On Apr 3, 11:14=A0pm, Windinmysails <Cr...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> I bought a Chinook Triple Clamp Carbon Fiber Formula boom a couple years
> ago. "Expensive" I thought but worth it. My opinion may be changing.
> I've broken the head and three boom arms. =A0In Chinook's defense, they
> did replace the head and two of the arms under warranty. But now that
> the third arm just broke, I'm becoming increasingly hesitant to venture
> out with it again.
>
> My weight is approximately 190 lbs, and last Sunday I rigged an 11 sq
> meter Retro. The wind had built to the point where I probably could have
> sailed my 9.5 or even 8 but it was on the Niagara River, which sometimes
> can be gusty, so I rigged for the lulls. Mildly overpowered, heading out
> on a reach......SNAP!!!. =A0Turned around & sailed the good side back
in.
> 40 degree F air, 32 degree F water. =A0Each time that the boom has
broken,=
> it has been in colder temperatures.
>
> Is this normal? Is this a design flaw of Chinook Carbon Formula Booms?
> Their website says "The stuff you can trust". I'm no longer so sure.
> The description for their Carbon Booms says "Very stiff strong and
> dependable". I'm not so sure.
>
> For the price of the Carbon Formula, I could buy FOUR Aluminum Formula
> booms. I was told the Carbon was far stronger, stiffer, lighter, and
> would lock the draft better in a large sail. After this experience, I
> may have to rethink this and take my chances with Aluminum and it may
> not be Chinook, even though my booms in the past were Chinook.
>
> What are your experiences? =A0Are other Carbon Booms as fragile? I
thought=
> =A0 =A0 far better and stronger Formula sailors regularly sailed
overpower=
ed
> on Carbon booms with no ill effects. What do you think?
>
> Thanks for any feedback from other windsurfers.
>
> Craig.
Hey Craig:
I can't speak to Chinook's carbon booms, but basic tube failure of any
carbon boom is extremely rare. It's true that older FW-sized carbon
booms did fail at the boom head when the giant sails first appeared,
but that issue been resolved for the most part by redesigning. You
don't indicate where on the arm the boom snapped. I can only
speculate that the lamination was bad, or that the boom snapped at a
joint in the arm under the grip -if Chinook uses multi-piece arms,
that is.
Front end piece/ clamp tend to fail more regularly, but still not that
often.
I use Fiberspar FW booms and have experienced only one failure with an
older design, and that happened by going over the falls with an 11.0
(don't ask). The extension snapped on the tail piece and subsequently
cracked the tube as it was wrenched out.
Alu booms simply don't work well in sails over 9.0 for one basic
reason: flex. They are not stiff enough to control the sail and
preserve tuning. Yes, you can go windsurfing with a huge alu boom
without ruining your day. But carbon booms allow the large sails to
interact properly with the mast because no excess outhaul is needed to
compensate for boom flex. This means that the downhaul setting
remains proper for the conditions and not compromised by excess
outhaul tension. Remember, OH and DH work together.
=46rom what I hear, the Maui Sails carbon boom is da bomb. Super-stiff
with a great clamp. Like I said, I like my Fiberspars. Maybe not as
stiff, but good enough for me.
(Full disclosure: The people at Fiberspar were very kind to me when I
was a young man trying hard to win races. I try to return the favor
now that I'm an older young man by honestly but positively reporting
my views about FS products that I continue to use.) That said, the
guys @[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Chinook are great and I think work hard to make killer
products. Caleb posts on rec dot and is a stand-up dude. I'm sure he
will do his best to take care of you.
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