VANCOUVER ISLAND WINDTALK

Not an issue with aluminum booms but can they recycle the old carbon booms in anyway or do they end up in the landfill when they are finally retired?

Landfill for carbon/epoxy, significant downside, but no one has come up with any realistic method of recycling - regrind, thermal conversion (i.e. burning) and various hydrolysis/resin decompositions have all been tried with no commercial success for products once out in the market (a few places recycle internal waste at the factory.)

McClean Quality (Hawaiian Proline) was experimenting with carbon thermoplastics when they were in SLC but that's probably gone with their move to China. That material is recyclable easily.

Metals are king in this sense but in a boom they'd burn off the coatings/grip materials/ends in the processing so not all so great.

Thanks for the dissertation Geof ... It's interesting to read the facts of supply & demand ... I sure hope you windsurfers are reaping the benefits of carbon ... I windsurfed for 20 years & was more than satisfied with chinook aluminum, but I also loved my plastic fantastic Tiga 257 ($ 800 new ~ 12 years ago ... smooth ride with all that weight & flex but my knees are intact !!!) I usually used a 4.7 - 4.8 & felt the chinook was the least of my worries !!! http://pagesperso-orange.fr/denis95/Mat ... 57Wave.jpg

Once you go carbon you never go back. I consistently broke 1 to 2 Chinook alu booms every year for over 4 years in a row, then made the jump to carbon and have never had a carbon component failure in the past 5 years of using them. I use Neil Prydes, (not sure who really makes them), but don't suspect you would have any grief from any of the major manufacturers for longevity. There is no comparison for longevity and stiffness/rig performance, just say yes to carbon! On the note of superior longevity (Geoff's for over 10yrs, mine over 5) it stands to reason that if you can find quality refurbished carbon booms (previous post about chinook refurbs) or used booms with no nicks/dings etc they should be good for many years of use and at a reasonable price.

I would personally never buy a refurbished carbon, as the new grip can cover many ills, or a little epoxy filler can make a nick simply (apparently but not actually) disappear and the damage is there. I would and have bought old, non-refurbished booms that I can fully inspect. Buyer beware! And when we're talking nicks this indicates cuts into the fiber, not just surface rash.

Not discussed too much yet is performance. Last month I used Ezzy waves (4.5) at a rental place in Maui, first day on aluminum booms, afterwards on carbon. Same wind, same wave conditions, night and day in terms of feel and repsonse in gusts. Carbon booms are stiffer and generally weigh less than aluminum and this translated into sailability. And I notice at my weight of only 155 lbs.

downwind dave, dunkinguy..LOL. Perhaps there could be a Special Edition recycled carbon fiber Lucky can, for that extra special stocking stuffer!! [smilie=drinkofbeer.gif] [smilie=drinkofbeer.gif] [smilie=drinkofbeer.gif] [smilie=drinkofbeer.gif] [smilie=drinkofbeer.gif] [smilie=drinkofbeer.gif] [smilie=drinkofbeer.gif] [smilie=drinkofbeer.gif]