North Sails Carbon Boom - Replacement Clips

mamero · Joined: 25 Aug 2013 Posts: 380 Location: Vancouver, Canada

I just picked up an older North Sails 100% Carbon boom from Craigslist. ($200. Good deal?). I would like to get replacement clips. The hinges for the clips are broken. Both clips must be removed each time you adjust the boom. I am concerned they will get lost. Also, the clips are beginning to crack lengthwise along the center. Probably from being pulled apart every time they clip on/off the boom. Once they inevitably crack all the way the boom will be out of commission. I am having a real challenge finding ANY info on this boom. It looks nothing like what I have found on the North Sails website both current and archived. Could it be a custom boom from them? It is completely black and has a formula style clew. Even the clew is made of carbon fiber (not sure if I like the carbon, formula style clew). The writing on the boom says "100% MONOCOQUE CARBON NORTH SAILS". Writing on the grip says "RACE PRO CARBON XL 200-240". Any ideas where I could find replacement clips? Ideally I only need the clips, not the entire piece the clip pins to. The complete clip assembly looks like it's actually glued to the tube and could be hard to replace the whole thing. I really hope I can find just the clips. I would like to keep the costs as minimal as possible. Thanks for the help.

mamero · Joined: 25 Aug 2013 Posts: 380 Location: Vancouver, Canada

Here is a picture of the clew end of the boom. It clearly shows the clips in question.

Below is the link where I found this picture (German eBay). It is exactly the same as my boom but smaller.

http://kleinanzeigen.ebay.de/anzeigen/s-anzeige/northsails-gabelbaum-racepro-100-carbon-monocoque-kein-neil-pryde/329962687-230-4317?ref=search

mamero · Joined: 25 Aug 2013 Posts: 380 Location: Vancouver, Canada

I emailed North Sails about replacement clips. North Sails forwarded my email to Next Sports in Miami but they did not have parts. Too old they said. Is Next Sports LLC the North Sails distributor? Any suggestions for other sources would be most welcomed. I am in the Pacific Northwest. Thanks.

rollerrider · Joined: 17 May 2003 Posts: 100

I bought one of those over 10 years ago new on eBay from a pro from Hawaii. Its a good boom but not as light or stiff as modern day booms. Still better than aluminum. My clips broke too and could not find replacements. Even when I had my local shop contacting the manufacturer and that was over eight years ago. I don't think you will ever find replacements. Its a big boom and I still use it about a dozen times a year. I use Gorilla tape around the clips. Works fine. I actually use the same piece of tape over and over again. Its waterproof and can be used for lots of temporary repairs including waterproof first aid.

pmlct · Joined: 02 Mar 2010 Posts: 68 Location: Middletown CT

I have had good results with cutting mountain bike tire tubes into big elastic bands to hold the clips in place. Just pull the back end out and slip the bands on and reassemble.

mamero · Joined: 25 Aug 2013 Posts: 380 Location: Vancouver, Canada

The other more extreme thought I had was cutting off 10cm starting at the clips. Effectively making my 200 - 240 a 190-230. Then installing new clip assemblies that are more common (Chinook maybe?). More work, time, and money though. Already spent $200 on this boom and thought I would be secure to go as is. Is it worth it on a boom like this? Again it's not just the point where the clips attach that are broken. They are also beginning to split lengthways. They are okay for now but will break within a season or two at the most with regular use.

rollerrider · Joined: 17 May 2003 Posts: 100

Mine are splitting too but the Gorilla tape is strong and does not stretch. I know it's a goofy solution but will work fine if you want to use the boom now. I think the boom is worth the fix you propose provided you know it will work. I never had any other problems with this boom and the head and clamp works great.

U2U2U2 · Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2015 10:10 am Post subject:

North for me, I needed the tail of a boom, rather common, more than a few years old, I did manage to establish contact in the US, they were unable to supply.

The plastic rope tie off unit where riveted had cracked.

I found that a Chinook tail fit perfect, probably better as the cleat off bit was better.

You may find better spares in Euro particular UK

Arrgh · Joined: 05 May 1998 Posts: 864 Location: Rio

Before throwing good money after bad, I would sail it with the tape for a season. Who knows what other part might fail? Then you might want to start thinking about making it a "project" - or just hang it on the garage wall.

For an idea of how much fun this can be, check out this thread. Keep in mind that HPL is much more of a known quantity.
http://www.iwindsurf.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=27974&highlight=

med_cartier · Joined: 26 Aug 2015 Posts: 1

I bought the same boom more than 10 years ago (new, on sales for around 150-200 euros). I think it is from the early 2000's. The shop warned me about the hinge failure, only known weakness, caused by handling the boom with clips in open position. I always kept them closed and they never broke. Unfortunatly one splitted and the other one is close to split. I am thinking to make new ones from fiberglass but might as well just tape them to the length as I use it for one sails only. I feel lucky it broke while derigging, so I didn't lose it. I'll let you know if I made the part, otherwise it means I just taped them in position.