Select to expand quoteHaggar said..KevinD002 said..Stuthepirate said..
you could try an Earth Shattering Ka Boom. But apparently there is a long wait on delivery. 
Why is that? I was considering one!
I've got a KA Carbon Wide Tail and an NP X9, cant say that the KA is very stiff compared to the NP X9
Well guess I'll give the Severne Engima a try than!
Looking at some previous threads, a few sailors have been purchasing the Unifiber Carbon booms. Just wondering how these booms have gone a year or so on ?
I'm interested in the 180 to 240 size. My biggest sail has a clew length of 214 cm, I'm thinking that the 160 to 220 would be a little too far extended for this.
www.unifiber.net/windsurf-gear/booms
Select to expand quoteHaggar said..KevinD002 said..Stuthepirate said..
you could try an Earth Shattering Ka Boom. But apparently there is a long wait on delivery.
Why is that? I was considering one!
I've got a KA Carbon Wide Tail and an NP X9, cant say that the KA is very stiff compared to the NP X9
Hi Haggar,
I'm looking for feedback on the ka carbon booms, soon to be sold locally but no one has ever used them here before, your impressions ?
Hey Sean, not sure if my feedback would be that useful for you, I bought the boom second hand a few years ago, so its probably 3 or 4 years old. Its the 180 to 240 wide tail model. I had a very minor off on a sand bar and too my surprise, it broke on one side near the boom head. I had it professionally repaired and have been using it for about a year. It has never been particulatly stiff from the day I had it, as an example I dont use it on my 7.8 with a clew liength of 214, it just doesnt feel strong enough. Hence I am looking to replace it.
I'd go and get a Maui, Enigma or X9 but just dont want to spend that kind or money, hence I thought the Unifiber may have been the goods as there has been reasonable feedback on these.
Edit - actually Sean the new ones look nothing like the one I have.http://www.aus.kasail.com/am/rigging/booms/carbon-booms.html
i have had the first generation Enigma 180-230 boom. It was great apart from the the grip that came off. Once re gripped it was fine. i have just sold it and upgraded to the new 180-226. These are like no carbon boom i have used (x9, Aeron, Chinook and Firbrespar). The v-grip is so comfy in the hands and it is the stiffest boom i have ever owner. Wont be sellig this one thats for sure.
Select to expand quoteBender said..
i have had the first generation Enigma 180-230 boom. It was great apart from the the grip that came off. Once re gripped it was fine. i have just sold it and upgraded to the new 180-226. These are like no carbon boom i have used (x9, Aeron, Chinook and Firbrespar). The v-grip is so comfy in the hands and it is the stiffest boom i have ever owner. Wont be sellig this one thats for sure.
I've been very interested in the enigma line but its price is prohibitive!
Select to expand quotesboardcrazy said..Obelix said..
No cheap options...Gun, Loft...?
Not good at all?
I'm using a Gun boom. I used to have the loft ones and the Gun seems more solid locked on feel although the loft one was old when it broke. It was after 4 seasons sailing and I sail a lot although I'm only a lightweight.Only thing I don't like about the gun is I find I have trouble adjusting the height on the boom when rigging . It locks so tight I have to use my feet to push it along. You strong people may not have that trouble..( I often cant put the boom in the right spot until the sail is downhauled the whole way as it need sot be near the bottom of the cutout 5' 6"..
)
It seems to have worn in a bit and is a bit easier to move now but still doesn't slip.
..
Fiberspar booms (100 per/ct) would have to be the strongest on the market. Especially the early model ones around 2000 to 2008.been using a race & wave boom from that era and they still haven't fatigued maybe a touch softer.very hard to get these booms these days.another brand is Hawaiian proline bullet proof booms.
i bought an enigma wave boom 
its tiny and i love it except i have big hands and if you sail for long you end up with claws hehe not a bad side affect
Select to expand quoteCJW said..geoITA said...
No way.
"Head uses surface area, flex of mast cup and friction for super friendly snug mast contact": no, it just uses friction. The "progressive vertical flex" concept is simply wrong: flex means that the farthest parts will not apply pressure, so only the central area of the cup will work.
Apart from that, the real nonsense in the Enigma boom concept is in the 'corner' in the planform: that means tension will concentrate there, making either for a weak point or for the need for extra reinforcement (= weight).
To me the Enigma boom looks like it's designed by schoolkids. Maybe 120 kg heavy, but still schoolkids. Sorry, but that is what I think.
I think the Maui front end is far from the best designed front end on the market, maybe if it was 1995, but we've all moved on since then. It's biggest drawback is that the clamp is not hinged, it relies on you flexing the plastic around the mast each time you fit/remove the boom. Not only does this fatigue the plastic over time it's also a pain in the arse...there are not many booms on the market that still use this method, i'm sure they have their reasons but most of us have moved on. It's also bulky and heavy compared to the other options now available.
Now while the new Severne front end isn't perfect it's definitely significantly better than the Maui front end if ultimate stiffness isn't your sole measure; The Maui front end will probably win this because it's the size of a house...but it's over engineered for almost all applications. Sure, there's a some marketing fluff terms used in the Severne vid but ultimately there is some legitimacy to their design principle, similar methods RE the surface and engagement area are also successfully used by other manufacturers.
The only issue that I can see with the Severne front end is that the rope clamp could do with a bit of a redesign. Inherently the design puts the rope clamp hinge into single shear at both ends (this is unavoidable) but I think they've gone a bit thin/poor load paths with the design of the end of the clamp, where it meets the hinge pin at each end. When a load is applied to clamp the boom (not crazy pressure here) there is a fair bit of flex there in the plastic, which bends the clamp out at each end of the pin. It's hard to explain and tbh it's probably not a huge issue but it puts that pin under more bending at each end that is necessary and is generally not an optimal design. As I said though it's yet to cause an actual problem.
*Corollary: I would struggle to suggest anyone buy a Pryde boom because I've broken 4 (that's all i'll say) but their 'winged' carbon rear end is a straight up work of art. No one makes a rear end that is even close to as good as that...not even close. Their boom head is also pretty pro...bits in between though, sketchy.
*Disclaimer: I own a Servene Engima Wave boom. Personally I think it's the best wave boom money can buy if weight, function and feel are your primary measures.
the not hinged is the good thing it spreads the load evenly over the mast rather than squashing it from 2 sides or as in the older severne booms in one place in the middle
Select to expand quoteSimon100 said..
... the not hinged is the good thing it spreads the load evenly over the mast rather than squashing it from 2 sides or as in the older severne booms in one place in the middle
And, I have yet to see the slightest sign of fatigue in my MauiSails booms' clamps.
In the meanwhile, I put one brand new 190 - 240 MauiSails slalom boom on a scale and found it's even lighter than specified at about 3,28 kg. And, I am selling quite a few MauiSails boom front ends to owners of booms from different makes.
So, the more time passes, the more I am convinced that the right answer to the question: "Booms - What are the choices?" actually is: "sorry, there is no choice" (not considering budget issues of course).
I just bought the severne enigma wave boom. Sailed it for the first time. I think it's great
Are there any booms better suited to large hands? To me it seems like a larger diameter would be better to grip. After a carbon boom to 240cm.
