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B-Man_6.5



Joined: 27 Oct 2015
Posts: 38

PostPosted: Sun Jul 29, 2018 11:33 pm    Post subject: Booms Reply with quote

Looking to upgrade my aluminum boom to carbon. Does any one brand make a significantly better boom than another for a non-slalom racing boom or are they all about the same?
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U2U2U2



Joined: 06 Jul 2001
Posts: 5467
Location: Shipsterns Bluff, Tasmania. Colorado

PostPosted: Mon Jul 30, 2018 9:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

For my own use I have Chinook and AL360 made in Italy.
I would consider RRD, Severne . Streamlined seem according to another thread , doing something with the business, could mean problems.

I feel the Chinook is a nice unit, with support here in the US.

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capetonian



Joined: 11 Aug 2006
Posts: 1196
Location: Florida

PostPosted: Mon Jul 30, 2018 10:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I get the impression most booms nowadays are made by Aeron. I think Maui Sails, Chinook, AL360,Streamlined and Severne make their own (though I think Severne and Chinook gets some parts from Aeron), but most of the rest are made by Aeron. I'm very happy with the quality of my Aeron made Goya Skinny boom.
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coachg



Joined: 10 Sep 2000
Posts: 3547

PostPosted: Mon Jul 30, 2018 11:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Depends on how much you want to spend. The stiffer & lighter the boom the larger the $$$$. The North (now Doutone) Platinum is probably the stiffest, lightest & most expensive. All the others listed are very good as well.

Coachg
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B-Man_6.5



Joined: 27 Oct 2015
Posts: 38

PostPosted: Mon Jul 30, 2018 12:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

How about durability? Some of these carbon booms are listed as “monocoque” and “prepreg” manufactured. Does that mean they are one piece booms?
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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Mon Jul 30, 2018 12:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The SEARCH button will reveal many long boom discussions.
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swchandler



Joined: 08 Nov 1993
Posts: 10588

PostPosted: Mon Jul 30, 2018 12:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Monocoque carbon boom components are manufactured as single pieces with no bonding being used in the construction process. Prepreg is where the carbon cloth is pre-impregnated with epoxy material by the manufacturer of the material. This configuration must be heated, usually in a mold, to cure the epoxy. There are many kinds of prepreg material where cloth configurations and differing epoxy compositions are matched for specific performance and strength characteristics.
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kevinkan



Joined: 07 Jun 2001
Posts: 1660
Location: San Francisco

PostPosted: Mon Jul 30, 2018 6:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

coachg wrote:
Depends on how much you want to spend. The stiffer & lighter the boom the larger the $$$$. The North (now Doutone) Platinum is probably the stiffest, lightest & most expensive. All the others listed are very good as well.

Coachg


The North/Duotone Platinum is actually really well priced at $750 for the 140-200 size. I use this boom every day, and it is very stiff and light with good quality and well designed parts and fittings. This boom will go up $50 in the fall.

You can get the uber light Aero version of this boom... that's the one that goes for $1k.

To the OP, all booms are not the same. There are a lot of Aeron OEM booms available from many brands that have only small differences, and then there are booms that have completely different designs like North, Streamlined, NP, MS, etc...

Some general differences:

Bend: some booms have long straight sections that extend to the front hand grip area. this new-school bend was pioneered by Streamlined. The Streamlined and North booms are examples from this group. A straight tube where your front hand grips is good if you sail with an overhand grip as your wrist doesn't have to bend away to compensate for the curve toward the mast. So this bend is really good for wave sailing, freestyle, and jibing. If you sail underhand with your front hand you can also scoot your hand forward to where the boom starts to curve.

Tube Diameter: a point of much contention, some manufacturers list the "grip size" as the tube diameter without the EVA grip! The foam grip is anywhere from ~1.5-2.5mm thick, so it usually adds 3-5mm to the end grip size. Grip size is highly personal. Larger tubes can be made stiffer with less material. I find the super small diameter booms not as stiff and uncomfortable. YMMV.

Parts: Boom head, outhaul block, adjustment collars, etc... all this stuff matters and can make or break a boom. You wouldn't believe the number of aftermarket boom heads that are sold to salvage booms that have bad or broken heads on them.

My personal favorite is the North Platinum. The boom outline is awesome and really comfortable for my sailing style (again YMMV). This boom is very light and very stiff (and I don't even have the lightest Aero version). The parts are also very good. The boom head is very easy to use and does not require a shim for RDM masts. The outhaul block is loop and go w/ integrated excess rope winder/storage. Bonus feature: tailpiece is also gripped with a very thin layer of EVA for grip in sail ducking tricks and also has the added benefit of keeping sand and water out of the boom body).

The Streamlined comes in a virtual tie. It's the stiffest of all the booms I've tested, and the head is stiffer than anything else on the market by far. This is the boom that made me fall in love with the new school bend booms. I give the North the edge due to ease of use of parts. Also, the North boom arm straight section extends just a little further and the arms are a little more parallel due to a wider tailpiece that pairs well with modern 4 and 3 batten sails that tend to rig a little fuller.

Duotone will also have a small grip 24.5mm version of this boom in the fall. I hope it is exactly like the 27mm version and not just an OEM rebrand (which would be a huge disappointment IMO).

When testing the Goya Super Skinny, the boom was received well by those with smaller hands. My biggest complaints were that the boom head had a relatively loose and sloppy connection to the boom front tube and the tailpiece would routinely get horribly stuck (may have been an anomaly). Also, when compared to other stiffer booms, the Super Skinny felt kind of noodly. If I were looking for a small diameter grip boom myself, I would probably check out the Chinook, Severne, or wait for the Duotone in the fall. I personally am not a fan of the Chinook head that is on the Chinook and Aeron OEM booms.

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NOVAAN



Joined: 28 Sep 1994
Posts: 1541

PostPosted: Mon Jul 30, 2018 8:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Chinook pro carbon booms are really nice. The boom body is one pice. The tail has a loop and go system. The head fits RDM and SDM masts and do not slip. They are light, stiff and strong. Support is great. I have the RDG and standard grip and can't decide witch one i like best...
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U2U2U2



Joined: 06 Jul 2001
Posts: 5467
Location: Shipsterns Bluff, Tasmania. Colorado

PostPosted: Tue Jul 31, 2018 9:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Kevin, great stuff on the review .

The AL360 small version I have has a small grip, RDG, it also has ergonomic , area forward, not round , but shaped to fit your grip INSIDE . This is like the Aeron alloy version I have seen but its carbon .

I felt after reading about the grip with my arthritis and grip lack of, I went for this. I cant say that it does help. I have mixed emotions on the RDG.

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