Severne Enigma boom - Bad experience

I agree, booms should survive many catapults. Catapulting is just part of the windsurfing experience. It happens to all of us and to the very best. You get a huge gust that you can't detect on the water and you are thrown over the Handle bars. Most of my booms have all survived it except for one. I had a Chinook Sport boom that broke on my 6th session upon my first catapult. Called the dealer, sent pics and I returned it. There was a defect they agreed. Gave me a credit and I bought the Chinook Pro 1 Alloy Boom. The Pro 1 Alloy is rated stronger than the Sport boom. I have yet to break the Pro 1 Alloy boom. Had the boom now for 5 years surviving catapults here and there and the boom is still going strong and stiff.

Select to expand quote

philn said..
Pretty dodgy if a carbon boom can't survive a catapult. I hope it's a manufacturing defect. The alternative conclusion is that chasing the title of worlds lightest boom means that they are inherently weak? I just got one 4 weeks ago but there has been no wind to use it. So I really hope it's just a manufacturing defect and mine will be fine.

perhaps Severne has compromised bit too far for being the lightest in all categories, including sails. Maybe the lesson for regular folks is nothing comes free.

personally, I reckon carbon booms should easily survive a catapult. Maybe a Luderitz style crash will break a boom, but most of us don't crash that hard. On this case, I don't even think the dealer has contacted severne. Personally I would be phoning severne direct.

Select to expand quote

MrCranky said..

Foghorn said..
From my experience a catapult is the only way to break a carbon boom

I've catapulted against my X9 too many times to count.

I feel your pain , @ 110+kg + lead + speedballsofsteel , done similar/same hitting sandbars at 36knots, or heinous hi 30-40's spin-outs to rail bites with rag doll double over boom wraps. The harness line thankfully broke on numerous occasions or the body broke instead when it went up against this particular boom, W' X9. This boom has broken records and ribs but still ain't broke yet, it is a worthy contender for the 'Wishbone Hall of Fame'.

Other ways to break booms...

- accidentally leave the tail-end telescopic adjusting clip unfixed on one side. The opposite side(fixed) can fail excessively flex whilst you hang/harness off it under great sail load etc as it is not braced by the other side that is free to compress. This was with an SL X9 btw, my fault of course. If you do break one side take it easy sailing in on the other as it will likely break without the opposite sides support if you load it up.

- just like mast's, treat them bad, drop/knock em hard n quick etc on hard point load surfaces like stones rocks etc, is not generally good for them or most things carbon.

Hi Navdra, I have a 180 to 226 Enigma boom and absolutely love it. Around a year after I bought it, it developed a crack on one of the arms where the large diameter meets the smaller diameter tube to the point where it was loose when the boom was pulled apart. I could not tell until I pulled the boom apart so it may have been cracked for some time. I contacted the reseller who contacted Severne and it was replaced within a few days. I have to say I received excellent service by those involved. I have heard of a very few Enigmas cracking at the same location as mine. Its a great boom and I highly recommend it and don't expect I will have that trouble again. Sorry to hear of your pain with your supplier mate.

I have contacted Severne trough web form and got reply already. I was also contacted here trough private message.
Basically, they've told me that have not seen any warranties sent through matching the description and pictures I've sent (the same ones I originally sent to the shop)!!
I found this boom trough eBay, seller presented himself as a shop owner and confirmed that he is backing up the sale with one year warranty. I had no reason to think that he's lying. If this shows to be the case, it will probably be first bad experience in 10 years or so of online shopping.
Now, I have opened PayPal dispute which I'll probably escalate to claim unless the seller presents firm evidence that he did really process the boom trough standard Severne warranty procedure, which I already now highly suspect.
Preliminary contacts that I had with Severne representatives were basically in line with what I originally expected - that they would very probably replace the boom.
I've presented all the information about the purchase to them and they're investigating it on their own end while I'm hard pressing the seller to prove that he really sold me what he claimed - boom with warranty.
Originally, I tried to get the boom in local store, but was told that the orders were concluded for the year, so I looked elsewhere and found this deal with relatively cheap shipping. Never expected that it will brake in the first place, let alone that I'll be a victim of a fraudulent seller.
Now, I've got the lesson in online shopping. I am afraid if I'll even get the refund on this.
The readers of this thread got the lesson in what to expect from carbon booms. The same info I was trying to find before I decided to buy the boom.
To be continued...

I wrote in OP that I bought it online. I didn't suspect that explanations I heard from other party don't come directly from Severne and that I've been victim of suspicious merchant until I contacted and heard back from Severne.
In my first contact with Severne I laid out all the details about the purchase and immediately posted in the thread that boom probably didn't go trough Severne's warranty procedure where it would most likely be replaced.
Sure, I'm guilty for believing in people's honesty and that Buyer Protected transaction would be genuine.
Others noted in the thread that similar experience with shops that simply don't give a f***.

What is the name of the online vendor you had the bad experience with, so we can all avoid them? I can't see them named in this thread, just plenty of references to the manufacturer.

fake booms..... that would be a novelty.....

Select to expand quote

Sin said..

So is it confirmed you acquired a fake boom? Are there discernible differences with the original one?

The discernible difference is that they break on the 3 outing :)

Select to expand quote

seanhogan said..

....

@Mark aus746 : have you already heard of fake windsurfing gear ? With such little market I can't even see the point !

There is loads of fake windsurfing gear for sale out there. For easy identification they label it "kitesurfing" gear.

Select to expand quote

navdra said..
It's not confirmed that I've acquired fake boom. It's still under investigation.
For now, it looks like I've been scammed on warranty on this sale.
Seller has not provided solid proof that he sent the boom trough standard warranty procedure after Severne warned me that they've not seen warranty requests that match description and photos I sent. After that I escalated PayPal dispute to claim.
I'm in Croatia (forum does not have it in country selection list and I didn't consider it's important, so I just left default choice) and originally tried to purchase the boom from local shop that is Severne dealer. I would prefer that for sure. I was told that orders are closed for the year and I searched elsewhere. I won't name the seller since it's not 100% yet, but I can say that he's based in Bulgaria. I see that he has no more offerings, so you should be fine.
We don't have lot of local shops with large stock, so often have to turn to online source for equipment. I bought lots of equipment online (neoprene suits, harnesses, sails, harness lines...). Never had a problem till now.

Sounds super dodge!!

Select to expand quote

Steve Charles said...

navdra said..
It's not confirmed that I've acquired fake boom. It's still under investigation.
For now, it looks like I've been scammed on warranty on this sale.
Seller has not provided solid proof that he sent the boom trough standard warranty procedure after Severne warned me that they've not seen warranty requests that match description and photos I sent. After that I escalated PayPal dispute to claim.
I'm in Croatia (forum does not have it in country selection list and I didn't consider it's important, so I just left default choice) and originally tried to purchase the boom from local shop that is Severne dealer. I would prefer that for sure. I was told that orders are closed for the year and I searched elsewhere. I won't name the seller since it's not 100% yet, but I can say that he's based in Bulgaria. I see that he has no more offerings, so you should be fine.
We don't have lot of local shops with large stock, so often have to turn to online source for equipment. I bought lots of equipment online (neoprene suits, harnesses, sails, harness lines...). Never had a problem till now.

Mate the more info you keep giving us the more dodgy it is all sounding. I do feel for you breaking a newish boom but you didnt give us all the facts straight up.

I thought the same,it's getting stranger by the day

Likely a lesson for one (or many!) in shopping as local as you can, even if it means buying a product from an online retailer in the same country so that you get the proper warranty cover!!!!

I for one can vouch for 'local' Severne warranty backup for a boom that suffered catapult damage. Picked up a new Severne Blueline alloy boom a number of years ago from a 'local' windsurf shop (i.e. Secondwind Perth which is 400kms from where I live) and within an hour of my first sail out with the boom on the ocean in strong gusty winds managed to score my most ferocious over-the-handlebars catapult in over 30 years of sailing that left me stunned and a bit sore afterwards. The boom didn't break but it was seriously bent out of shape to the point of being unusable (after less than an hour of use!). Got the boom shipped 400kms back to Perth shop by the friend of a friend and was then told that Severne would agree to replace the boom under warranty! Heard mumblings that I was lucky to get a replacement considering the circumstances (as I believed too!) but really thought I was being looked after well by the shop who I have done a lot of business with over the years (and many thanks to Severne as well!).

I've heard from Ben himself that someone was selling imitation severne sails somewhere over that way. Apparently looks and names were about all they had in common. Didn't rig too well.