After months of work and testing, I'm releasing the video and 3D models for making wingfoil booms out of carbon hockey sticks. I used these booms last winter and all summer this summer, so I have around 50 sessions now and a couple of other people have also been using them. I think used and broken hockey sticks have a lot of potential uses and it's a shame they mostly end up in garbage dumps.

My lightest "HockeyBoom" weighs just 260 grams and cost me less than $5 to make. Even with an added rubber grip, the weight is very close to the Duotone Platinum Miniboom. Hockey sticks generally have a sticky coating already, so the added grip weight isn't 100% necessary.

The video premieres soon and the 3D models are already available:



The ends are 3D-printed on a consumer filament-based 3D printer. Even if you don't have a 3D printer yourself, check your local maker spaces and libraries for public access 3D printers (and you probably already have a friend who has a 3D printer and is wondering if it can make anything useful).

JuriM said..
After months of work and testing, I'm releasing the video and 3D models for making wingfoil booms out of carbon hockey sticks. I used these booms last winter and all summer this summer, so I have around 50 sessions now and a couple of other people have also been using them. I think used and broken hockey sticks have a lot of potential uses and it's a shame they mostly end up in garbage dumps.

My lightest "HockeyBoom" weighs just 260 grams and cost me less than $5 to make. Even with an added rubber grip, the weight is very close to the Duotone Platinum Miniboom. Hockey sticks generally have a sticky coating already, so the added grip weight isn't 100% necessary.

The video premieres soon and the 3D models are already available:

The ends are 3D-printed on a consumer filament-based 3D printer. Even if you don't have a 3D printer yourself, check your local maker spaces and libraries for public access 3D printers (and you probably already have a friend who has a 3D printer and is wondering if it can make anything useful).

Nice work Juri! Is there anyway you can throw up a few pics of the boom on the wing? You can see the front of it in the video, but it's hard to tell what the heck is going on.
Lastly, you think a guy might be able to modify this to fit an OR Glide?

martyman said..
Nice work Juri! Is there anyway you can throw up a few pics of the boom on the wing? You can see the front of it in the video, but it's hard to tell what the heck is going on.
Lastly, you think a guy might be able to modify this to fit an OR Glide?

There's a segment in my previous video where I rig a wing with one of my HockeyBooms, so you can see the whole thing (fast forward to 0:52 to see it - the forum doesn't consider the time code as part of the link somehow):



Here's a photo I took this spring:



Let me know what kind of detail you want to see and I'll take a photo.

As far as using hockey sticks for other wings: One review of the Vayu Aura commented that the rigid handles make the wing heavier because they are aluminum. I guess that's a possible application, but a big difference between the Slick and these other wings is that on the Slick, the straps on the wing go around a part that has the boom tube in it, so the stress is directly on the tube. With removable handles, if you 3D-printed the ends, they would be under a lot more load. On the HockeyBoom, there's just a little bit of twisting force on the front piece. I couldn't find any clear information on an Ocean Rodeo wing with replaceable handles.

Duotone used 3D-printed boom ends on prototype Echo wings and those were breaking under stress. The Slick design is much better in that it doesn't require that much strength from the plastic parts.

I made a boom with 3D-printed ends using a 25mm round aluminum tube (2mm wall thickness). It worked great, but it's about the same weight as the Duotone Silver boom, so it's just a bit cheaper with no other advantages (<$20 for parts). I can release printable 3D model files for round profile end pieces for various sizes (25/27/30?) if there's interest and people have easier access to round profile carbon tubes than ice hockey sticks. I checked sources for carbon tubes, but went with the hockey sticks because the carbon parts were free. I visited the local hockey rink regularly last winter and salvaged about a dozen broken hockey sticks from the garbage bins.

Thanks to everyone for the kind words!

Dspace said..
Excellent idea but where do I find a local used/broken hockey stick or SUP paddle??? They just aren't sitting around in dumpsters in my home town, and I don't have any friend with them either. Closest hockey rink is ~100 mi away. Any way to buy one cheap online with shipping factored in?

USA, I guess?

Check Facebook listings for used sticks. For example, I see a Bauer Vapor for $35 in South Carolina. If you find someone who is selling a used stick, you could ask them if they happen to know anyone willing to sell a broken stick for a bit less. Ebay has US sellers with just shafts on sale for under $20. I guess shipping cost can be an issue when buying from an individual. Facebook also allows you to make listings for items you want to buy, which might help you find a local seller who just happens to have a used or broken stick.

If you buy new, you can probably find a stick for about $40-$50 if you don't mind an intermediate (or even youth) stick. The stick I used in the video was a youth stick and it would have been long enough to make a full length boom if it wasn't broken where it was (it was only missing 1"-2" in length). HockeyMonkey has intermediate sticks starting at $45 and assuming a stick isn't "heavy or large", their shipping is $14 (no experience with the shop - just something I found on Google).

As a last resort, I guess I would call the a janitor at the closest rink even if it's 100 miles away or try to find a team coach that plays there and see if they would be interested in helping out.

When I was on a work trip in Chicago, I remember there was an indoor hockey rink very similar to the one close to my home near where I was working in Addison, IL. It suppose it helps if you're near a larger city or in a state where ice hockey is popular. In some regions, used SUP paddles might be easier to find (but I think they tend to be a lot more flexible).

Dspace said..
Cool. I guess there a whole world of used hockey gear out there I had no idea of. That Amazon deal of two 25mmx23mmx1000mm tubes for $51 USD seems close enough for me so I might just stick with that. The last time I built anything sailing related was a reproduction sail-and-oar boat around 2015. Took me 12 months to complete. Now I'm just lazy

You need about 1250 mm to make a full length boom though. You'll have to do join the two pieces or figure out how to make a tail piece out of something else (if you're lucky a windsurfing boom back end might fit inside the carbon tube). That will add a bit of weight.

Purehockey had this for $42 ($14 flat rate shipping): www.purehockey.com/product/bauer-nsx-grip-composite-hockey-stick-intermediate/itm/34033-31/

Here's another shop (shipping seems to be $11):www.hockeyworld.com/BAUER-NSX-Grip-Stick-Int

As you said, it's all good. The sticks are good option for people who have easy access to them. I like the upcycling aspect of taking something with zero value and using it to make a part that would otherwise cost $150 or more. Used SUP paddle shafts weren't as easy to find around here.

I took these photos today. The boom I used has the extra long back piece (the stick was a bit on the short side). The epoxy has started to yellow a bit. This is my most used boom this year.