Trying to fit current 2 sails on one new boom (yet to purchase), as old boom holding water and needs replacing
Sails 4.7m (169cm boom) and 6.5m (206cm (approx) boom)m, looking at getting a 7.4m (218cm boom), what is the best cheap alum boom eacy to buy (shipped to door) in NSW (Coffs Harbour area) to fit these on?
Or is it best not to do this? I'm going for the cheap and minimal gear ideal here (don't want spare boom sitting on roofracks to get pinched!).
Thinking so far:
-Loft Slalom 175-235cm $159 (6cm too long for 4.7)
OR
-Gun Race Boom 170cm - 220cm $149 (only 2cm free to fit 7.4 inside)
And others?
How much 'free' centimetres do you need from the quoted boom length? Will these sails fit on these boom?
Cheers for the help
G'day dism,
Big ask one boom, but if you must, go for a bigger boom 175 - 235cm
You can usually gain 5-6cm for you 4.7m sail if you push the boom in as far as possible maybe trim some of the plastic outhaul thingo away and drill an extra couple of holes, if still too long tie the outhaul to one side of the boom.
Dism,
It's a big ask to properly cover such a large size range.
Most brands have 60cm of adjustment so you can do it although most Alloy booms when fully extended are very bendy & weak because the extension is only 25mm tube x 1.5mm thick.
Hydrodynamix reduced the extension range to 45cm to solve that problem.
We also designed a product called the Extenda which adds an aditional 22.5cm of adjustment over & above the original maximum extension.
At the same time you get an even stiffer boom because the extension is actually 28mm diameter & 2mm thick.
Bonus, you can also fit the Adjustable Outhaul onto the Extenda which would be ideal on the 7.4M sail.
The Extenda only fits our 32mm dia booms which are way stiffer & stronger than any reduced diameter alloy boom.
This is not the cheapest option but the best option for performance over such a big range.
www.hydrodynamix.com/booms#BoomExtenda
Hi Dism thanks for the help with the Ka sails Q&A
I have a loft slalom 175-235 boom it,s good for what thay cost.
works well on smaller size rigs had it rigged on a pryde 7.2
but the arms seem soft at the longer extensions. "as expected"
in the end it did fail (number 2 one for me and one for a mate about 6 months old)
like I said nice boom on a 5.8 ish but.
just my 2 cents worth.
For what it's worth, I've gone through a North (arm bent), a Loft (broke at the head), two Chinook (arms snapped like breadsticks), and am now on a Hydrodynamix 32cm boom. It feels solid, I get excellent customer service, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anyone.
For my money the Hydro with extender would be the best value.
Have you looked at getting a 7.4 with shorter boom length, My naish sprint 7.3 has 211cm, It may open up your options, Chinook slalom boom maybe, 152-214cm $290 delivered.
Chinook did have a bad batch a while ago but from what I hear that has been cleared up, mine has been fine
Check out the Pryde 7.2 hellcats etc as the recessed clew allows for a reduced boom length. (I think 206 from memory).
- Have a look on their website
My Chinook 167-229 was bought secondhand 2 years ago and it's still going strong, after being put through all kinds of abuse...even sexual...I'm using it at almost full extension now (with an 8.5 sail) and it's been fine. I'm sticking with this brand!
I think Ive got 2 or 3 spare holes to go up so yeah there heaps of adjustment left, My mate has an aerotech 7.4 which also fits same boom, the boom tail is filled with floaty foam as most are now days. The front part shouldn't leak unless something is wrong with it.
Can you get MK Booms in Australia? They used to sell a boom with 2 back ends - one much longer than the other for bigger sails. That may suit you or could you get a Hydro boom and ask them to make another backend 30cms longer?
Just an idea.
I spose if there under long enough they will all take some sort of water, if it does it must be minimal as I don't notice it, then it doesn't go on the roof of the car either.
personally I try to get booms that have a range of about 15 cms longer then my largest sail...
You may be able to get away with less with a carbon, but alloy booms always feel like crap when taken out to full length.
Bite the bullet and get two, there is too much range here to successfully get away with one, IMHO
Hi,
I had exactly the same dilemma.
Broke a lot of booms (all aluminium HPLs, NPs) and ended up with Chinook (stick to the brand) carbon Giant Slalom 167-229. Although had to chop off 40mm to cater for 4.4 sail. Now have a boom for all sails from 4.4 to 7.3. Still going strong!
