Ok, so after yet another broken boom today (third one this year) it's time to invest in a quality product. I did a bit of research this afternoon, because I wasn't out having fun on the water!! This is for a 7.4m sail, flat water, usually pretty bumpy.

Does anyone know anything about the CCS monocoque carbon boom? Does CCS stand for Caloundra City Sailboards? Is it a rebrand of a better known product? It seems extroadinarly cheap for a monocoque carbon boom. Maybe it's just the tail piece, the head seems quite angular. $679 for a 180cm - 240cm.

http://www.caloundracitysailboards.com.au/booms.html

What are some of the other options out there for a monocoque carbon boom?
Aeron, Maui Sails...

Does anyone have experience with the KA booms? How does the 60% carbon boom compare to the 100%?

I'm after pure strength and durability - weight and stiffness would just be a bonus...

i wouldn't get one of als booms as the tail piece is narrow, that's one reason why they are cheaper. if you look at all of the boom drands the narrow tail booms are cheaper. if al sells the wide tail version then different story.

the wide tail booms are not only more expensive but also stiffer.

i have KA booms and have the one in the size you are looking at. again i didn't get the narrow tail version of the KA boom, i got the wide tail version. i think my boom is a ratio of carbon and glass however when i bought it 5 years or so ago it was just their carbon boom. the 60% or 100% carbon thing is fairly new. i'd go the 60% as it's cheaper and i reckon most probably better impact resistance than the 100% carbon version. but you should just ring andrew at KA as he is very helpfull and the Guru.

my boom is fairly heavy. i would think the 100% carbon would be lighter and stiffer.

Since I started helping Andrew with the sail designs in 2006 I have had 1 KA carbon boom I got off him then. It is used for everything from my 4.7 Kult to a 7.5 Koncept, my only boom except for a big HPL ued on the Formula gear.
I finally broke it at Sandy Point a month ago when I hit the bottom doing over 40 knots . That hit also broke my Stainless steel harness spreader bar in half!!!!
So I would have no problem suggesting one of these.

As far as other brands go, the Maui Sails booms are an excellent product, I think a bit pricey though but worth the money and I beleive the new Severne booms are pretty darn good too although I have no idea on availability or price.

easty said...

Just out of interest, what are you doing to break 3 booms in a year? With a 7.4 and flat (but bumpy) water it's not stacking triple forward attempts, so maybe speed or freestyle crashes? Have they all broken in the same place, and were they the same brand.

Nothing special. I haven't catapaulted on these booms ever. No crashes - just sailing along in a straight line. A couple of months ago I snapped my stainless steel spreader bar also. Just cruising along again. No jumps really, just low chop hops occasionally.

They've always broken in the same place, at the head. Never at the bolt but just shearing through - usually where it's double layer, where the arms overlap the front inner tube.








The other boom was a NP X3 that broke in exactly the same spot. I'm a little less than 80kgs, so surely it's just bad luck? Maybe next year will be a good year!