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In in the process of changing some of my gear so I can get the best out of what I have. Most of my sails fit within the boom length of 160-220 . Ive used pro limit assault range and Neil pryde x3s for a few years and they have been fine now I'm looking at serverne blue line which is quite similar still Ali or for an extra $100 I can get a billows carbon boom there are also a few second hand. Carbon booms kicking around on seabreeze. Is carbon worth paying the extra for or is it just a indulgence that's not really worth the expense in terms of performance?6
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A good question.
I recently bought a second hand carbon boom (North) after using ali (hydrodynamix and Maui Sails) for many years. We haven't had enough wind to test out stability and speed, but it certainly has made tacking and gybing easier. I'm not sure if that's due to the "new skool" shape, or the reduced swing weight, but I like it.
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They are good, just check that they are actually stiff, steer clear of pro limit, their booms are shiit
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After destroying 6 alloy booms in one season I finally went for carbon and have not looked back.
The difference in stiffness is unbelievable and I found I had to retune my sails for the extra power that is available.
Just remember you are paying for a stiffer boom not a lighter boom with carbon
Be careful with the billows boom, I had a 180+ one for a bit but found the arms were very elastic and the head was also very soft, I was scared it was going to blow up on me so offloaded it pretty quickly.
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I stayed away from carbon booms for many years after believing they couldn't possibly make much of a difference. Last year I had a demo of a carbon, same session I swapped between my alu and the carbon and the difference was very evident.
The sail felt much more powerful and responsive, and it showed through earlier planing ability. I bought a Severne redline straight away. I too wouldn't bother with cheap carbon booms, I think this really is an area that you do get what you pay for. The cheap one won't deliver the advantage of carbon and is probably likely to fail at the worst possible time.
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^+ 1
There is a major difference in transferral of power to the sail, which is direct due to the stiffness of boom, also haven't broken a boom since  |
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Not to mention the extended life a well built carbon boom will have over an aluminium one. All the flex that continually weakens an ali boom as you're sailing along doesnt weaken a carbon boom at all.
Having said that I recently bought a severne alu race after seeing the price of a carbon one, and have nothing to complain about, its pretty damn stiff compared to other ali booms ive played with, and it wasn't even a third of the price an equivalent carbon boom was gonna cost  |
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aus301 said...
The cheap one won't deliver the advantage of carbon and is probably likely to fail at the worst possible time.
I bought a cheapo no name/ shop brand boom, 180 to 240 cm. I didn't like the head so I put a Maui sails head on it. Its been going strong for about 8 years now used on an 8m sail with 90kg hanging of it.
The only hassle is the extension clips need to be replaced every year or two as the carbon corrodes them and they crack.
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How are people breaking so many booms? I've had an AERON monocoque boom for three years and a GUN monocoque boom for 16 months - without an issue. I'm not a lightweight and I wavesail without an issue.
I have tried carbon on race rigs are they are well worth the investment. Sailing with a 4.7-5.7 I can't justify the extra expense even if I may get a little more power/planning ability.
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The only hassle is the extension clips need to be replaced every year or two as the carbon corrodes them and they crack.
Interesting. Carbon corroding plastic. Never heard of this.
I need to replace them too, but never connected that.
I've blamed that on the poor clip plastic. I guess you never stop learning....
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Answering the first question, no it's not an indulgence. Very few (if any) return to Ali booms after carbon.
In regards to the carbon/plastic corrosion - it aint possible due to fact that there is an absence of an electrolyte.
What is possible however is that the pins that are mounted inside the plastic mould could be of low grade (C.R.A.P.) stainless. I have had problems with a double pin type clip that if left in the open position when storing (clip is in tension) then salt water can get inside and rust the pin - 1 yr and it breaks as the rust expands & cracks the plastic. Best option is to give it a rinse with the hose & clip it closed. Hope this helps.
AB....
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Big Al said...
Answering the first question, no it's not an indulgence. Very few (if any) return to Ali booms after carbon.
In regards to the carbon/plastic corrosion - it aint possible due to fact that there is an absence of an electrolyte.
What is possible however is that the pins that are mounted inside the plastic mould could be of low grade (C.R.A.P.) stainless. I have had problems with a double pin type clip that if left in the open position when storing (clip is in tension) then salt water can get inside and rust the pin - 1 yr and it breaks as the rust expands & cracks the plastic. Best option is to give it a rinse with the hose & clip it closed. Hope this helps.
AB....
Big Al,
You might be interested in reading this recent thread - it may change your thinking (re: metal to carbon electrolytic reactions - definitely not plastic though).
http://www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Windsurfing/General/Home-made-carbon-wide-tail/
I think W4W may have been referring to the metal components of the clips
BenKirk said...
.............I've had an AERON monocoque boom for three years ...................
I can't justify the extra expense even if I may get a little more power/planning ability.
Sailing 3km offshore by myself late one afternoon some years ago now, my brand new (used 10times) ali boom snapped at the head (fatigued at where the double tube transitioned to single tube up near the head) and left me floundering in near darkness. Ended up swapping boom around in water but since then swore I'd invest in carbon only. Never had another boom break although have bent the plastic heads of a few having some high speed get offs.
One negative is they're hard as rock when you get smashed into them.
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Worth every penny!!!!reliability, stiffness and feel of your rig, Slalom and speed anyway!!!alloy can be good but eventually will all break at the head, and it will be somewhere that you don't want to be swimming, believe me!! |
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I have the exact carbon boom in the same size you are looking at and also an X3 and other ali booms.
way stiff really no comparison used it with 35 knot gusts on sunday and was inpressed with how solid it was, not sure about the smaller dia yet, the one thing is the width is not enough to run my bigger 6.6 race sail is good on my 5.0 and just on my 5.8. the new bend takes a bit of getting used too and you need to run 2 inch longer lines to compensate.
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Obelix said...
The only hassle is the extension clips need to be replaced every year or two as the carbon corrodes them and they crack.
Interesting. Carbon corroding plastic. Never heard of this.
I need to replace them too, but never connected that.
I've blamed that on the poor clip plastic. I guess you never stop learning....
As the others have mentioned, its the pins that corrode but then the plastic around them cracks. I guess it makes sense what Al mentions that the rust causes expansion and cracking of the plastic.
But I guess it's a small price to pay as the booms seem to last a long time and give the sails a performance boost.
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Billows carbon booms, any good how do they compare to a better quality Ali boom say a serverne blue line or a chinook
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lee1972 said...
Billows carbon booms, any good how do they compare to a better quality Ali boom say a serverne blue line or a chinook
The question is also how reliable is the warranty and what are they prepared to cover.
Ive seen 2 carbon booms break on there 1st time on the water within a couple of weeks both were big brand names and were replaced without question.
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They all call their booms "Carbon" booms. It would be more accurate to state the carbon content.
I guess the price reflects that...
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Hey Lee
My blue line made a massive difference on my 7.2 if you are looking to stabilize/get more range from your Turbo then definitely go for it. Its prob fair to say that slalom sails are designed for carbon booms and probably the same goes for freerace.
I'm definitely no expert but possibly any big sail is prob going to be better on carbon due to the load on the boom. I had an x3 for a while on my 8.5 and it used to bend and wooble all over the place (much like myself)
Hope to see you out on the water again, ive only just started sailing again after my knee went to crap again. Might be a while till I'm up to queens tho ;-) the last 3 days have been great 
Curt |
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I switched to carbon since many years. Before that I used to snap 1 alu boom per season with a consistent pace; since then, I experienced breaks only with the non-carbon parts (alu head tubes on early Fiberspars) and one time due to defective product (replaced in warranty).
My personal opinion is: 1) price pretty much reflects quality, but: 2) top brands tend to apply a premium price just because people trust them, regardless of real extra quality; 3) among good products, Maui Sails probably offers the best deals with real extra quality - many people change their 'other make' carbon boom's heads with the Maui Sails ones and love it - at a price that is strongly competitive vs. the 'top' brands.
This year I added a new 170 - 230 carbon slalom (widetail) boom and it's a great piece of equipment. They also offer a narrow tail 'wave' version of the same.
Another great option (here in Italy at least, I don't know whether it's available there) are the Al360 carbon booms, that would be probably my second best choice.
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I just got a Naish carbon 100% it is very light and feels stiff. I think it will be better than the pro limit? Looking forward to giving it a good workout over the coming years
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I ended up buying a second hand 100%carbon, its an oldie but in new condition. Really impressed with its build qualilty, havent been able to use it much so i cant comment on its performance. Would of loved to bought a red line etc but its a little out of my budget + for the sailing i do i couldnt justify the cost.
Curt, havent seen you for ages bud, are you still sailing down the goldie?
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Just bought a Chinook Carbon 160 - 226, used it once now and so happy with it.
Seems really well put together and definitely much stiffer than the billows carbon boom I'm replacing with it. The billows was noticeably stiffer than my previous alu boom.
Completely agree with what everyone says, once you go Carbon you won't look back.
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TASSIEROCKS said...
I just got a Naish carbon 100% it is very light and feels stiff. I think it will be better than the pro limit? Looking forward to giving it a good workout over the coming years
still not tried it ????
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