Breaking Carbon Booms

A big friend of mine (100kg+) was tired of breaking his carbon booms so he switched to alloy.

Now he bends them like z booms and actually prefers the shape like that !!!

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djl070 said..
Did this a number of years ago, boom was only about a month old

That boom is still going today after being repaired
It actually had another break you couldn't see & snapped first time back on the water, repaired and all good since??

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AUS 808 said..

djl070 said..
Did this a number of years ago, boom was only about a month old

That boom is still going today after being repaired
It actually had another break you couldn't see & snapped first time back on the water, repaired and all good since??

Someone's first day at the factory laying up prepreg layers? Forgot to wash their hands after lunch and the first crash found all the voids?

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mob dog said..
How is the patrik boom ? looks nice, solid looking boom head on it, did you get it from surf sail? How do you feel sailing after hitting something, I am paranoid now after hitting the fishing net, imagining all kinds of scenarios from plastic bags to turtles. It's always on my mind now when going fast can't shake it.

Patrik boom is great. It really need adj out haul
set up. Patrik usually runs adjusting length on 1 side. Yep solid stiff good on the hands and no probs yet. Got it direct from Patrik.
last 2 sessions out I've seen 5-6 foot grey suits on the surface. Once on LT and then on Foil. FlyNoDie or nibbled LOL
You just got to keep sending it, what will happen will happen. I probably hit a tyre attached to crib pot that had escaped it pot. One was found floating in the shallows a week later.

There I was thinking investing in carbon boom, think I'll stick to my old boom. Some of the pictures of breaks is incredible. My old boom still works, if it ain't broke don't fix it.

Carbon is strong as heck if layered correctly. You would think the booms now would be better due to technology advances but I guess manufacturers are choosing light weight over durability, or maybe planned obsolescence ? On a side note: I have 2 HPL carbon booms that are ~20 yrs old, the smaller one has seen its share of crashes.

Why do the good ones go away

If you include boards in "part" then BIC Astro Rock and F2 Vega.

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RoyalontheFoil said..

Imax1 said..
With violent catapoolty action , Something has to give. Soft alloy booms are an easy way out at $300 a pop. I would hope it's harness lines . All my broken harness lines have been sailing in a straight line . Who knows ?

I broke my only old (rsx) harness line on the foil when i hit a chunk of sea weed, i only noticed i broke it when i hooked in and crashed when i had nothing to hook into

Now, if someone could invent a harness hook that flips out at a certain adjustable load ......... Like a spring-loaded ball bearing latch sitting in a dimple with an adjusting screw behind the spring??? Having it release at just over body weight would save body and equipment. You could easily adjust the spring preload by hanging off a rope until it holds your weight and then an extra half a turn or so for good measure. The makers would know, once you have it just releasing for your body weight, that, with each turn on the preload it would add an extra knowable release force amount.

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Imax1 said..

RoyalontheFoil said..

Imax1 said..
With violent catapoolty action , Something has to give. Soft alloy booms are an easy way out at $300 a pop. I would hope it's harness lines . All my broken harness lines have been sailing in a straight line . Who knows ?

I broke my only old (rsx) harness line on the foil when i hit a chunk of sea weed, i only noticed i broke it when i hooked in and crashed when i had nothing to hook into

Now, if someone could invent a harness hook that flips out at a certain adjustable load ......... Like a spring-loaded ball bearing latch sitting in a dimple with an adjusting screw behind the spring??? Having it release at just over body weight would save body and equipment. You could easily adjust the spring preload by hanging off a rope until it holds your weight and then an extra half a turn or so for good measure. The makers would know, once you have it just releasing for your body weight, that, with each turn on the preload it would add an extra knowable release force amount.

Cheap set of harness lines does the trick

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Freezer said.. repaired mine MS carbon boom slalom (170-230) without a problem, but I only had 1 spot to repair. I removed the damaged area of the break with some margin (no cracks visible), add a firm thick fitting alu tube inside and the filled and fixed it with carbon and added some grip again. Initially tried it for the wife and kids, but now also used it myself for foiling (less load). Not sure if I will reuse it again for speedsurfing though. I usually sail the ticker/larger version (190-240).

Trouble is, ally and carbon don't mix. Yes OK for you getting the kids going like you did, but for a proper repair on a carbon boom this is will not work. So in the interests of those who will google this later -

Make a ferrule with carbon or fibreglass tubing. Don't use aluminium pipe. Sorry.
Ally reacts with carbon - so you have to wrap it with glass first to prevent any contact ...... BUT epoxy does not bond well to aluminium, it needs complex surface prep with nasty chemicals (there is a work-around but why bother) and then even if all is well, any corrosion later with cause swelling that will crack the CF tube. 3 good reasons.....

When I repair a boom, if its on the curved part I spend 70% of my time making a nice CF ferrule / sleeve that fits nicely, the outside lam is easy

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WillyWind said..

Imax1 said...
Wow !
They stole my idea and got it into production quick
I was thinking the ball latch on the side , but this is better.
Id think of buying one if available and they worked.
Is that about AU $400 ?

One of the PWA pros use it during training. I think it is either Rytis or Michele Becker IIRC

You can see pictures of Michele Becker, Antoine Albeau or Nicolas Goyard using it.

Here is Nicolas Goyard having use of it:

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Looks like it's made to punch holes in sails. If they could make it not stick our so far and a little less pointy I'd be interested

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Mark _australia said..

Freezer said.. repaired mine MS carbon boom slalom (170-230) without a problem, but I only had 1 spot to repair. I removed the damaged area of the break with some margin (no cracks visible), add a firm thick fitting alu tube inside and the filled and fixed it with carbon and added some grip again. Initially tried it for the wife and kids, but now also used it myself for foiling (less load). Not sure if I will reuse it again for speedsurfing though. I usually sail the ticker/larger version (190-240).

Trouble is, ally and carbon don't mix. Yes OK for you getting the kids going like you did, but for a proper repair on a carbon boom this is will not work. So in the interests of those who will google this later -

Make a ferrule with carbon or fibreglass tubing. Don't use aluminium pipe. Sorry.
Ally reacts with carbon - so you have to wrap it with glass first to prevent any contact ...... BUT epoxy does not bond well to aluminium, it needs complex surface prep with nasty chemicals (there is a work-around but why bother) and then even if all is well, any corrosion later with cause swelling that will crack the CF tube. 3 good reasons.....

When I repair a boom, if its on the curved part I spend 70% of my time making a nice CF ferrule / sleeve that fits nicely, the outside lam is easy

They found out they hard way in the little sub