Hey guys!
Been learning and progressing to the point of buying a few new pieces of gear. My new GA Matrix 6m has been great but am starting to try and tweak my equipment to get best results. The GA specs on the sail suggest boom length to be 176cm. I cant seem to get anything like a decent set with a boom shorter than 180cm. (I use a GA RDM 60 mast with a NP X3 boom) Wondering how much importance we should place on these manufacturers specs? Or is this number purely a 'minimum requirement' type thing?
Wondering if anyone has a tip for a relative newbie?
Cheers!
Hi Paul,
No worries there, the sail specs are allright (but can be on the small side) but also i always look at them from 0 to + 2 cm.
So in your case: 176 +2 cm (178 cm).
Then there are lots of big lenght differances in the boom brand you use...
When i use my GA carbon 100 wave 140 boom it is just as i write above, 0 to +2 cm ,and i like to sail a (wave)sail with a bit more tension on it so it becomes a tiny bit nervous and twitchy, but when i rig it with a Tecno Limits carbon Sleek or al360 carbon Slim boom it has to be set always at least one centimeter longer... why that is i don't know and can't answer but i have noticed that several times...
A thick shim to fit the rdm mast won't help either, GA Sails has a very thin one supplied with there booms.
Hope this helped.
Best Regards
Martin
GA Sails/Tabou boards
Hi Paul
A sail's Boom specification is for the boom clamp at the bottom of the sail cutout. In this position the boom is at it's shortest. As you move the boom up, you will probably need to extend your boom.
Cheers
Mr Squishie
Select to expand quotemartR said...
Hi Paul,
No worries there, the sail specs are allright (but can be on the small side) but also i always look at them from 0 to + 2 cm.
So in your case: 176 +2 cm (178 cm).
Then there are lots of big lenght differances in the boom brand you use...
When i use my GA carbon 100 wave 140 boom it is just as i write above, 0 to +2 cm ,and i like to sail a (wave)sail with a bit more tension on it so it becomes a tiny bit nervous and twitchy, but when i rig it with a Tecno Limits carbon Sleek or al360 carbon Slim boom it has to be set always at least one centimeter longer... why that is i don't know and can't answer but i have noticed that several times...
A thick shim to fit the rdm mast won't help either, GA Sails has a very thin one supplied with there booms.
Hope this helped.
Best Regards
Martin
GA Sails/Tabou boards
Hey Martin!
Thanks so much for your detailed reply. Really helpful.
Cheers!
Paul
Select to expand quoteSquish said...
Hi Paul
A sail's Boom specification is for the boom clamp at the bottom of the sail cutout. In this position the boom is at it's shortest. As you move the boom up, you will probably need to extend your boom.
Cheers
Mr Squishie
Hi Squish!
Thanks for the clarification.
Makes perfect sense when i think about it.
Cheers!
Paul
I have a Matrix 7.5m and am enjoying it PaulNewc. Whether you rig a sail on the recommended mast or something similar (like a Severne) I reckon you should always treat the measurements as a "guide".
I mostly sail flat water and try and get the most out of my sails but I respect my friends that use wave sails and just rig the same every time (even if they take the piss out of me for fussing about sh!t they don't worry about 
)
I had four sails of the same brand and model on the same brand's recommended masts but found significant differences in rigging against the specs. One sail rigged exactly as marked, one needed to be -4cm downhaul, one needed to be +2cm on downhaul. Boom lengths were similarly all over the place.
The panels that are cut are now VERY accurate relative to a decade or more ago. But there are still a lot of areas for variation. Mast curve is a big one, I'm convinced that there is enough variation even based on the mast's rotational position (i.e. where one mark of the mast circumference is to the boom head) to make each rigging slightly different. Let alone the variation from one mast to another.
There has to be variation in the sail material itself.
Then there are simple "actual" variants like a one mast extension that is slightly different measurement wise to another. Booms are the same. As squish says, there is "actual" difference based on your boom height.
I think the moral to the story is to rig
1. to spec
2. to look
3. to feel
Use the Force 
Select to expand quotepaddymac said...
I have a Matrix 7.5m and am enjoying it PaulNewc. Whether you rig a sail on the recommended mast or something similar (like a Severne) I reckon you should always treat the measurements as a "guide".
I mostly sail flat water and try and get the most out of my sails but I respect my friends that use wave sails and just rig the same every time (even if they take the piss out of me for fussing about sh!t they don't worry about )
I had four sails of the same brand and model on the same brand's recommended masts but found significant differences in rigging against the specs. One sail rigged exactly as marked, one needed to be -4cm downhaul, one needed to be +2cm on downhaul. Boom lengths were similarly all over the place.
The panels that are cut are now VERY accurate relative to a decade or more ago. But there are still a lot of areas for variation. Mast curve is a big one, I'm convinced that there is enough variation even based on the mast's rotational position (i.e. where one mark of the mast circumference is to the boom head) to make each rigging slightly different. Let alone the variation from one mast to another.
There has to be variation in the sail material itself.
Then there are simple "actual" variants like a one mast extension that is slightly different measurement wise to another. Booms are the same. As squish says, there is "actual" difference based on your boom height.
I think the moral to the story is to rig
1. to spec
2. to look
3. to feel
Use the Force
Hey Paddymac.
Thanks mate.
Good points to think about there.
Glad youre enjoying the Matrix too. I love mine.
Cheers!
Paul
