WA
25 posts
ive been using the summer break to learn windsurfing ,been out a coulpla times so far so good no lessons and on cheap secondhand gear , i know all going good except i cant get enough tention from the boom onto the mast , it comes loose after a bit , there seems to be a small gap even when fully tightened. is there any chance the boom and mast need to be a certain type to go together or do i need to place something in the clamp setup to try and gain a tighter fit merry christmas cheers
VIC
672 posts
We would need more information to really answer your question. If you know the brand and model that might help, or even better take a photo with the boom attached to the mast without a sail on it.
Here are a few massive guesses since I know nothing of your gear.
If it is really old school equipment then the boom is just held to the mast by the rope and not a rope/clamp contraption that modern booms have? If this is the case, then make sure you lay the boom next to the mast with the clew pointing to either mast top or bottom, then tighten rope. Then when you pull the boom out to right angles the rope will go super tight.
If your gear was made in the last 10 years then it is most likely a clamp? Most of these booms should allow you to clamp tightly onto most size masts. Even the new skinny masts have adaptors for it. You will want to attach your boom on SUPER tight from the beginning. Also make sure you boom is adjusted to close to exactly how much you want to outhaul your sail, so there is almost no space between the sail and boom on the clew side. If there is a large space between the clew and your sail it may still wobble, no matter how tight you boom is attached to mast.
With most booms it can't hurt to add some cushioning between boom and mast (unless it already has some kinda rubber, etc.). On my older boom which lost it's bit of rubber a while ago, I place a cutout square from an old wetsuit which both stops the boom slipping and protects my mast from rubbing.
Best help I can give without more information. Hope it helps.
Merry Christmas.
edit: Sorry just read your post properly. It's obviously a clamp type boom. Try the 2 tips from the second 2 paragraphs. Also to make sure it is super tight I pull the rope tight then close clamp and repeat it a few times to get max tension (within reason, may be possible to crush the mast). Sometimes the rope slips a little in some booms, like my older boom. I wrap the extra rope around the clamp handle and wedge it under as I close the clamp. This stops and rope slippage.
