there's no handle there) then maybe there is a funky weight distribution difference? On my wings I haven't noticed a difference but I will say that I use a long front handle and a short back handle to keep weight away from the tail. So, maybe you're noticing something there...

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gorgesailor said..

Retina said..
I have noticed that hard handles flags out better vs boom. Tried first boom then hard handles on slingshot NXT 4.5m. The boom made the end of the wing drop when wind was light, but not the handles. Am I imagining? Or is hard handles better for luffing. Weight is almost the same. Maybe the boom is 50g (kiwi) heavier. Any thoughts?

You are imagining it...

Seriously I think it depends on the boom. My Vayu Aura booms are so light - lighter than the hard handles. I think it flags the same or better.

I found the opposite, even though the boom and handles are very similar in weight I found flagging slightly better with the handles and wing flips over less but versatility of the boom far outweighs the negatives even for wave riding so I run booms on all my Vayus. I've heard similar from other wing brands that support both handles or booms.