Hi all,
Time to splash out on a carbon boom for my bigger sails - up to 7.7m - so needing one which extends to 210 or 215cm or so.
Any suggestions for reasonably priced and well built models will be appreciated.
Cheers,
Peter
www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Windsurfing/Review/Severne-Enigma-Boom-or-Duotone-Platinum-Boom
'Best value' is entirely personal preference. +1 for Enigma from personal experience, a 'bargain' (for their quality), but many will have a different set of price/value/quality/usage criteria and a different perspective.
A number of brands get their carbon booms from the same factory, eg the Duotone EPX Series, Naish. They are solid and good value.
X-booms! They come in Slim or regular Diameter, Ultralight or regular, Foil, Slalom or Race. Reasonable priced for their quality.
^^^ Got me curious so I had a look
No Prices on the site? Looks like great quality no doubt....but would cost a LOT outside of europe surely?
Dunno about cork grip durability rigging on roadway, gravel etc. Any advice here?
One year ago, I had the same doubts, then i searched a lot and a lot. guess what??
aeron is the "mother" of almost all booms, a lot of sails brands and accessories don't have and dont need to have their own molds to produce their booms, harness lines, extensors and other things. what they do? They ask to "secound ones", it's normal! The only change the grip.
the booms like aeron, old simmer, RRD, gunsails, goya, unifiber (not all), duotone EPX, prolimit, they all are made on aeron and others that i dont know.
i think but i'm not sure, new simmer, loftsails, avanti, they are made in another factory, but i dont know.
of course i bought the gunsails carbon boom, i have the 180-240 and the 230-290 what can i say?? I do like, but i only tried alumunion booms. this gunsails booms are the only 100% carbon booms that i have, i cannt compare with others.
Things to look for:
Extension marked as total length.
Tail piece holes molded vs. drilled (Simmer X10 has this).
Common hardware (Aeron is very available and quality).
Boom arm shape.
Arm diameter vs. rigidity.
Bought a Severne ENIGMA Carbon
Boom 160-210 back in June.
Pricey - Yes.
Quality - Yes.
Performance & Durability - YES.(So far)
Have alloy Naish boom, older Chinook & Hydrodynamics all good units relevant to your interests & needs.
If you're a hardcore sailor go for it Carbon, don't skimp on the mast at least minimum 70%c.
Aeron, Naish, Severne, Unifiber, Goya, Duotone, N.P, etc...all very good. How much you're prepared to depart with $'s & what you wish to gain in durability, longevity & performance. At the end of the day THEY all can be damaged or broken subject to conditions & situations.
Select to expand quotePedroE said..
Hi all,
Time to splash out on a carbon boom for my bigger sails - up to 7.7m - so needing one which extends to 210 or 215cm or so.
Any suggestions for reasonably priced and well built models will be appreciated.
Cheers,
Peter
Point-7 makes great booms. I have a 140-190 and cannot be happier. The head feels much moresolid than my severnebooms. It might be because it uses three bolts instead of two.
NP with inter outhaul system is working well for me. On my larger sails where adj outhaul is desired.
That boom end cleat on the Enigma appears to be an improvement on the earlier stainless steel version- mine always seems to work loose
Thanks for all the suggestions. In the end I ended up purchasing a Chinook carbon pro slalom boom. Many brands weren't quite long enough or weren't in stock. The Chinook boom looks to be quite well made. It wasn't cheap but hopefully sees me out!
Disclaimer: I have a cold, grumpy mode can accidentally be triggered!
I tried most of them and they all have their pros and cons. Streamlined has the stiffest head and feel the stiffest overall but corrodes and disintegrates. The front is also oversized and the head scary to hit!
Neilpryde head was stiff too but now loosens quickly. Aerons is aevrage, same with Chinook. Severne seems one touch above. Duotone source of trouble according to rental centers.
I was super happy with my big gaastra boom back in the day but snapped a super light alloy wave boom.
Sorry to be a downer, I have a cold! I guess if one seldom uses theirs then any one will work!
I'm on simmers now, they do the job but don't feel that stiff despite a tight tail.
PS: I meant to try the Maui sails head, supposed to be a bit stiffer?
Select to expand quotePedroE said..
Thanks for all the suggestions. In the end I ended up purchasing a Chinook carbon pro slalom boom. Many brands weren't quite long enough or weren't in stock. The Chinook boom looks to be quite well made. It wasn't cheap but hopefully sees me out!
Good choice I say. I have several other chinook bits and pieces and all of them continue to exceed my expectations for quality and functionality. The carbon pro booms look awesome and I would really like one of them too. Let us know what you think of it when you try it out
I have two Al360 booms bought in 2016 and 2017
No structural dramas what so ever.
No elongated holes, no head clamp problems boom grip is still good although a little tatty in places.
I sail quite a lot so they are well used.
I have just ordered replacement levers as the cleats have finally corroded away near to nothing.
They come in a v grip style so easy on hands.
Made in Italy
