One boom fits all? Chinook Pro-1 Carbon 160-226

antonputman · Joined: 22 May 2014 Posts: 137 Location: North Shore Italy

I am thinking about buying the Ezzy Zephyr 7.5 (boom 215-226)
My smallest sail is an Ezzy Panther 4.7 (boom 161-166)

I was kind of going to accept that I had to buy a new boom, right now I have a North Red 160-210
To my surprise I found the Chinook Pro-1 Carbon Boom 160-226
That's exactly the range I need!!!

But now I was wondering... how about booms with such a long extension, performance wise. Will it be solid enough completely extended? The Zephyr is a non cambered sail. Will the shape and especially the clew not be all over the place?

I like the 4 sails (4.7, 5.5, 6.6, 7.5) 1 boom concept, less is more.
A carbon boom upgrade is something that excites me, but so does the price.... Shocked

Apart from getting another North Red 180-230, which is only 1/3 of the price of the carbon Chinook, is there maybe another boom that could be a solution for me? Maybe not necessarily in Carbon?

techno900 · Joined: 28 Mar 2001 Posts: 4161

Buy two Pro 1 Alloy booms and still save $200 over one carbon.

Yes, carbon lasts longer and is stiffer, but having the luxury of rigging more than one sail at a time is nice.

Full extension on any boom (more so with aluminum) will cause the boom to flex more, which shortens the boom in a gust and makes the sail fuller, just the opposite of what you want. The stiffer the boom, the more twist in the sail, plus a more stable foil.

However, if you are not in overpowering conditions often, the difference between an aluminum or carbon boom will not be noticed that much especially on small sails (6.0 and smaller).

I have four of the Chinook aluminum booms and like all of them. I use them on my 4.0 up to 7.6. From 8.4 to 11.0 I have carbon booms. The larger the sail, the greater the need for stiff booms.

U2U2U2 · Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2016 10:11 am Post subject:

How the Zepher will behave, I can't help with.

A long extension on the boom will be felt more by a alloy one,
I replaced a Chinook carbon about 10yo, I used it pretty well extended on a 8.5, on a few occasions I felt some movement or flex, nothing that I felt was irregular. This boom was still in very good condition, I sold it to a friend with every confidence . The new booms in carbon have been much better, in respect to flex, better carbon ..?

The price of a new carbon is high, alloy will last a long time, carbon more, the justification of money spend is difficult.

I had 2 carbon booms and 1 alloy, which last season I used on my smallest sails, going from carbon to alloy even small sails I could feel the weight, I now have 3 carbon, the alloy I have kept for SUP sailing and plan to keep a sail rigged.

NOVAAN · Joined: 28 Sep 1994 Posts: 1551

I have 2 Chinook pro carbon booms. They are very solid even at full extension. I think on big sails, carbon is the best way to go. Weight and flex being the main reasons.

scargo · Joined: 19 May 2007 Posts: 394

I agree with Techno. For your quiver, being able to rig the 5.5 and 6.6 at the same time is nice. But more importantly, you don't want any boom maxed out, even a carbon one. For that reason, the North Red wouldn't be a great option either. Ideally you want your first boom to be all the way in for your smallest sail, half way out for your next biggest sail. And the same idea for the second boom with your third and fourth sails.

U2U2U2 · Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2016 11:27 am Post subject:

cgoudie1

Hi Anton,

My recollection is that you are a pretty big guy in the neighborhood of 2
bills, yes? Big guys put a lot more stress on gear than small guys, and
will be much more likely to deform a boom that is at full extension (even
a carbon boom). Plus, I agree with the other comments about being able
to rig 2 sails independently, that really saves me a lot of time and energy
where I sail. I think if it were me, I'd get an even bigger carbon boom,
and retain the smaller boom you have for your small sails.

But those carbon booms are expensive, so it depends on what you
can afford, anyway, I'm in the 2 Boom camp (aluminum or carbon)

-Craig

d0uglass · Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2016 2:41 pm Post subject:

A boom at maximum extension is generally not a happy boom.

It will be a lot more wobbly than a bigger boom at lesser extension.

Also, it may be too narrow to accommodate the belly of a bigger, big-bellied sail like the Ezzy Zephyr. So the sail will be bagging out against the boom and the boom will be bending and distorting the sail with every gusty of wind.

For a sail that has a 226 boom length I think you'd want the boom that goes from 180 - 246, or 200-260 if you plan to maybe get a bigger sail sometime in the future. .

kevinkan · Joined: 07 Jun 2001 Posts: 1661 Location: San Francisco

another way to look at this is to consider which sails you use most. So, if you're going to be on the 7.5 and 6.x sizes most and on the 4.7 only a handful of times, I would prioritize a boom that would maximize performance on the bigger sails. after all, you still have the small aluminum boom that would fit your 4.7.

If it's the other way around, then the boom you listed would fit the bill. The boom width probably won't be ideal for all sails in the range, but it will certainly work. I personally have never liked bigger, wider booms collapsed all the way for a small sail.

my $0.02

dllee · Joined: 03 Jul 2009 Posts: 5329 Location: East Bay

That's my main boom, but of course, have the 140-200 for sails smaller than 4.7.
Better if you didn't worry about top speed, and that you're under 180 lbs.
I find aluminum lasts every bit as long as any carbon boom, but I"m a lightweight at 155 lbs., and sail over 100 days a year in salt water, and NEVER EVER rinse off any booms.
My buds who use carbon booms replace them every other year.
Some of my aluminum booms are well over 15 years old, still solid, and have seen well over 200 salt water days without seeing any fresh water.
OTOH, I don't sail around getting launched, slammed, or dropping the booms everywhere.