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Help! Fiberspar boom mast clamp needed.

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Created by pedro e > 9 months ago, 11 May 2009
pedro e
VIC, 257 posts
11 May 2009 9:35PM
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I have a 100% carbon fiberspar boom which has a broken mast clamp. The local windsurf shop tells me that they can't get a replacement clamp

I really hope I don't have to shell out for a brand new carbon boom. Besides, I recently spent about 4 hours re-gripping it and it was a great boom until the clasp broke.

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

WindmanV
VIC, 788 posts
12 May 2009 4:45PM
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Hi, Pedro,

If your boom has twistlocks on the boom arms and 5 rubber bumpers on the boom head, the following might help:

Fiberspar rebranded these booms as a Neil Pryde boom into the early years of this century. You might care to take a picture of the whole boom head, then send an e-mail and the photo to Kevin Ozee at Neil Pryde Maui, asking if he has a complete boom head assembly or mast clamp, because he often has a good stock of spare parts for NP products.

Go to www.neilprydemaui.com/ and have a hunt around. You might use the e-mail address info@neilprydemaui.com or try a contact through his forum and if so, he usually gives his private e-mail address.

In Oz, the whole head sold for about $249 in 2001 and I can't see that the clamp was serviced as a separate part (and for others, don't even think about how I know the old price!).

If it does not look cost-effective for a new head, you might consider a Maui Sails boom from Glascraft in Adelaide, contact Tony or Lee-Anne. The head on the MS boom is very good (but I don't think the MS head ((which is sold as a spare part)) will fit your FS model: I think that the MS head is too wide, although close to the same diameter).

If you approach NP Maui, please let us know how you go, whether you are successful or not. I've still got 2 x NP carbon booms amongst my gear.

Hope this helps.

Regards,

WindmanV

NotWal
QLD, 7430 posts
12 May 2009 4:59PM
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Sailworks used to flog a replacement boom head that was super rigid and popular with racers. Maybe you could drop them a line.

Gestalt
QLD, 14627 posts
12 May 2009 5:10PM
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with the broken head, is it the part that has the 5 rubber bumpers on it that's broken or the part that fits over the top?

nearly all of my fiberspar booms have broken the part that fits over the top of the rubber bumpers.

the good news is that if it is you can replace it easily without replacing the whole head piece. the head is in 2 pieces. you can unscrew and remove the clamp section and replace with another. look for a boom with a broken arm if this is the case.

i was lucky and had 2 broken fiberspar booms at home i could combine them into 1.

mineral1
WA, 4564 posts
12 May 2009 5:03PM
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pedro e said...

I have a 100% carbon fiberspar boom which has a broken mast clamp. The local windsurf shop tells me that they can't get a replacement clamp

I really hope I don't have to shell out for a brand new carbon boom. Besides, I recently spent about 4 hours re-gripping it and it was a great boom until the clasp broke.

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.


Pedro e, I have same issue and did the rounds trying to find a replacement, I eventually got onto Fibrespar in the USA who looked like helping me out, there are two types, all black clamp and the latest red/black clamps.(I have older all black)
My contact indicated, all I had to do was order either type on line. That’s the stumbling block, how to order on line. I went back too them with that question. Got an auto reply indicating "out of office" and a new email contact....which proved to be a dud email address. I have emailed original chap three times since and......Deathly silence ever since.

I have tried an alternative clamp with little joy, as anything that fits is too flexible/loose and the boom sages like hell when any weight applied to mast foot pressure.
This is a great pity, as the boom I have, is one of the better ones I have used and had only just replaced the twist lock systems with new,

pedro e
VIC, 257 posts
12 May 2009 7:10PM
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thanks very much guys for those leads which I will follow up. I will let you know how I go. Without looking at the boom (and it is still at the shop) I can't remember if it has the five rubber bumpers or not. Your experience Mineral does not sound hopeful though. If i find a way around this I will certainly let you know. Seems mad to waste an otherwise perfectly good carbon boom just because of a clamp! Built in obselescence I guess!

pedro e
VIC, 257 posts
17 May 2009 9:58PM
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Good news on the boom - the local shop (SHQ) have managed to fit a Pryde clamp and the boom is now as good as new. It survived the one and only run I used on at the Pit yesterday as I had rigged it on my 5.2 tushy x-15 but due to the wind strength I used only the 4.4 Koncept until the end of the day. One run on the 5.2 as the wind dropped a little, but by then I was too exhausted to do more runs.

But the connection looks rock solid. So, many thanks for the suggestions, and to SHQ for a great repair job for under $50, including delivering it after hours to a fellow pit crews place so it could be brought down to Sandy Point for Saturday. Fantastic service! Much appreciated.



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