VANCOUVER ISLAND WINDTALK

I'm looking to get a few new wave carbon booms, does anyone have recommendations on any specific brands.

I had a fiberspar carbon brake on me at the end of the summer...just over a year old, not very impressed at all!! I also don't like the locking mechanism for adjusting the clew end, it can get stuck sometimes.

I've had my Chinook Carbon for almost 2 years, lots more sessions than the Fiberspar, no problems to date and easier to adjust, I would consider going with Chinook carbon again. I did however notice on a bigger Chinook aluminum I have that the out haul plastic part which attaches to the boom is beginning to crack.

The Prolimit Team carbon looks good especially with the reduced diameter grip....anyone using it?

Chinook. I have carbon wave (reduced diamter) for more than two years now. No problems so far.

Thanks Russian Dude for the input, the Chinook has been good to you too... I might just stick with it.

Do you know if the reduced diameter Chinook is 26 mm, I couldn't find the sizing on the website. It seems most booms are 31-32 mm (1 1/4"). I want to try and find one in the 26mm range.

Chinook, Chinook, Chinook! When I was down in the gorge a few years ago I broke an old chinook carbon tailpiece. Someone told me to go to the factory and they would probably help me out. At the factory they not only gave me a brand new carbon tailpiece but replaced my adjuster collars for no charge. Other people have told me they have taken back aluminum bent booms and they just gave them a new one in exchange, no proof of purchase necessary. Well I have 2 new chinook booms have had no problems and I can be hard on gear (210Lb.) I have the confidence that chinook will stand by their product well after 1 year at least that's my experience.

No complaints about service with chinook, similar stories and good warranty. The issue I had was blisters, blisters, more blisters from their old wrap, maybe they have changed it but not going back. The design of their clamp was also asking for injury of the board and otherwise but the triple clamps seems much better.

I have many many people's stories about Fibersnap for sure, never go near them for sure. Just ask Winger.

Hawaiian Proline was great to me but did have the alu front ends as did a lot of the early carbon ones and chinese/korean? copy cats, they all fail eventually. Stiffness wise the best I have had tho.

The excel had a bad batch of glue but if you pin them no worries and also the second and third batches were apparently trouble free. I have two of those left in stock and they are very cheap (esp now, holy crap!) with my own warranty.

I have no breakage or stiffness complaints regarding the Realwind or Autima's or Windsurfing hawaii ones I use now but the clips failed on Voodmon repeatedly, broken plastic and difficult to get replacements now. WDEAL outlet has these new ones

<a href="/http://www.windsurfdeal.com/index.php?l ... Dcarbon</a>

"shit's not working PHP" try this http://www.windsurfdeal.com/index.php?link=5

that apparently blow everything out of the water but they are not cheap I will also be getting decent alu ones shortly and will let you know how they perform.

I've been super happy with my Chinook carbon booms. I used to break at least a boom a season (I'm about 200 pounds), and my Chinooks are still going strong after 2 or 3 seasons. Chinook also has fantastic customer service. They've earned my loyalty!

The rough news of the $ exchange is......Anyone into crunching #'s....

$624 US for the lg wave Chinook at this time = $787CAN plus brokerage 10% (that's if you broker it yourself) / 5%GST unless you smuggle it plus shipping $50-75US....so call it a cool grand CAN

Fibersnap is right, it let go about 8'' behind the harness lines, not an area I would expect to fail. Kus I had no blister issues at all with the Chinook, maybe it was a problem with the older ones.

Thanks Johnnyman, and Windoc for your input, I think I'll go for the Chinook again.

1K for a boom, another 3K for a board... what the hell's going on with the pricing this year anyway....oh well it's only money!! May as well spend it to keep Canada form going into a recession..LOL

BTW: This may be a stupid question, but why are carbon booms so pricey? [smilie=knockknock.gif]

Carbon prices? a couple of years ago boeing thought it a good idea to make fuselage out of carbon, can you imagine how many booms you could make out of a 747? supply and demand.

MikeD, if you check the rigs of your local sailing peers in the Duncan area you will see they are actually rocking the Chinook Aluminum booms. I suspect it might have something subliminally to do with an inbred natural tendency to grip cans of Lucky.

As a fellow dunkinite, I can relate with DWD. Aluminum Chinook booms are cheap compared to carbon, last just as long (But replace them every year or two to be safe) and remind me of sapping a cold red and white whilst chucking endos. Besides, think of how many huntin trips you could go on in your pick up, loaded with flats of Lucky if you said no to carbon and hello to aluminum.

I noticed that Windance has refurbished Chinook carbon booms for a reduced price.

http://www.windance.com/windstore/sale.htm

I assume that they'd be as good as new, but I'd double check about a warranty or return policy. Too bad the Canadian dollar has dropped so much though.

I would concur that for you fly weights from Duncan and Calgary the Alu booms would serve you just fine As D-guy points out, turning them over is a good plan tho The brutus burger (or lard butt) types however would like to on occasion return to the main island at some point after a crash or reefing on their gear on a wave and prefer the carbon, thank you

Me - altho I make my living off carbon fiber stuff, I'm not biased - simple fact is I'm still on Hawaiian Proline carbons from 1997 and 1998 (of course cheaper then and I got from the factory when Quality was in SLC, should have snarfed a bunch, damn!).

As long as they don't get nicked (stress concentration - main cause of failures) by something sharp in the car or rocks, they'll last forever. HPL also sent me replacement front end parts for $4 - full front clamp with cleat and bolt - so that's at their chinese cost, with no hassle thru Big Winds. Great product, great service, last forever - this pays for a lot of aluminum booms (I've broken three aluminums, all Chinooks) and one break a half mile offshore also pays for some serious upgrade convincing.

Both the material and manufacturing process is quite expensive, and carbon has almost tripled in cost in the last 18 months, resins also up by over 100%. (and yes - this is Boeing and Airbus' fault, as well as US military and weapons used in Iraq). Oh, just to leave on a nice note - it's going to get pricier, as wind turbine blades and vehicles are starting to suck up major quantities.